Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Ohio University, 2016, Business Administration

This thesis examines the effects of one's familial structure and financial standing on the pursuit and attainment of collegiate leadership roles in a grounded theory structure. It expands on prior studies by evaluating current collegiate leaders and their perceptions of the effects their familial structure and financial standing had on their pursuit and attainment of leadership roles within recognized student organizations.

Committee: Tim Reynolds (Advisor) Subjects: Business Administration

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Sociology

Income pooling, or the sharing of income, in U.S. families and couples has received considerable attention over the past decade. However, many questions regarding how income pooling is associated with commitment or financial difficulties remain. Further, income pooling is often treated as a static behavior, but it may be one that changes over time. The present study draws on the theories of structural investments, family adaptive strategies, and incomplete institutionalization to approach these questions to study these gaps. Using wave five of the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS), I examine the associations between income pooling and multiple indices of relationship uncertainty, material hardship, and financial stressors among young adults in the U.S. In the third chapter, I examine whether income pooling may be a strategy families employ to manage material hardship using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS). The final analytic chapter describes changes in income pooling behavior among mothers of young children using the FFCWS. The overall findings suggest that motivations of income pooling are multifaceted among young adults: income pooling may both represent structural commitment and an adaptive strategy to overcome material hardship. However, it does not appear that income pooling is an adaptive strategy among mothers of young children: income pooling had no consistent association with material hardship for mothers of the FFCWS. This study reaffirms differences in income pooling behavior between married and cohabiting couples: differences in commitment and material hardship between married and cohabiting young adults did not explain the differences in income pooling behavior, suggesting unmeasured differences between married and cohabiting young adults. Further, married mothers were significantly more likely to be completely pooling their income rather than not pooling their income, compared to mothers who were cohabiting, after acco (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Wendy Manning Dr. (Advisor); Monica Longmore Dr. (Committee Member); Kelly Balistreri Dr. (Committee Member); Karen Guzzo Dr. (Committee Member); Kara Joyner Dr. (Committee Member); Arthur Samel Dr. (Other) Subjects: Demography; Sociology

Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2016, School Psychology

Students typically reach higher levels of success academically when their parents are involved in the educational process. The purpose of this study was to explore the barriers that prevent the participation of impoverished, inner-city families in their children's education. Using semi-structured interviews, eight parents from an urban school district in the Midwestern United States were interviewed. Results demonstrated that economic factors, times constraints, communication, and institutional environments were barriers for the families. Other themes emerged, including: a) families expressing in unison that they wanted their children to complete their school careers with the necessary skills to be productive citizens, b) families expected schools and educators to partner with them in providing their children the academic skills required to reach their full potential, and c) families were inclined to utilize technology, such as e-mail, to be involved in their children's schools. Implications for educators are discussed.

Committee: Susan Davies Ed.D (Committee Chair); Elana Berstein Ph.D. (Committee Member); Rochonda Nenonene Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Education; Educational Psychology; Preschool Education; Psychology; Special Education; Teacher Education

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2021, Arts and Sciences: Psychology

Children are exposed to many novel situations, challenges, and problems in everyday life as they learn to navigate the world. One of these problems is learning to read a word. Fluid reasoning (Gf) and crystallized knowledge (Gc) are potential factors underlying reading development. Gf is applied under novel or unfamiliar situations, whereas Gc is acquired from experience, education, and/or acculturation (Floyd et al., 2007). On the basis of Cattell's Investment Theory (1987), Uta Frith's Stage Model (1985), and Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (1992), the present study sought to determine whether the role of Gf in reading shifts among children in grades 1-7. Within this objective, the study had two main aims: (1) examine direct and indirect effects (through Gc) of Gf on Word Decoding, and (2) examine direct and indirect effects (through Gc and Word Decoding) of Gf on Word Recognition. The guiding hypothesis was that Gf will exert a direct effect on Word Recognition in early grades, but will shift to exerting an indirect role (through Gc and Word Decoding) in later grades. Method: This archival research used data obtained from a broader experimental study conducted at a large Midwestern Children's hospital with children in 1st through 7th grades (n = 147). Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro for SPSS, which tests for the direct effect of Gf on Word Decoding and Word Recognition while also analyzing the indirect effect of Gf on Word Decoding and Word Recognition through Gc. Additionally, these methods tested the moderating effects of grade level, Family Income, and Parental Education. Results: Results indicated that Gf exerted a direct effect on Word Decoding in early grades (grades 1-2) but not in later grades (grades 3-7). Gf also exerted an indirect effect onto Word Recognition through Word Decoding in grades 1-4, but not in grades 5-7. Moreover, Gf exerted an indirect effect on Word Decoding through Gc in l (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Quintino Mano Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Cathleen Stough (Committee Member); Kristen Jastrowski Mano Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2017, Human Ecology: Human Development and Family Science

Several scholars have investigated differences in adult offspring socioeconomic outcomes (i.e. education attainment, income, occupational prestige) by family structure. However, far fewer studies have examined the association between family instability (i.e. experienced union transitions) and adult offspring socioeconomic outcomes. This thesis adds to the limited existing research by using causal modeling on a large US sample with more than half of the sample over age 25. Results suggest that experiencing more family instability was associated with lower odds of both graduating from high school by age 19 and graduating with a bachelor's degree by age 25. Experiencing an additional maternal union transition after age 18 was significantly associated with a decrease in occupational prestige. Further, family instability moderated the association between offspring age and socioeconomic outcomes. Specifically, each maternal union transition experienced after age 18 decreased the positive association between socioeconomic outcomes and age resulting in lower predicted socioeconomic attainment over time. These findings suggested that family instability experienced by adult offspring may have negative consequences for offspring socioeconomic outcomes. Future scholars should seek to determine possible mechanisms to explain how experiencing family instability in adulthood may lead to worse socioeconomic outcomes.

Committee: Claire Kamp Dush Ph.D (Committee Member); Anastasia Snyder Ph.D (Committee Member); John Casterline Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Families and Family Life