Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2024, School Psychology

This thesis investigates the relationship between the presence of Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) and school staff attitudes toward and knowledge of LGBTQ+ students and issues. Drawing upon existing literature highlighting the significance of social supports for LGBTQ+ populations in educational settings, this study focuses on the attitudes and knowledge of LGBTQ+ rights and risk factors held by school staff in high schools with and without GSAs. A quantitative survey design was employed, utilizing adapted measures from existing research tools to assess school staff attitudes and knowledge regarding LGBTQ+ student populations. Results revealed no significant differences in knowledge or attitudes between schools with and without GSAs. These findings suggest that while GSAs provide vital support for LGBTQ+ students, additional strategies beyond their presence alone may be necessary to enhance school staff knowledge and attitudes, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive LGBTQ+ inclusivity initiatives within educational settings.

Committee: Susan Davies (Committee Chair) Subjects: Counseling Psychology; Educational Psychology; Glbt Studies; Psychology; School Counseling

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

This dissertation examines employee sense of belonging and how it is impacted by organizational culture. The purpose of this qualitative, participatory action research (PAR) study was conducted using a narrative research approach to better understand lived experiences of the Lee Service Center (LSC) staff. During this study, purposeful dialogue was had concerning organizational culture, sense of belonging, authenticity, identity, and inclusion in the workplace. The results of the study led to the areas of focus for the action plan to implement intentional and strategic employee resource groups (ERG) at the LSC to increase employee sense of belonging by maximizing staff expertise, amplifying voice, and make it a consistent part of the organizational culture thus creating a more inclusive environment.

Committee: Ricardo Garcia Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Carolyn Gadsden-Holliday Ph.D. (Committee Member); Corrine Brion Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Organizational Behavior

MA, Kent State University, 2023, College of the Arts / School of Art

The patriarchal structure of education and the lack of political equitability calls for feminist(s) leadership as the opposing structure, where power thrives with the inclusion of others, and is informed by the sharing of others' lived experiences. This study aims to contribute to the active conversation of feminism(s) in the field of art education through a cross-generational examination of feminist(s) narrative experiences. Focusing on qualitative methods such as narrative inquiry, feminist ethnography, and arts-based educational research, data was collected through personal journaling, participant journaling, and a panel interview of six feminist-identifying art educators. The findings presented through data analysis coincide with current feminist(s) art educators' discussion of mentorship or co-mentorship, inclusive leadership and feminist(s) action, deconstruction of patriarchal curriculum, and continuous conversations across generations with a focus on reclaiming the joy and histories of feminism(s).

Committee: Linda Hoeptner Poling (Advisor); Juliann Dorff (Committee Member); Janice Kroeger (Committee Member) Subjects: Art Education

Bachelor of Arts, Wittenberg University, 2022, Business

Spirituality in the workplace focuses on creating space for meaning, purpose, and interconnectedness within community. Evidence and research suggest spiritual values (i.e., mindfulness, compassion, transcendence, and meaningful work), through an enhancement of the motivation of the workforce, contribute to increases in productivity. Spirituality can be implemented through including spiritual values in policies, procedures, and business decisions. When evaluating an organizational success with executing spirituality efforts in a business, three themes can be seen throughout the organization: inclusivity, leadership, and implementation practices. This study will analyze the aspects of spirituality in Ouimet-Tomasso Corporation, a Canadian frozen food manufacturing company. It will define and research spirituality as a whole within an organization, the importance of inclusivity in spirituality efforts, leadership's impact on spirituality, and implementation practices. The case analysis will include a background of the company's spirituality philosophies and evaluate its spirituality effectiveness within inclusion of all the employees' backgrounds, leadership of the organization, and practices implemented to represent the values expressed.

Committee: Sunny Jeong (Advisor); Scott Dooley (Committee Member); Ross Jackson (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration; Business Community; Labor Relations; Management; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior; Spirituality

Master of Science in Exercise and Health Studies, Miami University, 2021, Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health

Thirty-six percent of adults without disabilities do not participate in physical activity (DHHS, 2010), compared to 57% of people with a physical disability (PD) who do not participate in any physical activity (CDC, 2018). Individuals with disabilities are at an increased risk of developing obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes due to lack of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to understand the different role's barriers, self-determination, and self-efficacy play in physical activity participation. There was a total of 183 participants who took an online survey that assessed self-efficacy, self-determination, and barriers. Results indicated that with an increase in self-efficacy there was also an increase in self-determination. This study also suggests that with an increase in barriers that are imposed by family, friends, and health, there is also a decrease in self-efficacy. With more education on exercise training, inclusivity, support, and providing a sense of belonging, there is more of a possibility of increasing retention rates at fitness centers for IWD.

Committee: Rose Marie Ward (Committee Chair); Paul Branscum (Committee Member); Gaile Pohlhaus (Committee Member); Dan Darkow (Committee Member) Subjects: Kinesiology; Public Health

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2021, Medicine: Genetic Counseling

Fieldwork supervision is integral to genetic counseling students' training. Few studies have examined how factors relating to multicultural competence affect the supervisory relationship. In related counseling fields, when supervisees and supervisors discuss their personal similarities or differences in ethnicity, supervisees report a stronger supervisory working alliance (SWA). Studies investigating the connection between personal identities and supervision have not been conducted within the genetic counseling field. As such, the application of these studies on identity discussions to the genetic counseling field is unknown. The objective of this cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was to investigate if genetic counseling students report having discussions of personal identity during fieldwork supervision, who initiated these discussions, if there was a difference in the supervisory relationship between those who did and did not have discussions of personal identity, and how students perceived the inclusivity of the genetic counseling profession and their genetic counseling programs. Almost 40% of the participants (N = 190) reported discussing personal identity with their supervisor, though having personal identity discussions was not related to a stronger SWA. Individuals who identify with any non-majority identity or identify with any non-white identity or ethnicity were less likely to report strong feelings of inclusion within the profession (p < 0.001; p < 0.001) and their graduate programs (p = 0.007, p = 0.029). The results demonstrate personal identity discussions occurring during supervision may not be benefiting students of non-majority identities and significant action needs to be taken to address inequities in inclusion in both the genetic counseling field and within training programs.

Committee: Carrie Atzinger M.S. C.G.C. (Committee Chair); Hua He M.S. (Committee Member); Katherine Healy M.S (Committee Member); Geoffrey Yager Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Genetics

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2021, Computer Science

In almost every field, there is a need for strong interpersonal skills. This is especially true in fields such as medicine, psychology, and education. For instance, healthcare providers need to show understanding and compassion for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), or individuals with unique developmental or mental health needs. Improving interpersonal skills often requires first-person experience with expert evaluation and guidance to achieve proficiency. However, due to limited availability of assessment capabilities, professional standardized patients and instructional experts, students and professionals currently have inadequate opportunities for expert-guided training sessions. Therefore, this research aims to demonstrate leveraging technological advances in mobile computing (MC), automatic speech recognition (ASR), natural language processing (NLP) and augmented reality (AR) technology to address such limitations. Our result is a mobile application created in collaboration with a psychology expert to provide an innovative training/learning serious game.

Committee: Yong Pei Ph.D. (Advisor); Mateen M. Rizki Ph.D. (Committee Member); Paul J. Hershberger Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Computer Science

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2019, Educational Leadership

Research reveals that there is often a major disconnect between leaders and workers in organizational settings, especially when it comes to decision-making. Consequently, organizational decisions are often misunderstood by the employees who must implement top-down directives, which can lead to growing distrust, frustration, and needless resistance toward change initiatives. This kind of disconnect, resulting confusion, and resistance is also found in schools between principals and teachers. Having worked as a teacher and then as an administrator in three separate school districts, I have become overwhelmed by the bureaucratic nature of school committees. In my experience, school committees tend to be exclusive, administrator-driven, and lack authentic, rich discussion. This study seeks to narrow the focus of research on school committees by exploring how teachers experience the decision-making process for change initiatives in a school committee setting when inclusive deliberation (ID) is used as a framework for school committee design. Also, the study explores the impact of school committee design and operation on teacher resistance and feelings of morale. The methodology of this study is a single instrument, action research case study, expressed in a narrative. The case exists at the high school where I work as an assistant principal. During the second semester of the 2018-2019 school year, a committee known as the Building Leadership Team (BLT) altered its design and operation, using the framework of inclusive deliberation (ID). Teachers' experience with the BLT, along with other phenomena that took place during the case study with additional members of the staff, were collected as data. Data was collected through observational field notes, journaling of daily interactions, participant reflection prompts, staff surveys, a focus group reflection, and individual interviews. Inductive analysis was used to triangulate the data to understand the phenomena being resear (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Thomas Poetter (Committee Chair); Joel Malin (Committee Member); Molly Moorhead (Committee Member); Jim Shiveley (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Inservice Training; Management; Operations Research; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior; Personal Relationships; Public Administration; School Administration; Secondary Education; Systems Design; Systems Science; Teaching

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2018, Leadership and Change

Multiple voices from educational and professional arenas have called for change in the way in which public relations undergraduates are prepared to navigate complex communication challenges in the 21st century. Some scholars have advanced leadership as a way to address this change, identifying the undergraduate public relations curriculum as the ideal place to introduce future practitioners to leadership as a way to better prepare them to initiate and participate in positive social change in complex contexts. However, scholars have neither made in-depth connections with leadership theory and practice, nor provided a framework for designing a curriculum for incorporating leadership into public relations undergraduate programs. The purpose of this research was to examine the practice of inclusive leadership and communication in an exemplary organization in order to answer the question: What would an undergraduate public relations leadership (PRL) curriculum look like? Portraiture was used to uncover and illustrate the key ways in which inclusive leadership and communication manifest at a successful Chicago-based interactive technology firm. Findings support the idea that an inclusive leadership and communication culture is created through direction, alignment, and commitment (DAC). Furthermore, the research provides evidence that inclusive leadership and communication skills can be developed through practice and support. An analysis of sample public relations undergraduate programs was used in conjunction with research findings to bridge the gap between inclusive leadership development and public relations undergraduate education. A public relations leadership (PRL) curriculum was created to help public relations undergraduate students better develop leadership, communication, and relational skills. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and Ohiolink ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.ed (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lize A. E. Booysen DBL (Committee Chair); Laurien Alexandre PhD (Committee Member); Pete Smudde PhD, APR (Committee Member); Dean Mundy PhD (Other) Subjects: Communication; Curriculum Development; Education; Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Marketing; Mass Communications; Personal Relationships

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2019, Leadership and Change

Blind and visually impaired people in the United States face a dire employment situation within professional careers and corporate employment. The purpose of this research study was to gain insights into the phenomenon of employment of blind people through analyzing the lived experience of successfully employed blind adults through ethnographic interviews. Previous research has shown that seven out of ten blind adults are not in the workforce, that a large percentage of those who are employed consider themselves underemployed, and that these numbers have not improved over time. Missing from previous research were insights into the conditions leading to successful and meaningful employment for blind adults. My top research questions were: what experiences and relationships were most significant in the lives of successfully employed blind adults in U.S. corporations, and what the most significant factors were, from employers' perspectives, leading to these successes. Based on semi-structured interviews of 11 blind adults who self-identified as successfully and meaningfully employed in corporate America, I found successfully employed blind adults have largely forged their own paths, with family support, valuable knowledge, skills, and abilities, and a strong sense of agency playing crucial roles. Corporate inclusion of blind employees is in its infancy. The implications for social change revolve around changing societal perceptions of the capabilities of blind people, transforming corporate cultures to ones of integration rather than differentiation, and building family, school, community, and service provider mechanisms to instill a strong sense of agency in young blind people. My recommendations to others are to focus on a leveraging difference framework of diversity and inclusion, in which every individual is valued for their unique characteristics, and make sure that blind people are positioned to be part of this societal transformation. This dissertation is availa (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Philomena Essed PhD (Committee Chair); Aqeel Tirmizi PhD (Committee Member); Heather Wishik JD (Committee Member) Subjects: Biographies; Business Administration; Business Community; Business Costs; Business Education; Education; Educational Leadership; Families and Family Life; Individual and Family Studies; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Multicultural Education; Personal Relationships; Public Administration; Public Health; Public Health Education; Public Policy; Rehabilitation; Social Work; Special Education; Vocational Education

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Media and Communication

Drawing from cultivation theory, this project's main goals were to examine television advertisements for video game consoles produced by Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony, and to identify variations and trends in their racial, gender, and age representations between the years of 2003 and 2017. A quantitative content analysis was conducted on a representative sample of 70 commercials, where characters were coded separately for perceived gender, racial, and age identity. A series of chi-square tests revealed that while the advertisements tended to underrepresent women, racial minorities, and non-adults, the inclusion of women increased substantially between 2006 and 2011. Among many other observed trends, Nintendo tended to include more non-adults and people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent than Sony and Microsoft. The results of this exploration inform a discussion on the underrepresentation of minority groups in advertising and its potential impact on certain groups in our society. This thesis attempts to position itself as a step in the right direction in the research of video games as a cultural phenomenon on par with that of television and film. The following work sets itself apart from other articles and writings of the same kind primarily by scale and breadth of scope. The observation of the industry over time provides better insights into growth and trends than the snapshot studies of static years that are currently being published. Much of the reason for the lack of studies such as this thesis likely has much to do with popular predispositions staunchly embedded in our societal consciousness regarding the current state of diversity and inclusivity in the video game industry. The results of this study will better inform these relatively anecdotal assumptions. Further, it is important to note his thesis seems to find itself situated as the largest scale overview on representation in video game advertising to date, poising itself as an important contributor to (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lisa Hanasono PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Lara Lengel PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Joshua Atkinson PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Marketing; Mass Communications; Mass Media