Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2023, Agricultural Communication, Education and Leadership

Social capital theory has been studied for decades; one perspective is it's the attainment of resources through collective action. Volunteerism connects to social capital where social responsibility is derived, and volunteering opportunities can develop a network. The Community Capitals Framework (CCF) is a framework that assesses seven different types of capital, with social capital being the initiating factor for the CCF outcomes. Through a qualitative approach using narrative inquiry, nine participants of six youth-serving organizations described their connections with youth and community. A total of 72 themes emerged and seven categories were formed from these themes including; opportunities (it's the intersection of experience and exposure where this intersection creates possibilities.), connections (the linkage between two people where volunteers build relationships and capacity for youth.), environment (the place to belong where spaces are cultivated to serve and empower youth as well as consisting of constructive factors for youth building agency, autonomy, and meeting physical needs.), social responsibility (The responsibility of the volunteer is to be a good community member and showing up for the youth, by leading, guiding, and educating.), growth and development (youth and volunteers learning together.), trust (innately present and integrated), and self-efficacy (the outcome of how to navigate the world). Key findings defined themselves as reflective, community shaping and building, growth, purposeful, authentic, and safe. The findings led to a call for improved diversity and representation efforts amongst volunteering for youth, the bridging between youth and high-level leadership, and a space for youth to just be and exist. This research describes non-familial adult volunteer's connections with youth and community. Recommendations for research are to examine if we help youth feel safe, do we cultivate safe spaces for youth, and, how can we increase n (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Shannon G. Washburn (Advisor); Dr. Julie M. Fox (Committee Member); Dr. Jera E. Niewoehner-Green (Committee Member) Subjects: Agriculture; Communication; Education; Educational Leadership; Individual and Family Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Engineering Education

Participation in Informal STEM education (ISE) programs is becoming increasingly common among pre-college students. These programs often state improving broadening participation in STEM as part of their mission. ISE programs are known to foster heightened student engagement due to flattened student-teacher hierarchy, free choice, self-directed learning experiences, and hands-on pedagogies. ISE is known to foster STEM career interest among racially underrepresented youth. Further, ISE has been shown to be effective in preparing K12 STEM teachers by fostering STEM teaching identity. The COVID-19 pandemic forced most ISE programs to move their activities to virtual formats. This was a major adjustment for facilitators and participants. The move to virtual platforms forced changes in ISE programming that could have lasting impact on the way that ISEs provide learning experiences for their participants. One of the major benefits of ISE's transition to online learning was that ISE experiences were made more accessible to students who may not have had access to them before due to proximity or cost. If ISE stakeholders wish to utilize the lessons learned from moving to online learning and direct their investment of resources and time in informal STEM programs toward preparing a well-prepared, racially diverse STEM workforce, it is vital that they understand what is learned in these environments and how it is learned. The goal of this dissertation study was to examine teaching and learning in informal STEM settings. It explored the ways in which the concepts of smartness and intelligence have been used as gatekeepers in engineering education specifically and as exclusionary forces in educational contexts in general. It proposed a model for readers to reflect on their own beliefs about intelligence and smartness and explored research that demonstrates the danger of operating on normative beliefs about intelligence and smartness, which can be exclusionary to (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ann Christy (Advisor); James Moore III (Committee Member); Noah Finkelstein (Committee Member); Winston Thompson (Committee Member); Deborah Grzybowski (Committee Member); Ann O'Connell (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, EDU Teaching and Learning

This dissertation aims at describing various ways women artists in Saudi Arabia navigate and negotiate their identities. Drawing on the concepts of intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1991 & Collins 1991) and positional identities (Holland et al, 1998), I used narrative inquiry as a methodology to highlight internal and external identities for Saudi women artists. These narratives were told during in-depth interviews and through the photos they shared while I used the visual ethnographic method, photovoice. With a minimum of four one-hour interviews, four Saudi women artists aged between 30-40 engaged in conversation to share the support they receive from the community, their daily struggles, passions, educational experiences, and lived experiences. The purpose of this dissertation is to display these narratives and show how these factors have intersected to shape these artists' identities. Finding suggests that these artists have continually showed vulnerability in three places, in their art, on their body, and within their speech. It concludes with a call out for art educators, policy stakeholders, and artists in Saudi Arabia to give a special attention to art education for girls and women artists in the country. It also includes implications of enriching young artists' experiences and develop their identities as artists inside and outside the school walls.

Committee: Mollie Blackburn (Advisor); Amy Shuman (Committee Chair); Johanna Sellman (Committee Chair) Subjects: Adult Education; Art Education; Continuing Education; Education; Fine Arts; Gender; Gender Studies; Middle Eastern Studies; Multicultural Education; Near Eastern Studies; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, EDU Policy and Leadership

Mobile technology and online engagement have rapidly increased in access and use and have become embedded aspects of students' daily lives (personal, social, and academic) due to ubiquity and capability for personalized online interactions; and may have a positive or negative effect on students' use across formal and informal learning environments and students' overall academic success. The purpose of this study was to examine and explore the frequency of students' use of mobile technology for academic and non-academic purposes as well as frequency of students' online engagement in non-academic activities across formal and informal learning environments (e.g. while in class, while studying, and during personal leisure time) and their overall relationship to students' self-regulation & metacognitive tendencies and academic achievement/success. In addressing this purpose five groups of research question were developed. To inform my investigation of post-secondary students' mobile technology use, I developed a conceptual framework that connects three fields of study: (a) Educational technology, (b) Educational psychology, and (c) Student engagement in higher education. The conceptual framework was informed by Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory and triadic reciprocal causality model which was developed focusing on personal, behavioral, and environmental factors that constantly interact and influence one another. This study is among the first to explore connections between these various areas and factors in regards to students' mobile technology use and online engagement across formal and informal learning environments. Participants consisted of 604 students from a large Midwestern university. I developed the Student Mobile Technology Experience (SMTE) Survey. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, one-, two-, and three-way ANOVAs, and various factorial repeated measures ANOVAs (p < 0.05). Significant correlation (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Anika Anthony (Advisor); Richard Voithofer (Committee Member); Kui Kui (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology; Educational Technology; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Information Technology; Instructional Design