Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2016, Instructional Technology (Education)

Stakeholders are interested in using technology to integrate nutrition education into the regular school curriculum as one strategy, among many, to combat the childhood obesity epidemic. The primary purposes of this study were to: (a) gain a better understanding of elementary teachers' perceptions concerning technology integration in nutrition education, and (b) identify factors influencing elementary teachers' self-efficacy for integrating technology into nutrition education. An online survey was used to collect demographic information, teacher perceptions of barriers to using technology to teach nutrition, teacher perceptions of barriers to teaching nutrition in general, teacher perceptions of supports for using technology to teach nutrition, and technology integration self efficacy for teaching nutrition. Frequencies, means, and standard deviations were calculated to gain a better understanding of teacher perceptions related to technology integration and nutrition education. Multiple regression analysis examined whether the variables (nutrition training and technology training) could predict elementary teachers' self-efficacy for utilizing technology to teach nutrition. One hundred sixteen elementary educators from a six county region in West Virginia completed the survey. All educators taught at schools participating in Marshall University's Nutrition Education Program. Results indicate that “Unavailability of personal technology for students' home use to learn nutrition (iPad, laptop, fitness tracker)” was the greatest challenge for teachers in using technology to teach nutrition. The two greatest challenges for teaching nutrition in general were “lack of appropriate resources” and “lack of instructional time.” Results of the multiple regression revealed an overall significant regression (p = .011) with a small effect size. Multiple regression analysis with four forms of training revealed that the variables professional development, undergraduate course, gr (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2011, Manufacturing and Technology Management

Several operations management researchers have considered the role of knowledge integration (KI) activities in coping with uncertain environments and improving organizational performance. The previous research focused on investigating and defining KI conceptually and ignored the need to investigate and define KI operationally. Therefore, there are doubts about how to develop effective KI capability and implement it at the organizational level. This study provides detailed explanations and guidelines for researchers and practitioners about KI, its antecedents and consequences. This research meets the needs of manufacturing management practitioners and researchers by providing an operational definition of how to integrate internal and external knowledge to manage environmental uncertainty and enhance a firm's overall performance. This research is built on an integrated perspective of operations management and knowledge management using a number of theories that include Knowledge Based View (KBV), Dynamic Capability (DC), and Contingency Theory (CT). This integrated perspective helps clarify how the implementation of internal integration and external integration practices can lead to effective development of knowledge integration capability. This study offers an in-depth understanding of knowledge integration (KI) capability and its related activities. Hypotheses of this research are developed on the relationships among the antecedents of KI (internal integration and external integration), knowledge integration capability, and the consequences of KI capability (mass customization, operational performance and the firm‘s performance). The study provides five significant contributions to manufacturing management research. First, it explores the antecedents (or the facilitators) that an organization should implement before developing a successful KI capability. Second, it provides an operational definition of KI that was not available in the manufacturing literature. (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2007, Speech and Hearing Science

Spectral and temporal processing have an extensive history of research for the discrimination and integration of tones. The integration of both dimensions simultaneously, however, has received little attention in psychoacoustics. This dual integration is vital to our daily processing of sounds around us, and has also not been effectively addressed in the ecological acoustics research. For this reason, we still have essentially no understanding of how the auditory system processes sounds that are changing in both frequency and time domains at the same time. This study was designed to begin the process of measuring the basic detection of signals that vary in both spectral and temporal dimensions. Baseline measures of detection for 10 msec pure tones were taken and the levels adjusted so that all the frequencies could be detected at the same level of attenuation. The thresholds were then obtained for spectral integration of the signals and for temporal integration, so that these results could be compared with prior research. The signals were then varied on both dimensions simultaneously in several ways: with equal spectral and temporal step sizes, different spectral and temporal step sizes, random presentation, and with doubled spectral or temporal information. The data were also analyzed along several differences: spectral step size, temporal step size, frequency range, direction, slope, and predictability. The spectral and temporal integration conditions showed a good match with the results of prior research, showing that the current procedures and signals could be used to reliably compare to existing results. The spectrotemporal integration conditions showed the threshold for overall detection of the signals to be limited by the ability to integrate spectral information, while the temporal integration was much better. Additionally, very little influence could be seen by most of the differences in signals. Surprisingly, random presentation of frequencies did not nega (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership , Franklin University, 2024, International Institute for Innovative Instruction

Research shows that the at-risk population entering college dropout or land on probation within their first year in college. Through a longitudinal comparative research design, this study examines at-risk students' academic standing, retention, graduation, and tutoring usage within a cohort program compared to a non-cohort initiative at a community college. The analysis focuses on the at-risk population, exploring community college attendance, online education, student involvement, and social and academic integration. The study yielded several insights relevant to the impact of cohort design on a comprehensive approach that includes educational and non-academic support contributing to the development of evidence-based practices to improve outcomes for at-risk students. The findings can assist in enhancing the academic success, retention, and graduation rates of at-risk students. The study results can also help policymakers and higher education institutions make informed decisions about the effectiveness and potential benefits of cohort and non-cohort programs for at-risk students.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Educational Studies

Social and academic integration positively affects student retention and graduation from college. This is especially so for minority students in STEM who are faced with challenges that are likely to affect their integration into their institutions of study. The Ohio Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (OH LSAMP) seeks to increase the number of graduating racial/ethnic underrepresented minority students in STEM (referred to as students). To achieve this objective, the program implements activities aimed at supporting the academic and social integration of students, among others. Two subscales in the Annual Survey of the OH LSAMP are used to determine whether students who participate in the program are academically and socially integrated compared to their colleagues who do not. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of items used to measure students' academic and social integration. Data collected by an external evaluator for the OH LSAMP was used for this study. Responses from 597 and 468 students on the academic integration and social integration scales respectively were used in the analysis. Factor analytic (FA) approach was used to first examine the structure/dimension of the two scales. Both scales were found to be multidimensional - a bifactor model with one specific group factor for academic integration and two group factors for social integration The bifactor models for the two scales suggest that both scales measure a general construct. However, some of the items share a common variance that is not accounted for by the general factor. Item response theory (IRT) approaches were then used to examine differential item function (DIF) across gender, institution type, and first-generation status in the two scales. No substantial DIF was found across gender, institution type, and first-generation status for the academic integration scale. This suggests that given equal values of academic integration the scale can be used to compare scores ac (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Agricultural and Extension Education

Lower retention and graduation rates continue to persist among urban and Appalachian student cohorts. However, these two groups have historically been viewed as different and needing different supports to persist in their educational pursuits. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of, and integrational supports utilized by college graduates from Ohio's urban and Appalachian regions. Specifically, this study explores the differences and similarities in institutional support services/resources and experiences urban and Appalachian graduates identify as having been instrumental in their collegiate success. Using a qualitative research multiple case study approach, the researcher examined the academic and social experiences of urban and Appalachian college graduates from Ohio's Urban Eight and Appalachian regions. The methodology for this study includes a qualitative approach where the researcher conducted in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 college graduates from a large, land-grant institution. Data gathered from this study yielded several similarities in experience and institutional integration across the urban and Appalachian groups. A strong reliance on support systems, such as campus organizations, peers, and faculty/staff, in addition to their yearning for identity-based support services was salient among both groups. Due to the relatively small sample size of this study, n=15, the findings cannot be generalized to the entire urban and Appalachian population. Overall, the findings of this study revealed substantial similarities and a few very critical differences in the academic and social experiences of urban and Appalachian graduates. These experiences support the critical role of student integration efforts and specialized support services for students from minority and underrepresented identities. The findings of this research may ultimately have the potential to reexamine and reframe how higher education institution (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2021, Higher Education

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that influence international students' sense of belonging. An in-depth review of existing research on sense of belonging helped me identify 18 factors closely connected to the sense of belonging of international students. I categorized these factors into four groups: (a) academic integration, (b) social integration, (c) campus climate, and (d) transition factors, and developed a 41-item questionnaire for students. I administered the questionnaire to international students attending higher education institutions in the Great Lakes region, which consists of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Ten variables connected to each of the four groups of factors emerged as statistically significant predictors of international students' sense of belonging: (a) academic involvement, (b) relationship with faculty, (c) friends/peer support, (d) learning community, (e) nationalism in host country, (f) on campus services (support staff), (g) diversity on campus, (h) dietary restrictions, (i) language ability, and (j) racism/discrimination. The results of the study suggest that the academic environment, campus services and resources, the racial climate of the campus in regard to diversity or lack of it, and the nationalism in a country play a role in an international student's sense of belonging. These results show that institutions must pay attention to a complex set of factors when trying to recruit and retain their international students.

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2020, Educational Administration (Education)

Student persistence, which is student's progress towards graduation through achieving or meeting educational goals, is widely studied. The focus of a majority of the studies on student persistence is on students at the K-12 and undergraduate levels. Furthermore, while persistence of graduate student population was studied, such studies focused on domestic student, and not international students. International graduate students are important for educational institutions. The pedagogical and financial impact of international graduate students on educational institutions is significant, yet their retention and persistence is understudied. The current study was an attempt to enhance our understanding surrounding student retention and persistence. Research on student retention and persistence is greatly influenced by the works of Vincent Tinto, one of the earliest researchers to incorporate sociological research into their work on student persistence and, who in the early 1970s, developed what is probably the very first predictive model of student persistence. Tinto's (1993) model of student persistence, known as Tinto's Institutional Departure Model (TIDM), suggests that a student's integration into the academic and social fabric of the educational institution (i.e., academic integration and social integration) predicts their persistence. Subsequent research, across different student populations and at different levels of education, has shown that academic integration and social integration play an important role in determining persistence of students, validating the core finding of Tinto's model. Student persistence decisions are complex and are influenced by a variety of factors. For example, finance plays an important role in not only access to education but also influences academic integration and social integration. This was highlighted by the works of Pascarella and Terenzini (2005), and Cabrera and colleagues (Cabrera, Nora, & Castaneda, 1992; Nora, Cabrera, Hage (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2020, Educational Research and Evaluation (Education)

Mixed methods research (MMR), regarded as the third research approach, has been widely adopted in a plethora of disciplines. Integration is the pressing issue regarding the legitimation, the added value, and the quality of using MMR, though inadequate literature has discussed this topic. This study reviewed the integration strategies, particularly the innovative integration strategies in the empirical studies applied MMR by using Cooper's research synthesis approach within three databases from 2018 to 2019. Given the PRISMA methodology, 119 primary studies were synthesized in this review, including 91 categorized as generic MMR studies and 28 studies that adopted innovative integration strategies. Using the developed four-dimensioned codebook, three generic integration strategies were identified in 91 articles: (a) using good mixed methods (MM) research question to guide MM design, (b) using appropriate MM sampling strategy to obtain good data for achieving integration, and (c) using effective MM data mixing strategy to facilitate integration. Of the other 28 studies, three innovative integration strategies were identified at data collection phase: (a) using survey to collect both qualitative (QUAL) and quantitative (QUAN) data sets, (b) using visual support to collect both components, and (c) using high-tech methods to facilitate data collection. Another two innovative integration strategies were identified at data analysis and interpretation phase: (d) using data visualization and (e) quantitizing categorized QUAL data. Moreover, a thematic analysis was conducted to code the reported challenges among these published articles, whose major themes were the divergent issues of conducting MMR and the challenges pertaining to validity issues. Given the reported challenges, the identified integration strategies were advanced to solve relevant challenges. Based on these findings, this review provides an adapted MM integration evaluation checklist (AMMIEC) for MM researche (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2020, Biomedical Engineering

Over one million individuals in the United States have a lower-limb amputation. Though locomotion is a sensorimotor process, no commercially available prostheses offer somatosensory feedback, and amputees continue to face locomotor challenges. Recent studies have demonstrated that electrically stimulating the residual nerves of amputees can elicit somatosensory percepts referred to the missing limb. Though peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) takes advantage of the existing neural pathways that carry sensory information from the amputated limb to the brain, neural stimulation does not activate these afferent fibers in the same manner as physically-applied tactile stimuli. We hypothesized that these differences in neural activation may cause PNS-evoked sensation to be perceived differently than natural touch with respect to temporal synchrony and multisensory integration. In Aim 1, we found that the processing time and temporal sensitivity were not different between PNS-evoked and natural somatosensation. The similarity in visuotactile synchrony provided further evidence that PNS-evoked sensations are processed in broadly the same way as natural touch. In Aim 2, we established that much like natural somatosensation, vision and postural manipulations could reinforce PNS-evoked somatosensation. This multisensory integration had not been previously demonstrated and it is important for sensory neuroprostheses, which will be used in diverse environments with various sensory resources. The findings from Aims 1-2 demonstrated that PNS-evoked and natural somatosensation have similar properties, but did not guarantee that the body would utilize the sensory information accordingly. In Aim 3, we showed that amputees utilized PNS-evoked plantar sensation while performing a challenging locomotor task, revealing a significant and immediate benefit of somatosensory feedback to amputees. The use of a sensory-enabled prosthesis did not change the amputees' locomotor strategies, (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2019, Philosophy (Arts and Sciences)

In this thesis I argue that there are post bellum situations in which it is morally permissible to remove sovereignty from a vanquished nation by integrating its people and territory into an existing state. The relevant situations are those in which there are desperate human rights claims which must be satisfied and the removal of sovereignty is the only feasible alternative that protects human rights. I call the approach to such situations outlined herein “Restorative Post Bellum Integration (RPBI),” and argue that this solution is consistent with Brian Orend's Kantian Internationalist framework. The format of my argument is the following: P1) States rights are derivative from and subordinate to human rights. P2) Some post bellum situations are such that a) the vanquished nation (or vestiges thereof) affords no reasonable prospect of becoming an independent nation that will respect or ensure the human rights of its citizens and b) the most promising way to uphold the human rights of the people of the vanquished nation is by integrating them and the territory they inhabit into another nation (RPBI). From P1) and P2), C3) In the post bellum situations outlined in P2, RPBI is morally permissible. This topic is of crucial importance due to emerging conditions, such as drastic climate change and increased sectarianism, which may bring decades of war, strife, and mass migration. The framework presented in this thesis offers a methodology for dealing with those hardest of cases, in which significantly prolonged conflict may be the only alternative to the absorption of an outlaw state by a well-ordered state.

PHD, Kent State University, 2019, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

Institutions have invested considerably in resources and staff to increase student success and persistence. However, retention rates have remained fairly steady over time. The purpose of this study was to synthesize undergraduate student persistence models into a singular parsimonious model using meta-analytic structural equation modeling to test the accuracy of the model across diverse studies. The analysis was successful in supporting many aspects of the major theoretical models proposed about college student persistence from a wide breadth of research on this subject. It was concluded that academic integration, social integration, institutional commitment, and organizational factors of the college/university all significantly contribute to student persistence. Student background characteristics and student external factors were not significantly related to college student persistence. The conclusions of this analysis suggest that all types of institutions invest in programs and services related to academic and social integration, institutional commitment, and organizational factors of the university environment. Recent statistical methods published by Cheung in 2015 made it possible to apply structural equation modeling techniques to meta-analytic research, which allowed for a more robust and complex analysis. Therefore, the contribution of this work is notable because it applies rigorous statistical methods and analysis to substantiate and/or question common theoretical constructs related to college student persistence over a period of 40 years.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Wright State University, 2018, Biomedical Sciences PhD

Spinal motoneurons are the final common path for motor signals. Thus, the firing activity recorded from spinal motoneurons or their axons in the ventral roots represents the motor output of the nervous system. This dissertation investigates two major phenomena that help generate and shape the neuronal motor output. Specialized groups of spinal neurons called central pattern generators (CPGs) are capable of orchestrating rhythmic bursting activity without involvement of the brain. This activity underlies stereotyped movements such as locomotion. If known, the ionic mechanisms responsible for generating this activity can offer new pharmacological interventions to restore walking in paralyzed patients with intact spinal circuits. In part-I of this dissertation, we examined the role of the small conductance Ca2+-activated potassium (SK) channels in the generation of rhythmic activity. SK channels represent a strong candidate for controlling bursting behaviors because they have a dual regulatory function on both the synaptic inputs and the firing output of spinal neurons. Rhythmic activity was studied in murine spinal cord preparations in vitro using intracellular and extracellular electrophysiological recordings. The data showed that inhibition of SK channels -using multiple approaches- facilitates the initiation of rhythmic motor outputs. Additionally, graded pharmacological modulation of SK channels determined the amplitude of the motor bursts in a dose-dependent manner. Similar manipulations of other types of ion channels did not replicate these effects. The autonomous activity of the spinal CPGs can continue for long periods of time without extrinsic inputs. However, to meet the demands of the environment, the locomotor activity has to undergo continuous modulation by peripheral sensory inputs and descending supraspinal inputs (sensorimotor integration). These synaptic inputs exhibit use-dependent plasticity at physiological firing frequencies (either facilita (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2018, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

The purpose of this study is to measure factors that may lead to adaptations by teachers in their instructional practices as they relate to technology integration in a 1:1 laptop environment in a Western Pennsylvania school district. Much has been done around the concept of technology integration in schools and the impact or lack of impact on student achievement. Most of the literature on technology use in schools centers around availability and access to technology in the classroom setting. This study looks at the actual integration of technology through instructional delivery in the classroom. Teacher perceptions with regard to their own instructional practices were gathered using the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Framework and measured next to classroom observational practices as gathered by building administrators throughout the school year. If teacher perceptions using TPACK correlate with instructional technology delivery as measured by classroom observation using SAMR and the Charlotte Danielson Framework, then districts may be able to ensure their investment in technology by focusing on factors that increase likelihood of actual use in the classroom. Participants in this study reported above average comfort with regard to technology as related to technology knowledge and technology pedagogy knowledge which may be attributed to the time and investment in teaching staff by the district through ongoing professional development activities. In addition, teachers were observed implementing technology in their classrooms, in some cases at a higher level of implementation on the SAMR scale, as observed through walkthrough observations. Finally, the district in this study saw tremendous gains by first time test takers on state the mandated standardized test since the inception of the 1:1 initiative which might be attributed to the above mentioned professional development activities focused on technology, technology content creation, and (open full item for complete abstract)

Bachelor of Science, Walsh University, 2012, Honors

This literature review scrutinized the efficacy of sensory integration treatment in occupational therapy. The idea of sensory integration in occupational therapy has been discussed. The focus is on occupational therapy, as well as the Sensory Profile, a standardized tool. Explorations of therapy in addressing sensory integration issues have been examined. Benefits of incorporating sensory integrative techniques as a part of and concurrent with occupational therapy have been suggested.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Engineering : Biomedical Engineering

An important goal for biomedical research is to elucidate causal and modifier networks of human disease. While integrative functional genomics approaches have shown success in the identification of biological modules associated with normal and disease states, a critical bottleneck is representing knowledge capable of encompassing asserted or derivable causality mechanisms. Both single gene and more complex multifactorial diseases often exhibit several phenotypes and a variety of approaches suggest that phenotypic similarity between diseases can be a reflection of shared activities of common biological modules composed of interacting or functionally related genes. Thus, analyzing the overlaps and interrelationships of clinical manifestations of a series of related diseases may provide a window into the complex biological modules that lead to a disease phenotype. In order to evaluate our hypothesis, we are developing a systematic and formal approach to extract phenotypic information present in textual form within Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) and Syndrome DB databases to construct a disease - clinical phenotypic feature matrix to be used by various clustering procedures to find similarity between diseases. Our objective is to demonstrate relationships detectable across a range of disease concept types modeled in UMLS to analyze the detectable clinical overlaps of several Cardiovascular Syndromes (CVS) in OMIM in order to find the associations between phenotypic clusters and the functions of underlying genes and pathways. Most of the current biomedical knowledge is spread across different databases in different formats and mining these datasets leads to large and unmanageable results. Semantic Web principles and standards provide an ideal platform to integrate such heterogeneous information and could allow the detection of implicit relations and the formulation of interesting hypotheses. We implemented a page-ranking algorithm onto Semantic Web to prioriti (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2005, Manufacturing Management

With advances in information technology (IT), information systems integration (ISI) and its role in an integrated supply chain have become important to executives and researchers. ISI represents the degree of cooperation in information system practices between business functions within a firm and between a firm and its trading partners. It has been documented that the introduction and utilization of ISI for supply chain management enhance the firms' competitiveness and growth. While many firms focus on achieving high levels of IT utilization, without high levels of ISI, supply chain members may not attain the full benefits of working within a supply chain. The concept of ISI can be captured using two main sub-constructs (e.g., internal ISI and external ISI) and can be conceptualized at three levels – (1) Strategic, (2) Operational, and (3) Infrastructural. Studying the effects of ISI in these levels can help researchers and executives understand how ISI practices at different levels contribute to overall supply chain effectiveness. The implications of such an understanding may bring significant benefits to both operations researchers and practitioners. Such benefits may include making better decisions about which IT to utilize, which information systems (IS) practices to emphasize, and what level of ISI to attain. From a practitioner's perspective, this research provides important guidelines so firms may better understand ISI issues and effectively implement IT. This study proposes three significant contributions to supply chain management research. First, this study applies an information system perspective to study both causes and effects of supply chain integration. It proposes a theoretical framework that considers the role of ISI as a mediator between IT utilization and supply chain integration. Second, this study provides the inferences made from an instrument that is valid and reliable for the current study's context, which are beneficial for both practitione (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, Miami University, 2007, Family and Child Studies

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between several dimensions of religiosity and marital functioning among married couples living in the Western New York area. Participants were 111 individuals from one Evangelical Christian church. A scale, Integration of Biblical Principles, was developed and tested for this study. Several aspects of religiosity were found to be correlated with marital functioning, but integration of Biblical principles had the strongest association. Regression analysis determined number of years married, belief construct, and integration of Biblical principles were the best predictors of marital functioning. As hypothesized, the integration dimension of religiosity, or application, is the best predictor of marital functioning compared with other religiosity variables tested. Implications for refinement of the Integration scale and for the usefulness of the study results are discussed.

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2008, Organizational Behavior

This study explores the relationship between self-integration, self-complexity, and integrative learning. Drawing from constructivist adult ego development theorists (Kegan, 1994; Loevinger, 1976; 1988; Lahey et al. 1988; Perry, 1999; Piaget, 1962; Rogers, 1951) the definition of self-integration emphasizes a person's transformation in epistemology and meaning making, underlying both psycho-social and cognitive maturation. Building on post-conventional constructivist adult ego development theory (Cook-Greuter, 1999; Johnson, 2000; Kegan, 1994; Lahey, 1986) this is one of the first empirical explorations of self-integration, operationally defined as two variables, capturing a conventional and a post-conventional component. Important work in this area has been theoretical. Self-integration is operationalized as (1) self-ideal congruence, as measured by Higgins (1985; 1987 ;) and as defined in intentional change theory (Boyatzis and Akrivou, 2006), and (2) self-integrating process, as captured by a newly developed direct response measure based on post-conventional constructivist theory. Self-complexity is operationally defined as the numbers of self-aspects that a person utilizes to represent his/her self internally (Linville, 1987). Integrative learning is measured as adaptive flexibility, the ability for systematic variability in a person's response to different environmental needs (Kolb, 1984). Based on quantitative research methods, overall findings from data collected from 198 adults in management and professional roles confirmed the hypotheses that self complexity is positively related to both measures of integration (self-ideal congruence and self-integrating process), and integrative learning is positively related to the second measure of integration. Age, a control, is positively related to the second measure of integration. Findings support operationalization of self-integration as two distinct variables, being – to my knowledge – the first empirical testing (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2011, Higher Education Administration

This qualitative study used focus groups to explore and understand the experiences of 13 self-identified Latina students who were attending a predominantly White university in the Midwest. The use of Chicana feminist theory and academic and social integration theory helped frame the study. Similarities and differences among Latinas, as well as an exploration of the intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, and culture in relation to the experiences of Latinas while attending college at a predominantly White university in the Midwest were highlighted. Through the exploration of their lived experiences, participants identified the factors and conditions affecting their experiences in college, how family and culture shaped their experiences, and how their perceptions of the campus environment shaped their experiences while in college. The results of this study suggest that maintaining close ties to family members, having a space on campus to practice and enjoy Latino culture, being resilient, and finding their niche in the campus environment through programs focused on underrepresented students were the keys to their persistence in college. Another major finding of this study, that requires further study, is the undesirable change in the relationship between Latina mothers and daughters as the daughter furthers her education. Many participants' close relationships with their mothers were instrumental to their enrolling in college yet tension arose between mother and daughter as the daughter progressed toward graduation.