Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2017, Leadership Studies

Rachel Vannatta Reinhart, Advisor The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) to explore the relationship between investments that students make in themselves while enrolled in a higher education program and their post-graduation career satisfaction, and (2) to gather information about the importance apparel and textile professionals place on selected competencies identified by the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA). Graduates (n=123) of an apparel and textiles (A&T) program at a four-year, public research institution were surveyed to examine which investments in self best predict post-graduation career satisfaction. The Survey of A&T Graduates' Career Satisfaction consisted of 86 items measuring perceived importance and preparation of the ITAA meta-goals and competencies, career satisfaction, co-curricular activity involvement, on-the-job training, health and well-being, career competencies, and willingness to relocate. Multiple regression showed that Career Competencies and Health and Well-being best predicted participants' post-graduation career satisfaction. Participants rated the Professional Development meta-goal; the Ethics, Social Responsibility, and Sustainability meta-goal; and Critical and Creative Thinking meta-goal of highest importance. These same meta-goals received highest perceived preparation ratings. Lastly, ANOVA findings revealed that buyers, retail managers, marketing professionals and others indicated differences in perceptions of competencies and meta-goals. The buyers/merchandisers rated the Industry Processes and the Critical and Creative Thinking meta-goals of higher importance than retail managers. Retail managers perceived the Global Interdependence meta-goal as less important than marketing professionals did. The Ethics, Social Responsibility, and Sustainability meta-goal was perceived more important by retail managers than “others” category did. Graduates' career satisfaction differed mostly by Income levels (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Rachel Vannatta Reinhart (Advisor); Gregory Rich (Other); Barbara Frazier (Committee Member); Joyce Litten (Committee Member); Patrick Pauken (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Curricula; Curriculum Development; Design; Economic Theory; Economics; Education; Education Policy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership; Health; Health Education; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Home Economics; Home Economics Education; Mental Health

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2004, Educational Policy and Leadership

From 1971 to 2000, 2,500 medical students at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health participated in a clinical internship program. Of these interns 231 worked in international settings and the rest participated in domestic internships. In 2002, a survey focusing on the participants' perceptions of their intercultural sensitivity development and other aspects of the experience was mailed to all alumni of the international internship program and a stratified sample of domestic interns, yielding a return rate of 81% of the international interns and 55% of the domestic interns. Survey data was quantitative and qualitative in nature and demonstrated that international interns were significantly more likely to say that they developed intercultural sensitivity as a result of the internships than domestic interns. International interns were also more likely to demonstrate intercultural competency in medical practice in terms of their career and volunteer choices as well as their intercultural skills in working with patients from different cultural backgrounds. The study findings that international interns were more likely to demonstrate intercultural competence in medical practice may indicate that medical students who participate in an internship abroad are better suited to work with a diverse patient population in the U.S. than their peers who have less intercultural experience. The focus on intercultural sensitivity and intercultural competence in medical practice sets the current study apart from the more broadly conceptualized literature about international internships in medical education. Bringing theoretical perspectives from within and outside of medical education to bear on the study further establishes its place in this literature, which does not draw as extensively upon theory. The literature about medical education for intercultural sensitivity and intercultural competence in medical practice does not consider intercultural internships. (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Leonard Baird (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Education, Miami University, 2024, Educational Leadership

In recent years, secondary education has experienced a significant transformation driven by the need to better prepare students for life beyond graduation. Central to this shift is the integration of Career Readiness Programs, which not only provide academic knowledge but also equip students with practical skills, vocational insights, and an understanding of professional landscapes. This study investigates whether an embedded Career Readiness Program influences the development and enhancement of partnerships between schools and businesses. Guided by Ohio's legislative framework, which emphasizes college and career readiness, this research explores how career readiness programs can foster effective collaborations between educational institutions and the business sector. The study employs a qualitative case study methodology to understand how these partnerships evolve and their impact on students' preparedness for post-secondary pathways. The data collection involved face-to-face interviews with business representatives and school personnel directly engaged with the Career Readiness Program. Thematic analysis of the interview notes revealed patterns and themes that highlighted the potential of these programs to bridge the gap between education and workforce demands. The study's findings suggest that integrating Career Readiness Programs strengthens school-business partnerships by aligning educational practices with industry needs, creating opportunities for internships, mentorships, and hands-on experiences. This collaborative approach not only enhances student readiness for professional careers but also benefits the local business community by developing a skilled workforce.

Committee: Guy Parmigian (Committee Chair) Subjects: Business Education; Education; Education Philosophy; Educational Leadership; Educational Theory

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

Engineering Co-op Program at Midwestern Private University offers support for students seeking relevant work experience, yet only a small percentage of racially underrepresented undergraduate engineering students engage with the program. Understanding this inconsistency is important for progressing towards more equitable approaches. Prior research has shown that connection is an influential factor in a racially underrepresented student's decision for participation in a program (Foote et al., 2019; Boyd et al, 2022; Wilson & Morieson, 2022; McIntosh & Nutt, 2022; Voisin et al., 2023; Zuchowski et al., 2023). Using the race-conscious student engagement framework, this mixed methods study collected data through surveys and interviews over several months. Findings echoed previous research: racially underrepresented engineering students desire connection and support. If those students are not finding either within the Co-op Program, then there is opportunity for continued development and enrichment for both the program and its staff.

Committee: Elizabeth Essex (Committee Chair); Margaret Pinnell (Committee Member); Kathryn Schiffelbein (Committee Member) Subjects: Engineering; Higher Education; Organization Theory

PHD, Kent State University, 2023, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

The purpose of this study was to use existing data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to examine the relationship between student engagement indicators and NCAA Division I student-athletes' participation in high-impact practices, specifically internships and study abroad. Student engagement indicators were the independent variables in this study and included academic challenge, learning with peers, experiences with faculty, and campus environment. This study examined a sample of senior student-athletes enrolled at an NCAA Division I institution who completed NSSE in 2019 (N = 1,794). This study utilized descriptive, correlation, and logistic regression to answer the research questions. After controlling for student demographic characteristics, student engagement indicators predicted student-athletes' participation in internships. The variables learning with peers and experiences with faculty were statistically significant, while academic challenge and campus environment were not significant. Student engagement indicators also predicted student-athletes' participation in study abroad, with academic challenge being significant, while the other engagement indicators were not significant. The findings from this study suggest that to create an environment that fosters student-athletes' participation in internships and study abroad, institutions need to facilitate ways to increase student-athletes' engagement. The findings from this study provide insight to practitioners interested in increasing the number of students who participate in high-impact practices.

Committee: Stephen Thomas (Committee Chair); Jason Schenker (Committee Member); Jennifer Kulics (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2022, Educational Administration (Education)

In Appalachian Ohio, a grassroots group of citizens across industry sectors have convened to use community assets to create solutions impacting multiple parts of the community system, thus attempting to solve complex rural problems in innovative ways. One intermediary organization, Building Bridges to Careers (BB2C), has implemented community and career connected learning programs as a way to solve problems threatening rural community viability through engaging multiple community stakeholders including the community's youth. Using an exploratory mixed-methods approach, this study investigated the contributions of stakeholders and the impact to community systems of one community and career connected learning program: high school internships. This study conceptualizes the place-based, cross-sector, bidirectional interactions facilitated by community and career connected learning as a learning ecosystem. Further, this study uses Social Return on Investment (SROI) to quantify impact within the learning ecosystem to communicate and maximize change. This study found for every $1 invested in high school internships, between $13.07–$15.37 of value to social and economic systems is created. The ability to explore career fields through experience in order to eliminate career paths not of interest to them and then to be able to clearly define next steps in career paths that were of interest to them were outcomes valued most by students as stakeholders. Host site stakeholders reported the most valuable impacts to economic and social systems were, respectively, development of a workforce with basic skills and the personal satisfaction of being able to watch a young person in their community grow and develop through the internship period and beyond. For community supporting stakeholders, the most valuable impacts were the increased connection between schools and businesses in the community as well as the potential to reduce outmigration. Repeatedly, participants drew (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Charles Lowery (Advisor); Jacqueline Yahn (Committee Member); Lesli Johnson (Committee Member); Dwan Robinson (Committee Member); Emmanuel Jean-Francois (Committee Member); Tasha Werry (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Sociology

Americans often believe that a college degree is the key that unlocks the door to the middle class. However, a college degree no longer ensures stable middle-class employment. To increase their chances of post-graduation employment, many students now major in “practical arts” disciplines like Business and Engineering. Graduates of practical arts fields enjoy lower unemployment rates, higher salaries, and other labor market advantages when compared to liberal arts graduates. Common explanations of these labor market advantages assume that these students, more than liberal arts students, learn valuable skills that employers need. This is a human capital theory explanation of the school-to-work transition. Scholars who assess for this mechanism connecting school and work often look for whether a graduate's employment matches their degree. However, this assumes the content of a student's education matches the actual tasks they are assigned in entry-level employment. In this dissertation, I investigate this assumption and find little evidence to support it. Based on longitudinal in-depth interviews with 91 college seniors across four majors, 85 of whom were retained for a second interview one year later, I demonstrate that practical arts alumni have access to internships that lead to greater initial economic success than the internships available to liberal arts graduates. Many undergraduates in practical arts disciplines benefit from on-campus recruitment for internships that lead to good jobs after graduation with decent pay, benefits, and opportunities for advancement. However, these jobs often entail almost exclusively mundane office work even when closely matched to their degree. Students who cannot take advantage of these career conveyor belts, principally liberal arts majors, generally find internships with less institutional support that rarely lead to immediate jobs. When these students graduate, they sometimes find work that engages their skills but strug (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Steven Lopez (Advisor); Vincent Roscigno (Committee Member); Claudia Buchmann (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Sociology; Educational Theory; Organizational Behavior; Sociology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2018, Journalism (Communication)

The picture of advertising and public relations education that has emerged from this study represents a panorama skills, knowledge, and experience that are taught to students. This study examined questions of program effectiveness through four key areas—a) curriculum model, b) core skills, c) experiential learning, and d) practitioner and educator partnerships—through the perspective of award-winning agencies and university programs. This research found that there is a lack of focus when viewing pedagogy through the lens of the industry needs. From a distance, the picture appears to show harmonious composition between industry needs and education objectives, but closer inspection of the fine details reveal certain imperfections that may affect the appraised value of advertising and public relations education. This issue of misalignment between industry needs and education practice is not new, but one that should be continuously addressed to ensure the success of new graduates as advertising and public relations practitioners. In the context of the preferred curriculum model of advertising and public relations pedagogy, this study found that there is an agreement between practitioners and educators to merge those programs in some fashion, but there was disagreement on the scope of the integration ranging from a limited “hybrid” program to full convergence. An examination of core skills taught in the advertising and public relations curriculum found a misalignment of educational priorities between educators and practitioners. Those differences highlighted the practitioners' prioritization of: a) business writing over creative writing, b) small group communication and teamwork, c) enhanced critical thinking and research skills, d) a strong foundation of business management knowledge, and e) a repertoire of computer software proficiency. For experiential learning, there was noted support for pre-professional organizations and student agencies to supplement classroom (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Michael Sweeney Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Elizabeth Hendrickson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Benjamin Bates Ph.D. (Committee Member); Joseph Phelps Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Curricula; Curriculum Development; Education; Mass Communications; Pedagogy

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2018, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

An internship component has been a requirement of many arts administration programs for so long, yet it seems as though the process for obtaining the best fit for students has yet to be studied. The purpose of this research is to attain an understanding of how much The University of Akron Arts Administration students learned during their internship, specifically professional competencies and content knowledge in the field of arts administration. Of additional interest was the satisfaction level of students upon completion of the internship. This study intends to fill the gap in research on arts administration internships and perhaps create an opportunity for future studies to explore the internship process in arts administration in greater detail. In addition, this research intends to be a step in the right direction to ensure positive internship experiences for all arts administration students at The University of Akron.

Committee: James Slowiak (Advisor); Christopher Hariasz (Committee Member); Lisa Lazar (Committee Member) Subjects: Arts Management

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2005, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

Theatrical Production Manager is a title that is relatively new to the theatre. While today many theatres have production managers on staff, there is no universal job description applicable to every production manager in the field. This study examines the field, the few academic programs that offer specialized preparation for a career, the available texts, and develops a comprehensive semester-long class in theatrical production management. From the research collected, a combination of methods, along with a will and a desire to become a production manager could very well be the best way to enter the field. Most of the production managers interviewed believe that education is important for building a strong skill base. The rest should be learned in practice, while working as an assistant production manager or during an internship.

Committee: Durand Pope (Advisor) Subjects: Fine Arts