Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2024, Educational Administration

Minorities working at predominantly white institutions (PWI) of higher education face many challenges. One critical challenge is feeling a sense of belonging (SoB) in their organization. In this qualitative study six members of ERG's at a large PWI in the Midwest were interviewed. Participants varied, in race, gender, age, and role at the University. Three themes emerged which were identity, belonging, and University support. The findings revealed that ERG membership does have a significant impact on the (SoB) for minority staff. The recommended action steps focus on the theme of University support in the forms of funding, access to information, acknowledgment of the voluntary efforts of staff, and informing new and existing staff of the existence of ERG's.

Committee: Clare Liddon (Committee Chair) Subjects: Behaviorial Sciences; Higher Education; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Organizational Behavior

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Leadership and Change

Anne Frank is linked to her contemporaries in about 80% of 18 English-language published and produced plays. The remaining plays pair Frank and African American icons Harriet Tubman, Emmett Till, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Research on dramatic literature with Frank as a character, the writing of plays linking her with African American personages, or history, analysis, or comparison of the process of multiple plays about Frank does not exist. A few articles extant compare the Goodrich and Hackett play with the Kesselman rewrite, a dissertation on five plays about Frank (those five plays are in the 80% mentioned earlier). The central question of this dissertation is why the playwrights of Harriet and Anne: An Original Narrative, Janet Langhart Cohen's Anne & Emmett: A One-Act Play, and Letters from Anne and Martin unite Anne Frank and African American historical figures. What were the playwrights' intentions with this linkage, and how were they fulfilled? This dissertation intends to fill this research gap in theatre history. The playwrights were interviewed using a prepared questionnaire completed by mail, email, telephone, or Zoom to discover the reason(s) for writing the three works. The writers answered using their preferred methods, and results were compiled within the work's question/answer format. Articles and the playwrights' websites were mined for additional historical data about the works and writers. The research found the plays to be works of remembrance/cultural trauma written by playwrights who shared seminal experiences regarding Anne Frank and the African American icons. The writers were driven by intense feelings of social justice, inspiring their creative works. These playwrights used Anne Frank, Harriet Tubman, Emmett Till, and Martin Luther King Jr. to communicate their thematic messages of social justice. They urged their audiences to keep these icons' history from repeating itself and honor those entities. This dissertation is available in open (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Carol Barriett PhD (Committee Chair); Betty Overton-Adkins PhD (Committee Member); Loree Miltich PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; American Literature; Fine Arts; Holocaust Studies; Literature; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Performing Arts; Theater; Theater History; Theater Studies

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Leadership and Change

This dissertation connects the recent DEIB movement within organizations to larger social justice movements, specifically those that impact workers and the workplace. Critical human resource development (CHRD) professionals, who serve as “insider activists”, are highlighted due to their work to continue movement objectives within organizations. Through testimonios and critical platicas, this study explores how Black and Latino/x LGBTQ+ CHRD professionals, in particular, are experiencing the workplace, especially as it relates to their engagement with how DEIB is practiced within organizations. Through this study, these professionals provide insights into the ways that workplaces can be redesigned and reimagined to be more critically conscious and equitable spaces, especially for those from marginalized backgrounds. Their reflections can work to enhance the ways that DEIB is practiced within organizations. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Philomena Essed PhD (Committee Chair); Lemuel Watson EdD (Committee Member); Kia Darling-Hammond PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; Black Studies; Ethnic Studies; Gender Studies; Glbt Studies; Hispanic American Studies; Hispanic Americans; Management; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Organizational Behavior

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2022, Allied Health Sciences: Communication Sciences and Disorders

In most of the world, bilingualism is the norm, with cultural and linguistic minority groups steadily increasing in countries such as the United States. A growing population within this bilingual group is the Jamaican population. Consequently, a growth in bilingual populations increases the likelihood of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) having bilingual children on their caseloads. Despite this growing possibility, bilingual children continue to be at risk for misdiagnosis of communication disorders, especially in the English (or mainstream language) setting. This risk for misdiagnosis necessitates an urgent improvement in understanding speech features that can be used for diagnostic and treatment purposes in bilingual populations. This dissertation addresses this need for improved bilingual speech assessment through a series of four studies, highlighting culturally responsive and innovative approaches for characterizing the speech features of Jamaican preschoolers. Study one considered the use of a screening tool for measuring their functional speech intelligibility, providing evidence of the clinical utility of this tool. Study two compared the appropriateness of two protocols for characterizing their speech productions. Bilingual adult participants from similar linguistic communities were included to inform typical speech patterns of this community. The culturally adapted protocol captured a greater variety of responses from the children and thus was more representative of the children's speech abilities. Additionally, the duration of adult speech acoustic duration features was typically shorter than the children. In accordance with the findings from study two, study three examined the speech acoustic features using the culturally adapted protocol. The findings demonstrated some differences between child and adult acoustic duration characteristics, particularly in voice onset time (VOT) in JC and English. Furthermore, minimal differences were found in the chil (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Karla Washington Ph.D. (Committee Member); Suzanne Boyce Ph.D. (Committee Member); Lesley Raisor Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kristina Fritz Ph.D. (Committee Member); Victoria McKenna Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kathryn Crowe Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Bilingual Education

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2021, East Asian Languages and Literatures

In recent years, China has made rapid advancements on the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative's China Myanmar Economic Corridor. However, China's ageing population has resulted in a rapidly increasing labor shortage, that cannot meet the labor demands of the Belt and Road Initiative. As a result, China has increased their investments in its Southwest Border Area's education, as a means to deal with the labor shortage issue. Despite the area's lack of development, plethora of illegal activities and poor quality of education, its geographic location as well as its people have become imperative to advancing the Belt and Road Initiative. In addition, the Southwest Border Area shares a border with Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam; and China has subsequently also invested in developing the labor force of those three countries, with a growing emphasis on Myanmar. My research emphasizes that despite China's emphasis on the education development in the Southwest Border Area, its main objective may not be focusing on the welfare of the people. The main component of my research is a comparative analysis of the ways by which the Chinese Government, and Chinese Scholars frame the current education situation in the Southwest Border Area. To do so, I have analyzed documents published by Chinese Government and Chinese Academia. I find that the main objective of the education development under the Belt and Road Initiative in the area, does not prioritize the livelihoods of its residents, but instead sees them as a means to further China's overall plans for global economic development. Before the Southwest Border Area became critical to furthering the Belt and Road Initiative, the complexities of the area and its people had been largely ignored by China and others. Furthermore, the negative impacts of this development in this area must be discussed, in order to prevent continued ignorance of the area and its people's numerous complex problems.

Committee: Xiaobin Jian (Advisor); Galal Walker (Committee Member) Subjects: Asian Studies; Foreign Language; Minority and Ethnic Groups

Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2020, Doctor of Ministry Program

The purpose of this project was to impact the participants' spiritual formation through shared meals in the Summit neighborhood of Canton, Ohio through the participation of weekly neighborhood meals for five weeks. The design of the project included the administration of pre-test and post-test questionnaires, along with qualitative questions. The results of these shared meals revealed that participants became more aware of who their neighbors were, alongside an understanding of how God could meet them at the table. The connection of these participants has since benefited the neighborhood by breaking barriers and exemplifying God's diverse Kingdom to others in the area.

Committee: Matthew Bevere Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Minority and Ethnic Groups; Personal Relationships; Spirituality

Master of Arts (MA), Wright State University, 2020, International and Comparative Politics

This research develops a novel theory for domestic diversionary violence, contending that the main drivers for this type of conflict are the specific characteristics of state-targeted domestic minority groups. Seven new variables measuring minority group characteristics are identified through a case study of the Kurdish minority in the Turkish Republic, then applied to a quantitative analysis of domestic diversionary violence in a dataset of 284 observations across 117 countries during the years 2004-2005, utilizing data from the University of Maryland's Minorities at Risk Project, the University of Illinois Cline Center SPEED Database, and World Bank. A proportional odds logistic regression model shows that the minority group's recent grievances with the base population and its geographic concentration have statistically significant positive correlations to the likelihood of targeting for diversionary violence, while the protest level of the minority group achieves a statistically significant negative correlation.

Committee: Liam Anderson Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Vaughn Shannon Ph.D. (Committee Member); Carlos Costa Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: International Relations; Political Science

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2017, Antioch Santa Barbara: Clinical Psychology

Abstract This qualitative study utilized ethnographic techniques to explore the potential for change in mental health trainees resulting from the participation in an in vivo Immersive Cultural Plunge (ICP) within the African American Descendant of Chattel Slave community. The ICP combined Multicultural Immersions Experiences (MIE) of Cultural Immersion (CI) and Cultural Plunge (CP) to contribute to the developing body of research utilizing MIEs that incorporate contextual, experiential, and historical knowledge to teach the skill of cultural sensitivity. During the 12- hour ICP the participants experienced an orientation, a lecture, a tour/community interaction, a multimedia presentation within an African American community. In this study, the data collection included participants utilizing email on their personal computers to forward consent forms, five observational protocol forms, and a demographic questionnaire to the researcher. Data from the focus group session were transcribed and combined with emailed Observational Protocols for the thematic analysis. The findings for the study are from two themed areas. The first theme is the under utilization of psychotherapy services for African Americans. The second theme is the effectiveness of the Immersive Cultural Plunge as an MIE. The responses of the mental health trainees to the ICP demonstrated that the cultural competency of the students was altered. Recommendations include using ICP experience for curriculum development for mental health trainees in cultural competency specifically for African Americans and treatment development for the African American Descendant of Chattel Slave client. The electronic version of this dissertation is available free at Ohiolink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd

Committee: Ronald Pilato PsyD (Committee Chair); Munoz-Flores Albert PsyD (Committee Member); Jenkens Damien PhD (Other) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; Black History; Clinical Psychology; Therapy

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2001, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Literature

Master of Humanities (MHum), Wright State University, 2014, Humanities

The purpose of this thesis is to explore healthcare for undocumented immigrants in France and the US in light of immigration policy, labor needs, and social values. While both countries have historically relied and continue to rely on undocumented labor, they treat irregular migrants differently when it comes to healthcare. While many hospitals in the US deport undocumented patients in a practice termed medical repatriation, the French government has legislated an illness clause that gives residency permits to severely sick sans-papiers who need medical care. To explore the reasoning behind these extremely contrasting treatments, the thesis studies the social values that underlie the healthcare systems in both countries. It concludes that in recognition of healthcare as a human right, France has concrete legislation for sans-papiers; in contrast, rights language is largely missing from the US healthcare system, resulting in a void of legislation that leads to practices like medical repatriation.

Committee: December Green Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Kirsten Halling Ph.D. (Committee Member); Lafleur Small Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Comparative; European Studies; Health; Health Care; Health Care Management; History; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Political Science; Public Health

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2002, Arts and Sciences : Sociology

This thesis is a comparative case study that attempts to construct police brutality as a social problem in the United States and France. The targets of police violence selected for this study are Mexican Americans in the United States, and North Africans in France. The study examines several contextual features to explain how and why police brutality has emerged as a social problem in the United States and not in France. This comparative analysis expands the social constructionist approach to social problems by pointing out the importance of context in understanding claimsmaking activities and the emergence of police brutality as a social problem. I argue that ethnic mobilization is the key contextual feature that has allowed American claimsmakers to pursue successful claims about police brutality against a specific group -Mexican Americans- thus turning police brutality into a social problem in the United States.

Committee: Dr. Annulla Linders (Advisor) Subjects:

PHD, Kent State University, 2009, College of Education, Health, and Human Services / Department of Educational Foundations and Special Services

This foundational study was designed to track the decline of urban Catholic parochial elementary schools in the former steel-production center of Youngstown, Ohio — a situation that I examine from historical, sociological, and philosophical perspectives. While my study employs standard historical research methods, it also features a strong theoretical dimension that draws on literature pertaining to American Catholic identity. The study will argue that Catholic disunity — a product of both sociological trends and religious reforms — played a significant role in the decline of urban parish schools. While the fragmentation of U.S. Catholic identity has often been addressed in general studies of American Catholicism, it has been discussed less frequently in research concerning the decline of one of the Catholic community's most iconic institutions: the urban parochial school. Hence, this study of Youngstown's parochial schools draws upon two distinct bodies of literature — dealing with American Catholic identity and American Catholic education, respectively — in an effort to identify and interpret factors contributing to the decline of a once robust system of parochial education.

Committee: Natasha Levinson PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Averil McClelland PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Joanne Dowdy PhD (Committee Member); Paul McBride PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; American History; Education; Education History; Educational Sociology; Elementary Education; History; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Religion; Religious Congregations; Religious Education; Religious History