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

Due to the increasingly widespread utilization of interscholastic athletic pay to participate policies within the state of Ohio, this study focused on analyzing specific pay to participate policies within Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) member school districts through a qualitative, multiple case study methodology. This study aimed to contribute to the overall gap in research regarding pay to participate policies from a policy analysis perspective. Utilizing the policy process model outlined by Kraft and Furlong (2015) as a framework, policy document and interview data analysis assisted in the development of key elements such as contributing factors and goals of the specific policies, implementation methods and procedures unique and different among districts, as well as evaluation processes and criterion utilized to define success. This study did not intend to generalize pay to participate policies that implement the most evident fee typology within the state of Ohio, but rather provide depth within the stories of specific districts, intending to add value to district discussions surrounding pay to participate policy utilization. The study results described key policy elements from district contextual perspectives regarding their development, implementation, and evaluation methods. These key components provided unique perspectives based upon perceptions of athletic administrators, and actions of the policies themselves, as well as resulted in the development of a pay to participate discussion guide (Appendix C) that can be utilized by districts during policy discussions.

Committee: Paul Willis Ed.D. (Advisor); Christopher Kluse PhD (Other); Tracey Huziak-Clark PhD (Committee Member); Paul Johnson PhD (Committee Member); John Marschhausen PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Sports Management