Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2020, Theatre

This MA Thesis examines how community-engaged performance within jails creates space for incarcerated individuals to develop or re-develop performances of positive identity, or affirming expressions of self, that otherwise are not supported by the typical conditions of incarceration. Acknowledging the possibility that incarcerated individuals might be returning to or reinterpreting past performances of positive identities that were stifled, or might be performing positive identities for the first time in their lives, I use the term "re/develop" to describe how they might approach formations of affirming expressions of self. How these re/developed performances are supported, what forms they take, and what the social impact of these performances is are the central questions of this research. In addition to critical engagement with existing literature by other researchers and practitioners of community-engaged performance practice and performance in correctional facilities, I primarily explore my research questions through the lens of practice-as-research, drawing from field notes, facilitation plans, artifacts, surveys, interviews, and video recordings compiled during my summer 2019 community-engaged performance project with incarcerated women at the Bartholomew County Jail in Columbus, Indiana. Based on this research, I argue that the practices and social environment of community-engaged jail performance create conditions for incarcerated individuals to engage with their complexities as human beings through re/developed performances of personal identity, social community identity, and civic identity.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Leadership Studies

The majority of teacher contracts in the State of Ohio are based on the traditional pay scale, rewarding teachers for educational level attained and years of experience. Performance-based pay is an emerging trend with 11 school districts in Ohio identified as having a performance-pay system in their negotiated agreement. This study utilizes Ohio's similar district methodology to identify the two most similar districts without performance-pay for each performance-pay district. This causal-comparative study compares these two groups by their student (performance index scores, value-added scores) and teacher (evaluation ratings) performance obtained from their local school report card. Data was analyzed utilizing t-tests of independent samples and t-tests of paired samples, with no significant differences between the two groups. The type of performance pay, as identified by Willis and Ingle (2016), were analyzed with regards to student and teacher performance differences. Performance rates are the type of performance pay that appears to have the most positive effect on student and teacher performance.

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2012, Human Factors and Industrial/Organizational Psychology MS

Supervisor ratings of job performance and objective sales performance were examined to better understand the causes of observed differences in performance ratings between Men and Women and Caucasians and African-Americans. Sex and race did not significantly predict subjective ratings of job performance. Ratee sex and race accounted for less than 2% of the variance in subjective ratings of ratee job performance. However, it was found that Women performed significantly lower than Men, but the difference disappeared when women comprised greater than 30% of the workforce, suggesting a real difference in performance. No tokenism effect was found for Women or racial minorities. Non-significant effects were found for the direct effects of race and sex, as well as sex congruency between rater and ratee.

Master of Science, Miami University, 2024, Sport Leadership and Management

Periodization is an effective training strategy commonly implemented in physical training to help promote the likelihood of achieving peak performance (Bompa, 1999; Bompa & Buzzichelli, 2015). Periodization can be applied to mental skills training to further help maximize one's potential. The research for understanding if periodization is being applied to mental skills training is limited. Thus, the goal of the current study was to explore the use of periodization amongst current mental performance consultants. To do so, participants (n = 105) completed a survey at one time point that asked about their understanding of periodization and if they applied periodization to their mental skills training. Additionally, the survey asked about their education and if they were a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC). Chi-square goodness-of-fit tests and qualitative methods indicated that education and CMPC status are associated with participants' use of periodization.

PHD, Kent State University, 2023, College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Ambassador Crawford / Department of Management and Information Systems

Research on strategic human resource management has been dominated by studies examining the relationships between specific business practices and organizational outcomes. Although there is growing evidence that use of High Performance Work Practices and Systems (HPWP/Ss) leads to improved organizational performance, significant issues impair both adoption of HPWP/Ss and further theoretical development. Studies suffer from inconsistent findings which are due to a number of factors, including the use of inconsistent terminology, confusion among constructs, and problems with research design. In addition, there is an acute lack of consensus as to the structure of HPWSs and the specific practices that are included in these systems, as well as how they are measured in empirical studies. In order to address these concerns, I carefully analyzed a total of 497 peer-reviewed studies published over the past 25 years (1995-2020). The key objectives of this study are to enhance the understanding of the constructs of HPWPs and HPWSs through a systematic review of the literature, including both narrative and content analyses (both qualitative and quantitative) as well as examination of key trends in this research area. Results of this systematic review include a) an updated comprehensive conceptual definition of the HPWP/Ss construct (Chapter 1); b) a comprehensive catalog of HPWP/Ss that can be utilized by researchers to avoid under-specification of models (Chapter 2); and c) a complete and parsimonious catalog of validated and reliable measures of HPWP/Ss that can be used in future studies (Chapter 3).

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

This study aimed to identify student perceptions of readiness to practice based on the self-assessment and preceptor scores, as well as post-graduation feedback in relation to their achievement goal orientation and evaluation scores of clinical skills and professional and personal skills. Post-graduation feedback, obtained through open-ended survey questions related to student educational experiences, allowed for an understanding of students' transition into professional practice. A mixed-methods approach was used. The Achievement Goal Questionnaire-Revised (AGQ-R) was used to determine student achievement goal orientation. Assessment scores from students and preceptors were obtained through the ATrackTM system, and student perceptions of their educational experiences were received from open-ended survey questions. Analysis of the quantitative data demonstrated that there was no significance between student self-evaluations and preceptor evaluation scores collectively or categorically. Additionally, there were no significant relationships between student self-evaluations and achievement goal orientations collectively or categorically. Qualitatively, participants found that the pandemic of COVID-19, and the shortage of opportunities for real-life experiences resulted in a lack of exposure to authentic situations and hands-on practice limiting them for professional practice. Conversely, many of the participants felt the diverse clinical rotations and clinical practice and competencies led them to feel prepared for their transition to professional practice as certified athletic trainers.

Master of Science (M.S.), University of Dayton, 2023, Computer Science

As information technology advances swiftly, virtual reality (VR) technology has moved from theory to application. Performance analysis is one area where VR technology is having an ever-growing impact. VR technology can be viewed as an aid that can be used to simulate specific tasks. Applications of machine learning algorithms, using the output data that is retrieved, can be used for human performance predictive models. This thesis explores how virtual reality technology can be used to analyze the performance of certified aircraft pilots executing simulated, routine inflight maneuvers based on machine learning algorithms using either descriptive or temporal data, or combinations thereof. The results provide human-machine applications for ranking common machine learning algorithms that can be used for performance prediction and error analysis within knowledge-based behaviors. This thesis also explores how virtual reality technology can be used to analyze the motor control techniques, or behaviors, of certified pilots used to achieve those specified tasks. Specifically using the data that is retrieved, regression analyses can be used to forecast human-machine behavior. This part of the work demonstrates the improvement made using multiple output regression models over single regression models to forecast pilot behavior during simulated flight activities.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2023, Theatre

This thesis examines the creative and critical potentials of what I call “queer, mediatized dramaturgy.” I articulate the ways in which the multimedia play Circle Jerk by Brooklyn-based performance company Fake Friends brings together two artistic lineages of queer theater and mediatized performance. I elaborate how Circle Jerk makes use of this “queer, mediatized dramaturgy” to critique white gay male culture. Then, I embark on a practice-as-research investigation of the techniques of queer, mediatized dramaturgy. I reflect on my own rehearsal experiments with the queer, mediatized devising techniques of Fake Friends. Lastly, I consider the practical application of queer, mediatized dramaturgical principles in the creation of my (mostly) solo performance piece CANNIBAL is a SLUR, exploring its potential as a tool for performing sociopolitical critique.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Psychology/Industrial-Organizational

One employee's work performance can be hard to predict, partially because it can vary substantially day-to-day. Prior research has suggested that supervisors may incorporate dynamic performance information (e.g., performance variability and extremes) into overall performance judgments of their subordinates, but the extant research has yielded inconclusive results. This research drew on judgment and decision-making research to investigate the impact of performance variability and extremes on holistic performance ratings. The current study also investigated whether ratings of performance profiles were affected by situational information (e.g., observed organizational behaviors, organizational value statements) signaling what the organization values in terms of performance. This study varied the mean, variability, peak, and trough performance using a nomothetic judgment inference design and investigated the impact of experimental manipulations of organizational values. Results demonstrated that the mean was a strong predictor of overall ratings, but performance variability and extremes did not show a main effect on ratings. Results did not support the notion that variability would interact with extremes to predict ratings. Organizational signals communicating a desire for a consistent (i.e., low variability) performance increased rater reliance on variability information. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.), Franklin University, 2021, Business Administration

The following study addresses research gaps concerning the impact of employee engagement and empowerment on performance management in non-profit and community theater organizations. Each concept of engagement, empowerment, and performance management addresses the need for communication, support, and encouragement in the organization to achieve the organizational goals. Three theaters in Columbus, Ohio, were chosen to examine the connection between standard business practices in the creative industry and the impact these concepts have on these organizations Through a series of 24 individual semi-structured interviews with a group of staff and volunteers from each of the theaters, the information was gathered to explore the impact of engagement and empowerment on the staff's performance through leaders' and employees' perspectives. The interviews revealed the requirement for staff and volunteers emotional needs to be met to gain the level of productivity and commitment required by the performance industry for a theater to be successful. This revelation led to the development of a potential new theory, the Emotional Fulfillment Performance Theory, influenced by Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory. The study attempts to understand better how common business concepts correlate to the creative industry, specifically performance theater, and provide more research to the performance management fields in an emotionally powered work environment. Future research indicates scholars should look more into professional theaters with the same concept connection, oversaturation of community theaters, and a quantitative study of the same concepts for further findings validation.

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2019, Theatre

Rituals have been used throughout history as a way to process change and emotion. In the modern day, people are beginning to turn away from organized religion and to take on more personalized rituals and spirituality. As such, identifying as a witch is a growing phenomenon that serves to empower many personally, politically, and spiritually. This creative thesis takes an autobiographical approach to explore how ritual and the identity of the witch can be used as tools of empowerment, tracing the artist's own journey from Catholicism to a more fluid spiritual life. On February 22nd, 2019, Ceremonials: A Ritual Play opened as part of Miami University's Independent Artist Series. The play was devised with a student ensemble over a period of five months and stands as the culmination of a series of performance projects that sought to combine ritual and theatre. This portfolio spans the breadth of that practice-based research and includes examples from performance experiments and the devising process, as well as reflections on how ritual and devised theatre can help to empower the individual and the artist.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2017, Higher Education

An Abstract of The Impact of Performance-Based Funding Models among Ohio`s Universities by David E. Chatfield Submitted to the Graduate Faculty as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Higher Education The University of Toledo December 2016 This research utilized a two-part, mixed-methods approach to analyze the impact of the Performance Based Funding: PBF funding model at Ohio`s thirteen bachelor's-degree-granting public universities. The State of Ohio added four student success measures to the university funding formula, referred to as State Share of Instruction (SSI), beginning in 2010. This research study examined changes in the student success outcomes measures at all bachelor's-degree-granting universities during a six-year period, beginning in 2009, to assess performance changes statewide. Interviews were conducted with university provosts to assess their perception of the impact the PBF model has had at their respective universities. The findings indicated that university performance, as measured by student outcomes, has improved in response to the PBF model. Further, universities have implemented operational changes designed to improve student success outcomes, including monitoring student progress and increasing student advising. The findings also revealed a pattern of (a) universities increasing their admission standards as a way to improve student outcomes and (b) declines in SSI funding during the six-year period between 2009 and 2014.

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2017, Theatre and Film

From the earliest performances of the act of cooking while gathered around a fire, humans have layered meaning onto the embodiment of cooking. The performance of self and community illustrate ways in which cooking has moved through generations and shaped roles and identities related to cooking. In this thesis, I examine the act of cooking as it expands from social performances to artful performances through the development of cooking in mediated spaces, specifically televised cooking shows ranging from early programs in the 1950s and 1960s to the Netflix series Chef's Table (2015-2017). Chapter One provides a foundation to the overarching argument by establishing cooking as a social performance as well as a performance of identity and community that spans domestic spaces. This leads into Chapter Two, where I discuss early cooking shows in the 1950s and 1960s and the legitimized identity of “chef” as opposed to the domestic, social performances of the home cook. Chapter Three explores the types of audiences involved in cooking shows and the effect of viewership preferences for the Food Network offerings, which encouraged more competitive and entertainment-based programs. Finally, Chapter Four provides an analysis of artful performances of cooking within Chef's Table through close readings that illuminate the spectacle, aesthetics, storytelling, innovative techniques, and the cinematic use of the camera. This analysis reveals that the act of cooking can be positioned as both social and artful performance, and suggests opportunities for further study of ways these areas can overlap within contemporary programs and media culture.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2015, Interdisciplinary Arts (Fine Arts)

This study explores the dance characteristics and aesthetics likely employed in Venid, venid deydades, a performance piece from mid-eighteenth-century Cusco, Peru. This seminary opera by Fray Esteban Ponce de Leon was composed and performed in the Seminary of San Antonio Abad to honor its rector, who was named Bishop of Paraguay. The music and libretto for the work are extant in the Seminary's archive, yet its choreography is unknown--a common condition that impedes the understanding of dance in its historical context. This study unites diverse textual and embodied resources to re-create dances consistent with the opera's style. Theoretically, this study analyzes the task of early dance reconstruction using Diana Taylor's conception of the archive--historical textual material--and of the repertoire--unwritten embodied information that societies pass down over time. The methodological aim of the study is to provide an explained model for the process of historically informed early dance reconstruction; thus, a minuet and contradanza are reconstructed in Chapter Five. Such reconstructions inform historical performance and provide a way to investigate dance history. This understudied opera emanates from a vibrant era of varied performance genres in Peru's culturally diverse colonial period. It reflects the powerful, official world of elite Spanish and criollo ecclesiastical circles. This investigation thus examines European Baroque dance and its archive and repertoire, as Bourbon-era tastes in Peru reflected the Spanish and continental affinity for Italian music and French dance. The research considers the roles of archive and repertoire in this dance style's preservation and in its loss from practice, both in Europe and in Peru. This study makes use of a historical and ethnographic methodology to guide the researcher in re-animating dances of the past. As such, it connects and interprets remains through historical and aesthetic analysis (includin (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Education (MEd), Bowling Green State University, 2014, Human Movement, Sport and Leisure Studies /Kinesiology

As the trend of increasing rates of obesity continues to grow in the United States, today's cohorts are experiencing a longer period of excess weight gain, leading researchers to believe that those individuals will experience a lengthier duration of declines in function. Therefore, there is a need for clinical testing that assesses function in younger populations, with the ability to differentiate between diverse levels of functioning. The Physical Functional Performance 10 test (PFP10), a tool that measures functional ability, involves performing 10 tasks that are required for living independently. The test has been found to be reliable and valid in the older adult population, but its reliability has not been tested in a younger population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of the PFP10 and its five domains (upper body strength, upper body flexibility, lower body strength, balance and coordination, and endurance) in a younger, overweight population. Secondary purposes were to examine the relationship between perceived functional ability, using the SF-36, and scores on the PFP10, the effects of age on PFP10 performance, and relationships between body size measurements and PFP10 performance. Participants were men (n=10) and women (n=29) between the ages of 30 and 70 years with a BMI greater than or equal to 25 kg/m2. All participants completed a perceived health questionnaire and were measured for body fat percentage, lean mass, sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD), and body mass index (BMI). They also completed the PFP10 on two separate occasions, separated by 5 to 14 days. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to assess the test-retest reliability of the PFP10 and domains, while repeated measures ANOVAs were employed to examine the differences of PFP10 and domain scores between session one and session two. Relationships between perceived function and measured function, along with relationships between body fat percent (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2013, Civil Engineering

In recent years, a new group of technologies has been introduced in the United States that allow producing asphalt mixtures at temperatures 30 to 100oF lower than what is used in traditional hot mix asphalt (HMA). These technologies are commonly referred to as Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA). From among these technologies, foamed WMA produced by water injection has gained increased attention from the asphalt paving industry in Ohio since it does not require the use of costly additives. This type of asphalt mixtures is advertised as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional HMA and promoted to have better workability and compactability. In spite of these advantages, several concerns have been raised regarding the performance of foamed WMA because of the reduced production temperature and its impact on aggregate drying and asphalt binder aging. Main concerns include increased propensity for moisture-induced damage (durability) and increased susceptibility to permanent deformation (rutting). Other concerns include insufficient coating of coarse aggregates, and applicability of HMA mix design procedures to foamed WMA mixtures. This dissertation presents the results of a comprehensive study conducted to evaluate the laboratory performance of foamed WMA mixtures with regard to permanent deformation, moisture-induced damage, fatigue cracking, and low-temperature (thermal) cracking; and compare it to traditional HMA. In addition, the workability of foamed WMA and HMA mixtures was evaluated using a new device that was designed and fabricated at the University of Akron, and the compactability of both mixtures was examined by analyzing compaction data collected using the Superpave gyratory compactor. The effect of the temperature reduction, foaming water content, and aggregate moisture content on the performance of foamed WMA was also investigated. Furthermore, the rutting performance of plant-produced foamed WMA and HMA mixtures was evaluated in the A (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Wright State University, 2008, Engineering PhD

There is little argument that modern military systems are very complex, both in terms of the resources in time and money to develop them and the infrastructure that is required to produce trained operators. To properly execute human systems integration during the acquisition process, systems built to train operators must be developed that optimize training. Consequently, the training system community would benefit from simulation models that provide the ability to make accurate predictions of training processes, and allow the decision maker to specify an optimum combination of operator performance after training and the cost of that training. The goal of this research is the construction of a model of human learning using time to complete a task as a performance measure. While past research has explored the nature of functions to characterize human learning, this study will examine processes used to build a model that considers task performance as a function of training methods used to instruct a task, the nature of the task being taught, and the ability of the human to retain skill over a specified period of nonuse. An empirical study was performed to collect data from individuals completing tasks typically performed by sensor operators assigned to military unmanned aircraft systems. The tasks performed covered a range of activities that require varying combinations of human perceptual, cognitive and motor skills. The data were fitted to a set of models that were used to predict the performance outcome of a task similar in type to those used to build the model. Results are reported and recommendations for future research are offered.

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2006, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Art History

After eighty years of obscurity the German Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven (1874-1927) has reemerged as a valuable subject of study. The Baroness was an artist and a writer whose media included poetry, collage, sculpture, performance and costume art. In chapter one I firmly establish the Baroness's position as a Dada artist through examining her shared connections with the emergence of European Dada. In final chapters I will examine the most under-examined aspect of the Baroness's various mediums-her performance and costume art. In the second chapter I will explore the Baroness's work utilizing performative and feminist theories in relation to Marcel Duchamp's female alter ego Rrose Selavy. Finally, I will discuss the theme of “The Other” as a social and cultural commentator within the Baroness's performance art. A study of the Baroness's Dada performance art during her ten years in America can broaden our understanding of New York Dada.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2005, Teaching and Learning

There exists a school system that is closing the performance gap on standardized tests between Caucasian and minority students. This research studied 10 American schools serving Children of Military Parents (COMP) in North America, Asia and Europe which serve as a model for closing the minority performance gap. The environmental tone of schools is considered to have a profound effect on student learning. This research investigated the environmental tone that is contributing to success for all students. This study investigated organizational climate factors and multicultural perceptions that are contributing to the success of all students at COMP schools. The environment of schools closing the performance gap was studied by means of a climate analysis and multicultural perception survey. The research design is a web-based survey, composed of the Perceptions of Multicultural Education (PME) survey, an original survey, and the Organizational Health Inventory (OHI) survey previously established by Hoy et al. (1991). This study introduced an original survey for measuring perceptions of multicultural education, the PME survey. The PME survey was found both highly reliable and valid. The PME survey was used to measure attitudes towards multicultural education. PME results were then analyzed in relation to student performance on standardized tests. Findings from this study are based upon an overall response rate of 82%. A major finding of this research, revealed a unique relationship between environments highly valuing multicultural education and student performance. Specifically, biracial students were shown to excel in environments highly valuing multicultural education. Other significant findings confirm previous research, which found healthy school environments to be beneficial for all students. Additionally, healthy environments were found to be specifically beneficial for Black, Asian, American Indian, and White students. Previous climate research has shown “Academic (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2003, Psychology

This study explored the underlying meaning of performance ratings to determine whether ratings may reflect different constructs across ethnic groups. Specifically, it was suggested that supervisors may emphasize a different set of factors across groups in arriving at an overall evaluation which would reflect different implicit theories of performance for different ethnic groups. Operationally, these differences were predicted to be reflected in two ways: 1) group differences in the interrelationships among performance ratings, and 2) differences across groups in the factors cited by supervisors in justifying their performance ratings of subordinates. Both hypotheses received partial support. Using a sample of bank staff, performance ratings were analyzed for potential group differences in terms of means and correlational relationships. Supervisors' written summaries of subordinate performance were content analyzed to identify the types of comments made across groups. The results are interpreted in light of the literature on group differences in performance ratings, and implications for future research and practice are discussed.