Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2013, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

Professional development is a common phrase used by public school educators to describe the training they participate in order to stay current and increase their knowledge and skills in their respective fields. School districts implement professional development for various purposes including but not limited to curriculum, pedagogy, mathematics and so forth. In various school districts professional development training has many formats. Some of these formats include attending conferences, hiring outside consultants, using existing staff, small group book studies, live sessions and online training. Often, the sessions vary from one single isolated training session to on-going multi-year training plans. Essentially, no professional development programs are identical. This dissertation analyzes current secondary data including published articles, journals, reports, dissertations, theses and studies to identify effective characteristics of professional development in traditional public schools grades K-12 since the inception the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 hereafter referred to as NCLB. The dependent variable of student test scores is analyzed to examine what characteristics/strategies are identified as effective and to what degree. Analysis revealed that the professional development of teachers had a moderate-to-large significant effect on student achievement.

Committee: Karen Larwin PhD (Advisor); Robert Beebe EdD (Committee Member); David Dees PhD (Committee Member); Jake Protivnak PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership

Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2024, School Psychology

School psychology continues to experience professional shortages in the face of increased need. Burnout and other sources of job turnover have been researched; however, there are limited studies on the specific factors influencing retention. The present study investigated sources of job satisfaction among experienced school psychologists. Seven school psychologists with at least 10 years of experience in the state of Ohio were interviewed regarding their reasons for remaining in their roles. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis to identify themes across participant experiences. Results indicated both intrinsic and extrinsic sources of job satisfaction in the field of school psychology. Common themes across participants included the value of meaningful work, professional autonomy, supportive work environments, and positive staff relationships. This study provides insight regarding drivers of motivation for school psychologists to remain in the field long-term, which contains implications for improving the current shortage of these professionals in the state of Ohio. Educational agencies seeking to retain professionals should foster supportive environments, clear roles, professional development, and work-life balance.

Committee: Susan Davies (Committee Chair); Meredith Montgomery (Committee Member); James Ayers (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Psychology; Mental Health; Psychology

Ed.D., Antioch University, 2024, Education

Beginning at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education experienced a sea change in reduced enrollment, altered course delivery models, and increased need for student support. While observing staff's actual impact on the student experience during this time, this study will address the question, “How do professional staff in small private universities a) perceive their contributions to the retention of students and b) perceive their overall value to the institutions they serve?” Owing to gaps in research on professional staff experiences, the literature review synthesizes current trends related to enrollment, retention, and persistence, focusing on small, private, non-profit 4-year institutions; discusses the disparate impact of these trends; examines the context of academic staffing trends; reviews the experiences of professional staff, focusing on critical connections between student and institution, student learning within liminal spaces, gender, and relational practice; and, examining social justice leadership in postsecondary education staffing. This qualitative study employs a constructivist grounded theory method using an initial anonymous questionnaire and interviews with volunteers for a deeper exploration of themes. The pool of nine interview participants comprises mid-level professional staff with at least three years of experience in student-supporting roles from five private universities with under 5,000 students. Potential implications relate to improving student retention practices and eliminating barriers by rethinking staff structures, resource allocation, and investment in student support areas. Further implications are related to staff role satisfaction, socially just models for professional development, and training of the next generation of professional staff. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Committee: Emiliano Gonzalez Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Douglas Judge Ph.D. (Committee Member); Cristy Sugarman Ed.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Ethics; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Organizational Behavior

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2024, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

This research examined, through a qualitative grounded theory approach, perceptions of classified, non-instructional staff, and leaders in business and operations on a best practices professional development framework for operational staff. The study also examined the responsibility of leaders to provide professional development opportunities to their staff and touched on how it affects the workplace culture. In the past, studies have examined the benefits of continuous job-embedded training and professional development opportunities for teachers, the administrators' responsibility to provide such opportunities, and the effect professional development has on school culture; but there is limited research about providing consistent professional development opportunities for classified and non-instructional staff. Classified and non-instructional staff in business and operations have both a direct and indirect impact on student learning and achievement. Providing continuous professional development opportunities to this population, to mirror that of teachers, may help increase the knowledge and skill capacity in a school district. This study was conducted using a survey for classified and non-instructional staff, a semi-structured focus group interview of leaders in business and operations, and document reviews from the same leaders. Results from this research supported the existing literature summarized in Chapter Two about professional development for teachers and the theoretical framework that guided the study. The researcher highly recommends that K-12 districts adopt this best practices framework for the continuous development of non-teaching staff.

Committee: Jane Beese EdD (Advisor); Melissa Mlakar EdD (Committee Member); Richard VanVoorhis EdD (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Theory; Organizational Behavior; Teacher Education

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

The goal of this study is to provide a plan for nonprofits to provide a succession plan for their organization. The action plan to be utilized is the career development of the existing staff. The transferability of this study can be used in for-profit organizations. The implications of this study are that the organization can utilize the data obtained to support and sustain the growth of services provided to the population served and to attract talent to the organization. This provides a strategic advantage to organizations that compete to attract talent as well as sustain their organizational growth.

Committee: Ricardo Garcia (Committee Chair) Subjects: Business Administration; Continuing Education; Teaching

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2023, Leadership and Change

Professional staff make up the majority of employees at colleges and universities in the United States but are rarely the focus of research in higher education. As a result, little is known about how these employees experience the workplace, creating a challenge for educational institutions working to attract, develop, and retain this essential resource. Employees who feel included in the workplace have higher performance levels and are more likely to remain with their organizations, but workplace inclusion is a complex and undertheorized psychological phenomenon. This exploratory study provides insight into the psychological experience of inclusion by examining the experiences, interactions, and moments that caused professional staff to feel included at work. Using constructivist critical incident technique (CIT), semi structured interviews were conducted with 23 participants to uncover 78 inclusion incidents and the context surrounding those incidents at various levels within the organization. The findings reveal two main pathways to inclusion for professional staff in higher education: the affirmation and impact pathways. Inclusion incidents in the affirmation pathway emerged from experiences or interactions where an individual, team, or organization affirmed the professional staff member's personal or professional identity. Inclusion incidents in the impact pathway emerged when professional staff members took some action that impacted an individual or the organization. An intersectional view of the results demonstrates that all participants, irrespective of social identity, experience inclusion in the workplace, expanding the perception of who benefits from inclusive environments. Analysis of the detailed descriptions of the outcomes of these incidents supports the expansion of the dominant conceptualization of workplace inclusion to include authenticity in addition to belongingness and uniqueness. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA, https://a (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: A. E. Lize Booysen DBL (Committee Chair); Harriet Schwartz Ph.D. (Committee Member); J. Goosby Smith Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Management; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior

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

Background The purpose of this two-part descriptive study was to evaluate an online training course designed to introduce direct care workers to the Tovertafel, a multi-sensory technology device, and provide information about how to facilitate interactive game sessions with older adults who have dementia. While direct care staff are often an integral part of multi-sensory interventions, a review of previous studies indicates that staff training is often under-reported in the literature. Ensuring that direct care workers are comfortable with new practices or technology is crucial to their success, as they are usually the staff who implement new programs. Research suggests that staff members who have been trained using consistent methods are more likely to understand the intended activities and results, which increases the success of the program. Methods In Part One of the study an interactive online training course was created using constructs of the New World Kirkpatrick Model (NWKM). A convenience sampling of undergraduate students enrolled in academic programs offered by the College of Health and Human Services at a midwestern university were invited to participate in the training and complete an online survey. Additionally, students enrolled in three recreation therapy courses at the same university were assigned to complete the activities. Following course completion, an online survey obtained ratings of engagement (i.e., aesthetics, ease of use, novelty, and involvement), relevance, and knowledge/skills gained from the training. In Part Two of the study, undergraduate recreation therapy students were invited to practice using the Tovertafel games and provide input on their experiences. A survey was created using constructs of Social Cognitive Theory to measure perceptions of behavioral capability, self-efficacy, expected outcomes and reinforcing attitudes. Results In Part One, 72 undergraduate students participated in the online training course and subseque (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Victoria Steiner PhD (Committee Chair); Barbara Saltzman PhD (Committee Member); Kimberly McBride PhD (Committee Member); Jennifer Kinney PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Behaviorial Sciences; Cognitive Therapy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Technology; Educational Theory; Gerontology; Health Care; Health Education; Public Health; Public Health Education

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Leadership Studies

Judy Jackson May, Advisor In recent years educational settings have offered increased attention to relationships between students emotional and physiological health and academic achievement. Some authors have reported high prevalence rates of social, emotional, academic and cognitive impacts of traumatic experiences on students in the school environment. To address these issues, a trauma-informed school culture (TISC) can provide an environment in which students who have been exposed to trauma are supported in a variety of manners such as relationship building and developing resilience where they are academically successful. Depending on the population and type of trauma investigated, reports show that 50-75% of youth in the United States are exposed to trauma. The consequences of such exposure is often exhibited in students' learning and behaviors, and the need to understand impact of trauma on students' learning and school behaviors has led to a push for effective trauma-informed treatment approaches in school systems. A review of current trauma literature shows a lack of research which assessed students' perceptions of school safety and positive school climate, especially as they relate to academic performance and school attendance. To address this gap, the present study was conducted to expand upon previous work which assessed a Midwest middle school district's development of a trauma-informed school culture, with the intent to measure student-reported perceptions of safety and positive school climate after delivering a trauma-informed professional development course to school staff. Two separate exploratory factor analyses showed that survey data collected from two student cohorts loaded similarly to create a 10-item measure of assessment for school safety and school climate. Cohort comparison analyses indicated a significant decrease in students' perceptions of school safety and positive school climate after delivery of a trauma-informed professional d (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Judith Jackson May Dr. (Advisor); Karen Johnson- Webb Dr. (Other); Matthew R. Lavery Dr. (Committee Member); Jaclyn D. Schalk Dr. (Committee Member); Chris Willis Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; School Counseling

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2019, College of Education

Within recent years seasoned collegiate recreation senior leaders have noted a concern relative to the skill level of their potential successors. As these directors near retirement there has been discussion within the industry as to how to best coach supporting staff in preparation for transition into the director role. The intent of this study was to seek a more focused understanding as to the on-going development practices of collegiate recreation professionals who supervise full time staff. Specifically, what common practices are being used to aid in skill development to allow for consistent advancement within the field. The research question used was: In what ways does the lack of the integration of competencies in professional development plans contribute to the lack of preparedness for promotion to a director role? This research question was answered through a series of interviews and document analysis of survey material used by the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA). Based upon these interviews, as well as the survey data from the research performed by the NIRSA Executive Education Task Force, it can be noted that individuals supervising full time professionals in collegiate recreation are not using the eight competencies that NIRSA as an organization argue make up the basis for professional knowledge, and essential to advancement. It is suggested that professionals within NIRSA utilize a self and supervisor assessment to better gauge where skills of staff lie, but then use this assessment to intentionally plan out future development opportunities that address the noted skill gaps.

Committee: Judy Alston Ph.D. (Advisor); James Olive Ph.D. (Committee Member); Constance Savage Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Higher Education; Recreation

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

Childhood trauma is prevalent and has a profound impact on student learning, behaviors, social-emotional well-being (Perfect et al., 2016), physical health, relationships (Tishelman et al., 2010), and brain architecture (Perry, 2001). Trauma-informed care professional development (PD) within the school setting is a relatively new notion for school reform efforts (Craig, 2016); therefore, this study adds to the nascent literature. The purpose of this quasi-experimental retrospective study was to determine the extent to which employees perceived that their knowledge, dispositions, and behaviors toward traumatized students improved as a result of participation in a traditional and transformational PD. Certified and classified employees (n = 552) of one large, urban school district in Northwest Ohio completed the Trauma-Informed Care Dispositions Survey (TIC-DS). The TIC-DS contains 52 closed-form and one open-ended survey item and is measured on a Likert scale. Survey items were selected from four existing instruments and modified into a retrospective pre/posttest design. The TIC-DS is a valid and reliable instrument: Cronbach's alpha for the TIC-DS was found to be .960 on the retrospective pretest responses and .955 on the posttest responses, which suggests strong internal reliability. Data were analyzed using t-test of paired samples, t-test of independent samples, and ANOVA. Three theoretical frameworks (trauma theory, transformational learning, and dispositions) were used as a lens to interpret study outcomes. Data analyses revealed the following broad conclusions as a result of the TIC PD: 1) Significant gains in all seven subscales. 2) Greater gains in Knowledge than Dispositions and Behaviors. 3) Females reported significantly greater gains in Student-Centeredness and Total Dispositions than males. 4) Elementary (K-5) educators had significantly greater gains in five subscales and Total Dispositions than secondary (6-12) educators. 5) Emplo (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Rachel Reinhart (Advisor); Dawn Anderson (Other); Joyce Litten (Committee Member); Paul Johnson (Committee Member); Todd Cramer (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; School Administration; Teacher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, Educational Policy and Leadership

Women's center professionals, volunteers, and supporters have worked for over half a century to create opportunities for women, advance gender equity, and dismantle institutional sexism in U.S. higher education. This critical phenomenological study explores how women's center professionals negotiate their racial and ethnic identities in their work for gender equity as well as how theory critically shapes their experiences. Two questions are explored: (a) How do women's center professionals understand their race and ethnicity related to their roles and work in women's centers? and (b) How do feminist theories inform, support, and/or fail women's center professionals as they negotiate their race and ethnicity in their work? The study is significant for its implications for feminist and antiracist practice and its exploration of the varied and complicated roles of feminist theory and intersectionality in women's and other identity-based centers.

Committee: Tatiana Suspitsyna (Advisor); Jill Bystydzienski (Committee Member); Susan R. Jones (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Gender Studies; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Womens Studies

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2006, Education : Literacy

This dissertation is comprised of a series of scholarly papers submitted in an alternative format. All four chapters represent separate, but related, studies embedded in the context of a state-wide professional development project: The CORE Literacy Specialist project 2000: A State of Ohio Professional Development Collaboration. The first chapter presents a synthesis of what three committed teachers learned throughout participation in the CORE project. The findings presented in the study provide evidence as to what the teachers did in their own classrooms and in the professional development sessions as a result of their new learning. Chapter Two is a single participant case study was designed to examine the usefulness of the Teacher Learning Instrument (TLI) as a tool for scaffolding teacher learning. The TLI (Rosemary & Roskos, 2001) calls for literacy specialists to engage a teacher(s) in a diagnostic process of self-examination. The findings from this study capture the impact of the TLI, as a framework for assisted performance, in a school-based professional development model. Chapter Three was designed to build on chapter two, the initial TLI study. In addition to involving more teachers, this study differs from the first in its specific focus on the application of the scaffolding features in the activity setting of the literacy specialist/teacher meetings and on coaching as assisted performance. The final chapter was designed to examine the knowledge and skills sustained by three primary teachers in their urban classrooms two years after participating in the CORE Literacy Specialist project. This qualitative study (Glasser & Strauss, 1967) also addressed the factors that hindered and/or supported sustained implementation efforts according to these three teachers' report.

Committee: Dr. Penny Freppon (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2007, Educational Policy and Leadership

This research project involves three large churches in a particular Mid-Western Conference of the United Methodist Church, where the Senior Pastor experienced a failure in the appointment process, lasting for a period of three years or less in a specific large church setting before a move was initiated. In addition to interviewing the Senior Pastor in each of these three settings, interviews were conducted with a lay leader from within the church, a member of the Staff Parish Relations Committee, and the District Superintendent from the time of the move of the Senior Pastor from the church. An extensive overview of the research concerning the seminary preparation of clergy, the development of clergy professional identity, the fit between the pastor and the particular church setting, and the itinerant system in general is included. Results will provide an overview of the salient issues and important elements related to the stories from each of the three settings, with an emphasis on the issues, common patterns and themes, along with discrepant data. The conflict related themes and patterns that emerged in the three cases included a history of conflict, difficulties in transition, a conflict in style of worship, a conflict in direction or focus of ministry, a conflict in style and strength of leadership, and a conflict in ownership. Implications for both research and practice are discussed, including a number of recommendations for the leadership of the United Methodist Church. Recommendations related to practice include: relocation support, longer terms, District Superintendents, smaller districts, salary, confidentiality, de-briefing, profiles, the introduction, training churches and clergy, the guaranteed appointment, guidelines, mediation, interim appointments, recommendations for new pastors, supervision, and the cluster system and mentoring relationships.

Committee: Robert Rodgers (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2004, College of Education

Professional development offers teachers the training for new instructional practices that support student learning. To assist school leaders implementing professional development programs, the National Staff Development Council's Standards for Staff Development serves as a valuable guide. This study was designed to determine the number of Ohio public schools aligned with these standards using a questionnaire, alignment schema, and scoring rubric designed by the researcher. Of the 58 Ohio public schools that participated in this study, 20 were considered aligned with the National Staff Development Council's standards. Of the schools not aligned with these standards, the family involvement standard was typically not implemented. The major challenges experienced by school leaders when implementing professional development opportunities were resources and the change process.

Committee: Kathleen Flanagan Hudson (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Administration