Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2012, Political Science (Arts and Sciences)

This thesis is a study of the institutional reforms in Japan, particularly the impact of electoral, governmental, and administrative reforms enacted during 1990s on the current policymaking structure and process. It is well documented that the LDP politicians, government bureaucrats and powerful special interest groups controlled the policymaking process prior to the reforms. Different Japan scholars have offered differing opinions on the impact of the 1994 electoral reform, 1999 Diet and government reform, and 2001 administrative reform on policymaking process. Here I have evaluated the impact of the 1990s reforms by examining three policymaking initiatives of the Koizumi administration. I suggest that understanding the impact of the 1990s reforms requires examining the specific details of each policy initiative at each stage of the policymaking process from creation to implementation. My analysis suggests that the reforms significantly altered the policymaking process at certain but not at all stages of the policymaking. The reforms consolidated the policymaking process but failed to completely rid the influence of bureaucrats and special interest groups on policymaking.

Bachelor of Arts, Ohio University, 2021, Political Science

Mass incarceration is a widely recognized problem not just in the United States but around the world. However, in the United States in particular, there is a widespread consensus that too many people are being incarcerated and for too long. This thesis aims to examine the issue of mass incarceration in the United States while analyzing both the power of and the role that prosecutors have as they contribute to the issue of mass incarceration. Specifically, this thesis examines the role of the prosecutor both as a contribution to mass incarceration in the United but also as a source of reform. However, it is only through the organizing of voters that reform-minded prosecutors may be elected and have the opportunity to reform the system in the United States. This thesis suggests that we are at a critical moment in time as the birth of a reformative movement begins and the future of both the criminal justice system and mass incarceration in the United States can be determined by both the role of the prosecutor and voters in the United States.

BA, Oberlin College, 2019, Comparative American Studies

This project seeks to interrogate the socio-spatial implications of New York City's contemporary criminal justice machine through mayor Bill de Blasio's ongoing jail reform plan to build new, "borough-based jails." In 2017, following decades of controversy over entrenched violence and horrific abuses on Rikers Island, New York's notorious island penal colony, de Blasio announced a 10-year plan to "to close Rikers Island and replace it with a smaller network of modern jails." While the plan claims to make jails in New York "smaller, safer, and fairer," this project analyzes the plan's strategies, its rhetoric, and its goals to understand the vision of New York City that is being produced and propagated. Rather than a plan to contain, shutter, or dismantle the carceral legacies at work on Rikers Island, this project unpacks how liberal criminal justice reforms in the urban context rely upon exclusionary citizenship, spatialized inequality, and commodification of neighborhoods to take shape. While the plan is in the early stages of implementation with an uncertain future, this research helps to uncover how the carceral state and neoliberal governmentality in contemporary U.S. cities cohere at the street level, working to normalize the capillary expansion of carceral control in the name of urban consumption.

MA, Kent State University, 2016, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History

On December 2, 1859, the date of John Brown's execution for treason, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison delivered a eulogy in Boston for the antislavery vigilante. To his audience that night, Garrison lauded Brown for embodying the revolutionary spirit of the founding generation. While not likening Brown to Christ as some abolitionists had, Garrison did portray Brown as a martyr whom God would reward with “the victor's crown.” That Garrison would praise Brown is unsurprising from our vantage-point today. We expect that one radical abolitionist would have endorsed another, but this assumption is unwarranted. In fact, Garrison's eulogy for Brown marks a departure from his position of twenty years: the pacifism of “Christian nonresistance,” which absolutely forbade violence. The Garrisonian abolitionists were initially as pacifistic as their leader, but during the 1850s, they redefined Christian nonresistance to be compatible with condoning antislavery violence. In a decade of intense sectionalism and increasing violence around the issue of slavery, the Garrisonians embraced resistance. While the causes of this change in Garrisonian attitudes toward violence are admittedly complex, this thesis argues that the change was facilitated by an earlier change in their religious beliefs, specifically their substitution of a secular natural law ethic for a traditional religious source of authority. Focusing on the Garrisonians during the late 1840s and throughout the 1850s, the argument falls into three parts, each corresponding to a chapter. Chapter one, “Turning the Other Cheek,” shows that the Garrisonian commitment to nonresistance was inextricably religious in origin, taking for granted the moral authority of the Bible and of Jesus of Nazareth. Chapter two, “Taking Uncle Tom's Bible,” relates how the Garrisonians came to reject the religious assumptions underpinning their belief in Christian nonresistance. Finally, chapter three, “Racing towards Harper's Ferry,” demons (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2013, EDU Physical Activity and Educational Services

What ingredients of policy development and implementation are necessary to ensure that intended policy goals are met? This study primarily examined how individual states have implemented federal policy under Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), but also provided a regional perspective for a broader interpretation of specific data. This study additionally went beyond implementation of regulations to explore how states have ultimately fared in getting people off welfare and into work. Leveraging the insight of professionals working directly in the field of welfare reform lent a unique perspective of TANF’s effectiveness. More importantly, this perspective from frontline experiences helped to identify factors that influence welfare recipients’ ability to end their dependency on government financial assistance and achieve the intended policy goal of economic self-sufficiency. The findings of this study provided a framework for policymakers to develop more effective welfare policies, aimed at assisting individuals in their transition from welfare to work, by providing the additional perspective of front-line professionals who work directly in the field. By shedding light on the achievements – and shortcomings – of current legislation, key data points and observations served to inform future welfare policy implementation, provide guidance in revision of minimum requirements for state involvement in TANF job readiness efforts, and establish a foundation for future research studies involving TANF job readiness program development. This study focused on exploring state-level strategies that worked - and did not work - in an effort to implement federal policy addressing job readiness programs developed to transition individuals from welfare to work. Collection of descriptive data using a survey instrument served as the principal research method (Thomas & Nelson, 2001). Data was collected from online resources, primarily from th (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Humanities (MHum), Wright State University, 2008, Humanities

In 1952, Guatemala enacted the Agrarian Reform Law Decree 900. The Decree became an instrument for national development through land redistribution and the development of agrarian rights. Although the law was only upheld for eighteen months, the Decree influenced land and labor legislation through today. Struggles for agrarian rights continued throughout the military dictatorship and civil war which plagued Guatemala until the signing of the 1996 Peace Accords. Ideals for land reform originating in the 1952 law continue to have a pervasive influence on the Guatemalan land reform movement. This study is further contextualized and framed with quotes and analysis from Jose Luis Paredes Moreira's investigation of Decree 900 and its impact in Guatemala. The second section of this project includes an original translation of Decree 900.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2012, History

Local civil rights organizations of Columbus, Ohio, such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Columbus Urban League, and the Teenage Action Group, served as the engine for urban educational reform in the mid 1960s. Activists challenged the Columbus School District to create equality of educational opportunity for its black residents. But civil rights groups ran up against a socially conservative city and school district that had little interest in dismantling the unequal neighborhood school system. Racial tensions ran high as African Americans faced persistent discrimination in employment, access to public accommodations, housing, and schooling. Frustrated by an intransigent district, which spurned even moderate reforms proposed by the NAACP and continued with its unequal school construction policy, the Columbus Urban League presented a radically democratic proposal in 1967. The document reimagined the image of the city by simultaneously challenging both racial and class-based barriers, primarily through the concept of the educational park—large K-12 campuses consisting of centralized resources and thousands of students. The school board snubbed this new civil rights initiative as they had with all previous proposals and instead commissioned a report by the Ohio State University in 1968. The OSU Advisory Commission on Problems Facing the Columbus Public Schools presented incremental, targeted reforms to specific issues only and thus perpetuated the district's traditional resistance to reform. In essence, by drawing on legitimized social science professionals, the district manufactured support to maintain the city's historical unequal school system. In the end, although Columbus was a relatively economically stable city and did not experience the deindustrialization of its rustbelt brethren, meaningful school reform proved impossible despite the best efforts of several civil rights orga (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2012, History

The idea that the able-bodied poor should be required to work for their aid was not the product of a backlash from the 1960s but was an ideology that existed from the beginning of aid to the poor. The emphasis on work being the solution to poverty, and an extreme aversion to providing cash aid to the poor existed long before the government ever got into the business of public aid. Wisconsin led the nation in work-based welfare reform in the 1980s and 1990s, but the state had been a policy innovator for almost a century; so much so that during the progressive era Wisconsin earned the nickname 'the laboratory of democracy.' One of the areas in which Wisconsin was an innovator was social welfare policy. The nation followed Wisconsin's lead when developing mothers' pensions, Aid for Dependent Children in 1935, and its replacement, Temporary Assistance For Needy Families, in 1996. This project will trace work-based welfare reform in Wisconsin and nationally demonstrating how Wisconsin was an innovator in social welfare policy both at the beginning of the welfare state and at the end of welfare as we knew it in 1997.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2009, ED Teaching and Learning (Columbus campus)

This investigation examined interactions in three classrooms to determine how they influenced Discourses related to mathematics learning and teaching. Mathematics education literature suggests that effective mathematics instruction includes mathematical Discourses. However, effective mathematical Discourses within mathematics classrooms vary widely and effective Discourses in one classroom may be ineffective in another. The purpose of the investigation was to gain insights for developing effective Discourses or classrooms that exhibit reform oriented cultures (ROC). The primary research question addressed was how do classroom interaction influence the Discourses related to mathematics learning and teaching in MCP supported classrooms? MCP supported classrooms are within buildings were an MCP instructional coach is assigned. The MCP coaches' role within the building includes: a) developing his or her knowledge and understanding of research-based mathematics education reform; b) providing sustained classroom-embedded professional development to small groups of mathematics teachers; and c) offering school-based professional development for all mathematics teachers in the building. The site of the investigation was a large urban school district in the Midwest United States of America. According to the school district's website for the school year 2008-2009 they reported 23,850 students enrolled and 70 % qualified for free-reduced lunch. Data were collected in four MCP supported classrooms within this district, but only three grade six classrooms were used in this report. The final report includes input from 52 students, 3 teachers, and 2 MCP instructional coaches. Data was collected using interviews, classroom observations, and surveys. The teachers responded to two instruments to provide data about their perceptions related to mathematics education reform (TCMER ) and teaching efficacy (TSES ). The student survey captured data about attitude and identity perceptions (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, History

The Enlightenment, or the “Age of Reason,” had a profound impact on eighteenth-century Europe, especially on its religion, producing both outright atheism and powerful movements of religious reform within the Church. The former – culminating in the French Revolution – has attracted many scholars; the latter has been relatively neglected. By looking at “enlightened” attempts to reform popular religious practices in Spain, my project examines the religious fervor of people whose story usually escapes historical attention. “Fiestas and Fervor” reveals the capacity of the Enlightenment to reform the Catholicism of ordinary Spaniards, examining how enlightened or Reform Catholicism affected popular piety in the diocese of Barcelona. This study focuses on the efforts of an exceptional figure of Reform Catholicism and Enlightenment Spain – Josep Climent i Avinent, Bishop of Barcelona from 1766-1775. The program of “Enlightenment” as sponsored by the Spanish monarchy was one that did not question the Catholic faith and that championed economic progress and the advancement of the sciences, primarily benefiting the elite of Spanish society. In this context, Climent is noteworthy not only because his idea of “Catholic Enlightenment” opposed that sponsored by the Spanish monarchy but also because his was one that implicitly condemned the present hierarchy of the Catholic Church and explicitly advocated popular enlightenment and the creation of a more independent “public sphere” in Spain by means of increased literacy and education of the masses. Examining the types of popular – albeit exterior – religious practices that were the object of reform as well as Climent's efforts to promote a better understanding of the Catholic faith which focused on interior rather than exterior forms of piety, I argue that by establishing gratis elementary schools, reforming seminary curricula, and mass-distributing books and pamphlets Climent was able to bring “Enlightenment” to eighteenth-cent (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2004, Educational Studies: Hums, Science, Tech and Voc

Science has had such an impact on our way of life that it has been at the centre of discussion for all issues of health, education, development, and the safe stewardship of the Earth's resources. Science has advanced so quickly in the last 50 years that the amount of knowledge generated by scientists is overwhelming. Science teachers who have persistently introduced children to science from a very young age, have been charged with a daunting task of presenting science knowledge to students in ways that not only make it easy to understand, but also make it relevant to them. The methods of how best they should go about this task have been debated from time immemorial. Due to the many concerns and demands placed on science teachers and science education programs in general, there have been a number of efforts to reform and redefine the science curriculum. Science education reform efforts in the US and elsewhere have examined all possible nucleotides in the building up of the reform DNA molecule. Many studies have measured people's level of understanding on given issues that affect their communities, but little attention has been given to conceptions and level of scientific literacy among students in developing countries. This study assessed Botswana school children's knowledge about ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and its effects on human health using a scientific literacy lens. Results show that students do not know as much as one would expect them to know, from public school through the first year in college. Exploratory factor analysis identified four indicators of knowledge about UVR. These are: (a) diseases related to UVR, (b) items that can be used for protections against UVR, (c) misconceptions held about UVR, and (d) general issues surrounding UVR. MANOVA analysis showed that whereas there are no differences in general based on school location, certain groups of students performed differently depending on the school type, type of science pursued at school and or th (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2003, Educational Policy and Leadership

This dissertation will describe and analyze how state officials, educators, publishers, and historians in Poland have addressed the task of reforming its national curriculum standards and supporting textbooks in the period of transition from the end of Communist rule in 1989 to the introduction of a new system of education in 1999. The goals of this study are to determine (1) the sources of transitional curriculum policies in history education and the role of reform actors in Poland since 1989; (2) why the history education curriculum reforms changed as they did between the creation of proposals and the eventual codification of the reform into law; (3) the influences on the reform of history textbooks during the transitional period; (4) the differences between anticipated goals and actual outcomes of the curricular and textbook reforms, and (5) how to account for those changes in light of the greater scope of the historical development of democratic education in Poland. This grounded study is based on multiple data sources, including documentary evidence, professional journals, and personal interviews with individuals participating in the reform of the history curriculum. The reader is presented with a historical summary of educational development of Poland since the 16th century, as well as with descriptions of history textbook reform and the process involved in rewriting the national standards for history. Textbook reform was influenced mainly by economic factors, which affected both the speed and direction of the reform. Curriculum reform was heavily influenced by both the historical inheritance of Communism and of pre-Communist educational development, as well as by the contradictory context of transition itself. The study concludes that the reform of history education in Poland during the transitional period 1989-1999 is best understood through the application of institutional frameworks which offer the most explanatory power for the events that transpired.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2002, Educational Policy and Leadership

This dissertation is a conceptual study of the development of the concepts of the ‘public school' and the ‘private school' in the United States from colonial times to the present day. In creating an analytical framework for examining these concepts and the institutions they represent, this treatment includes both a historical and a legal examination of the development of this distinction. Four distinct facets, or sets of facets regarding the institutional identity of public and private schools are analyzed: sectarianism versus nonsectarianism, control and support, openness, and benefit. The discussion is pivoted around a particular facet, or set of facets, for each chapter, examining the extent to which both public and private schools have come to exhibit a public or private nature regarding that characteristic. This will generally be done by looking at ‘public schools' as public in a particular sense, and contrasting this with ‘private schools' as private in that sense. In some senses, these two concepts will appear antithetical, while in others they will be described as part of a continuum. Conceptual conflicts or contradictions, both between and within these classes of institutions are also examined. Furthermore, for each of the facets of the public school – private school relationship discussed, the historical examination to the present day will be followed by some analysis of how recent school reform efforts, especially those referred to as ‘privatization', are challenging or changing, our conventional concepts of these institutions. Building upon the examination of the four sets of facets for each of these concepts, applicable reform efforts or proposals will be analyzed with regard to how they may be changing that aspect of the public or private school identity. Applications toward educational policy-making and reform are also discussed.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2012, Journalism (Communication)

This paper interrogates the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United v. FEC decision from the perspective of J¿¿¿¿rgen Habermas's Between Facts and Norms. It takes a legal-historical look at U.S. policy impetus toward legitimation procedures up to the Warren Court, and normatively reconstructs the U.S. constitutional right to participate in politics. Using a close reading of judicial literature defending the old status quo of campaign finance law against Citizens United's lawsuit, the paper examines market colonization of a discussion space that, according to Habermas, ought to be set aside for non-coerced political discussions. The paper argues that because rights derive from the natural human capacity for language and reason, any right to political participation should be able to protect public political discourse from the colonizing components of non-human market systems, namely corporations. The thesis further argues that public political discourse is important because elections are important, and that critical responses to Citizens United should be situated within movements for election reform and media reform more than campaign finance reform alone.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2012, Curriculum and Instruction Mathematics Education (Education)

In Turkey, the secondary mathematics curriculum, students' mathematical proficiency, and their preparation for the university entrance examinations are inextricably connected. The Ministry of National Education adopted a new curriculum in 2005 that was built on constructivist theory. This study explored the perceptions of high school mathematics teachers in Turkey regarding the effects of this new curriculum on students' mathematical proficiency and students' success on the examinations. Specifically, this study investigated two issues: • the perceptions of teachers regarding the reform and its impact on students' mathematical proficiency and their success on national university entrance examinations, and • the differences among those perceptions across types of schools and years of teaching experience. This exploratory investigation concurrently used a survey and interviewed teachers at Anatolian, general, and science high schools. The researcher designed and tested the survey and disseminated it to 162 teachers from 59 of the 81 provinces in Turkey. In addition, 18 teachers were interviewed: 9 from each of two provinces and 6 from each of the three types of schools. The researcher conducted three factorial analyses of variance and several follow-up tests to address the research questions, and analyzed the results using constuctivist theory as a framework. Teachers' perceptions of the reformed curriculum and its impact on students' mathematical proficiency were about the same regardless of school type or teaching experience. The teachers indicated that the main obstacles to implementation are lack of time, large class sizes, an unchanged university entrance examination system, and insufficient professional development. Overall, teachers' perceptions about the impact of the curriculum reform on students' success on university entrance examinations were slightly negative. Teachers perceived that the educational and examination systems conflict with each other a (open full item for complete abstract)

Ed.D., Antioch University, 2025, Education

The persistent health disparities faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in the United States are deeply rooted in systemic racism embedded within medical education and clinical practice. Historical acceptance of racial supremacy in the United States has shaped both the foundations and continued practices of medical education, leading to entrenched biases that affect healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. This dissertation critically examines the intersection of race, education, and health by analyzing how historical and contemporary understandings of race and ethnicity shape medical curricula, healthcare practices, and patient care. Through the integration of Critical Race Theory (CRT), Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), and ScT, this study deconstructs racialized knowledge systems in medicine and examines their impact on health equity. CRT provides a lens to analyze how systemic racism is embedded within medical education and practice, illuminating the ways racial bias is institutionalized and perpetuated in healthcare structures. SCT contributes by exploring how individuals internalize societal norms and beliefs, which influence the attitudes and behaviors of both medical practitioners and patients. Finally, ScT emphasizes the role of social networks and relationships, highlighting how disparities in access to healthcare resources and support systems affect health outcomes in marginalized communities. Together, these theories offer a comprehensive framework for understanding the layered and interconnected influences of race, education, and healthcare, guiding the study's aim to challenge and dismantle biased practices within medical training and clinical care. Chapters I and II introduce the research problem and establish a comprehensive foundation, outlining key theoretical frameworks—CRT, SCT, and ScT—while exploring the historical roots of racialized practices in medicine, including the legacy of unethical experimentation and the Flexner Report (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.), Franklin University, 2025, Health Programs

This dissertation investigates the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on the utilization of preventive colorectal cancer (CRC) screening among Americans under 65, focusing on healthcare providers' perspectives. The ACA, a significant healthcare reform, aimed to expand access to preventive services, including CRC screenings, vital for early detection and improved outcomes. This study employed quantitative analysis with a component of qualitative analysis utilizing a modified version of the Survey of Physician Attitudes Regarding the Care of Cancer Survivors (SPARCCS) to gather quantitative and qualitative data from healthcare providers in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The quantitative analysis assessed changes in CRC screening rates, patient compliance, and the effects of ACA-related policy changes, while the qualitative analysis explored providers' insights on barriers to screening, the role of patient education, and the overall effectiveness of the ACA in improving preventive care. Findings indicate a substantial increase in CRC screening utilization and frequency since the ACA's passage, with healthcare providers perceiving significant improvements in patient access and compliance. However, the study also highlights ongoing challenges, including financial barriers and enhanced patient education. These insights are critical for informing future healthcare policies and practices to reduce disparities in CRC screening and improve overall preventive care outcomes. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on healthcare reform and preventive care, offering valuable perspectives from those directly involved in delivering care. The findings underscore the importance of continued efforts to address disparities and optimize the benefits of healthcare policies like the ACA.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1967, Graduate School

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), University of Findlay, 2024, Education

This research aimed to determine the efficacy of the NGSS on improving student performance on assessments, hypothesizing that students who learn from an NGSS approach would perform better on assessments while also having a more positive outlook on science class. Using a quasi-experimental design, with control (n=99) and treatment (n=169) groups, student growth on NGSS-aligned assessments was measured. A Likert- scale survey was also administered to both groups (n=268) to determine student perception of science class. Results showed that there is a significant interaction between discipline and treatment (p=0.004) showing students in the treatment group studying physical science having an 11% higher increase in score than the students in the referent group. A Cohen's d of 0.708 indicates a medium to large effect size, highlighting a significant difference between the two groups. While findings support that learning from a physical science NGSS program will result in an increased score on an NGSS assessment, the results show that there is no distinguishable difference between student enjoyment and perception of science class based on the curricular program they are taught. However, findings do lean toward students who are learning from an NGSS program are more encouraged to pursue a science-related career. Future research could include quantifying the number of hands-on approaches done within all classrooms to further clarify the teaching approach being utilized for each group. Implications suggest further research on the efficacy of the NGSS and its teaching methodology.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Sociology

A lack of consensus about how cannabis policies may influence demographic changes and social problems has had life-altering consequences for the U.S. populous as cannabis-related offenses continue to result in punitive sanctions for many. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore cannabis policy changes over a 15-year period, spanning 2006 to 2020, alongside a variety of measures capturing population change, social-structural disadvantage, and arrest rates for a national sample of U.S. counties. The data used include the American Community Survey, National Incident Based Reporting System, U.S. Census, and a primary collection of state- and county-level efforts to legalize and/or decriminalize cannabis over time. Overall, I find that the influence of cannabis legalization on arrest rates seems to vary depending on the level of legalization and the type of arrest—with significant conditioning effects contingent on the proportion of Black residents in a county. I also find that sanctions associated with first-time possession offenses exert an independent—and often interrelated—effect on arrest rates over time. This dissertation offers keen insight for the continued development of what Wheeldon and Heidt (2023) refer to as “cannabis criminology,” while offering a critical, policy-focused perspective on drug reform policy.