Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2021, Counselor Education (Education)

Counseling leaders have published guidelines for enhancing professional counselor identity. The goal of these calls to action is to strengthen and unify the counseling profession in order to differentiate the field from other helping professions and to solidify a definition of professional counselor identity. One facet of professional counselor identity lies in counselors' level of engagement with research engagement, otherwise defined as research identity. Counselors must consistently engage in research activities in order to utilize evidence-based clinical practices and evaluate the efficacy of treatment interventions. However, counseling scholars discuss the need for increased research engagement across the profession. The training of counselors begins at the master's level in counseling education programs, which provide the foundation for professional counselor identity, including research engagement. Many scholars have discussed research identity development among doctoral counselor education students, but little information exists which explicates this concept among master's students. This study provides quantitative data regarding counselor education master's students research identity, specifically in relation to three key constructs of research identity: research motivation, research competence, and advisory working alliance. Through this study, I accomplished three objectives: (1) describe the level of self-reported perceived research competency among master's-level counselor education students in CACREP-accredited programs in the NCACES region, (2) describe relationships among participants' self-reported research competency, research motivation, and perceptions of advisory working alliance, and (3) describe relationships among participants' self-reported research competency, research motivation, and perceptions of advisory working alliance and age, gender, program specialty area, undergraduate major, number of terms in the master's program, and number (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2016, Higher Education

Regulations for research involving human subjects in higher education have long been a critical issue. Federal public policy for research involving human subjects impacts institutions of higher education by requiring all federally funded research to be passed by an IRB. Undergraduate research is no exception. Given the literature on the benefits of undergraduate research to students, faculty, and institutions, how human subject research public policy is being implemented at the undergraduate level was a significant gap in the literature. This qualitative single case study examined the human subject research policies and practices of a selective, Mid-western, Council on Undergraduate Research institution. The purpose of the study was to determine how this institution implemented human subject research public policy to benefit its students. This institution used a hybrid approach of public policy implementation that met federal requirements while capitalizing on the role local actors can play in the implementation process. This model resulted in a student friendly implementation emphasizing various learning outcomes and student mentoring. Although there is considerable research and public discussion on the negative aspects of IRBs, if approached in a manner that embraces student learning, the IRB experience can be an extremely beneficial aspect of the institution's learning environment.

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2014, Industrial, Interior Visual Communication Design

As more and more design students go into the design research field after their graduation, it becomes increasingly important to understand what students learned about design research at school and what design research practitioners are expected to achieve in industry, so different strategies can be created to better prepare design students to go into the design research field and grow as design research professionals. The process of design research planning and execution as the foundation of every design research project, however, is not well described in the existing literature. In order to help fill this knowledge gap, this thesis research focuses on understanding and comparing design students' processes of research planning and execution while learning at school and design research practitioners' processes of research planning and execution in industry. Indepth interviews were conducted with fourteen design research practitioners to understand how practitioners with various levels of experience working in different companies plan and execute their research. Participant observation was conducted with junior design students in their Design Research II course to understand their process of research planning and execution. In addition, students' presentations, documentations as well as their responses for the journal questions were collected and analyzed in an effort to understand what students learned and didn't learn in their research course. This research reveals the pattern among experienced practitioners, beginning practitioners and students' processes of research planning and execution. A gap is identified between what current undergraduate education enables design students to do about design research and what design research practitioners are expected to achieve in industry. This research also has implications for the design research education and design research industry in terms of better preparing students to go into the design research industry and h (open full item for complete abstract)

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2013, Antioch New England: Marriage and Family Therapy

This dissertation consists of two articles. This first article is a literature review identifying studies of autism spectrum disorders and sibling relationships published in the past 10 years. This search strategy identified 16 articles for inclusion in this review and conveyed the following main outcomes: a) parental factors influence sibling relationship and typically developing child, b) behavioral interactions/problems affect the quality of the sibling relationship, c) genetic factors have varying impact on diagnosis, and d) effects/outcomes for typically developing sibling are both positive and negative. This review supported the call for a better understanding of the family factors on the sibling relationship, as well as highlighted the absence of qualitative studies that include the voices of children and their siblings regarding their relationship experience. The second article reports on a qualitative study exploring the experiences of children who have a sibling with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using phenomenological methodology. The aim was to develop a better understanding of how the unique experience of having a sibling with ASD may alter, impact and enrich the lives of siblings. Data were collected through participant interviews, photographs, and drawings. The data analysis revealed the following themes: a) understanding of ASD, b) challenges and benefits of having a sibling with an ASD, c) relationships and interactions with others, d) attunement and unique connection, and e) advocacy and acceptance. The findings have implications for therapeutic practice, education, and research involving families with children when one child is diagnosed with an ASD. The electronic version of this dissertation is available in the open-access OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd.

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2024, Design

Git Gud: A Braided Comic About the Good, Bad, and Ugly in the Video Games Community (2024) is a creative inquiry into presenting research in a comic format. Comics-based research refers to a broad set of practices that use the comics form to collect, analyze, and disseminate scholarly research. The unique design aspects of this project include the creation of a braided comic about harassment in video games, which adapts the principles of a braided essay into a visual braid of three strands: a narrative short story, research on harassment in video games, and my autoethnographic experiences with harassment as a video game player. This paper reviews the development of the braided comic as a format to present these three strands of harassment in video games. This paper then documents the process of creating this research-informed comic and reflects on creative inquiry and design discoveries from working within this comic-making process.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Social Work

Sex trafficking is a form of structural oppression that disproportionately affects individuals from marginalized groups. Extant sex trafficking research lacks research on resilience, and the representation of survivors as researchers and experts. In this qualitative study, as a survivor of sex trafficking, I therefore collaborated with other survivors outside academia to (1) create a constructivist grounded theory of resilience during and after sex trafficking, (2) seek survivors' suggestions for practical applications of this theory, and (3) engage academics with this survivor-generated knowledge. Based on 75 interviews with 44 survivors, the theory explicates that resilience is the inherent force that empowers a person to survive trafficking and/or reach for goals through current adversity in order to build their preferred lives. Survivors' resilience is facilitated by support and services but they also manifest resilience in the absence of these. Personal agency intersected with structural inequalities as survivors used hope, values, purpose and assets to navigate situations of limited options and oppression. Altruism, serenity, rest and play were also key features of survivors' resilience. Survivors suggested that this resilience theory be used to inform the training of service providers, create self-help materials and develop resilience-enhancing apps. In 12 interviews with six resilience researchers and six sex trafficking researchers respectively, these academics affirmed the theoretical and pragmatic value of the survivor-produced knowledge of resilience. They also shared extensions, clarifications or revisions to their knowledge of resilience or trafficking based on this knowledge, and emphasized that the lack of a shared language and understanding between survivors, and the academic and professional community has impeded knowledge exchange and mutual respect. This survivor study of resilience clarifies how survivors of sex trafficking experience marginaliz (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 2022, Applied Anatomy

This study evaluates whether academic performance differs when physician assistant (PA) students learn gross anatomy using a mixed-reality (MR) program versus cadaveric dissection. First-year PA student volunteers at Case Western Reserve University enrolled in an anatomy course were divided into two cohorts. During a given unit, each cohort spent laboratory sessions learning through either dissection or MR. At the end of each unit, participants were given a laboratory practical exam on each modality. Differences in exam scores were compared between modalities within the same cohort and between cohorts on the same modality. While students who performed cadaveric dissection within a given unit had less difference between lab exam scores, positive Pearson's correlation coefficients (r>0.80) and Spearman's rho (rs=0.78) indicate that individual students perform equivalently across both exams. Additionally, no difference was found between cohorts on lecture exams (p>0.05), suggesting that MR holds value in a PA gross anatomy curriculum.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2021, Art Education

This research aims to explore the potential of reflective teaching in higher education during a time of great uncertainty. This research also examines the possibilities of critical dialogue in a spatially disconnected classroom. Even though the pandemic of 2020-2021 has thrown the entire world into an extended period of crises, education has not stopped. When classrooms become sites of hidden vulnerabilities, undecidedness and disconnection, how can a teacher continue to focus on facilitating critical pedagogy and meaningful education? Through an investigation that utilizes teacher reflective participatory action research questions and solutions that bridge theories of critical dialogue with a higher education classroom in the pandemic is shared.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Art Education

Grounded in the context of a peace education program for teens, this narrative-based research study offers a story of initiating and sustaining relationships amid personal challenge during youth-driven community art engagement. Dialogue, storytelling, and collaborative artmaking as peacelearning were part of the participatory practice within this humanizing research. A theoretical framework drawn from the dialogism of Freire (1970/2002) shapes this study as well as an ethical stance of care and wholeness that contributes to the health and well-being of communities. Connection and belonging, co-learning and transformation were intertwined goals, an approach that this research study suggests challenged teens' personal vulnerability, critical self-reflection, deep listening, and multiple roles and ways of knowing. The research study portrays how the process of sharing stories and art that acknowledged participants' roots, struggles, and hopes as peacebuilders became foundations for growth. Findings from this study revealed that through the arts we can cultivate critical self-reflection, communication about the issues and challenges in our lives, interconnectedness and collective action. Additionally, this study illustrated that youth-driven approaches to community-engaged pedagogy and research exist on a continuum of youth leadership and adult collaboration. Also, sustainable youth-led initiatives and research depend on strong organizational support and adequate resources, mentorship, and community connections. Finally, a relational and asset-based approach to peacelearning through the arts can contribute to connected knowing, with potential for coalition building that supports positive change for individuals and communities.

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

Since the turn of the century, disaster and humanitarian research, as well as the ethics of its conduct, is an increasingly important endeavor. The interdisciplinary knowledge acquired from disaster research concretely contributes to a plethora of societal benefits, such as development of emergency response and preparedness policies, improvement of both physical structures and social infrastructures, and effective distribution of valuable humanitarian aid. Human subject research in the health and human sciences is especially valuable as it highlights the detrimental effects of disasters on individuals and communities who are often made vulnerable or whose existing vulnerabilities or inequities are further exacerbated. It is a unique and intrinsic feature of disasters that, while they can be environmental (i.e., a natural disaster or chemical spill) or humanitarian (i.e., a war conflict or a water crisis), they are ultimately rooted in a human-made cause. With this conceptual framework, disaster research involving human subjects bears an ethical duty to ensure the data contribute beneficially to not only future populations but to surviving individuals, communities, and their social spheres, as well. If the benefits of this research are clear, and the risks of participation can be properly mitigated, then an ethical concern arises when certain populations or individuals are excluded from disaster research, as is the case with children. For despite the increasing amount of disaster research including children, an obvious dearth of studies examining the effects of disasters on children in long-term follow up is evident, particularly concerning what interventions are effective at mitigating negative mental health and well-being consequences. This gap in knowledge does not align with the well-founded fact that disasters, a majority of which are humanitarian crises, uniquely affect children due to their developing capacities and the traumatic nature of these envi (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Environment and Natural Resources

The ongoing shale energy revolution has transformed global energy markets and positioned the United States as a leader in oil and natural gas production and exports for the first time in generations. However, little scholarly attention has been directed toward the downstream impacts of these developments on the people and places which experience energy export activity or host related infrastructure, particularly those in rail export corridors. This research presents a first-of-its kind, cross-regional comparative analysis of community risks, risk perceptions, energy and environmental attitudes, and related discourses in oil train export corridor communities. The mixed-methods design uses household-level survey data (N=571), interview data (N=58), and news media content analysis data (N=149), to address three key knowledge gaps regarding impacts of and attitudes toward crude oil by rail in examining: 1) the influences and distributions of support, opposition, and increased concern to oil by rail; 2) views toward hydrocarbon exports as well as broader energy preferences; and 3) dominant news media and stakeholder discourses and discursive channels concerning oil train activity. Results and related recommendations include the identification of community risk perceptions, vulnerabilities, and broader energy and export attitudes as well as predictors of their variation; discussion of implications for related community energy siting and planning, news media reporting, and communications; and the contribution of novel baseline data vis-a-vis predictors of risk perception and opposition concerning oil train activity and infrastructure to the risk perception and energy impacts fields.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, African-American and African Studies

This dissertation lays the ontological and epistemological groundwork for an Africanist and diasporic orientation to contemporary theatrical dance performance. It develops a theoretical lexicon with which to understand and analyze such dance along with Africana embodied creative practices. Evidence is drawn from ethnographic engagements with contemporary Africana dancers, close readings of key works in Africana and Dance Studies, as well as the author's own praxis, experiences and insights as an artist-scholar. The thesis is also a work of scholarly criticism, mobilizing Africanist and Africana theories and concepts, emphasizing the cosmological and spiritual orientations of transnational African studies, to critique the hegemony of a historical Western discourse about the body that desacralizes its substance, rationalizes its expression, and racializes its exterior. In this manner, this dissertation advocates for an embodied approach to Africana Studies and demonstrates possible methodological approaches for such an

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2015, Design

The potential for artistic practice-led research opening up new “realms of possibility” has been embraced by the academy, and it is the time now for animators to reveal how their practice is a method for the generation of new knowledge, exploration, and connection of ideas as well as for communication (as it is most commonly conceived of). Traditional views of research writing do not serve the wealth of knowledge to be found in the making process of animation. My goal is to illuminate the notion that the self-reflective creative practice of digital animation used as a method of inquiry contributes to both the field as well as the academy overall. Animation as a method of inquiry can be seen at the heart of many experimental and independent creations throughout the art form's history, as well as in the present. I frame my discussion by highlighting inquiry in the works of animators both historical and contemporary to bring to light how these methodologies are functioning in the medium. Inspired by the concept of `practice as research' in arts education discourse - I present a case-study analysis of my digital animation practice and reflections on my experience as an animator, a designer, and a researcher in animation. I claim that animation as inquiry requires the artist-researcher to engage in a reflection throughout their making process. From retrospection and contemplation of my own creative practices, I describe how writing has become an integral part of my animation process – but I also argue that writing is not a requirement for animation as a method of inquiry. The process of making animation captures our ways of knowing in a way that is unique but just as valuable as writing, as long as the researcher can articulate it. Valuing the `messy texts' that are generated as by-products of the creative process is one of several practices I suggest to highlight the discovery process involved in the making of animation. I expand upon the anthropological term `messy tex (open full item for complete abstract)

MDES, University of Cincinnati, 2015, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Design

This thesis investigates design research planning for product design through researching design literature and interviewing current industry practitioners. Research findings are illustrated through a proposed conceptual model for successful design research planning. This thesis also provides a discussion of current industry challenges and mitigations. References in design literature regarding design research planning for product design are dispersed and not easily accessible. Successful design research planning provides a framework for obtaining useful design insights, which produces robust design solutions. Design research planning is any activity preparatory to design research, such as making a research plan, conducting stakeholder interviews, and recruiting. This thesis uses design literature and current industry practices in design research planning to propose a model for success. The body of literature that addresses design research planning is mainly in user experience sources, but it also draws from industrial design and general design literature. Seventeen companies in product design participated in interviews (12) or completed a survey (5) about their planning activities and their challenges and how they face them. The central component of the conceptual model is the research plan. The main items of a research plan consist of: objectives/goals, methodology, stakeholder involvement, budget and timelines, deliverables, and other items. The plan is created before, during, or after background research is conducted. Fieldwork is driven by the research plan, and the data is analyzed and translated into design insights, which provide actionable design direction. Design insights are documented and communicated through appropriate media and should reflect the objectives in the research plan.

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2013, Industrial, Interior Visual Communication Design

This thesis explores how dynamically moving one's body, while problem-finding and problem-solving in a group, can impact one's creative abilities and expression. The behavior and creative output of small groups of people engaged in creative sessions was investigated. They explored the question “What's next?” using one of four methods: traditional focus group, image collaging, Sandquery, Enactavision. (The image collaging method uses paper, scissors, glue and the provided images and printed words as tools. The Sandquery method uses sand, a wooden box called a sand tray, and the provided toys and objects as tools. The Enactavision method uses the Kinect, a wall, a projector, two computers, a touchscreen and the Enactavision application as tools.) People's use of the three participatory methods (image collaging, Sandquery and Enactavision) was compared to the control condition (traditional focus group). Each method followed a similar script and used the same activities and post-session questionnaire. Triangulation of data using several measurement techniques was performed because of the exploratory nature of the research. Analysis focused on where similarities and differences occurred when comparing dynamic body movement and collectively creative expression. This research shows that groups of people who make meaningful movements, play pretend, or enact while thinking and generating creative possibilities produce very different output than do people in a group who brainstorm with minimal body movement. Thus, enactment enhances collective creativity. Activities designed to generate creative possibilities and solutions are more effective when they are more embodied, kinesthetic and playful than the more traditional and static or reserved methods used for design research. This research explores collective creativity because collective creativity will play an important role in everyone's future. Because wicked problems require transdisciplinary te (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2010, Art Education

The purpose of this dissertation study is to conduct an art-based, community action research study as a means (1) to support the recovery process of domestic violence survivors; (2) to produce social capital among members of the community to initiate civic discussions on the consequences of domestic violence; and (3) to investigate its implications for cultural policy as the outcomes of this study highlight the unique role of the arts in making a difference in people's lives and communities. The art works produced by the workshop participants of this study (i.e., domestic violence survivors) were exhibited in a professional gallery as a form of visual narrative that speaks for their wounded past and difficult journeys. The collected data strongly indicates that art can be an exceptionally powerful tool for communication and healing, when words and discussions fall short. Overall, this research investigates the instrumental functions of the arts as a means to produce social capital for personal well-being, social support, and social justice. The study was framed within action research methodology and the triangulation model in data sources, research methods, and theoretical lenses, while both quantitative and qualitative techniques were employed. The collected data were analyzed at three different levels: (1) Personal level (i.e., the art workshop participants: n=16), (2) Organizational level (i.e., the staff of the transitional housing facility and the gallery: n=6), and (3) Community level (i.e., the general audience who came to the exhibit: n=74).

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2009, Industrial, Interior, and Visual Communications Design

This study discusses the importance of rigorous design research in the development of an educational game for an academic research project sponsored by an established non-profit diabetes association. The goal of this project was to create a board game to engage children with diabetes, their friends and parents in the diabetic's daily personal health management, the self-management requirements of which are hard to understand and maintain. The board gameformat was perceived as a highly appropriate form of communication because of its capacity to simplify large concepts, making them appropriate for the experiential learning required to master complex information. Research and design process of this case study involved collaborations with graduate student researchers, sponsor clients, subject experts, and faculty advisors. The design team collaborated during several stages of research, and developed a research model for educational board game design encompassing many design research methods, starting with a data gathering stage including interviews and literature review, a creative stage including participatory research methods and generative tools, and an evaluative stage including usability testing and pilot testing. The research model is designed to follow an iterative design process, allowing for the most informative participation from all participants. This study summarizes the collaborative and rigorous research process used in the identification and development of relevant content that informed the design development of an emotionally connective and engaging game that was fun, educational, and significant to the management of diabetes.

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education, Cleveland State University, 2010, College of Education and Human Services

This dissertation, addresses intervention and phenomenological and participatory research methodology, through a lens of Gestalt Therapy Theory. The intervention, a wilderness-centered rites of passage, included experiential components of: (1) emersion in nature, (2) nature-based activities and challenges, (3) alone time in wilderness, (4) exposure to nature-based archetypes, elementals, and folklore, and (5) participation in community that supports connection through in ritual, ceremony, dialogue, and reflection. The participants included three early adolescent males and one adult male, a parent-participant. Data collection methods included participant observation, journal entries, photo documentation, photo elicited interviews, processing groups, and field notes. A multiple case narrative format, each focusing on a program activity component, was utilized to present data and findings representing the transformative process of the participants.

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2024, English

This dissertation examines research-writing as an activity system in the rhetorical ecologies of first-year writing instruction. It offers parallaxing ecologies as a methodological and pedagogical framework for examining and teaching such activity systems. I define parallaxing ecologies as a methodology for examining an object, concept, and/or practice with the goal of seeing how it is brought into being and how it is excluded across multiple and simultaneous rhetorical ecologies. Parallaxing some of the ecologies of research-writing at one institution, as I've done in this dissertation for instance, helps us better see not just how something like research is brought into being from different dwelling places, but also tends to how the lines of sight afforded from different dwelling places might preclude alternative points of view. In chapter 1, I situate this project in writing studies scholarship on research-writing instruction, looking at both the histories of the field and current conversations to establish how teacher-scholars have defined, understood, and taught research-writing in the context of first-year composition. In chapter 2, I describe parallaxing ecologies and offer dwelling places and anchoring objects as visual-spatial metaphors for how we become orientated in ways that open up some ways of knowing and foreclose others. In chapter 3, I use parallaxing ecologies to examine research-writing from the multiple ecologies of a specific writing program, looking to the dwelling places and anchoring objects and the lines of sight they offer for understanding research as multiple and simultaneous. In chapter 4, I turn to parallaxing ecologies as a pedagogy, describing how it informed the design and implementation of a research-writing course. In chapter 5, I explore further implications of and opportunities presented by parallaxing ecologies as both a methodology and a pedagogy, with examples and proposals for rhetoric and writing studies as a field, and f (open full item for complete abstract)

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

Food insecurity is a significant problem and poses a risk for various health issues. The burden of food insecurity is even higher in minoritized populations. Nutrition education and food literacy programs have the potential to address these concerns by increasing the capacity to select and consume healthy foods, even in the presence of perceived challenges. Furthermore, community gardens can improve access to fresh foods in neighborhoods with limited food options and provide a hands-on learning environment for nutrition and food education programs. Community gardens enhance public spaces and provide access to fresh produce in different neighborhoods, offering numerous physical and mental health benefits. Community-engaged research (CEnR), which involves both community members and researchers in the research process, can play a crucial role in overcoming social and ecological barriers to health programs. It also helps in enhancing the cultural relevance and overall success of such programs. In this dissertation, I use a three-paper model to examine existing literature on community-engaged research in community garden programs and to identify the barriers and facilitators of this approach in community health programs, particularly within community gardening programs. In this dissertation, the first paper delves into the existing literature on community-engaged research in community garden programs, while the second and third identify the barriers and facilitators of this approach in community health programs, particularly within the context of community gardening programs. Each paper establishes a theoretical foundation for the implementation of CEnR in the field of nutrition, food literacy, and food security, aiming to bridge the gap between community and practice. This research underscores the potential applicability of community-engaged research to programs targeting nutrition and food security, emphasizing its role in enhancing their impact. While Chapter 3 de (open full item for complete abstract)