Ed.D., Antioch University, 2024, Education

This dissertation presents research pertaining to how classroom teachers can become more effective in teaching their students of color. Through an examination of literature pertaining to critical whiteness studies, critical pedagogy, antiracist education, and transformative leadership, a professional learning program has been designed to offer space for educators to recognize their roles within the school system pertaining to whiteness ideologies and racist policies and practices. Backward design and Understanding by Design were applied to develop a professional learning program and allows for flexibility in the learning process. It is the goal that this program be delivered for the participants to critically reflect on their current teaching practices and how they may be unintentionally harming their students of color. Furthermore, the professional learning program will offer opportunities for implementation of new learning that will lead to changes in instructional practices that create equitable learning experiences for all students. Included in the program design is formative assessment as well as impact assessment questions to determine the merit and worth of the program. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohio.link.edu).

Committee: Lesley Jackson Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Heidi Oliver-O’Gilvie Ph.D. (Committee Member); Emiliano Gonzalez Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2023, Educational Psychology

Black young adults not only experience the same difficulties and discomfort when developing an identity as all young adults, but they are also tasked with reconciling their identity within the context of race. Racial identity development (RID) and the role it plays in the life outcomes of Black young adults is a well-researched area of focus within education. Equally important to the development of identities for Black students is the curricula they are taught, which is less studied. The problem addressed in this study is the way in which stereotypical depictions and representations of Black people within the K-12 curricula impact how young Black college students conceptualize their RID. The current study examines how Black young adult college students describe their experiences with the K-12 curricula, view their RID, and discover if negative experiences with the K-12 curricula exacerbates a negative view of racial identity. This study used a convergent mixed methods research design by interviewing students (n = 15) and surveying their racial identity (n = 38) at a public metropolitan, research-intensive University. The quantitative data showed that significant positive relationships were found between centrality, private regard, and nationalist subscales on the MIBI-T. The qualitative data yielded several important findings. Participants shared that several factors including curricular content as well as relationships and interactions with the school environment and their teachers either positively promoted their RID, or acted as threats to their RID. This study discusses findings that include educational factors that impact students' conception of, and feelings toward their racial identity, as well as the saliency and meaning that Black young adult college students attach to their Black identity.

Committee: Lisa Pescara-Kovach (Committee Chair); Jennifer L Martin (Committee Member); Michael D Toland (Committee Member); Vicki Dagostino-Kalniz (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Black Studies; Curricula; Education; Educational Psychology; Educational Theory

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2023, Educational Leadership

This study examines the professional experiences of three teachers in a national network of urban, low-income serving, Catholic high schools. These teacher-participants were chosen to participate in this study because they engaged in experiential, community-based pedagogy within this national network and exemplified a commitment to social justice through their teaching practice. As detailed in Chapter One, such teaching practice resembles critical pedagogy and aligns with best practice in quality civic education. Therefore, by examining the experiences of critical educators, this study aimed to illuminate ways we can enhance civic learning for K-12 students by enhancing support for and removing the barriers to critical educators' distinct pedagogical practice. This is particularly important for Students of Color, who have faced historical exclusion from formal and informal modes of civic learning (Campbell, 2012; Lo, 2019). Critical theory (Freire, 1970/1993; Giroux, 2003; Horkheimer, 1972[1992]) and social reproduction theory (Bourdieu, 2016; Bowles & Gintis, 2016) were used to frame this study, which employed qualitative portraiture methodology (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Davis, 1997) to answer two key research questions. The first question— Why do teachers in this Network engage in experiential, community-based pedagogy? —drew attention to the internal and external factors impacting my participants' practice. This set up inquiry into the second key research question: How do these educators exhibit civic and/or critical consciousness about and through their work? Findings from this study revealed that both internal and external factors contributed to the choice teacher-participants made to engage in experiential, community-based pedagogy. Professional ecology, consisting of local school and corporate cultures, were particularly influential on these teachers. That ecology functioned in distinct ways at each study site to both aid and obstruct the critical teaching (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Érica Fernández (Committee Chair); Kathleen Knight Abowitz (Committee Member); Thomas Misco (Committee Member); Lisa Weems (Committee Member); Veronica Barrios (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Philosophy; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Theory; Mathematics Education; Religious Education; Secondary Education; Social Studies Education; Teacher Education

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2021, Cross-Cultural, International Education

Nigerian women experience different shades of ill-treatment because of what Ogbu (1981) calls cultural tasks in human competence. This is because Nigerian society is male-centered. The sociocultural challenges experienced by these women were mostly from their childhood upbringing where there is a male-child preference, gender disparity in domestic chores, the gendered purpose of education, and career choice. With educational aspiration toward higher education, most Nigerian female participants in my study overcame the cultural beliefs that subsumed them under male dominance. Most of these women have also achieved their identity and have worked toward self-actualization because of their educational attainment. This study, therefore, explores the various sociocultural challenges Nigerian women face and how higher education has helped them to build their identity. Ogbu's cultural-ecological perspective and Erikson's psychosocial development serve as the theoretical framework for this study. Based on the interview conducted with 19 female Nigerians who shared their lived experiences, the study revealed that each child grew in a complex interconnected ecosystem with culture constantly evolving in the thoughts and actions of an individual (Greene, 1994). The importance of the environment explained the various biased treatment female Nigerians encounter because most participants referred to their environment as the key factor that shaped them. Five major themes and sub-themes were identified. The first theme explored how upbringing and home environment affected the participants. The second theme entailed the importance of higher education in empowering females. The third theme exposed the various challenges Nigerian females encountered and how they overcame those challenges for their career inspiration. The fourth theme reflected identity development through education and the the last theme was concerned with the overarching themes of culture and gender stigma in (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Hyeyoung Bang PhD (Advisor); Margaret Booth PhD (Committee Member); Christopher Frey PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

PHD, Kent State University, 2020, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

The purpose of this humanities-based study is to evaluate how the American public broadcasting system has traditionally served children, how it currently fulfills that role, and finally to propose a new approach to children's public broadcasting that is more democratic and attentive to children's interests. American broadcasting developed as a series of compromises amongst ideologically-opposed voters and organizations. Further, public broadcasters are reliant on private donors, thus diluting the democratic quality of their programming. The author argues that this paradigm violates children's rights. The unsatisfied adult consumer of public broadcasting has political recourse by which they can attempt to influence regulations that affect public broadcasting. Children lack such political agency, so extra care must be taken to protect their interests; public content generated for them should be as free of market influence as possible, until they gain the agency to decide for themselves their thoughts on the interplay of public and private goods. The current public broadcasting paradigm does not evidently or obviously seek out children's thoughts on the programming provided for them. The author argues that by allowing children a more direct voice in the shaping of programming created for them, public broadcasters may both serve their traditional, recognized function better by empirically demonstrating that their content matches their publics' interests while also helping to ensure that children's right to speak is being respected.

Committee: Natasha Levinson PhD. (Advisor); William Kist PhD. (Committee Member); Quentin Wheeler-Bell PhD. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education History; Education Philosophy; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Physical Education

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2020, Cross-Cultural, International Education

Until recently, the United States was the largest resettlement location for refugee and asylum seekers (Batalova & Blizzard, 2019). The resettlement process for school-aged populations hinges upon the context of reception. This study examines the research questions: What are secondary educators' perceptions of the schooling context of adolescent Students with Limited Interrupted or No Formal Education (SLIFE)? And how do secondary educators understand their role in teaching adolescent SLIFE? An adapted ecological-acculturation framework from Barry's (1997) acculturation theory allows me to examine the phenomenon and contexts of SLIFE's adjustment. In addition, I utilize cultural scripts as a conceptual framework to explore participants' underlying belief systems regarding their teaching and schooling of SLIFE. The data suggests that educators perceive SLIFE's schooling context as a hindrance to their academic achievement and psychosocial wellbeing, thus perpetuating certain acculturation strategies more than others. Further, educators position themselves within contradictory roles in the lives of SLIFE, which suggests the power of schools' conflicting agendas, prevailing institutional ideologies, and fluidity of cultural belief systems. Significant obstructions exist for SLIFE and SLIFE educators, which includes anti-immigrant sentiment seeping into schools, lack of SLIFE specific supports, and the failure to implement training regarding students from refugee and asylee backgrounds with various prior schooling experiences.

Committee: Christy Galletta Horner (Advisor); Hyeyoung Bang (Committee Member); Luis Moreno (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; English As A Second Language; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Secondary Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2019, Educational Leadership

Created with the intention of exposing the unvoiced, uncharted, and unforeseen values, beliefs, and obstacles that immigrant youth face inside and outside U.S. institutions of schooling, the curriculo inedito centers the experience of youth from the northern countries of Central America specifically Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Hautecourt High School, the site where the fieldwork took place, is a high school located in a sanctuary city within a Rust Belt State. Informed by firsthand experiential knowledge, this work intersects collaborations with Central American youth, colleagues at Hautecourt High School, its surrounding community, and pertinent literature. As architects of the curriculo inedito, the youth, educators, community collaborators and myself, expose unique elements about the experience these youth have as students and individuals with an irregular legal status, inside and outside institutions of schooling. These include but are not limited to how these youth are a) learning English as a second, and sometimes even a third, language; b) how they are often Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)1; c) the pressure they feel to succeed academically and graduate before aging out of high school; d) how some of them face the responsibility of providing financial support not just for themselves, but for their families here and in their countries of origin; e) how they sustain the uncertainty of aging into adulthood with limited prospects of upward mobility via employment, or access to postsecondary education, because of their legal status; f) how they negotiate their identity as they reconnect with parents, guardians, and relations they have never met or have been separated from for many years; g) what it means to be part of a mixed-status2 family unit; and h) how they are trying to manage the unseen, and often, untreated impact of trauma and PTSD. This work relies a/r/tography, an arts-based methodology centered on "living inquiry (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Thomas Poetter PhD (Committee Chair); Denise Taliaferro-Baszile PhD (Committee Member); Joel Malin PhD (Committee Member); Lisa Weems PhD (Committee Member); Stephanie Danker PhD (Committee Member); James Bielo PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Aesthetics; Art Education; Curriculum Development; Education; Educational Leadership; Ethnic Studies; Latin American Studies; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Multicultural Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, EDU Teaching and Learning

The purpose of this study is to examine the mechanisms by which domination and resistance operate within suburban schooling spaces. Situated within a body of research focused on power, resistance, and social justice leadership in education, the author explores the following question: How can district administrators utilize autoethnographic research to name expressions of power and illuminate avenues for resistance within schooling spaces? Two theoretical frameworks guide the analysis within this dissertation: Amy Allen's Rethinking Power (1998) and Meyerson and Scully's Tempered Radicalism (1995). Written from the unique perspective of a district administrator supporting work around diversity, equity, inclusion, and curriculum, this dissertation utilizes autoethnography coupled with grounded theory methods to capture interactions, observations, and reflections that reveal practices of domination. The primary source of data for this dissertation was the author's journal, which was written over the course of sixteen months. After engaging in an extensive incident-by-incident coding process, the analysis revealed two major findings. First, the data demonstrates that acts of domination and acts of resistance operate simultaneously and oppositionally within suburban districts. Vignettes are utilized to demonstrate the routine and unconsidered ways in which power is enacted within school systems, while also revealing how resistance is employed as a response to acts of domination, marginalization, and oppression. When faced with dominating behaviors, policies, and practices, the author captures three primary responses: disengagement (e.g., self-silencing), fear, and active resistance. Concurrently, when presented with acts of resistance, teachers and district leadership members showcased two common reactions: re-centering the majority voice and placing blame outside themselves. Second, the data suggests that there are multiple avenues of resistance that provide possibi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Cynthia Tyson (Advisor); Antoinette Errante (Committee Member); Timothy San Pedro (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership; Multicultural Education

PHD, Kent State University, 2018, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

The United States Supreme Court's decision in the case Wisconsin v. Yoder et al. (1972) created a special provision for Amish and Old Order Mennonite families by allowing their children to end formal schooling at age 14. The assumption was that these Anabaptist families were preparing children adequately to live “full lives” in their communities without a high school education. Most of these children attend small private Amish schools, but some public school districts, like those at the center of this study, have successfully attracted a significant number of Amish students to their schools. Through philosophically-oriented qualitative research, this study explores how educators in these public schools view their aims and influence in educating young people who are not destined for formal education beyond the 8th grade, or work that requires a high school diploma. The author identifies a peculiar agreement between families and educators in which Amish families extend a measure of trust and flexibility within their own values, and the educators deliver substantial accommodations in school access and curriculum to keep the schools open with a sizeable number of Amish students. The study examines the actions and agreements that maintain this settlement and the ways educators make peace with compromise in an effort to serve all students.

Committee: Natasha Levinson (Advisor); Tricia Niesz (Committee Member); Pytash Kristine (Committee Member) Subjects: Cultural Anthropology; Early Childhood Education; Education; Education Philosophy; Education Policy; Educational Sociology; Educational Theory; Middle School Education; Multicultural Education; Philosophy; Religious Congregations; Secondary Education; Social Research; Sociology; Teacher Education; Teaching; Vocational Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, EDU Teaching and Learning

In secondary schools in the United States, youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or queer (LGBTQ) encounter unwelcoming and unsafe, if not outright hostile, climates, experiences which lead to negative outcomes, both personal and academic. However, school-based supports such as supportive adults, GSA clubs, and LGBT-inclusive curricula have been associated with lower levels of victimization and higher levels of academic attainment. Yet, there is limited empirical research on LGBT-inclusive curriculum and its concomitant pedagogy, particularly studies that examine time periods beyond a single lesson or unit, feature more than a single text, explore a range of sexual and gender identities along with intersectionality, and take a situated approach on criticality. In this study I strive to speak to these gaps. During the 2016-2017 academic year, I conducted a literacy ethnography at Harrison High School, an urban comprehensive public high school with a diverse student population in a Midwestern city. I drew on a range of theoretical perspectives that foregrounded sociocultural dynamics to understand literacy and activism as situated phenomena shaped by power relations. Utilizing an ethnographic logic-of-inquiry, I primarily constructed data through being a participant observer in the English language arts courses of one adult teacher Ms. Abby and the GSA (Genders and Sexualities Alliance) club she advised. Data included fieldnotes, audio and video recorded classroom lessons and GSA meetings, documents (such as curricular texts and youth writing), and interviews with youth, adult teachers, and adult administrators. Drawing from this broader ethnography, I focus on youth's queer-focused activism in a sophomore humanities course that combined English language arts and social studies. In the course, youth enacted queer-focused activism as they took up roles as pedagogues in queer-inclusive literacy events. While commonly in educational literacy scholars (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mollie Blackburn (Advisor); David Bloome (Committee Member); Timothy San Pedro (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Gender; Gender Studies; Glbt Studies; Language Arts; Literacy; Multicultural Education; Reading Instruction; Secondary Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, English

This dissertation examines literacy volunteer preparation historically and comparatively for two contemporary case study organizations: one that coordinated a university service learning/study abroad program and one that ran a family literacy program. The author reviews major contributions literacy studies has made to literacy theory and practice and identifies gaps in literacy studies' influence and relevance towards literacy organizations. This study argues that volunteer preparation can be a site for literacy researchers and organizations to put their insights and expertises into practice by training volunteers using historical contexts as the basis for volunteers' critical reflective practice. The study also highlights historical and pedagogical differences between preparing expert versus non-expert volunteers. In the two case study organizations, the Working With Project for Haiti (WWPH) trained non-expert college students to utilize a critical process of engagement to work collaboratively in Haiti. The author refers to this pedagogical goal as “competence” for non-expert student volunteers' engagement in Haitian communities. Early Reading's Family Literacy Program trained expert volunteers with backgrounds in teaching and child development to deliver their family literacy training in a Southern U.S. city and state that had multiple other literacy initiatives. This pedagogical goal the author calls training expert volunteers for “consistency.” Based on the study's findings from case study data collection and historical research, the author proposes that greater collaboration between literacy research and practitioners could occur through volunteer preparation that: attends to histories of literacy campaigns, recognizes the differences between expert and non-expert volunteers, understands that literacy organization goals serve different purposes (which researchers and practitioners should specify), and identifies the major processes in which the organization e (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Beverly Moss (Advisor); Molly Farrell (Committee Member); Harvey Graff (Committee Member); Kay Halasek (Committee Member) Subjects: History; Literacy; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education, Cleveland State University, 2017, College of Education and Human Services

Concerns regarding teacher recruitment and teacher retention among African American teachers continue to illustrate the difficulty in diversifying the teacher population. At the same time, African American teachers currently working in urban schools must successfully find strategies to engage urban youth, who face inequitable educational opportunities. Such realities can be challenging to African American teachers, who have also experienced structural oppression, as they are expected to conform to the educational ideologies and strategies of dominant, white society. As such, the personal and professional experiences of African American teachers working within urban schools will not only influence their on-going identity, but will also influence his or her beliefs and teacher pedagogy. To this end, research must be employed that explores how specific experiences, context, and one's racial/ethnic identity influences the on-going development of African American teacher identity. This study explored the different experiences of African American teachers; specifically how biographical and professional experiences influenced the ongoing identity development, beliefs, and pedagogy of the African American teacher. To understand the experiences of African American teachers within this study, a narrative approach will be employed. Through narrative methodology, the various ways in which people context, and history influenced the development of identity, beliefs, and pedagogy are examined. Findings revealed that participant's experiences with navigating through oppressive educational institutions, is the material used to counter and disrupt institutional racism in the schools where they now teach. Additionally, participants utilized personal experiences and knowledge of their student's culture and community, to influence their social and academic development. The identity, pedagogy, and beliefs of participants reflect ongoing development, as (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Brian Harper Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Anne Galletta Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Tachelle Banks Ph.D. (Committee Member); Frederick Hampton Ph.D. (Committee Member); Huey-Li Li Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Education; Gender

PHD, Kent State University, 2016, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

This feminist qualitative case study addressed the problem of understanding the role of girls' education through the perspective of girls in southeastern Turkey. The study focused on what they believe they will gain from school, how school empowers their lives and the social, cultural and gendered dimensions of their experience in school. The findings include: (a) girls want the freedom to pursue whatever potential their hearts desire (b) they wish to help other girls achieve dreams and (c) they believe that their communities can be improved. The girls not only understand that education can bring them a better life, but also understand the need for all girls in Turkey to be educated so they can pursue their own potential and contribute to the betterment of their communities and their country. This study underlines the need for research to ask girls about their goals and interest in school. Additionally, the implications for community action at the local and national level are to provide access for more girls to become involved in civil society monitoring groups, new school planning committees, and retention initiatives in middle and high schools. Policy implications for international organizations include scaling up compulsory high school educational opportunities.

Committee: Vilma Seeberg PhD (Committee Chair); Tricia Niesz PhD (Committee Member); Kenneth Cushner EdD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Gender

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2015, Cross-Cultural, International Education

Research shows that many international students are coming into the United States from countries with high prevalence rates of sexually transmitted diseases, minimal sexual health knowledge, and pre-conceived notions surrounding sexual health. What results from this at colleges across the country is an unavoidable intersection of international students and sexuality, with many administrators of such institutions feeling uncertain or unwilling to include sexual health in their education model. Through my unequivocal belief that resources related to sexual health education are a crucial need on every college campus, for every population, I decided to focus specifically on international students. The overall purpose of this case study is three-fold: (a) to explore the differences in backgrounds in sexual health education and practices for a diverse cross-section of international students studying at BGSU, (b) to investigate whether there is a need for colleges to implement sexual health education for international students in the United States, and (c) to speculate what strategies/curricula could be implemented. Through 24 written, qualitative surveys and 13 follow-up interviews, I sought to answer two research questions, with the first being: From international students' perspectives, how have their social, cultural, familial, and religious backgrounds and practices shaped their home country's stance on sexual health and, subsequently, their own upbringing? My second research question is: From international students' perspectives, what is their perception of the influence of American culture, their perception of access to sexual health information and education programs, level of interest in and preferred format of this kind of education? In an effort to answer these questions, I investigate five major themes in my research that serve as the core foundation of this thesis: (a) prior sexual health knowledge and educational accessibility; (b) cultural ideals about vi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sherri Horner Ph.D (Advisor); Christopher Frey Ph.D (Committee Member); Mary Krueger Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Comparative; Early Childhood Education; Education; Education Policy; Ethics; Families and Family Life; Gender; Health; Health Education; Higher Education; Multicultural Education; Personal Relationships; Teaching; Womens Studies

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

This qualitative study examined the perceptions, attitudes, and experiences of twice exceptional African American students in K-12 urban schools. Additionally, this study investigated the experiences of parents and educators in supporting twice exceptional African American students in urban schools. The sample comprised 8 twice exceptional African American students, 3 parents, and 5 educators, all of which came from a large, urban district in the Midwest. Three major themes emerged from the participants’ responses: (a) the significance of labels; (b) social and personal experiences of twice exceptionality; and (c) challenges and strategies in the school environment. Recommendations for educators (e.g., teachers, school counselors, and principals), the district, and parents are included.

Committee: James Moore Ph.D (Advisor) Subjects: Education; Gifted Education; School Counseling; Special Education

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2011, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

This research study uses in-depth interviewing to examine participants' perceptions of the quality of their own lives. Specifically, the study asks which elements in their lives they perceive as contributing to their perceived quality of life (PQoL) and what contributions they perceive educational attainment, scholastic learning experiences (SLE) and non-scholastic learning experiences (NSLE) made in the development of that PQoL. While the participants were only asked to examine the above issues in relation to their understandings of their lives, their collected thoughts were also used to examine the Economic Model of Schooling. Ultimately, seven major themes related to PQoL were developed in this study through the coding of the nine participants' in-depth interviews: Interpersonal Relationships, Engagement, Internal Motivation/Personality, Handling Adversity, Financial Security, Occupation/Occupational Identity, and Faith. These themes were used to assess the role educational attainment, SLE, and NSLE played in the development of their PQoL. Educational attainment had a notable impact on PQoL through the theme of Occupation/Occupational Identity, and also through specific incidences related to the themes of Internal Motivation/ Personality, Handling Adversity, and Financial Security. Also, several notable scholastic learning experiences involved the theme of engagement, specifically, skill development, organized sports and music, and with handling various adversities. The findings also suggest that the most notable areas of impact that took place in school, though not necessarily through SLE, were related to the Interpersonal Relationships theme through peer socialization and on all themes through positive student-teacher/authority figure contact. Overall, however, the most often discussed learning experiences that had an impact on PQoL occurred outside of the school setting, and came through “real world” experiences and familial and community contact. These find (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Roger Collins PhD (Committee Chair); Daniel I. Hurley MA (Committee Member); Vanessa Allen-brown PhD (Committee Member); Esther Erkins EdD (Committee Member); Annette Hemmings PhD (Committee Member) Subjects:

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

In this study, I look at the Turkish immigrant parents and their children at the intersection of schooling, culture, and identity. The study particularly emphasizes the ways Turkish children negotiate their cultural identity in schooling, Turkish parents' experiences with their children's schooling, and the ways Turkish parents and children negotiate their bilingual and bicultural identities. Sociocultural theories, specifically hybridity theory (Bhabha, 1994; Soja, 1996; Moje et al., 2004) and transnational studies (Basch, Glick Schiller, & Szanton Blanc, 2008) framed this study. The findings suggest that Turkish parents and children collaborate to create a third-space in home and community contexts where American, Turkish, and Muslim identities and Turkish and American cultural and educational practices co-exist. The creation of these third spaces moves the parents and children beyond the limitations of Turkish and American geographical, cultural and educational contexts.

Committee: Adrian Rodgers PhD (Advisor); Barbara Seidl PhD (Advisor); Laurie Katz PhD (Committee Member); Cynthia Dillard PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Elementary Education; Families and Family Life; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Multicultural Education; Preschool Education; Social Research; Teacher Education; Teaching

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2008, Agricultural, Environmental Development Economics

This thesis offers empirical answers to the mostly unexplored question of the impact of access to formal deposit facilities on human capital formation, by looking at the schooling choices of two waves of a panel of rural households in Mexico. The results suggest that both financial instruments (deposits and loans) matter; however, access to deposit facilities may have a greater and less ambiguous impact on household schooling choices than loans. Access to deposits reduces the schooling gap 2.5 years when using a pooled sample, while access to both financial services in comparison to no access reduces the schooling gap 1.2 years. After adding an interaction of both probabilities (access to deposits and loans), access to credit increases rather than reducing the gap. Thus, the development and strengthening of financial institutions capable of offering safe and convenient deposit facilities, rather than simply loans, may induce beneficial impacts on human capital formation.

Committee: Claudio Gonzalez-Vega (Advisor); Abdoul Sam (Committee Member) Subjects: Economics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2004, Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics

This dissertation addresses the evaluation of impact of access to credit on two different outcomes in rural households: cultivated land (and environmental degradation through erosion) and human capital formation. Three sets of difficulties are overcome. The fungibility of funds complicates inferences about uses of loan proceeds. Theoretical predictions about the impact of credit are not unambiguous, as credit is not a homogeneous good and it plays different roles in household strategies. Empirical tests must overcome self-selection and sample selection biases. Several channels for the impact of credit are identified. Access to credit influences land use decisions through risk-coping, liquidity, and income and wealth effects. Access to credit influences schooling decisions for children from borrowing families through income, risk-management, gender, information, and child-labor demand effects. Actual observed outcomes are the net result of these effects (some of them positive and some negative). Using a household theoretical model and a switching regressions empirical model, panel data from El Salvador are used to test for impacts of credit rationing. A positive effect of access to credit on natural resource conservation (through the release of pressures on fragile land) is identified in this country. Three surveys of clients of microfinance programs in Bolivia are used to infer a net positive effect of program participation on education outcomes, measured by a schooling gap. Policy dilemmas emerge from the negative impact of microfinance on child-labor demand.

Committee: Claudio Gonzalez-Vega (Advisor) Subjects: Economics, Agricultural

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2004, Educational Theory and Practice

High school students in the United States need to know how to write clearly and concisely in order to pass state mandated assessment tests and college entrance exams, and to compose essays for college applications. Despite decades of writing research and changes in pedagogical methods for teaching writing, however, many high school students continue to struggle with writing. Additionally, the nation's schools have been wired for technology as a way to reform schools and to prepare students for future careers in a global economy. Implementation of computer related technologies resulting in large-scale changes to classroom practices, however, have been minimal. In this study the researcher employed qualitative methodology framed by socio-cultural theories including activity theory and communities of practice to investigate the ways in which 9th and 10th grade high school students took up literacy learning during the second semester of a public urban charter high school's first year of charter. This school was founded upon notions of experiential learning and alternative education and organized around a two schools model. Students spent the better part of each Tuesday and Thursday at one of seven experiential learning sites within the larger community. In addition to assignments for their ‘regular' courses, and work at their site, the students were to complete an end of semester research project related to the site on a topic of interest to them. The author found context to have a significant effect on students' literacy learning, particularly with regard to appropriation of writing and computer technologies for school related purposes. The students' previous and current ‘places' positioned them and thus affected the literacy practices students could take up. Students' positioning, then, further shaped these students' sense of identity as evidenced by their discourse about writing and technology as well as through the writing students produced and the technology they w (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Caroline Clark (Advisor) Subjects: