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

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

Committee: Cynthia Tyson (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2024, Educational Leadership

This study explores specific examples of social pressures and performances Black women student affairs professionals have navigated, adapted, and challenged since the pandemic's beginning (2020) to the present era. While utilizing Black Feminist Performance Theory (BFPT) and radical Black subjectivity (hooks, 2015), this study centers on the narratives of 10 Black women in Midwest and Southern states who have worked in student affairs since 2019. These stories were used to reflect and emphasize the fears of many Black women who work within Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). I argue that many Black institutional staff have been encouraged to appease and perform for white audiences due to fear of isolation, consequences, and the threat of survival, which impact their well-being and livelihood. Additionally, this study explored how Black women define and work towards liberation from white dominance and influence while also creating space to reflect and (re)imagine Black freedom. Consequently, to secure this potential freedom, the Black pained body (Hartman, 1997) is centered within this study as a means to bring awareness to what binds the Black spirit and the liberating process of finding the confidence to shed the inauthentic character that many Black women professionals are pressured to accept and engage in.

Committee: Denise Taliaferro Baszile (Advisor); Ganiva Reyes (Committee Member); Érica Fernández (Committee Member); Thomas Poetter (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; Education; Educational Leadership; Gender Studies; Higher Education; Personality; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Agricultural and Extension Education

The single most important factor that influences motivation in a learning environment is the teacher (Anderman, 2021). Teachers must be able to assess and influence their students' motivation to have an effective learning environment (Bipp & van Dam, 2014; Fortier et al., 1995; Ryan & Deci, 2020; Schunk et al., 2019; Wigfield & Koenka, 2020). Motivation can be built using different tactics based upon a large quantity of factors including student age, teacher age, course content, learning environment setup, and student interest in the content (Ryan & Deci, 2020; Patrick, 2022; Schunk et al., 2019; Wigfield & Koenka, 2020). Career-Technical Education (CTE) is unique from other education subjects because CTE courses are typically not required and students, alongside their parents or guardians, decide to enroll in the program annually. School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE) is just one of many areas with CTE programming. SBAE programs can offer a collection of unique activities within their program thanks to the three parts of the program: agriculture classroom, Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), and FFA. SBAE programs are motivational to their students because of the novelty of events or activities for students to participate within (Baker & Robinson, 2017). Additionally, using a variety of coaching techniques and providing student-specific support is essential to keeping students motivated and interested in activities (Bowling, 2017; Curry 2017). The purpose of this quantitative study was to explain the relationship among student demographic information (age and years of enrollment in SBAE), and success expectancies, utility value, relative costs on the students' achievement-related choices and performance within the SBAE program. Objective one utilized descriptive methods to learn about the perspectives held by students (n = 70) regarding their expectancies for success within the SBAE program. The findings regarding the success expectancies for the stude (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Tracy Kitchel (Advisor); Caryn Filson (Committee Member); Amanda Bowling (Advisor) Subjects: Education; Educational Psychology; Secondary Education; Teaching

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2023, Psychology/Industrial-Organizational

Research has consistently shown that some personality traits meaningfully relate to positive aspects of student performance (e.g., McAbee et al., 2014, 2019; Poropat, 2009), and specifically, conscientiousness demonstrates the strongest relationship with student GPA (e.g., McAbee & Oswald, 2013; Poropat, 2009); however, GPA is not the only metric of student success. For instance, Oswald et al. (2004) identified twelve dimensions of student performance based on various college mission statements (e.g., appreciation for diversity). Alternatively, personality traits also are effective in predicting counterproductive student behaviors (CSBs); however, relatively less attention has been paid to this aspect student behavior (Crede & Niehorster, 2009; De Vries et al., 2011). Relating to this, research has primarily investigated personality using a variable-centric approach and there has been a noticeable lack of work in this area that leverages a person-centric (i.e., within-person) design. As such, the current study implements a person-centric approach for understanding personality-performance relations to examine profiles of the HEXACO personality traits. Five distinct profiles are identified in the current dataset, which are then linked to specific (un)successful student outcomes.

Committee: Samuel McAbee Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Joshua Grubbs Ph.D. (Committee Member); Clare Barratt Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Higher Education; Personality; Personality Psychology; Psychology; Statistics

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

A successful completion of first-year science courses is critical for an on-time entry into the undergraduate health care programs of nursing, radiology, respiratory care, and sonography at a small, private health care institution. The inability of undergraduate students to pass science courses leads to drop-out or a delay of entry into their health care profession further presenting a health care staffing shortage during a time of an increased demand for health care providers. Knight College's main goal is to determine why undergraduate students underperformed academically in science courses. The primary purpose of this narrative inquiry design study that used a qualitative data source was to understand the lived experiences and perspectives of the students. This study used a purposeful sampling due to the selection process for students wanting to participate in re-telling their stories through semi-structured interviews of their experience(s) in undergraduate science course(s). The type of data analysis that occurred in this study was a narrative thematic analysis used to find common themes, comparison of the themes to one another, and among the different interviews. The eight, narrative, inquiry interviews provided key insights into the innermost workings of Knight College and the student's experiences. In synthesizing the findings, the three main themes that emerged were science course(s) experiences, academic advising experience, and student support services along with several subthemes. Furthermore, all eight students interviewed shared their stories about their struggles in science course(s) and discussed the barriers to their success included those while enrolled in the course(s) and those outside the college. The results of the narrative inquiry interviews were important because they led to the areas of focus for the action plan to develop a gateway (student success) course and to implement training of academic advisors.

Committee: Meredith Wronowski (Committee Chair) Subjects: Health Care; Higher Education

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2020, Leadership Studies

This study explored the influence of randomized belonging interventions on academic outcomes among first-generation college students at a mid-sized, Midwest, four-year public institution. Astin's Input-Environment-Outcome (I-E-O) model served as the conceptual framework for investigating the impact of an environmental sense of belonging intervention on outcomes such as first-year grade point average and continuous enrollment. A convenience sampling technique was utilized to recruit a total of 10,281 students from across three cohorts (2015, 2016, and 2017) of incoming first-time undergraduate students. Participants were invited to complete an online, text-based intervention, the College Transition Collaborative Social Belonging Intervention (CTCSBI) during the summer prior to the beginning of their first semester. Among the sample population, 7,278 students were randomized to one of three treatment conditions. A balanced design was used to give equal representation in each condition. A non-treatment control group (N = 3,003) was included as part of a quasi-experimental component of the study. Factorial analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to analyze and examine six research questions, to test the independent variables (Generation Status and Treatment Condition) with respect to the dependent variables (First-Year Grade Point Average and Continuous Enrollment), and to examine interaction effects while controlling for variables known to influence academic outcomes (High School Grade Point Average, Standardized College Entrance Exam Score, and Ethnicity). The results of the study suggested that completing a pre-matriculation intervention significantly influenced first-year grade point average and continuous enrollment of first-generation college students. This study and the related findings are especially important given the opportunity for such interventions to address and reduce achievement gaps of underserved students, align university initiatives wi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kristina LaVenia Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Margaret McCubbin MFA (Other); Julia Matuga Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mary Murphy Ph.D. (Committee Member); Patrick Pauken Ph.D., J.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Higher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2020, Curriculum and Instruction: Educational Technology

This study aimed to explore faculty members' acceptance of the flipped classroom model (FCM) based technology with student-centered approach in their classrooms in Saudi universities. Specifically, the study investigated factors that influence faculty members acceptance or rejection of the adoption and use of the FCM based technology by incorporating the theoretical framework of UTAUT. Four factors or determinants were examined: Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Facilitating Conditions, and Perceived Understanding of the flipped classroom characteristics. These four constructs predict the intentional use of technology and behavioral use of technology. The survey was administered to 758 faculty members affiliated with Saudi Arabian universities. The study showed that 44.06% of participants did not report FCM adoption while 55.94% of participants reported adopting FCM in their classrooms and planning to adopt it in the upcoming academic years. Behavior Intention and Perceived Understanding of the FCM characteristics found to be the strongest predictors that influence faculty members' acceptance or rejection of FCM adoption. The findings imply that faculty members were most likely to adopt FCM based technology in their classrooms when they perceive that FCM was easy to implement and use which can be supported by professional development and training. Also, the findings imply that faculty members are most likely to adopt and implement FCM based technology in their classrooms when there was adequate infrastructure and necessary resources. Finally, faculty members who already adopted FCM based technology are using it student-centered approach, and providing support across the adoption of FCM based technology could lead to more effective and efficient teaching with the support of technology.

Committee: Berhane Teclehaimanot (Committee Chair); Leigh Chiarelott (Committee Member); Gregory Stone (Committee Member); Mark Templin (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Technology; Higher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2018, Educational Leadership

Due to the limitations of meaning-making theory that absolve history of its dynamic and lasting effects on minoritized existence in the present and rely on an organizing principle that formulates the subject-object relationship as synonymous with a more complex and evolving self (a trajectory that leads to self-authorship), this research study proposed that educators consider an alternative approach to theory construction. What would happen if educators and researchers squarely centered the [Black] body in a sociopolitical (Okello, 2018) context that considers the historical, social, political, affective, and physiological tenets of one's existence? I deployed a Black feminist literary criticism to analyze four decades of Black existentialism and three critical scenes in the development of my artistry. This methodology enabled me to clarify what Lisa Anderson (2008) calls a Black feminist aesthetic, or “the elements of the text/performance that invoke a particular history, politics, or philosophy of a `community' (broadly construed)” (p. 115). Moreover, this methodology instructs my analysis to key into themes and strategies theorized through Joy James' (1999) concept of limbos, which considers the various ways Black bodies progressively move forward despite the vulnerability of their positions. This approach responds directly to my purpose and research questions that seek to discern how Black bodies make meaning and decisions inside their social worlds, given the precarity of their allotment by asking two guiding research questions: How has the [Black] body been schooled?; and How might examining the present-day condition of Black bodies in conversation with literary records of Black existentialism contribute to the deconstruction and reconstruction of self-authorship theory? Situating the present day Black body in conversation with classical theorists—classical by definition, “relates to the most highly developed stage of an earlier civilization and its cultur (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Stephen Quaye (Committee Chair); David Pérez II (Committee Member); Elisa Abes (Committee Member); Durell Callier (Committee Member); Tammy Brown (Committee Member) Subjects: Black History; Black Studies; Developmental Psychology; Educational Leadership; Epistemology; Higher Education

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

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

Committee: Paul Johnson (Committee Chair); Pavel Anzenbacher (Committee Member); Rachel Reinhart (Committee Member); Chris Willis (Committee Member); Kyle Ramey (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Finance; Education Policy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership; Educational Tests and Measurements

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

The majority of Hispanics select community colleges as their higher institution of choice, but studies on what contributes to their success, especially Hispanic males, has been limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence, if any, of environmental variables on the cumulative GPA of Hispanic males attending community college. Employing Astin's Theory of Student Involvement, data from the CCSSE's 2012 – 2014 survey were used to conduct a multiple regression analysis. The study's sample included 5,615 Hispanic males attending community college. The final model identified 15 variables that were significantly related to the cumulative GPA of Hispanic males attending community college, and explained 15.6% of the variance. Student effort and active and collaborative learning variables emerged as the strongest predictors of Hispanic male GPA. This study provides educators with additional resources to improve Hispanic male academic success in the community college, and informs future research, theory, policy, and practice.

Committee: Ron Opp (Committee Chair); Snejana Slantcheva-Durst (Committee Member); Sunday Griffith (Committee Member); J. Michael Thomson (Committee Member) Subjects: Community College Education; Community Colleges; Hispanic Americans; Minority and Ethnic Groups

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, Nuclear Engineering

Nuclear power plant (NPP) simulators are proliferating in academic research institutions and national laboratories in response to the availability of affordable, digital simulator platforms. Accompanying the new research facilities is a renewed interest in using data collected in NPP simulators for Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) research. An experiment conducted in The Ohio State University (OSU) NPP Simulator Facility develops data collection methods and analytical tools to improve use of simulator data in HRA. In the pilot experiment, student operators respond to design basis accidents in the OSU NPP Simulator Facility. Thirty-three undergraduate and graduate engineering students participated in the research. Following each accident scenario, student operators completed a survey about perceived simulator biases and watched a video of the scenario. During the video, they periodically recorded their perceived strength of significant Performance Shaping Factors (PSFs) such as Stress. This dissertation reviews three aspects of simulator-based research using the data collected in the OSU NPP Simulator Facility: First, a qualitative comparison of student operator performance to computer simulations of expected operator performance generated by the Information Decision Action Crew (IDAC) HRA method. Areas of comparison include procedure steps, timing of operator actions, and PSFs. Second, development of a quantitative model of the simulator bias introduced by the simulator environment. Two types of bias are defined: Environmental Bias and Motivational Bias. This research examines Motivational Bias— that is, the effect of the simulator environment on an operator's motivations, goals, and priorities. A bias causal map is introduced to model motivational bias interactions in the OSU experiment. Data collected in the OSU NPP Simulator Facility are analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Data include crew characteristics, operator surveys, and tim (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Carol Smidts PhD (Advisor); Ronald Boring PhD (Committee Member); Tunc Aldemir PhD (Committee Member); Catherine Calder PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Nuclear Engineering

PHD, Kent State University, 2017, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

Predicting flight training success has been well researched in military aviation yet there is limited information pertaining to general aviation. The purpose of this study was to determine if attributes of pilot performance could be used to differentiate students in a collegiate flight training program. Several pre-entry and flight training attributes were examined to see if any served as predictors of success. A general survey was administered to explore why students may or may not have chosen to remain in the flight training program and/or pursue the certified flight instructor (CFI) certificate. Finally, the Tabular Speed Test© was administered to further understand flight student population characteristics as they pertained to existing aviation selection test batteries. The participants in this study were 242 persons attending a Midwestern post-secondary institution who began and completed the private pilot flight course between the spring of 2010 and fall of 2014. Logistic regression results indicated that it was possible to predict student completion of the multi-engine flight course 73.2% of the time (X2 (7) = 23.349, p < .001). Additionally, there were several significant correlations amongst performance variables which warrant future research, such as the relationship between high school GPA to the private, instrument and commercial flight theory courses (r = .307, n= 199, p = .000, r = .367, n= 103, p = .000, and r = .219, n= 84, p = .045, respectively). In total, results indicate that development of a pilot selection battery for use in collegiate aviation may be promising.

Committee: Richard Ferdig (Committee Chair); Bradley Morris (Committee Member); Kristine Pytash (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Evaluation; Educational Psychology; Transportation

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1977, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

PHD, Kent State University, 2016, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

The purpose of this quantitative study examined the effects a classroom blog had on student performance in the area of conceptual and procedural understandings of fractions. Specifically, the study examined the effects of self-explaining with a peer (explain, justify, and argumentation) to the solving of traditional paper pencil mathematical tasks alone (solving on your own). The experimental groups (i.e. face-to-face and blog groups) solved identical mathematical tasks to the traditional alone group by explaining their solution through justification with evidence from the task by self-explaining with peers. Both experimental groups engaged in mathematical discourse by explaining and justifying their understandings, as well as critiquing and arguing the thinking of other student responses through self-explaining with peers; however, one group used a multimedia tool. This quasi-experimental design study further explored how interactive and constructive mathematical discourse (i.e. explanation, justification, and argumentation) through a classroom blog supported student performance of fifth-grade students on conceptual and procedural fraction knowledge and the retention of this knowledge over time. To measure the change in student performance, a pretest- posttest, and delayed posttest was administered to measure the conceptual and procedural knowledge of fractions. Participants included 134 fifth grade students, ages 9-11 years old. Data collection was analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with one between –subjects factor.

Committee: Bradley Morris PHD (Committee Co-Chair); Richard Ferdig PHD (Committee Co-Chair); Karl Kosko PHD (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Psychology; Educational Technology; Elementary Education; Mathematics Education; Middle School Education

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2016, Educational Leadership

The Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES) was created in response to the 2009 House Bill 1 mandate requiring the development of a state teacher performance assessment. This study examined K-12 public school teachers' dispositions toward OTES after the first year of implementation. Data were collected from 142 teachers over a 4-week period in 2015 using a 17-item survey with Likert-type responses. Findings revealed teachers' overall dispositions were considerably more negative than positive; specifically 86% of the respondents had a negative or moderately negative disposition toward the state model. With respect to specific aspects of OTES, the three most positive dispositions concerned individualized staff development, principal compliance with OTES, and walk-through observations. The three most negative dispositions concerned the amount of time required of teachers, infusing student value-added scores, and infusing vendor assessment scores. The levels of association between the criterion variable (a teacher's overall disposition toward OTES) and each of three predictor variables (gender, years of teaching experience, and grade level assignment) were small and negative. Collectively, the three predictor variables accounted for only 4.5% of the variation in the criterion variable. The findings have both professional and political implications. Most notably, negative dispositions reported in this study, especially those pertaining to the infusion of student assessments into teacher performance evaluations are highly controversial. Professionally, for example, many scholars, administrators, and teachers challenge the reliability, validity and fairness of using these measures. Politically, for example, policymakers should consider the negative dispositions in terms of improving existing policy. Accordingly, recommendations for improving OTES policy and for future research were made.

Committee: Theodore Kowalski Ph.D (Committee Chair); C. Daniel Raisch Ph.D (Committee Member); Carolyn Ridenour Ed.D (Committee Member); Teresa Thompson Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Policy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership

PHD, Kent State University, 2014, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

This study examined the relationship of campus climate, institutional satisfaction, and academic adjustment in contributing to the academic performance and intentions to persist in college for successful African American and Latino students at traditional four-year colleges. Despite the dramatic increased enrollment of students of color in higher education, colleges’ strategies have failed to effectively and meaningfully increase the graduation rates for African American and Latino students (NCES, 2011). A national sample of responses on the Your First College Year survey (N = 5,559) was analyzed to describe the experiences and variables that contributed to perceptions of college campuses and academic outcomes for African American and Latino students. Methods included Exploratory Factor Analysis, Linear Regression Analysis, and Logistic Regression Analysis. Results identified the significance of: (a) Felt Discrimination on Campus; (b) Academic Self-Efficacy; (c) Sense of Belonging; and (d) Institutional Satisfaction on the academic performance and intentions to persist for respondents. This research is extremely timely because the outcry for more U.S. citizens with college credentials must include educational attainment for greater numbers of African American and Latino college students. Conclusions of this study suggest that colleges must understand and accept: (a) the needs of its changing demographics; (b) that African American and Latino students have unique needs; and (c) addressing those needs and expectations will increase student satisfaction, academic performance, and retention. Furthermore, discrimination continues to be pervasive on college campuses. Genuinely combating micro-aggressions on campus is essential to fostering a sense of belonging for students of color.

Committee: Mark Kretovics (Committee Chair); Susan Iverson (Committee Member); Aryn Karpinski (Committee Member) Subjects: Academic Guidance Counseling; African American Studies; Black Studies; Continuing Education; Counseling Education; Demographics; Demography; Education; Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Hispanic American Studies; Hispanic Americans; Multicultural Education; Social Research

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2010, Curriculum and Instruction: Educational Technology

This paper adds to the literature on student-centered teaching in higher education, answering the question of what is expected of instructors for them to teach in a student-centered manner. Building upon the existing literature regarding student-centered teaching, this paper defines a construct of student-centered teaching. In addition, two versions of a data collection instrument have been developed to measure the student centeredness of higher education instructors' teaching approaches, utilizing self-reported data. This paper also adds to the discussion on whether student-centered teaching is related to the teaching context or teacher demographic variables. Results indicated that there was no practically significant relationship between student-centered teaching and any of the contextual or demographic variables; course discipline and instructor sex were, however, statistically significant. This study took place within the context of a cultural change initiative at The University of Toledo, in which the university is creating a culture of student-centeredness.

Committee: Berhane Teclehaimanot (Committee Chair); Robert Sullivan (Committee Member); Gregory Stone (Committee Member); Leigh Chiarelott (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Higher Education; Teaching

Master of Arts, University of Toledo, 2004, Economics

We examine the relationship between fourth grade student proficiency scores, various educational spending categories, student and teacher characteristics as well as population socioeconomic characteristics using a building-level database containing 1,965 Ohio elementary schools. While most economic studies of the relationship between student performance and educational resources show a weak link, we find a strong link between student performance and resources. We argue that use of the appropriate spatial scale is an overlooked issue in previous economic studies. Furthermore, we provide an alternative method of capturing variation over geographical space through the estimation of locally linear models. By estimating a separate model for each individual building, we see that the global estimates provided by previous estimation methodologies may not be provide valid inferences. The locally linear estimates and inferences suggest that location-special forces exist in the relationship between resources and student performance.

Committee: James LeSage (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2012, EDU Physical Activity and Educational Services

This study examined the application of the Social Exchange Theory (SET) in intercollegiate athletics. Using Blau (1964) and Homans's (1961) definitional scheme of social exchange, the theory was first deconstructed and individual elements were explored. As a result, the constructs of trust, justice, commitment, obligation and performance were identified and defined. Furthermore, relationships between these constructs where hypothesized in relation to intercollegiate coach-student-athlete dyads. The amalgamation of these hypotheses led to a fully and partially mediated model of student-athlete performance being proposed. To test the individual hypotheses, as well as the proposed models, a convenient population of student-athletes at a large Midwestern university was asked to partake in a study. A sample of 132 student-athletes completed usable questionnaires and analysis of their responses was conducted through use of structural equation modeling (SEM). Results of the analysis showed: (1) Procedural, interpersonal, and information justice all had positive significant relationships with trust; (2) Trust had a positive, significant relationship with leader-member exchange (LMX); (3) LMX had a positive, significant relationship with commitment, as measured by feelings of obligation and emotional attachment; and (4) Commitment had a positive, significant relationship with performance, as measured by self-evaluations of individual performance and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Additionally, it was found that a fully mediated model most aptly explained the pathway of student-athlete production. In the model, procedural, interpersonal, and information justice were treated as independent variables and were found to positively relate to trust; that is, the greater the perceptions of each form of justice the greater the level of trust student-athletes had in the coach. Trust then served as a mediating variable that positively influenced the quality of the exchange (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Brian Turner PhD (Advisor); Packianathan Chelladurai PhD (Committee Member); Donna Pastore PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Sports Management

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2011, EDU Teaching and Learning

Viewing the goal of language teaching as preparing learners to communicate successfully in the languages and cultures being studied, this thesis adopts the Performed Culture Approach, which expands the meaning of “culture” and integrates the acquisition of behavioral culture with the learning of the target language. This study addresses in-school behavioral culture as one of the primary and fundamental microcultures in language teaching. The assumption is that since schooling is considered a process of socialization and enculturation, the behavior patterns and social norms in teacher-student and student-student interactions have implications for language teaching and learning. With this assumption, this study conducted a questionnaire survey among college students and teachers in American and Chinese cultures. The purpose of the survey is to explore how students of the two cultures behave in the perceived course of transactions with their teachers and classmates, and what the expectation of the teachers in the two cultures are with respect to how students in the teachers' culture are expected to behave in these transactions. Five transactions were examined in the survey: greeting one's teacher, expressing different opinions from one's teacher, dealing with a problem in a study group, responding to compliments from other classmates, and returning a favor to a classmate. Comparisons between the results of the American student respondents and those of the Chinese student respondents indicate differences in terms of the perception the student respondents of the two cultures have as to how they would do things in these transactions. The results of the teacher survey reveal that the ways that the students from the two cultures would be most likely to behave were recognized and accepted by members of their own culture. In addition, the results of the survey virtually confirm the researcher's preliminary observations. This indicates that the perceived course of these trans (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Galal Walker (Advisor); Mari Noda (Other); Mark Bander (Other) Subjects: Language