Master of Arts, Wittenberg University, 2023, Education

I explored the potential ways teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic impacted teachers' outlook on their profession. Participants included 30 full-time teachers and two former teachers from Marazul High School (MHS), a suburban high school in Northern California. I utilized an explanatory sequential mixed methods design for the study combining the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educators Survey (MBI – ES), focus groups, and interviews. The MHS teachers who experienced high levels of burnout left the profession, and the MHS teachers who did not experience burnout stayed in the profession. Student behavior was the most discussed topic when in the focus groups and interviews. Based on the data, it is also possible that teachers' relationships with administrators impacted their decision to remain in (or to leave) the profession.

Committee: Hillary Libnoch (Advisor); Joy Donny (Committee Member); Amy McGuffey (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Psychology; Mental Health; Psychology; Secondary Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1987, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1984, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1983, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1970, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1970, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1961, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2010, Agricultural and Extension Education

The need for highly qualified teachers is a problem that is plaguing the entire United States. The preparation of teachers is one of utmost importance in America. Future teachers rely on experiences in teacher preparation programs to gain valuable knowledge and wisdom of practice about the realness of teaching. The most critical aspects of teacher preparation programs are field experiences and student teaching internships. Field experiences take place in many contexts depending on the goals of the educator. The most important aspect of any teacher preparation program is the student teaching or internship experience. The meaning that each student teacher creates from the student teaching internship will differ greatly depending upon the type of relationship established, expectations perceived, and behaviors that occurs. Knowing the importance of both the experience and the role of the cooperating teacher, it is valuable to determine what behaviors are expected from the cooperating teacher and if these behaviors are actually occurring. Alignment between the expected and experienced behaviors can assist in placing student teachers in the most effective internship experiences in the future. The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to determine important attributes and behaviors of an effective cooperating teacher and the extent to which cooperating teachers portray the effective attitudes and behaviors as perceived by student teachers.

Committee: Jamie Cano (Advisor); Robert J. Birkenholz (Committee Member); M. Susie Whittington (Committee Member) Subjects: Agricultural Education

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1969, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

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

This study explored teacher perceptions of their preparedness to address trauma in students, a critical concern given the impact of trauma on student well-being and academic success. Utilizing a qualitative research design, in-depth interviews were conducted with seven teachers from a Midwestern school district to understand their experiences and perspectives. The findings reveal a significant gap in pre-service training regarding trauma-informed practices, potentially highlighting a reliance on in-service professional development and personal experience for coping strategies. Six key themes emerged: the inadequacy of pre-service training, the value of in-service professional development, the importance of collaborative support, the role of personal experience and adaptation, the emotional impact on teachers, and the need for an individualized and empathetic approach. These insights highlight the critical need for comprehensive training in trauma-informed practices within teacher education programs. The study advocates for enhanced support systems for educators, emphasizing ongoing professional development, collaboration, and attention to the emotional well-being of both students and teachers. By addressing these areas, schools can better support students who have experienced trauma, fostering a more conducive learning environment for all students.

Committee: Elana Bernstein PhD (Committee Chair); Martin Johnson PsyD (Committee Member); Rochonda Nenonene PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Continuing Education; Education Philosophy; Educational Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Public Policy and Management

How government delivers public services can have broad societal effects, beyond the impact on programmatic outcomes. Such societal effects are particularly likely in the delivery of public education, as educational concerns drive residential and school choices, and public schools are the second largest public employer in the United States. My dissertation explores how innovations in the way we administer public education may affect societal inequities by race, gender, academic ability, and socioeconomic status. The first essay examines how the emergence of online “virtual” public schooling, which families within a state can access regardless of where they live, has affected school-based segregation by race and poverty. The second essay examines the impact of the sudden closure of a large virtual charter school on district segregation by race and academic ability. Finally, the third essay estimates the impact of introducing teacher collective bargaining—which empowers teachers in the management of public schools—on the diversity of staff and employment and pay of women. Overall, this dissertation explores how education administration affects with whom students interact in school and who has access to quality public sector jobs—all of which, in turn, have well documented long-term impacts on children.

Committee: Stéphane Lavertu (Advisor) Subjects: Economic Theory; Economics; Education; Education Policy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Technology; Experiments; Public Administration; Public Policy; Social Research

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership , Franklin University, 2023, International Institute for Innovative Instruction

Declining student engagement has been an ongoing concern for educators, education researchers, school administration, and policymakers for the last 40 years (Axelson & Flick, 2011), with socioeconomically disadvantaged students being the most susceptible to disengagement (Finn, 1993; Jensen, 2013). The discourse surrounding declining student engagement includes exploring effective pedagogy as an intervention and influencing optimal academic development and successful school completion. Innovative pedagogical tools have been studied to provide a more engaging learning experience, evolving from chalkboards to tape recorders, projectors, computers, digital games, and the latest social networking sites (SNSs) (DeCoito & Vacca, 2020), such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Though the integration of SNSs into the curriculum in secondary education is still being fine-tuned, many educators have adopted them into their teaching strategies because of their growing popularity in society and, more recently, due to the pause in traditional learning caused by the coronavirus pandemic (Cavus et al., 2021; Iivari, 2020). However, concerns about a need for more guidelines on how SNSs should be integrated, their effectiveness, and teachers' preparedness are apparent (Pedler et al., 2020; Van Den Beemt et al., 2020). The study aimed to determine teachers' perceptions of the impact SNSs as pedagogical tools have on student engagement. A secondary purpose was to determine whether teacher perceptions of student engagement when SNSs were used as a pedagogical tool differed based on their years of experience, assignment integration, the type of SNS(s) used, and time spent per week using SNSs for varying assignments. Title 1 high school teachers were surveyed and answered a series of 5-point Likert scale questions rating their level of agreement with statements about SNSs as pedagogical tools and teachers' perception of their impact on different engagement indicators. The sum of the resp (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Donis Toler (Committee Chair); Matthew Barclay (Committee Member); Valerie Storey (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Policy; Educational Technology; Educational Theory; Secondary Education; Teaching

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), University of Findlay, 2023, Education

This mixed-method study examines the impact hybrid learning had on sixth-grade students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under normal circumstances, students complete their coursework in a classroom with their peers under the supervision of a teacher with little disruption. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students were required to alter their learning spaces and begin studying from home until they were able to go back to school in the fall of 2020. Even then, most schools had incorporated a hybrid learning model. With the hybrid approach, not all schools followed the same schedule so there were times when half of the students may have been learning from home while their peers were at school. An examination of how sixth-grade students were affected by the hybrid learning model during the COVID-19 pandemic can help determine what resources, if any, are needed in the event schools are required to incorporate a similar model in the future. Data were collected from 9 sixth-grade teachers from three local school districts in Northwest Ohio using a survey sent by electronic mail. Interviews were also conducted with two of the participants. Based on the findings, recommendations for additional professional development and education for both the teachers and the students are discussed.

Committee: Kerry Teeple Ed.D. (Committee Chair); Jennifer Theriault Ed.D. (Committee Member); Jon Brasfield Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Education; Educational Psychology; Elementary Education; Middle School Education; School Counseling; Teacher Education

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), University of Findlay, 2022, Education

Student mobility is commonly related to negative educational effects with mobile students often exhibiting lower achievement scores, more behavioral problems, and poorer grades as compared to non-mobile students. The majority of the literature has focused on the collection of quantitative data to explore this issue. School changes affect students' personally as well as academically. This study focuses on the social-emotional aspects of these changes and attempts to pinpoint strategies mobile students can use to adjust to these changes as well as policies and programs schools can implement to assist students with these adjustments. This phenomenological study focuses on the experiences of a purposively sampled group of twelve former mobile students and eight current school personnel in a large urban district. The phenomenon of school mobility is explored as related through interviews with these individuals and examines the strategies they used or recommended using to assist with acclimation to new schools. Analysis consisted of the transcription, coding, and categorization of data from the interview responses which were used in order to answer the research questions. Responses fell into five distinct themes: academics and teaching styles, attitudes, peers, school personnel, and extra-curricular activities. Recommendations are made regarding the creation of withdrawal and enrollment protocols, the creation of policies regarding the timing of school changes, student buddy groups, and welcoming protocols, and introducing oneself and getting involved. Opportunities and recommendations for future research in the area of student mobility are also explored.

Committee: Diana Garlough (Committee Chair); Treva Jeffries (Committee Member); Adam Calhoun (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Psychology; Education; Educational Psychology; Educational Sociology; Pedagogy; Personal Relationships; Psychology; School Counseling; Teaching

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Agricultural and Extension Education

This descriptive study explored the perceptions of Ohio agriscience education teachers on mental health wellness in their schools. This study will specifically focus on agricultural education teachers' perceptions, roles, and impacts of their program on student mental health wellness. The purpose of this study of this study is to explore School Based Agricultural Education teacher's perceptions of mental health among their agricultural education students. Participant data were collected from Ohio School Based Agricultural Education teachers who are currently teaching in the pathway AO Agribusiness and Production Systems. The results indicated that schools do not go beyond supporting the student within school, including their family and community, and that most teachers believe in supporting student mental health wellness. The results also indicated that teachers perceive students' mental wellness improving because of their agricultural education program. However, conflicting views were found in agricultural education teachers identifying and supporting mental wellness. Future research should seek to explore data related to mental health wellness in other pathways in agricultural education, explore how teacher education programs prepare preservice teachers to manage mental health wellness in their classrooms, explore if years of teaching experience correlates with comfort level of managing student mental health wellness in classroom, and what additional resources schools need to promote mental health wellness. The results of this study should be used in teacher preparation programs and professional development events with school district and agricultural education associations.

Committee: Caryn Filson (Committee Member); Jeff King (Advisor) Subjects: Agricultural Education; Mental Health

PHD, Kent State University, 2020, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

The purpose of this Q study was to create a standard of practice for training and evaluation of online teachers in higher education. Chickering and Gamson's 1989 study on seven principles for effective teaching was used as a categorical baseline for this research. Research questions included To what extent do emerging Q factors align with Chickering and Gamson's seven principles for effective teaching? and Do the emergent factors provide evidence for new principles exclusive to online teaching? Years of competency research was examined and competencies were recorded and grouped by likeness into 12 categories. Data were collected from a diverse group of students and faculty members who were asked to sort 48 competency statements using a forced-distribution grid. Participants were interviewed immediately afterward. Q methodology was chosen to quantify the subjective responses. Data were analyzed using principal component analysis. Findings showed that although Chickering and Gamson's seven principles are relevant as a standard for categorizing competencies for effective online teaching, five additional categories are needed to train and evaluate online teachers. This research has important implications for stakeholders. The outcome provided for the development of a two-tiered student evaluation form separating the design of an online course from the teaching elements. Further, it allowed for the preliminary outline of a proposal for several units of training and development for new and existing online teachers as well as a voluntary mentor program. New research opportunities surfaced including studies of the relationship between categories, teaching philosophies, learning theories, and online learning.

Committee: Albert Ingram (Advisor) Subjects: Education; Educational Evaluation; Educational Technology; Higher Education; Instructional Design; Teacher Education; Teaching; Technology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Educational Studies

This dissertation examines the ways that teachers in charter schools respond to market pressures to recruit students to their schools. Policymakers in the United States promote charter schools to introduce competition into the education system in an effort to increase quality, efficiency, and innovation in schools. Charter schools do not draw a pre-determined student body based on their geographic location. Rather, charter schools start with no students and must recruit every child who enrolls in the school. A key assumption underlying these policies is that school personnel will feel competitive pressures when they do not meet their enrollment needs and make changes to their educational approaches to attract more students. One unintended consequence of charter school policies is that teachers may be drawn into work to recruit students to their school in addition to their full-time work to educate students. Drawing on sensemaking theories and employing a multiple-case study methodology focusing on 12 teachers at seven schools, I examine the ways that teachers come to understand and act on the need to recruit students to their school. There are several notable findings. All teachers in this study were surprised by the need to recruit students and experienced ambiguity both around how to respond and whether they would keep their jobs if they did not meet enrollment numbers. Teachers engaged in multiple different actions to recruit students, although there was a high level of variation in the extent to which teachers participated in student recruitment work and the ways that they experienced competitive pressures. The factors that shaped sensemaking include the extent to which schools are under pressure to recruit students, teachers' conceptions of their school's mission, ethical considerations, the extent to which teachers experienced burnout, and characteristics of school leaders. Teachers' sensemaking of student recruitment work also led them to create competitive d (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ann Allen Dr. (Advisor); Belinda Gimbert Dr. (Committee Member); Jozef Raadschelders Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Organization Theory; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Educational Studies

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was twofold: 1) to explore pre-service and in-service general education teachers' role perceptions, including role breadth, role self-efficacy, role instrumentality, and role discretion, in relation to student mental health; and 2) to compare the role perceptions of pre-service and in-service teachers. A total of 18 participants were involved in this study, nine pre-service and nine in-service teachers, representing elementary, middle and high school levels. Analysis of the semi-structured interviews revealed several major findings. First, regarding role breadth, both pre-service and in-service teachers perceived themselves as having a role in prevention, recognition and intervention; however, a larger number of pre-service teachers focused on prevention compared to in-service teachers. In addition, in both groups of teachers, the scope of their role in prevention was limited to providing a safe classroom environment. Second, in terms of role self-efficacy, a majority of the pre-service and in-service teachers indicated a lack of confidence in being able to address student mental health issues, particularly those to which they were not exposed through personal or professional experiences. Third, with regard to role instrumentality, in-service and pre-service teachers alike indicated that it is valuable to both teachers and students for teachers to be involved in students' mental health; however, pre-service teachers were more likely to see a value for the students compared to the in-service teachers. Fourth, in relation to role discretion, pre-service and in-service teachers stated that parents, administrators and mental health professionals have certain expectations for teachers to be involved in student mental health; however, these expectations were more “unspoken” rather than mandated. Finally, several cognitive, affective and contextual factors were found to impact both pre-service and in-service teachers' (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kisha Radliff PhD (Advisor); Colette Dollarhide EdD (Committee Member); Antoinette Miranda PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Mental Health; School Counseling; Teacher Education

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

New teachers are supported extensively while participating in teacher training programs and during the first years of teaching. During this time, there are opportunities for the new teacher to explore their self-identity and determine how they will interact with students in the classroom. As teachers enter the later years of their careers and are considered experienced, they are forced to contend with changing political and societal factors that influence their experiences around teaching in the classroom, often times without the extensive support that is provided for the teachers in their first years. Through a lens of social constructivism, narrative inquiry was used to “story” the lives of four teachers in high schools around a Midwestern metropolitan area. The theoretical framework, constructed around theories of experience and self-identity formation, explored these teachers' personal experience narratives and mapped their moral sources, traditions, and epistemological beliefs. The research found that the experiences teachers narrated were either stories of empowerment or stories of skepticism, and worked to influence the narrated self-identity and teacher/student interactions in both supportive and challenging ways.

Committee: Frederick Hampton Ed.D. (Committee Chair); Anne Galletta Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mark Freeman Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mary Frances Buckely Ph.D. (Committee Member); Julie Burrell Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2017, Leadership and Change

This study developed a teacher self-assessment instrument in the form of six factors across two overarching constructs, resulting in one Positive Relationships scale with three factors; and three related, but separate, scales measuring elements of the Classroom Environment. Many teacher skills and qualities are known to contribute to effectiveness in the classroom, such as teacher self-efficacy, content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and instructional knowledge. The inclusion of affective dimensions of teacher effectiveness can complement the prevailing focus on other measures of teacher effectiveness, through the consideration of critically important, but relatively ignored, aspects of effective teaching. This study examined teacher attitudes toward building positive relationships with students and creating an empowering classroom environment, grounded in teacher effectiveness research. A survey was taken by 403 practicing elementary teachers in the United States. The results were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The resulting factors were compared with a four-item classroom management subscale of the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001) to determine convergent validity, measuring similar underlying constructs; and divergent validity, measuring attitudes versus efficacy. Participant demographic variables were compared using independent sample t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and tests for metric invariance to determine if the instrument performed similarly with all groups. Findings show good model fit, reliability, and validity for the factors related to each overarching construct, and most demographic variables showed no variance in the models. Significant differences were found for the Managing Conflict factor between teachers who taught grades K–2 and teachers who taught all elementary grades. Group differences on the Student-Centered and Positive Guidance factors were found between t (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jon Wergin Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Carol Baron Ph.D. (Committee Member); James McMillan Ph.D. (Committee Member); Thomas Good Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Education; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership; Elementary Education; School Administration; Teaching