Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2018, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

As a result of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee signed into law in 2012, each year all Ohio public school kindergarten students are required to take reading diagnostic assessments by September 30 (ORC 3313.608). The assessments identify kindergarten students as not needing early literacy intervention (on track) or needing early literacy intervention (not on track) for the school year. In a study conducted by Francia Huang and Marcia Invernizzi, entitled The Association of Kindergarten Entry Age with Early Literacy Outcome, the youngest students scored lower than their oldest peers at the beginning of kindergarten on various early literacy measures. Four research questions for this study focused on the perception of stakeholders regarding the entry age for kindergarten students: 1. Does the proportion of kindergarten students on RIMPs (Reading Intervention Monitoring Plans) and children not on RIMPs (including and excluding Canton City schools) differ as a function of student age? 2. Do ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status distinguish students with RIMP status from non-RIMP students (including and excluding Canton City schools)? 3. Is there an association of the diagnostic test given and resultant RIMP status? 4. Does the selected student variable (Age in months) distinguish students with RIMP status from non-RIMP status? Finally, this study indicated that the probability for early entry students to be on RIMPs does exist in school districts with the kindergarten entry cutoff date of September 30.

Committee: Jane Beese EdD (Committee Chair); Charles Vergon JD (Committee Member); John Hazy PhD (Committee Member); Gail Saunders-Smith PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Policy; Educational Leadership

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education, Cleveland State University, 2015, College of Education and Human Services

The aim of this qualitative study was to examine contextualized experiences of African-American Third Agers (AATA). Current literature conceptualizes Third Agers as individuals who are societally positioned to experience meaningful and purposeful periods of self-discovery and adult development later in life. However, among Third Age theorists, adult educators, educational gerontologists (a sub-field of adult education), psychologists, sociologists, and diversity theorists, there are comparatively few research studies of the experiences of AATA. As a result, we do not know much about AATA; this poses a significant problem. Therefore, this investigation of AATA's experiences simultaneously reduced the related literature gap, added to the academic body of knowledge on older adults, and strengthened the emerging study of the third age. The goals of the study were to understand who these individuals are, what their experiences were as adult learners, and what learning meant to them at this stage in life. The overarching research question that guided this inquiry are the following: what does it mean to be an AATA adult learner? Within this question are two related questions: (1) What is the experience of lifelong learning as narrated by AATA, (2) What meaning do AATA give to this phase of life as it relates to lifelong learning? Narrative research was used to capture the stories of a small group of participants, with the intent of collecting rich, in-depth narratives on the topic. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was guided by the narrative inquiry approach. This study produced an understanding of how AATA perceive of themselves as learners and investigated their attitudes towards lifelong learning for assisting institutions in the delivery of quality educational experiences for an aging population.

Committee: Elice Rogers Ed.D. (Committee Chair); Anne Galletta Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Catherine Hansman Ed.D. (Committee Member); Jonathan Messemer Ed.D. (Committee Member); Regennia Williams Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ovella Roulette-McIntyre Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; African Americans; Aging; Community College Education; Continuing Education; Curriculum Development; Educational Leadership; Educational Sociology; Gerontology; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Spirituality

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2009, Gerontology

This project examines the convergence of demographic and ideological changes associated with the emergence of the third age, and how access to this life phase varies between social groups. This analysis provides a basis for understanding the changing role older adults play in society and how this is moderated by social structural boundaries. Specific research questions include: How did ideological and demographic forces interact to mark the emergence of the third age in the United States? and How does the amount of time spent in the third age vary by social location?The first part of this study uses a trend analysis methodology to understand ideological and demographic forces at play in the emergence of the third age in the United States. Using published secondary data, convergences of demographic trends are mapped and analyzed to identify key shifts relevant to the availability of time and physical and financial capability to engage in society in later life. To examine ideological changes, significant gerontological literature identified by key informants and the underlying assumptions associated with major federal social policies that purport to increase older adults' available time and capability to remain active in later life were examined. Results suggest that the third age emerged between the mid-1970s and the mid-1980s in the United States. These findings suggest that opportunities, roles and expectations, and the timing of life events are shaped by the ongoing interaction between demographic and ideological forces and are structured and reinforced by social policies. The second part of the study conceptualizes and calculates a measure of the average length of life spent in the third age, by gender, age, and race. This new measure, “third age life expectancy” (TALE), utilizes nationally representative panel data (2005 National Health Interview Survey) and age, race, and gender specific life expectancy data to determine the amount of time spent in the third ag (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Suzanne Kunkel PhD (Committee Chair); Robert Applebaum PhD (Committee Member); Stephen Lippmann PhD (Committee Member); J. Scott Brown PhD (Committee Member); Jon Hendricks PhD (Committee Member); Sheila Croucher PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Gerontology; Social Research; Social Structure; Sociology