Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

Attracting and retaining volunteers is essential to the success of any non-profit organization, including the church, and is critical to broadening our understanding of volunteer behaviors across all racial groups. Most volunteer activities are affiliated with faith-based organizations (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015). Blacks account for 9.11% of all volunteers, with 41.2% focusing those efforts on religious organizations (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015; Congressional Digest, 2006). Understanding the behaviors and motivations of different volunteer segments becomes even more important when endeavoring to meet the diverse needs of our communities. Though nearly 63 million Americans volunteer yearly, this number is declining, impeding nonprofit organization's ability to service those in need (Do Good Institute, 2018). The primary purpose of this narrative inquiry was to learn more about the factors driving change in volunteer behaviors to increase outcomes. The perspective of an underrepresented population informed the narrative regarding volunteer behaviors and motivations. The data collection method used was a focused inquiry through semi-structured interviews of a purposive sampling. To analyze the data, a thematic review was completed, identifying recurring themes and patterns. The thirteen interviews provided insight into volunteer behaviors from the perspective of the Black church volunteer. Two emerging themes aligned with the literature review: prosocial motivation and recognition/appreciation. Other emergent themes were dissatisfaction with unclear objectives, lack of provisions and communications, and community outreach and engagement. Several questions were explored, including why people volunteer and cease volunteering, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volunteer engagement, specific barriers to volunteering, and how church culture influences volunteer behavior.

Committee: Kevin Kelly (Committee Chair); Wen Qi (Committee Member); Carla Campbell-Jackson (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; Black Studies; Clergy; Education; Religion; Religious Congregations; Social Research; Social Structure

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2023, Agricultural Communication, Education and Leadership

Social capital theory has been studied for decades; one perspective is it's the attainment of resources through collective action. Volunteerism connects to social capital where social responsibility is derived, and volunteering opportunities can develop a network. The Community Capitals Framework (CCF) is a framework that assesses seven different types of capital, with social capital being the initiating factor for the CCF outcomes. Through a qualitative approach using narrative inquiry, nine participants of six youth-serving organizations described their connections with youth and community. A total of 72 themes emerged and seven categories were formed from these themes including; opportunities (it's the intersection of experience and exposure where this intersection creates possibilities.), connections (the linkage between two people where volunteers build relationships and capacity for youth.), environment (the place to belong where spaces are cultivated to serve and empower youth as well as consisting of constructive factors for youth building agency, autonomy, and meeting physical needs.), social responsibility (The responsibility of the volunteer is to be a good community member and showing up for the youth, by leading, guiding, and educating.), growth and development (youth and volunteers learning together.), trust (innately present and integrated), and self-efficacy (the outcome of how to navigate the world). Key findings defined themselves as reflective, community shaping and building, growth, purposeful, authentic, and safe. The findings led to a call for improved diversity and representation efforts amongst volunteering for youth, the bridging between youth and high-level leadership, and a space for youth to just be and exist. This research describes non-familial adult volunteer's connections with youth and community. Recommendations for research are to examine if we help youth feel safe, do we cultivate safe spaces for youth, and, how can we increase n (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Shannon G. Washburn (Advisor); Dr. Julie M. Fox (Committee Member); Dr. Jera E. Niewoehner-Green (Committee Member) Subjects: Agriculture; Communication; Education; Educational Leadership; Individual and Family Studies

Master of Science (M.S.), Xavier University, 2020, Psychology

The current study investigated perceptions of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in the context of volunteerism. This study considered individual differences including empathy, openness to experience, and neuroticism. It was proposed that there would be a positive correlation between empathy and reported hours of volunteer work. Findings indicated that there was no significant correlation between empathy and reported frequency of volunteering. Additionally, it was proposed that there would be a positive correlation between empathy and ratings of MBSR perceived attractiveness and helpfulness. Findings from this study provided evidence for a significant positive relationship between empathy and perceptions of MBSR attractiveness and helpfulness. Also hypothesized and detected was a significant positive correlation between openness to experience and perceptions of MBSR attractiveness and helpfulness. A hypothesized relationship between ratings of neuroticism and MBSR perceptions, however, did not emerge. Because MBSR can be an effective training (e.g., Brown & Ryan, 2003; Positive Psychology Program, 2019), understanding which individual differences, including empathy, openness to experience, and neuroticism, correlate with perceptions of MBSR helpfulness and attractiveness is useful for management in volunteer and non-profit organizations.

Committee: Morrie Mullins Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Dalia Diab Ph.D. (Committee Member); Eric Barrett M.A. (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Behaviorial Sciences; Business Community; Business Education; Labor Relations; Management; Occupational Psychology; Organizational Behavior; Personality; Personality Psychology; Psychology

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2019, College of Education

This ethnographic qualitative study explored motivations for church volunteerism. More specifically, this study explored motivations for member's participation in the Black church. Cultural, psychological, and religious beliefs are historically common reasons for church participation. In addition, other more current reasons for church participation exist. Deci and Ryan's Self-Determination Theory (SDT) provided three categories to explore this research and motivations for current church participation. These SDT categories are competency, autonomy, and relatedness. The five case studies used for this research were volunteer members of small churches where the congregation size was approximately 100 members or less in urban communities. This exploratory study was based on semi-structured interviews and detailed observations through five member's shared church experiences. The research question that guided the study was: what motivates some members in the Black church to volunteer and become active participants working toward the church's goals?

Committee: Judy Alston PhD (Committee Chair); James Olive PhD (Committee Member); Rosaire Ifedi EdD (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; Behavioral Sciences; Organizational Behavior; Pastoral Counseling; Religious Congregations

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2019, History

After the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, the League of Women Voters worked on the national, state, and local levels for gradual institutional reform. Using Western Ohio as a regional focus, this thesis shows how the Ohio League of Women Voters (OLWV) articulated a vision for post-suffrage women's activism during the interwar period. To do this, the OLWV built upon pre-existing reform structures, especially when trying to involve rural women in its reform measures. As an organization of mostly elite, urban women, the OLWV struggled to construct a broad-based women's coalition post-suffrage. Though the OLWV operated within a dense network of women's organizations that both cooperated and competed, it's role within the rural reform tradition has been understudied. This thesis analyzes records from the OLWV archives alongside local agricultural reform institutions like the Grange and Farm Women's Clubs to construct a picture of how these organizations interacted to pursue reform in the 1920s. Over the 1920s, the OLWV shifted its strategy from suffrage-era calls for female unity to specific focus on recruiting college women and promoting urban reform priorities. The OLWV's struggles to include rural women, among many other groups, and its reinvention in the post-suffrage era shows the formation of a new reform synthesis within the women's reform movement.

Committee: Rebecca Mancuso Dr. (Advisor); Nicole Jackson Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; History; Regional Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2019, Curriculum and Instruction (Education)

Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) is implemented around the world as a tool to achieve various developmental outcomes. Despite its popularity, a growing body of researchers suggest that SDP is ineffective in achieving the developmental goals these programs purport. Furthermore, such programs can also enhance injustice and further perpetuate inequality. While there are a number of research-based positions on these issues, few studies have been conducted in exploring the volunteer experience in such programming and how the narrative of the volunteers themselves may shed new light on this discussion. This qualitative study attempts to capture the volunteer experience of participants in an El Salvadorian SDP program. These voices help to understand the volunteer experience, including the motivations to volunteer as well as the impact that volunteering has had on the participants' own lives. Three theoretical frameworks (critical theory, cultural studies theory and critical pedagogy) guided this study in examining the lived experiences of ten volunteers. Hermeneutical phenomenology served as the research design to collect and analyze the data gathered from a combination of interviews and observations from the field as a participant-researcher. This phenomenological study revealed the volunteer experience to be a transformational journey through time. This journey was experienced through three distinct phases labelled the investment, connection and commitment phases. While the discovery of the volunteer journey emerged as a unique finding, other similarities were drawn with the existing literature base on volunteer motivations and impacts. The critical theoretical lens adopted by this study also revealed some contradictions including dependency, deficit, privilege and discrimination from the field. The implications of these findings suggest that SDP has an opportunity to reinvent itself as both a transformational and transformative vehicle for change. However, SDP org (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: David Carr (Advisor); Eugene Geist (Committee Chair); Michael Kopish (Committee Co-Chair); Theodore Hutchinson (Committee Member); Dwan Robinson (Committee Member) Subjects: Curriculum Development; Educational Theory; Pedagogy

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2017, Agricultural and Extension Education

4-H, is a global organization reaching over seven million youth in more than 50 countries. 4-H employs an intentionally-structured framework to promote positive youth development. The framework encompasses youth engagement in a relationship with a caring adult, youth involvement in skill-building projects, and youth participation in leadership experiences. Youth who participate in 4-H are postulated to acquire outcomes that will contribute to their resilience, and enable them to make positive contributions. The 4-H framework has been refined in the United States for over 115 years. However, limited data were available regarding applicability of the framework in an international context. The model employed by 4-H has been transferred into new cultures, albeit without validation in the new setting. Therefore, the central problem to be addressed in this study was to explore and describe one element of the 4-H framework in Ghana, Africa – caring, adult volunteers serving as 4-H club leaders. This study builds upon the 4-H framework by positing that adult 4-H club leaders need to possess certain, essential competencies in order to achieve desired youth outcomes, regardless of country or culture. The National 4-H Council promotes a taxonomy of professional competencies for club advisors in the U.S., but 4-H Ghana has not adopted the National 4-H Council's taxonomy nor developed their own taxonomy. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a validated list of professional competencies for adult 4-H club leaders in Ghana. 4-H Ghana stakeholders participated in an exploratory, mixed methods research study to define and validate a list of competencies. Ratings were also collected to help prioritize future training needs. A list of professional competencies for adult 4-H club leaders in Ghana to possess was generated and validated. The list was organized into seven categories, with definitions and examples for each category. The categories included: interp (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Robert Birkenholz (Advisor); Graham Cochran (Committee Member) Subjects: African Studies; Agricultural Education; Social Research; Sociology; Sub Saharan Africa Studies

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

MA, Kent State University, 2014, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Philosophy

My thesis investigates the virtues of care and compassion as they inform excellent service work. Beginning with Nel Noddings' ethics of care, I argue that care ought to be subsumed as a central virtue in eudaimonistic virtue ethics. However, the concept of care has conceptual difficulty in prescribing actions regarding strangers, the primary target of volunteer work. Given this mismatch between theory and practice, I turn to the virtue of compassion, exploring its conceptual boundaries and aims. I then argue that service providers must cultivate compassion in order to consistently do excellent service work.

Committee: Kim Garchar (Advisor); Michael Byron (Committee Member); Gina Zavota (Committee Member) Subjects: Philosophy

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2009, Education : Educational Studies

A mixed-methods approach was used to assess the organizational structure and programming of 30 alumni associations at selected urban universities. A content analysis synthesized data regarding mission statements, marketing techniques, membership cultivation, innovation, and aspiration. An exploratory factor analysis converted 31 programming, activity, and service variables into a 12-component solution. A conceptual model of an alumni continuum was created that consisted of four stages of engagement: prospect, apprentice, alum, and benefactor. A confirmatory factor analysis of the four hypothesized structures yielded one as the best fit. The results of a MANOVA indicated there was no significant difference in programming based on size and type of institution. The findings can be shared with participants to enhance programmatic endeavors, foster institutional pride, decrease student attrition, and cultivate a spirit of volunteerism and philanthropy among their alumni.

Committee: Lanthan Camblin PhD (Committee Chair); Vanessa Allen-Brown PhD (Committee Member); Roger Collins PhD (Committee Member); Nancy Evers PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education

Bachelor of Science of Journalism (BSJ), Ohio University, 2011, Journalism

Appalachian Ohio stands as one of the poorest and most underdeveloped regions in the country. This study evaluates a social marketing campaign initiated by the Together Ohio: Southeast Collaborative to foster partnerships between nonprofits and local faith-based groups to carry out poverty alleviation initiatives in their communities. The year-long campaign targeted local nonprofits and faith-based groups in 15 counties in Southern Ohio. Principles of social marketing were product (collaborative partnerships), price (cost, perception of applicability and efficacy, and access), promotion (letters, flyers, website, emails, word-of-mouth), and place (regional campuses, ODJFS offices, local libraries). The campaign consisted of a Comprehensive Needs Assessment, Community Listening Sessions and Partnership Development Institutes. Of respondent organizations that participated in the Partnership Development Institutes (n = 23), 52% indicated that they learned “A great deal” about the value and benefits of partnering and collaboration and 48% indicated that they learned “Some things about this topic.” No one answered that they learned either Very few things about the topic or “practically nothing about this topic.” This evaluation suggests the need for more research on the use of social marketing in other campaigns targeting primarily rural and underserved areas.

Committee: Dr. Hong Cheng (Advisor) Subjects: Communication; Journalism

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2012, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

Extensive gene flow between cultivated plants and wild relatives can be of concern because crop alleles may persist in wild populations and dilute the native gene pool or confer traits that enhance lifetime fitness, perhaps increasing the wild populations' tendency toward weediness. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a warm-season North American perennial that is widely planted for forage and soil conservation. Certain switchgrass cultivars have undergone a limited degree of breeding for use as a biofuel crop and could be planted on a large scale in the near future. However, very little research has examined the potential impact that mass plantings will have on wild populations. The goals of my research were to examine the potential for crop-to-wild gene flow and associated fitness effects by studying ploidy levels, flowering phenology, fitness components, and volunteer establishment. First, I determined ploidy levels of eight wild populations in Ohio and three in Illinois. Eight populations were tetraploid (4x), one was octaploid (8x), and two had mixed ploidy. In 2008 and 2009, I planted two common garden experiments at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, with plants from three wild Ohio populations and seven cultivars: Kanlow (4x), Advanced Kanlow (4x), Summer (4x), Shawnee (8x), Trailblazer (8x), and two Advanced Octaploid strains (8x). I then compared the height and numbers of florets, filled seeds, and shoots of two- and three-year-old plants. Ohio native biotypes were similar to each other in all measured characteristics. Flowering times of native biotypes and the cultivars overlapped, but the degree of overlap varied, with Kanlow-type plants flowering much later than the rest. Kanlow-type plants were taller and produced four times as many florets as native biotypes, while Kanlow and Summer produced twice the number of filled seeds as the native biotypes. All other cultivars were similar to the native plants, except one Advanced Octaploid strain, which (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Allison Snow PhD (Advisor); Karen Goodell PhD (Committee Member); Kristin Mercer PhD (Committee Member); Maria Miriti PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Ecology; Plant Sciences

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2010, Natural Resources

A growing body of literature in collaborative natural resource management has identified factors associated with group processes, outputs, and outcomes. However, the majority of research is cross-sectional and does not permit the exploration of change over time, a significant knowledge gap considering the potential dynamic nature of these organizations. The current research examines longitudinal change in collaborative watershed groups by comparing the current participation trends of eleven Ohio groups to data collected five years earlier. While this contributes to a broader understanding of volunteer participation, to date, the variables that affect whether, why, and how volunteers participate have been analyzed in isolation. Although models have been developed across a broad array of disciplines in efforts to explain human behavior, many of these have not yet been applied to the study of participation in collaborative watershed groups. Among these models is the Theory of Planned Behavior. In the interest of building an interdisciplinary understanding of participation in collaborative watershed groups, this research examines variables from the Theory of Planned Behavior and volunteerism literature. Results from member surveys and interviews with watershed group leaders indicate both patterns and shifts in participation as collaborative groups mature, and highlight the importance of social factors in influencing participation.

Committee: Tomas Koontz PhD (Advisor); Joseph Bonnell PhD (Committee Member); Jeremy Bruskotter PhD (Committee Member); John Heywood PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Science; Social Research

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2007, Educational Policy and Leadership

While its importance and impact on students and schools has been the focus of much research, as a construct unto itself, parent volunteerism has received very little attention. In fact, there is no clear agreement as to what constitutes parent volunteerism or even an understanding as to what types of jobs are generally considered to be parent volunteer activities. Moving toward a definition, this study presents an ontology of four different subgroups of parents and how they elect to participate in either high risk or low risk volunteer activities for educational organizations. High risk activities include those tasks or jobs in which parent volunteers have access to sensitive student information, or assume responsibility for school-aged children, school-owned equipment, or government property. Low risk activities include those that typically do not place children, the school, or the volunteer in legal jeopardy. Each ontology contains three coefficients representing the relationship between the attributes for personal time availability, socio-economic status, and social and cultural capital and either High Risk volunteer tasks or Low Risk activities. Using Structural Equation Modeling of data taken from the Special Volunteer Supplement of the Current Population Survey of 2005 reveals that parent's time availability and socio-economic status are not significant predictors of their self-determinations of the activities they performed as volunteers. On the other hand, social and cultural capital is a very strong predictor, especially for minority mothers. Other findings show that parents consider their volunteer activities as being strongly task-oriented, that fathers engage in more activities dealing directly with children, while mothers engage in more social activities such as serving on committees.

Committee: William Loadman (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Administration

MA, Kent State University, 2009, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

“Volunteers are the heartbeat of our organization,” remarked the director of Helping Hooves(HH). This Non Profit Organization, like others, realizes the impact that volunteers make on the services they are able to provide for their clients. The purpose of this study was to explore participants' perceptions of benefits derived from volunteering, personal characteristics, motivations for volunteering, pathways to volunteering, and impact and interactions within the client/volunteer/staff community. A qualitative narrative inquiry approach was used at a Non-Profit Organization (NPO) that provides equine-assisted therapy for its clients. The 22 participants in this study ranged from 14 to 82 years of age and had volunteered at the NPO from 9 months to 15 years. Five of the volunteers were individuals with disabilities. Data collection consisted of observations and impressions made by the researcher as a participant, and field note observations and reflections. Field notes were analyzed and participant interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed to reveal themes. The findings of this research addressed the volunteers' pathways to arrival at HH, their self-identified qualities and characteristics, their perceptions of benefits received, their relationships within HH, their sense of community, and their reasons for continued volunteering at Helping Hooves. This thesis has implications for those NPO's who provide services similar to Helping Hooves and others who wish to increase and maintain their volunteer base.

Committee: Tricia Niesz PhD (Committee Chair); Andrea Adolph PhD (Committee Member); Rafa Kasim PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Behaviorial Sciences; Personal Relationships; Social Research