Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2025, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

This dissertation examines the effectiveness of an extended-day kindergarten program in addressing the needs of vulnerable student populations, including those from low socio-economic backgrounds, non-native English speakers, and students with an individualized education plan (IEP). Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study compares traditional half-day programs with an extended-day format that integrates play-based learning and structured literacy. Quantitative data from reading and math benchmarks and reports of student progress, along with qualitative teacher surveys, highlight the program's impact on academic performance, social skills, and emotional development. The findings suggest that extended-day kindergarten programs can effectively mitigate learning barriers, enabling at-risk student groups to perform comparably to their half-day peers across all domains of development, on average. These results offer actionable insights for policymakers and educators to design more inclusive and supportive educational environments, thereby advancing equity and reform in early childhood education.

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2025, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

This study investigated the effectiveness of systematic K-6 spelling instruction, exploring the historical context, instructional practices, and professional development necessary to support both novice and experienced teachers. Using qualitative methods, data were collected through surveys and interviews with 30 elementary teachers in a western Pennsylvania school district. Highlighting a reliance on informal strategies and digital tools, the findings reveal significant gaps in formalized spelling programs which often hinder the development of foundational spelling skills. Effective instructional practices, such as phonics-based and multisensory approaches, were identified as crucial for improving student outcomes. Challenges include differentiating instruction to meet diverse student needs and addressing systemic barriers, such as inconsistent resources and limited professional development opportunities. This study underscores the need for tailored professional development focused on explicit, systematic instruction to enhance teacher capacity and student learning. The implications of this research extend to designing robust training programs and standardized assessments to support effective spelling instruction. Future research could explore longitudinal impacts of these interventions across multiple districts and states.

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2025, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

This mixed-methods study used Q-methodology to analyze elementary school parents' perspectives on district-run extracurricular activities in rural Western Pennsylvania. Five distinct viewpoints emerged from this study. The Activity Avengers strongly supported the developmental value of extracurriculars across cognitive, social-emotional, and physical domains; however, this viewpoint acknowledged financial constraints and the need for program improvements. The Guiding Guardians prioritized collaborative decision-making between parents, school staff, and the community to create responsive and inclusive programs. The Resourceful Rangers emphasized practical considerations like cost and accessibility, favoring district-run programs but valuing community resource partnerships. The Needs Navigators focused on student-centered program design, aligning activities with individual needs rather than solely on broad social benefits. The Fiscal Foresight Force was primarily concerned with financial constraints as the primary barrier to expanding extracurricular offerings. These diverse perspectives highlight the complexity of implementing successful extracurricular programs. Significant barriers included financial limitations, scheduling conflicts, transportation issues, and varying views on parental involvement. The findings recommend that effective programs prioritize collaborative decision-making involving all stakeholders, addressing financial constraints through diverse funding sources and cost-effective program design, targeted program development to cater to diverse student interests and needs, and solutions to address logistical barriers.

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 0, Nursing

One in six children in the United States have developmental disabilities, and infants and toddlers may exhibit telling symptoms of delay in their earliest days with a failure to master milestone benchmarks. Despite modest gains in developmental screening rates, less than one in five children with a known delay will receive developmental enrichment services via the federal Early Intervention service line or special education preschool programs, and those remaining are left to struggle with their undiagnosed and untreated delays until they are identified upon entering kindergarten. This research aimed to uncover quantitative data patterns in the diagnosis and treatment of young children with developmental delays. Using predictive modeling techniques, the findings add to related research evidence for future interventions to increase timely conversions of delay diagnosis to treatment utilization. This work is underpinned by a developmental adaptation of Ryan and Sawin's Individual and Family Self-Management Theory (2014), exploring contextual and family management processes leading to service utilization outcomes. Sourcing data from the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH 2018-2021), three research questions aided in identifying the demographic and social factor clusters of children with undiagnosed and/or untreated delays within the developmental screening, diagnosis of delay, and developmental service utilization trajectory. Indicators of medical care access, including sick care sources and recent preventive visits, and children's special health care needs, including the impact of conditions on the child's daily life, were key indicators in resulting models. However, all created classification and regression tree (CART) and random forest models had varying levels of predictive ability from low-moderate (developmental screening) to high (developmentally related diagnosis and service utilization) predictive ability, with areas under the curve ranging between 0.56 (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, EDU Teaching and Learning

The number of English Language Learner students is rapidly rising. Yet, our understanding of how to provide culturally and linguistically responsive teaching to these diverse populations of students remains limited. Research has shown that incorporating students' cultural knowledge and home languages in the instruction and treating them as assets enhances learning. However, enacting such a pedagogy in classrooms with diverse backgrounds remains challenging, especially when there is a mismatch between the teachers' linguistic and cultural background and those of the students. This study investigates the asset-based practices of an ESL teacher in teaching English and content to her diverse students. It also examines how multilingual liaisons in this class support the teacher in teaching as well as directly interact with and teach the students through an asset-based stance. Furthermore, it addresses a gap in the literature by amplifying refugee students' voices regarding how they perceive their educational experiences by involving them in the research process and collecting data that students themselves generate and ascribe meaning to. Data were collected over six months (January to June 2022) in an ESL classroom at a midsize suburban public elementary school. Participants included a White teacher identifying as a woman, two multilingual liaisons, and eight refugee students aged 7 to 11. Using a qualitative case study design combined with rights-based research approaches with children, I observed naturally occurring classroom activities and interactions, supplemented by video-recordings, fieldnotes, semi-structured interviews, as well as educational artifacts and students' worksheets and artistic creations. Data were analyzed iteratively, including logging video and audio files, transcription of data, multiple cycles of qualitative coding, and student-led analysis of data they generated. My findings revealed that the ESL teacher incorporated multicultural and mult (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2024, Educational Studies

This study explored teachers' emotion socialization practices when children experienced negative emotions and their impact on children's emotion regulation outcomes in Early Head Start classrooms. The data involved classroom video recordings from four teachers and 18 consented children in three classrooms within two Early Head Start centers. I developed a new video coding scheme to identify children's negative emotions, teacher responses, and children's emotion regulation outcomes within consistent episodes. Data were coded using NVivo 14 software, and sequential analysis was employed to identify teacher responses following children's negative emotions, as well as children's emotion regulation outcomes following teacher responses. The results indicated that teachers predominantly used emotion coaching and problem-solving coaching, with fewer instances of emotion dismissing. Specifically, teachers tended to apply problem-solving coaching when children exhibited anger during peer conflicts, while emotion coaching was more commonly used when children were crying or fearful. The findings also suggested that both emotion coaching and problem-solving coaching were associated with more effective emotion regulation in children or a transition toward effective emotion regulation. In contrast, emotion dismissing by teachers led to ineffective emotion regulation outcomes in children. Overall, this study offers insights into the dynamic interactions between children and teachers when children express negative emotions, highlighting the importance of teacher supportive strategies in promoting children's emotional development.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2024, Human Ecology: Human Development and Family Science

This study examined the extent to which family-family service worker (FSW) relationship elements (i.e., knowledge, practices, attitudes) are associated with Head Start absenteeism. Additionally, I consider whether these associations differed based on the frequency of FSW home visits. Data were drawn from a sample of 309 children and families who participated in the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey: 2015 Family Engagement Plus Study. Results from covariate-adjusted regression models revealed no evidence of associations between family-FSW relationship elements and Head Start absenteeism. There was some evidence for moderation, however, such that families who experiences frequent home visits (i.e., compared to families who had no visits) often displayed higher rates of absenteeism when their FSW-knowledge, attitude, and practices scores were higher.

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2024, Educational Administration

This research study sought to identify barriers that hinder a group of marginalized parents who live in (LIEM) low-income, economically marginalized communities overcome barriers that hinder them from being able to support their children's early literacy development. As well as how the intersectionality of societal factors contributes to the parents and families who cannot provide meaningful support to their young children's literacy development. These children, who attend an inner-city charter school in a Mid-West state with a 100% free and reduced lunch rate, are in urgent need of support from the school. Their parents, identified as members of a marginalized group, need immediate assistance to enhance their children's early literacy development by the time they enter the Fourth grade. It is crucial to provide support to the children and accurate information to their families regarding the low ranking their children receive of the STAR Early Literacy assessment data the students receive on these quarterly assessments administrated to these students. As a result of the individual interviews the researcher had with each of the six parent participants, another theme that emerged from these interviews was that the parents did not clearly understand what their children's STAR Early Literacy scores and classifications meant. The majority of the parents interviewed believed the teachers were doing a good job teaching their children to read. However, the majority of parents did not have a clear understanding of what their children's assessment score data meant. The fact that children of these parents all had STAR Early Literacy scores ranged from early to late literacy readers and probable readers by the time the children entered the Fourth grade. This information underscores the need for the teaching staff to give the parents of these children clear, direct information on their children's STAR data, as well as specific materials they can use to work with their childre (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), University of Findlay, 2024, Education

The Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework is a research-based model that yields positive behavioral, social, emotional, and academic outcomes (Horner et al., 2009; Horner, 2014; Mathews et al., 2013). However, schools have reported varied success rates with implementation and achieving desired outcomes. While hundreds of studies have been conducted on PBIS implementation, few have focused on small, rural school populations. This mixed methods study used linear regression analysis to investigate the relationships between PBIS implementation levels, teacher efficacy, and professional development. It involved data from an administrator screener, multiple teacher surveys, and interviews with teachers and administrators from small, rural schools in Ohio. The independent variable examined was teacher efficacy and the dependent variables include quantity of training and type of training. Qualitative data from two administrator and two teacher interviews was used to gain insight into the challenges and obstacles that interfere with PBIS implementation. Their responses were recorded and transcribed using Zoom Meeting platform. Deductive and inductive coding processes were applied to identify facilitating and impeding factors. Results revealed no significant relationship between teacher efficacy levels and the type of training schools provided. However, a positive relationship was found between the quantity of training received and teachers' collective efficacy scores. These findings yielded a predictive model showing that collective efficacy scores increase about one point on a 9-point Likert scale for every 4-5 hours of training. In addition, qualitative results confirmed the previous research that identified administrative support, ongoing coaching and training, and positive teacher belief/staff “buy-in” as facilitating factors in PBIS implementation. Furthermore, the study found that a grassroots effort over legislative demands, staff collabora (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Environmental Science

Context: This study contributes to understanding how social and environmental factors are associated with health status and learning outcomes. It developed from a larger community-based participatory research study based in Columbus, Ohio. United States census data serves as rationale for this study, as it shows that adverse health outcomes are magnified in the vulnerable Columbus neighborhoods on the Near East Side when compared to Columbus city proper, Franklin County, and/or the state of Ohio. Environmental exposures and neighborhood factors influence these health outcomes. These exposures and factors include air pollution and sociodemographic characteristics, such as race and ethnicity, age, and income. It has also been shown that exposures to environmental stressors from the built, natural, and social environments can impact early childhood development. A community engagement model referred to as E6, Enhancing Environmental Endeavors via e-Equity, Education, and Empowerment was developed. Using this model, a multidisciplinary stakeholder team was established, and community engagement meetings were held to assess the needs of local community residents and identify potential environmental hazards associated with adverse health outcomes in those census tracts. This stakeholder team included Columbus Early Learning Centers, an early childhood education and care provider in Columbus, Ohio. Our community engagement efforts spanned from November 2019 through March 2020, as the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) "shutdown" began. Since then, COVID-19 has disrupted life and learning for everyone, particularly children living in higher-risk communities. Current national standardized test data reveals that COVID-19 has contributed to greater learning loss than the typical summer learning loss in elementary aged children. This has been termed the "COVID-19 developmental slide". It is unknown how these trends persist in pre-kindergarten aged children as they do not take standar (open full item for complete abstract)

EDD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

Children begin forming ideas about race and difference at a very young age. In their review of field literature, Gaias et al. (2021) shared that “children's racial prejudice and awareness of racial categories has been found to emerge around age 3” (p. 273). ECE is an important time to address topics of difference and bias with young children. Anti-Bias education (ABE) is a framework that has been utilized in Early Childhood spaces to address bias with young children and adults (Derman-Sparks et al., 2020). This qualitative research study examined teachers' perceptions of ABE and the ways that they utilized ABE in their classrooms. It also explores the impact of professional development on those perceptions and practices. The theoretical framework and design for this study were both centered around social constructivism. This research utilized a two-part professional development experience where participants completed a pre-survey, four online modules on ABE, one focus group session, and two post-surveys. Within this study, teachers expressed value in connecting with other educators. Teachers also expressed excitement about potential and continued use of ABE but were also nervous about correct implementation. Through their responses, the use of children's literature to facilitate discussions around difference and bias was evident as well as teachers needing concrete actionable steps to navigate ABE. The findings also suggest the importance of school administrative support in teachers' pursuits of a diverse curriculum, and school environment as well as the need for teacher support in implementation of ABE from all stakeholders.

PHD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

Program-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PWPBIS), an early childhood extension of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), is a multi-tiered system of supports that has shown promise in fostering the social, emotional, and behavioral development of young children in preschool settings. The literature indicates that positive stakeholder perceptions of PBIS/PWPBIS may contribute to its overall success in early childhood and K-12 settings (Odom et al., 2005; Sugai et al., 2000). Given the gaps in the literature identified by this researcher associated with understanding stakeholder perceptions regarding social validity, barriers, and facilitating factors related to implementing PWPBIS across tiers, the purpose of the current qualitative study was to explore teacher and administrator perceptions of social validity, barriers, and facilitating factors associated with Tier 1 and Tier 2 implementation of PWPBIS within an urban early childhood program. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of survey and focus group data were used to report the experiences of teachers and administrators as well as compare and contrast the information provided by participants in each group. Findings suggest that teachers and administrators generally view the goals and outcomes of PWPBIS as socially valid across Tier 1 and Tier 2. Their satisfaction varied due to barriers such as inconsistent implementation, lack of staff buy-in, and time constraints. Successful implementation was facilitated by external support from a county-level agency, consistent implementation, and observing positive impacts of supports on students. Implications for research and practice within the field of school psychology are discussed to inform future practice.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, EDU Teaching and Learning

This study aims to explore the experiences of teachers who have participated in the Teacher Professional Development Program/Program Pendidikan Guru (PPG) in Indonesia and investigate the impact of the PPG program. A review of existing literature on Teacher Professional Development (PD), the connection between teacher learning and practice, and the complexities of literacy as a practice has been conducted to support this research. Using a case study approach, this research was conducted online through Zoom, WhatsApp video calls, zoom meeting recordings and the PPG program's Learning Management System (LMS). The participants in this study were five elementary school teachers who taught at five different schools in Indonesia. This study utilizes various data collection methods, including interviews, observation, and documents or artifacts. Using Stake's (2006) multiple-case analysis framework, an individual case report was created, which is structured partly to align with the research question alongside cross-case analysis implementation. The results show that the PPG program offered a mix of lectures, interactive workshops, and hands-on field experiences with a strong emphasis on technology, pedagogy, and learning innovation. Teachers participated in activities that allowed them to apply their learning in classroom settings. Using the framework of multicase analysis, six assertions emerged from participants' diverse educational experiences. These six thematic assertions identified from the cross-case analysis illustrate the transformative impact of professional development on educational practices while also acknowledging the complexity and diversity of teaching contexts. The six assertions are the adoption and integration of technology, resilience, and adaptability in diverse educational contexts, diverse approaches to teaching and classroom management, shift toward student-centered learning approaches, various degrees of literacy teaching, and challenges in imple (open full item for complete abstract)

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Leadership and Change

This dissertation project used an interpretivist qualitative research design to study how the right-to-read claim made by seven teenagers attending Detroit public schools in 2016 reflects, addresses, or describes contemporary discussions about educational access. Using situational analysis (SA) as a theory/method, the entirety of the claim comprises the situation of the social phenomenon being studied, not the people. This research combines critical race theory (CRT) with Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems and uses situation analysis to map historical discourses to conduct a study that examines the history of a present situation of inquiry as presented by this question: How does the 2016 right-to-read claim made by high school students in Detroit, Michigan reflect, address, or describe contemporary discussions about educational access? The study collected data to allow me to construct a prosopography that articulates an answer to the question that claims access to literacy is a public school policy right. Because situational analysis (SA) is designed to open research data to aspects of a circumstance that may have been overlooked, marginalized, or silenced, I was not certain the research results would answer this exact question. Additionally, critical theory and SA were used to conduct this qualitative research, examining historical data that addresses the right-to-read claim as a Foucaultian programmatic social problem. As such, it seeks to understand the complexities of recurring and historically situated education practices that limit actualizing U.S. education policies that embrace access to basic literacy skills as a human right. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

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

Existing literature has underscored concerns regarding perspective-taking deficits in individuals with ASD, with limited success in achieving long-term effects and skill generalization through evidence-based interventions. This study investigated the extent to which preliminary self-awareness and perspective-taking skills can be taught to individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the generalizability of these skills. The research design was a single-subject approach, specifically a multiple-baseline across behaviors design. The dependent variable, self-awareness, was quantified through the measurement of verbal behaviors, including specific, reciprocal, and correct verbal responses to instructional questions. The independent variable was the teaching intervention, which involved stimulus prompting, prompt fading, and positive reinforcement. This study sought to contribute to the research on teaching preliminary self-awareness and perspective-taking skills to individuals with ASD and aims to bridge existing gaps in knowledge and improve intervention strategies for this population, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for individuals with ASD and their families. The implications for this study are also discussed.

Master of Science in Education (M.S.E.), University of Dayton, 2024, Early Childhood Education

In this qualitative study, we examined the effects of augmented reality (AR) and physical-digital interaction in educational applications on preschoolers' engagement, skill development, and collaborative learning in the classroom. Drawing on Creswell's (2018) systematic method, the research design included immersive participant observation and semi-structured interviews to document the lived experiences of young learners using the Osmo Genius Kit. The study, conducted across three varied preschool classrooms affiliated with a Midwestern university, included a representative sample of children aged 3 to 5 years, allowing for a thorough examination of AR's complex influence in early childhood education. This methodology allows us to address the research questions and gain a thorough grasp of how AR technology can be used to improve education in preschool settings.

Ed.D., Antioch University, 2024, Education

This dissertation research reports on the development and implementation of a pre-pilot for early childhood preservice teachers based on seven specified learning modules on Culturally Responsive Anti-Bias Education (CRABE). In accordance with Pennsylvania's Regulations, Professional Learning Standards, and Quality Rating Improvement Systems (QRIS), the learning modules were designed to prepare preservice teachers to teach diverse populations of students. This research has high implications for higher education, which plays a role in supporting preservice teachers through coursework and field experience. The topics of the learning modules are Demographics: There's a Shift in Education, Preparing Preservice Teachers Through The Course Catalog, Introduction To Culturally Responsive Anti-Bias Education, Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Early Years, Anti-Bias Framework: The Four Core Goals of Anti-Bias Education, Getting to Know Students, Families, and Communities, Historical Context of Educating Black Children, Representations in Curriculum, Lessons, and Activities, Authentic Assessments: Observation, Documentation, Presentation and Reflection, Culturally Responsive Teacher Preparation Programs and Field Experiences, and Moving Beyond Awareness. Using a focus group of five early childhood education and education experts, the research seeks to answer the questions, how do experts in early childhood education explain the status of culturally responsive and sustaining education in pre-service teaching? How effective does one anticipate the Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education in Early Learning Modules will be in encouraging pre-service teachers to engage in culturally responsive and sustaining education practices? This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Educational Studies

Traditionally, preschool-age children are encouraged to explore the world around them to construct a meaningful worldview. Although important, exploration is no longer admirable when behavior begins to arise. Despite the commonality of preschool behavior, there is an unspoken limit or expectation that is crossed that leads to concerns. There has been a surge of research that highlights concerns of expulsion in early childhood settings, however, there is limited research on how early childhood teachers learn to adopt knowledge and practice to address behavior. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the professional development practices of early childhood educators using Bandura's Social Learning Theory to increase Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) and decrease preschool expulsions in early childhood settings. A phenomenological study was conducted to investigate teachers' perspectives on professional development practices. Qualitative results indicated that early childhood teachers were unprepared to address challenging behavior and desired professional development tailored to their needs. The intention is to identify whether a call to action is warranted for early childhood professionals and policymakers to enhance their awareness and knowledge of professional development practices to address expulsion rates in preschool settings and their impact on development.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Educational Studies

The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of sandplay therapy on the emotion regulation of children with a history of multiple traumatic events and symptoms of externalizing and internalizing behaviors. This research explored the impact of sandplay therapy on emotion regulation in three ways. First, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) data was examined. Second, data on each participant's mood before and after each session was assessed by the 10-Item Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANAS-C-10). Third, the intensity, duration, and frequency of emotion was examined pre-and post-intervention via a self-report survey. The acceptability of the intervention from the perspective of parents and teachers was also explored via a post-intervention survey. Visual analysis of descriptive data of HRV data and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test of the other measures were used to examine intervention effects. Results demonstrate that participation in seven to eight sessions of sandplay therapy were correlated with a significant improvement in positive affect and emotion control. Descriptive results of pre- and postintervention HRV data indicated an increase in HRV for five of the six participants. This study adds to previous research on sandplay therapy. Limitations of the current study, directions for future research, and implications for practitioners are discussed.

PHD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies

This qualitative multi-case study delved into the perceptions of five immigrant and refugee high school students enrolled in an early childhood pathway program in a Midwest high school in the USA. The primary objectives were to explore how these aspiring teachers' Funds of Identity (FOI) influenced their perceptions of teaching in the USA, understand their motivations for choosing a teaching career, and uncover their perspectives on the roles of early childhood teachers. Data collection involved participant-created artifacts, in-depth semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions conducted over several months. The study found that participants' perceptions of teaching in the USA were profoundly shaped by their FOI. Their previous informal caregiving roles and a strong desire to positively impact early childhood education motivated them to pursue teaching careers. Their social and family backgrounds reinforced the view of teaching as a moral duty aligned with principles of ensuring educational access for all children. Additionally, they thrived in structured educational settings as both learners and aspiring educators. However, language and cultural challenges emerged as complex issues within teacher education programs and the teaching field. As English language learners with diverse cultural backgrounds, participants recognized these challenges, including potential difficulties in navigating college life and concerns about financial stability related to higher education. Yet, they recognized their diverse language and cultural backgrounds as strengths that could positively impact others. They all believed they possessed the ability to make a significant difference in the lives of children and society, which drove them to pursue their dreams in the teaching field.