Ph.D., Antioch University, 2025, Antioch Seattle: Counselor Education & Supervision

This research is a qualitative phenomenological inquiry into reconnecting Indigenous participants' experiences in how they navigate and integrate their cultural heritage, identity, and intergenerational experiences to shape their present and future lives. Previous literature examines characterizing Indigeneity, navigating multiple spaces, and culture as wellness. Rooted in Tribal Critical Race Theory, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants who self-identified as Indigenous. A thematic analysis highlighted six themes of reconnection: a) oppression, b) ancestors, c) belonging, d) barriers to reconnection, e) learning, and f) connection with community. This research makes a contribution to the growing Indigenous identity literature by providing an initial glimpse into the complexities of experiences of folx who are reconnecting.

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2024, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

Teachers are committed to meeting the individual needs of their students, and despite challenges such as a lack of preparedness and formal training, they rose to the occasion and adapted to provide remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study contributes to the existing literature on the impact of COVID-19 on students, with a specific focus on those identified with special needs. As a survey-based research study, it aimed to gather insights from educators regarding their efforts to provide remote instruction for these students using Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The results of the study indicate that there were no significant associations between remote learning and grading leniency or student outcomes nor between systemic inequities (e.g., digital divide) and student outcomes. The application of UDL principles, based on reported training levels, showed no significant associate with modified teaching approaches or student outcomes. Additionally, UDL's impact on diverse learners did not yield significant improvements in academic outcomes. Lastly, while teachers reported mixed perceptions of their efficacy during and post-pandemic, no significant statistical associations were found. Overall, while educators adapted and responded to the challenges, the study found limited statistical significance regarding academic outcomes.

Ed.D., Antioch University, 2024, Education

Leveraging the researcher's unique diverse cultural and educational background, this dissertation explores integrating social emotional learning (SEL) within an innovative pedagogy of “with ness” (PoW) towards planetary well-being in educational settings. The overarching purpose is to redefine educational strategies through SEL and PoW to advance planetary well-being in tertiary contexts. As such, this dissertation critically engages with three published articles authored during the researcher's doctoral tenure to highlight transformative SEL practices that are fundamentally attuned to ecological consciousness. Informed by critical theory, feminist perspectives, and process philosophy, the hermeneutic circle reflects on these articles to address complex 21st-century challenges educational systems face such as technological disruption, language and culture diversity, mental health and emotional awareness amidst global scale events. Ultimately, the research from this project suggests there is further potential for SEL to contribute significantly to an educational and eventual societal shift that prioritizes planet Earth. By centering planetary well-being, this dissertation aims to help the researcher and readership gravitate towards a more empathetic, equitable, and ecologically conscious generation. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

PHD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies

This doctoral dissertation examines Simplification and Explicitation translation shifts within the context of simultaneous conference interpreting from Arabic to English. Traditionally considered distinct alterations in linguistic features, these shifts are redefined in this study as adaptive strategies that interpreters might employ to manage the inherent challenges of real-time language transfer. Simplification, typically characterized by reduced sentence length and simpler vocabulary, and Explicitation, the explicit rendering of implicit information, are the focal points of this research. By integrating advanced machine transcription and corpus analysis tools, the research systematically quantifies these shifts, providing a rigorous examination of their frequency and impact. Four key indicators were employed: Average Sentence Length (ASL) and Lexical Density (LD) to assess Simplification, and Wordcount (WRDC) and Readability (READ) scores to measure Explicitation. The findings reveal that, for Simplification, there were no statistically significant differences between the R-corpus (reference) and T-corpus (target) in terms of ASL or LD. For Explicitation, the WRDC comparison between the T-corpus and S-corpus (source) similarly showed no significant difference. However, a statistically significant difference was observed in the READ scores, with the T-corpus demonstrating lower readability, indicating that the target texts in the T-corpus are generally easier to read and more accessible compared to the texts in the S-corpus. These findings complicate the expected patterns of Simplification and Explicitation in simultaneous interpreting. While translation studies often link Simplification to ASL and lower LD, the T-corpus did not show significant differences. For Explicitation, the significant difference in READ scores suggests that interpreters in simultaneous interpreting may prioritize readability and accessibility, rather than increase complexity. T (open full item for complete abstract)

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

This action research study honors teacher-as-researcher and utilizes qualitative methods of data collection alongside emergent design to study arts-integrated teaching and learning at a mid-sized Midwestern university in a social studies methods course. The thinking and learning of both pre-service teachers and the teacher educator/researcher are analyzed using constructivist grounded theory, constant comparative and art-based methods. Findings offer a holistic view of teaching and learning including: 1) pre-service teachers' learning experiences as developing social studies classroom teachers and arts-integrated learners to expand capacity in order to see and think differently, communicate and express their thinking and learning diversely, and to engage challenges and discomfort divergently within alternative, transformative pedagogical practices; and 2) the teacher educator/researcher's learning experiences to expand capacity in developing a meta-teaching action plan toward teaching the arts-integrated social studies methods course and altering the process of the dialectic action research spiral within action research to become the dialectic action research lemniscate. Implications relevant in social studies teacher education and secondary social studies education include, transformative learning experiences and expanded capacity for pre-service teachers as they developed altered perspectives about arts-integrated teaching and learning as well as teaching civics/citizenship and engaging civic issues of equity and justice in the social studies and the early development of a partial framework for arts-integrated teaching and learning in social studies education. Implications germane to action research methodology reside in modifying the process of the dialectic action research spiral in offering the expanded capacity of the dialectic action research lemniscate as an alternative recursive process for action researchers.

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2024, Management

Business has the potential to be one of the most powerful platforms for solving our world's most pressing needs, and employees are increasingly seeking to be part of organizations that provide meaningful opportunities to contribute to the greater good. Yet, business leaders often do not know how to design positive impact initiatives to maximize their contributions for the greater good and for the members of their organizations. The business for world betterment literature has traditionally focused on macro or institutional level dynamics and calls for further study of the micro or individual level. In this dissertation, I develop and test models across three empirical studies offering insights into individual leader and employee dynamics as companies do good in the world. The overarching research question I address is “How do the perception of and participation in corporate social and environmental impact affect leaders and employees of companies?” The dissertation employs a sequential mixed methods approach to explore individual dynamics of business for world betterment. The initial qualitative study utilizes a grounded theory approach with 30 semi-structured interviews to identify factors that influence the lived experiences of leaders who seek to make a positive impact in the world. The study offers evidence that leaders (1) consider their company to be an agent for world benefit, (2) align their impact efforts beyond profit-seeking to promote their personal values, (3) demonstrate a willingness to confront and overcome personal limitations in order to help others, (4) personalize the ways in which they make an impact on people, and (5) experience personal benefits in helping others. Further, while some leaders were able to identify a virtuous cycle wherein doing good in the world returned good to the members of their organization in a reciprocal process of betterment, many leaders were simply unaware of the benefit for their own employees when serving the (open full item for complete abstract)

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

Race and racism have and continue to shape public education (Kendi, 2016) and teacher education (Carter Andrews, 2021) in the United States. This qualitative case study, informed by Stake (1995) and Esposito and Evans-Winters (2022), explores how race shows up in social studies teaching and learning. Specifically, the participants and I engaged in interviews and focus group conversations to examine how racial identity and racialized experiences inform secondary social studies educators' career choices, professional goals, and perceived roles and responsibilities in the classroom. At its core, social studies education studies history, culture, geography, economics, and politics. These topics have become increasingly politicized in this era of historic political polarization (Stoddard & Hess, 2024). History and social studies educators are asked to navigate issues related to pedagogy, policy, and politics in today's teaching climate. In paying attention to how identity informs social studies educators' engagement with the curriculum and the profession in general, teacher education programs can provide individualized and more meaningful support. Furthermore, given the diversity among the participants, this work offers insight into addressing the teacher education gap (Love, 2019) between the nation's eighty percent White teaching force and the steadily diversifying student population (National Center for Education Statistics, 2023).

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2024, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

An analysis of misinformation, disinformation, perverse rhetorical devices, and the origin of the Critical Race Theory (CRT) controversy were presented, as well as the motivations of those most likely to share misinformation and crisis communication strategies. The purpose of this mixed method study was to explore Ohio Superintendents' levels of understanding of CRT and preparedness to respond to allegations, as well as their perceptions of the impact of CRT allegations school, family, and community partnerships and student conflicts. An exploration of the statistical correlations between the number of CRT posts and allegations in a school district and the number of student conflicts, reported conditions of partnerships, and demographics was also presented. The outcome of this study could provide educational leaders with the needed information to better prepare proactive responses to CRT allegations as well as other school targeted allegations while building positive relationships with all stakeholders.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2023, Curriculum and Instruction

Social studies education has traditionally aimed to foster productive citizens. However, recent societal polarizations have added complexity to this objective (Levy et al., 2023). Amid these challenges, understanding remains limited regarding how teacher preparation programs are adapting their social studies methods curriculum. Grounded in Thornton's (1991) curricular-instructional gatekeeping and Avery's (2003b) implications for civic education in social studies teacher education, this dissertation addressed three research questions: (1) How do social studies teacher educators understand civic competence?, (2) How do social studies teacher educators' approach and incorporate civic competence in their teacher preparation curriculum?, and (3) How do social studies teacher educators see the future of social studies teacher preparation? This qualitative study explored the choices and perspectives of seven Ohio-based social studies teacher educators. Participants were interviewed about their understanding of civic competence, its inclusion in their methods curriculum, and their vision social studies' future. In addition, relevant course materials and methods course syllabi were shared by the participants. Data, including interview responses and shared materials were analyzed using codebooks based on the NCSS (2018) definition of civic competence and Avery's (2003b) implications. Findings revealed that the teacher educators largely align with the NCSS (2018) civic competence definition, emphasizing political knowledge. When controlling the curricular-instructional gate, these teacher educators incorporated civic competence primarily through instructional modeling and facilitating discussions on civic and controversial issues. Absent, whether intentionally or not, were ideas pertaining to global citizenship, diversity, equity, inclusion, and informed action. When discussing the future of social studies methods, concerns about the lack of inclusion of global civic educati (open full item for complete abstract)

Bachelor of Arts, Wittenberg University, 2023, History

As time moves forward, events from the past become blurred in memory. People remember, honor, and learn from history. On September 11, 2001, the United States lost 2,983 civilian lives in a terrorist attack by al Qaeda. Since 2001, the United States government has made many decisions aimed at protecting those on United States soil. To commemorate the lives lost and to prevent an act of terror in the future, historians evaluate how to remember and learn from the events that occurred on September 11. Learning from the past prepares people for the future. To educate future generations, middle and high school teachers must provide students with valuable lesson plans about September 11. In the middle school and high school classrooms around the country, the process and content used to teach the terrorist attacks of September 11 has evolved over the past twenty years, from relying mostly on personal accounts to include academic articles, textbooks, online resources, and other materials to help students understand how and why September 11 happened the way it did.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Educational Studies

The study of history as part of the social studies curriculum is an important component of K-12 education. Yet, past research suggests that students perceive history as less important than other subjects (Brophy et al., 1992; Schug et al., 1984), find it boring and without purpose (Zhao & Hoge, 2005), and are unable to articulate why they learn about it in school (VanSledright, 1997). This suggests that students do not perceive history as relevant to them or their lives outside of school and these beliefs may lead to less engagement and motivation to learn the subject than other core subject areas. However, there is little current research examining students' perceptions of history and history relevance (Chiodo & Byford, 2004) as much of the recent focus in educational research has been on STEM classes (Wigfield et al., 2017). To address this gap, this study examined students' overall perceptions of history education, students' perceptions of the relevance of history education, and how the classroom teacher, instruction, and environment contributed to students' perceptions. One eighth grade social studies teacher and 47 students in her five classes participated in the study. Surveys were collected from the students and analyzed using quantitative methods. Student focus groups and a teacher interview were conducted and analyzed using qualitative methods. Quantitative results from the student surveys suggest there may be group differences with respect to gender in affective appreciation and for students' race/ethnicity in behavioral appreciation. Qualitative analysis of the focus group data suggested that students do perceive history to be boring in general but may have more nuanced perceptions of the day-to-day content and instruction in their history class. Furthermore, students indicated that they did perceive history to be relevant to their own lives and that both the content and instructional approach in class influenced these perceptions. Taken togethe (open full item for complete abstract)

Bachelor of Science, Walsh University, 2023, Honors

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of narrative instruction on student engagement, ability to relate to the content, and connections to the modern world. Through analysis of a parent survey given at the beginning and end of a unit implementing narrative instruction, this strategy was found to be an effective means of engagement, but not a flawless educational structure. Parental input also showcased the many other factors that affect student engagement and learning. Through the parent input, the experience of implementing a narrative unit, and educational research, student-centered and experiential learning emerged as the most effective forms of instruction.

Undergraduate Honors Program, Malone University, 2023, Honors Thesis

For a few decades now, American Girl® has been a prominent name in not only the toy industry, but also the world of middle-grade historical fiction for girls. Though the company has made valiant efforts to increase their breadth of diversity in recent years, the historical line of American Girl® dolls has never included an Asian American main character. In response to this reality, this tripartite project works to provide diverse, nuanced answers to the question: What would a nineteenth century Chinese American, American Girl® character look like in historical context, in a middle-grade fiction story, and in historically informed toy design?

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Leadership Studies

The past 30 years have witnessed unprecedented social and political polarization alongside a mental health crisis, disproportionately affecting youth and further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Largely because of these pressures on teachers and students, and despite recent political backlash, social and emotional learning (SEL), has become ever more prominent in K-12 education. Teachers have generally supported the need for SEL, and SEL standards have been adopted into curriculum for pre-K education in all fifty states, and K-12 in more than twenty (CASEL, n.d.). Therefore, educational leaders must find avenues to support schools and teachers in upholding these new state mandates. However, there are no state mandated accountability measures for SEL, little ownership for who is responsible, and many educators do not have clear operational definitions for SEL, let alone, a consistent framework for how it can be infused into their classrooms (McCoy, 2018a). Since John Dewey, researchers have posited that inquiry-based instruction builds civic and social efficacy, outcomes paralleling social and emotional competencies, but there is a dearth of research to empirically link specific frameworks of IBI and SEL. This single group, pretest -posttest design study assessed the empirical relationships between IDM Institute participants' training and competency in C3 IBI, and their self-reported social and emotional competencies and teaching practices. Findings from paired sample t-test and correlational analyses generally supported the hypothesis that professional development and competency in C3 IBI promotes social and emotional learning. Study participants had significantly higher IBI competency, social and emotional competency (SEC) and social and emotional teaching practices after completion of the IDM Institute. Further, participants' IBI competency was positively associated with aggregated SEC scores, social and emotional teaching practices, self-awareness, and socia (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2023, Educational Leadership

This study examines the professional experiences of three teachers in a national network of urban, low-income serving, Catholic high schools. These teacher-participants were chosen to participate in this study because they engaged in experiential, community-based pedagogy within this national network and exemplified a commitment to social justice through their teaching practice. As detailed in Chapter One, such teaching practice resembles critical pedagogy and aligns with best practice in quality civic education. Therefore, by examining the experiences of critical educators, this study aimed to illuminate ways we can enhance civic learning for K-12 students by enhancing support for and removing the barriers to critical educators' distinct pedagogical practice. This is particularly important for Students of Color, who have faced historical exclusion from formal and informal modes of civic learning (Campbell, 2012; Lo, 2019). Critical theory (Freire, 1970/1993; Giroux, 2003; Horkheimer, 1972[1992]) and social reproduction theory (Bourdieu, 2016; Bowles & Gintis, 2016) were used to frame this study, which employed qualitative portraiture methodology (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Davis, 1997) to answer two key research questions. The first question— Why do teachers in this Network engage in experiential, community-based pedagogy? —drew attention to the internal and external factors impacting my participants' practice. This set up inquiry into the second key research question: How do these educators exhibit civic and/or critical consciousness about and through their work? Findings from this study revealed that both internal and external factors contributed to the choice teacher-participants made to engage in experiential, community-based pedagogy. Professional ecology, consisting of local school and corporate cultures, were particularly influential on these teachers. That ecology functioned in distinct ways at each study site to both aid and obstruct the critical teaching (open full item for complete abstract)

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

There is a need to understand the relationships that first-year students at The Ohio State University, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences are involved in, specifically their mentors. College students are undergoing a major change when they transition into higher education at a large university. Often, they are experiencing living on their own and are placed in a new environment for the first time. Mentoring relationships can provide them with a relationship that serves as a resource to help guide them through this transition to establish a firm foundation for their college experience. In this study, the author begins to describe the mentoring experiences of first-year students at The Ohio State University, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Using the College Student Mentoring Scale (Crisp, 2009), the author was able to understand the degree of support first-year students experience based upon for constructs outlined in the literature. Results indicate that students experience varying degrees of support from their mentors, and further research should be conducted to better understand these experiences.

MAE, Otterbein University, 2021, Education

The purpose of this curriculum development project is to help practicing English Language Arts and Social Studies teachers in grade 5 construct and develop content-area curriculums that reinforce and support both critical literacy and social justice pedagogical frameworks for teaching and learning. This particular curriculum development project also addresses the ways in which English Language Arts and Social Studies teachers in grade 5 can use LGBTQ-themed curricular materials to not only promote critical literacy and social justice frameworks for teaching and learning but to also meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS, 2010) for English Language Arts, Ohio's Learning Standards (OLS, 2018) for Social Studies, and the Social Justice Standards (SJS, 2018) that were developed by the Teaching Tolerance project. In addition, this proposed curriculum development project reflects Gorski's (2010) key characteristics of a multicultural curriculum which ultimately serve as a guide for the development and implementation of a three-week unit plan that focuses on the life and societal contributions of Harvey Milk: the first openly gay elected official in the history of California. Essentially, this type of unit plan demonstrates to practicing English Language Arts and Social Studies teachers in grade 5 how they can infuse critical pedagogical choices into their content-area curriculums in a way that successfully aligns with state standards.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2021, Curriculum and Instruction (Education)

This study explored how injection wells, as a local-level controversial issue, emerged within a rural Ohio school community. Instrumental case study and narrative inquiry methodologies informed the study, with an emphasis on rurality. The findings, presented in a creative nonfiction story genre amplifying the voice of rural Ohioans, illustrate the impacts of mineral-extraction industries and undesirable land uses on a rural school community characterized by hardship as well as fortitude, commitment, and interdependency.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2021, Curriculum and Instruction (Education)

Student learning outcomes in economics are improved when teachers are prepared to teach economics. Middle Childhood and Secondary social studies teacher candidates are not confident in their abilities to teach economics. Few studies have examined social studies teacher candidates economic pedagogical content knowledge to assess how to prepare candidates to teach economics in their future classrooms. A critical pluralist economic pedagogical content knowledge framework guided this single-case embedded mixed methods case study. Social studies teacher candidates from two methods courses participated in the study. This study confirms previous findings that social studies teacher candidates struggle with their economic pedagogical content knowledge. This study furthers the field of social studies teacher preparation research by exploring how the preparedness to teach economics differs between Middle Childhood and Secondary candidates, and also explores how the Test of Economic Literacy and qualitative findings are not supportive of one another. Middle Childhood and Secondary candidates need more opportunities to improve their economic pedagogical content knowledge in social studies methods courses and in education courses, including explicit and consistent occasions to apply the content they learn in their economics coursework.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Would an intersectional approach be effective to mainstream into the United Nations human rights framework? Scholarship queries if and how an intersectional approach to human rights would be effective. I build on the scholarship and make a unique contribution to it by examining such questions when focusing on the United States/Puerto Rico relationship. The Puerto Rican collective identity has distinct intersectional needs regarding human rights that are not adequately addressed in the UN human rights framework, and thus, it would be useful for the UN to transform to adopt an intersectional approach. The chapters are as follows: “Chapter 1: Troubling `Universalism' in Human Rights Through an Intersectional Analysis,” “Chapter 2: The Benefits and Shortcomings of Strategic Essentialism and Intersectional Strategic Essentialism,” “Chapter 3: Community Strength and Resilience in Response to Hurricane Maria, Earthquakes, and COVID-19,” and the “Conclusion: Activism and Human Rights.” This dissertation focuses on the global human rights system, the United Nations, and the United States/Puerto Rico relationship as a case study to exemplify useful activist strategies for any activist movement where empowerment around a collective identity is the goal.