1825 research outputs found
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Shaping leadership: An Autoethnographic Exploration of Inspirational Moments
Full text linkLeadership is a complex construct shaped by the interplay of theoretical knowledge and meaningful personal experiences that define us as people. This autoethnographic exploration investigates the question: How have inspirational moments shaped the leader I am today? Understanding how personal experiences influence leaders’ development is critical to leadership studies. To address this, nine of my pivotal life moments were selected and validated through personal artifacts, such as journals and letters, ensuring analytical depth. These moments were analyzed through servant, justice-oriented, and transformational leadership theoretical lenses. The findings revealed eight key lessons: embracing vulnerability, reflective practice, trust-based leadership, advocacy, curiosity, adaptability, valuing humble beginnings, and centering leadership on faith and purpose. These lessons highlight the deeply personal nature of leadership, emphasizing reflection and inspirational experiences as catalysts for growth and transformation. By connecting inspirational moments with leadership identity and practice, this research advances the study of personal growth and authentic leadership development. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu)
Understanding Detroit’s Local Food and Urban Agricultural Policy Subsystem Using the Advocacy Coalition Framework
Full text linkThis explanatory qualitative case study applied the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) to study Detroit’s local food policy changes from 2000 to 2022. The research question and sub-questions were framed using three ACF hypotheses that addressed advocacy coalitions, collective action, and policy change. My research showed how actors in the policy subsystem worked to promote policy change during the study period. Using this Advocacy Coalition Framework approach, I explored local food policy change in the context of community resilience and system changes. Since 2000, the local food movement in Detroit attempted system changes by experimenting with ways to provide local residents with food access and options not available from the larger food system. This study highlighted Detroit local food advocates’ work to achieve policy change. The local food movement planted gardens and farms throughout the city. The local food movement activities amplified the use of urban agriculture and may have influenced public opinion and allowed for policy change. The local food system changes highlighted in this research represented local level innovative and creative changes that did not impact the larger food system. My research showed how actors in the policy subsystem worked to promote policy change during the study period. This research contributed to the literature in three ways. First, the ACF-framed case study added to local and municipal policy process literature. Second, this research added food policy to the areas researched using the ACF. Lastly, the concept of the advocacy policy interface was conceived of during the candidacy phase of my studies and explored in this case study. This examination of the Detroit Local Food Policy Subsystem provided a starting point for further exploration of Detroit’s local food policy change efforts. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu)
Avoiding Racial Equity Detours: Racial Equity Trainers’ Visions Of Racially Equitable Residential Environmental Education
Full text linkThis study investigated how racial equity trainers envision racially equitable residential environmental education (REE). While addressing racial inequities has been central to environmental scholarship, equity detours undergirded by systemic power structures continue to pose significant barriers in addressing inequities in practice. The research explored the question: “How do racial equity trainers envision racially equitable residential environmental education?” Using constructivist grounded theory and drawing on portraiture’s “search for goodness,” the study conducted 1-hour virtual interviews with six racial equity trainers, employing iterative coding through the constant comparative method. A 2-hour virtual focus group and subsequent 30-minute “dissertation reality check” provided additional insights and validation for theory construction. The analysis revealed four key characteristics of racially equitable REE, arranged from most foundational to most implemental. First, as an alternative to Whiteness, equitable REE implements practices that acknowledge and address the harm Whiteness causes to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), recognizing systemic racism and its impacts. Second, being rooted in BIPOC environmental perspectives ensures that BIPOC perspectives drive program development, emphasizing the connection between racism and environmentalism. Third, selecting for BIPOC leadership involves intentional recruitment and long-term support of BIPOC staff, addressing institutional representation. Fourth, creating an environment where BIPOC students belong ensures all students are viewed as assets, with visiting students’ identities and experiences shaping the relational and emotional environment. The study identified four key recommendations to avoid equity detours: critically examine Whiteness to avoid pacing-for-privilege, connect Whiteness to REE to avoid celebrating diversity, decenter Whiteness in REE to avoid the poverty of culture, and disempower Whiteness in REE to avoid deficit ideology. This research, guided by racial equity trainers’ expertise, reimagines REE through a racial equity lens. The resulting model presents not a rigid template but an embodied approach founded on a comprehensive understanding of Whiteness and its operations within environmental education. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu)
Resilience of Food Sovereignty Organizations to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Full text linkThis sequential explanatory mixed methods study explored the organizational resilience of food sovereignty organizations (FSOs) in the northeastern United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a novel “open structural learning approach” that integrates structural contingency theory, open systems theory, and organizational learning theory, this research examined how FSOs’ structural attributes, resource flows, and organizational culture shaped their ability to navigate crisis. The study engaged FSO leaders through surveys (n = 13) and in-depth interviews (n = 7), supplemented by archival data analysis, to explore factors that strengthened or diminished FSO resilience. Findings revealed that FSOs navigated COVID-19 with multiple concurrent crises, maintaining resilience through value-driven decision-making and strong relationships. While larger, older FSOs tended toward increased formalization, leaders balanced bureaucratic efficiency with collaborative culture to maintain their organizational identity and values. FSOs demonstrated adaptive capacity by expanding programming to meet increased community needs while managing emotional impacts on staff. A key learning was FSOs’ ability to make rapid decisions while preserving democratic governance, challenging assumptions that collaborative decision-making impedes crisis response. FSO resilience emerged from the interplay between structural arrangements, resource flows, and organizational culture. The pandemic, while disruptive, also created unexpected opportunities for FSOs to expand community awareness and secure additional funding. Leaders described double-loop learning—questioning fundamental assumptions about organizational structure and nonprofit norms—as essential to maintaining mission alignment. This research contributes to the organizational resilience literature by providing the first known empirical study of FSO resilience while offering practical insights for organizational leaders navigating environmental turbulence. As climate change, political instability, and economic precarity increase, understanding how small, mission-driven organizations maintain resilience becomes increasingly important for supporting sustainable, just food systems. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu)
An Exploration of Traumatic Experiences in Adults with ADHD
Full text linkThis dissertation explored the lived experiences of psychological trauma in adults diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology, seven participants exhibiting clinically significant symptoms of psychological trauma completed semi-structured interviews to share their personal narratives. Following analysis, data was consolidated into five group experiential themes: (a) patterns of negative relationships, (b) dysfunctional family dynamics, (c) recognition of role in interpersonal conflict, (d) validation through ADHD diagnosis, and (e) ADHD and trauma as intertwined. The identified themes underscore the importance of trauma-informed clinical approaches that address relational difficulties and emotional regulation among this population, while emphasizing the therapeutic utility of diagnosis despite challenges in accurate diagnosis and confusion discussed by participants. This study contributes to current understandings of the complex interaction between psychological trauma and ADHD, and further emphasizes the need for individually tailored clinical intervention and assessment practices that integrate trauma-informed care
Promoting Collaboration in Education: Bridging the Gap Between Special and General Education Communities
Full text linkThe general purpose of this study is focused on collaboration between special education and general education communities to bolster inclusive educational practices, defining social justice, and how social justice connects with special education. The study aims to investigate the obstacles to effective collaboration, social justice implications of ineffective collaborative practices, and possible solutions of collaboration to enhance inclusive educational settings. The study uncovers how collaboration between special education and general education communities contribute to promoting an inclusive educational environment, which characteristics and key indicators categorize collaborative strategies as effective and ineffective between the two school communities. This study examines how collaboration can contribute to addressing systematic inequalities and ensuring all students, including students with differing learning needs, have access to a quality education. The research investigates the history of social justice, history of special education, and the connection between special education and social justice, which is relevant to the research topic of collaboration between special and general education teachers. Effective collaboration between special and general education communities positively influences inclusive educational practices, which leads to improved student outcomes, strengthened school support systems, and a more equitable learning environment. Through a qualitative research approach involving interviews, the research explores the perspectives and experiences of educators, administrators, and other educational professionals, which is relevant when researching collaboration efforts between two school communities. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu)
Cultivating Empathy: A Content Analysis of Empathic Themes in Best-Selling Children\u27s Books
Full text linkThis study examines the presence and nature of empathic content in best-selling children’s picture books, with a focus on developmental relevance for preschool-aged readers. Using a modified version of the iEPIC empathy coding system, 10 titles from the New York Times best-seller list were analyzed to assess the frequency and complexity of three empathy-related constructs: Emotion or State Description (ESD), Exploring Emotion or State (EES), and Empathic Understanding or Concern (EUC). Results indicate that while all books contained some empathy-related content, ESD3 (self-reflective emotional descriptions) and EUC2/EUC4 (understanding and helping others) were most prevalent, suggesting an emphasis on both intrapersonal awareness and other-directed concern. Although EES constructs were less frequent, their presence in select titles suggests that some books also engage young readers in early cognitive empathy and emotional inquiry. Importantly, several books integrated higher-level empathic behaviors, such as EUC4 and visual prosocial modeling, reinforcing themes of altruism and relational care. These findings support the use of carefully selected children’s literature as a valuable tool for empathy development, particularly when embedded within adult-facilitated reading experiences. Implications for bibliotherapy, parent-child reading practices, and early social-emotional learning interventions are discussed. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu)
Humane Education and Animal Assisted Interventions to Reduce Trauma Impacts: A Scholarly Personal Narrative
Full text linkThe burgeoning fields of trauma-informed therapy and humane education are increasingly incorporating Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI). Given the growing understanding of trauma’s impact on developing brains, implementing humane education and AAI programs, such as the one I created, is crucial. This study will detail my efforts establishing and managing this program at a small non-profit within a major metropolitan city located within the Eastern United States, an agency dedicated to preventing and treating child abuse and trauma. To support this mission, I collaborated with our Executive Director to launch an AAI and humane education program, training and partnering with two facility dogs to address trauma. Through the application of a Scholarly Personal Narrative, I will provide accounts of when the utilization of service dogs, trained to be facility dogs, have been applied as an accompaniment to Evidence Based Treatments (EBT) in the intervention of trauma. Mac and Cheese, our English Labradors, joined us as 8-week- old puppies and are approaching their two-and-a-half-year mark, the anticipated completion of their service dog training. Alongside their formal training, Mac and Cheese actively participate in our programs, where we’ve observed increased trust between therapeutic staff and clients (individuals or families), leading to improved appointment adherence and overall well-being. The goal of the program is supporting recovery and autonomy for those with trauma, strengthening caregiver protective factors, and safeguarding the well-being of both people and animals within their homes. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu)
Mirrors of the Reel: Black Women\u27s Identity in American Cinema (2009-2024)
No full textThis study investigates whether white supremacy structures, embodied in Hollywood’s predominantly white leadership, drive negative portrayals of Black women in 31 mainstream American films from 2009 to 2024. Employing a mixed-methods approach—quantitative content analysis, qualitative content analysis (QCA), and narrative methodology—I code portrayals for racism, patriarchy, heterosexism, colorism, and internalized racism, classifying them as progressive (e.g., empowered roles), regressive (e.g., subservient stereotypes), or hybrid. Guided by Critical Race Theory and intersectionality, the analysis examines narrative structures, character agency, symbolism, and dialogue to uncover intersectional patterns (e.g., race, gender, class) across three periods: 2009–2013, 2014–2018, and 2019–2024. Across these periods, cultural movements—Second Wave Feminism (1960s–1980s), Third Wave Feminism (1990s–2000s), Fourth Wave Feminism (2010s–present), #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, #OscarsSoWhite, and George Floyd protests—shape depictions, challenging or reinforcing white supremacy’s grip. By comparing initial critical reception with evolving perspectives and quantifying progressive, regressive, and hybrid classifications, the study reveals temporal shifts in representation. Illuminating how cinematic portrayals reflect or resist systemic oppressions, this work exposes white supremacy’s role in shaping Black women’s identities, offering insights into Hollywood’s evolving narrative landscape and its impact on racial and gender equity. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu/) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu)