Completed Theses
The following are theses that our PhD students have completed from 1999 to the present. To access a particular thesis through the Memorial University Research Repository, click on its title.
2023
Thalia Anderen
Thesis Title: The Rise of Wildfires in Academia: A Descriptive Phenomenological Analysis of Student-initiated Confrontation as Experienced by Social Work Educators
Supervisor: Dr. Catherine de Boer
Examiners: Dr. Jennifer Hedges (University of Manitoba), Dr. Gail Wideman, Dr. Paul Banahene Adjei
Siham Elkassem
Thesis Title: Muslim Youth Experiences in a Visceral Islamophobia and Anti-muslim Racism Context
Supervisor: Dr. Sobia Shaheen Shaikh
Examiners: Dr. Mehmoona Moosa-Mitha (University of Victoria), Dr. Olubunmi Basirat Oyewuwo (Northeastern Illinois University), Dr. Paul Issahaku
Marva J. Ferguson
Thesis Title: “Strangers in the New Homeland”: The Personal Stories of Jamaican Canadian Adults who Migrated to Canada as Children
Supervisor: Dr. Paul Banahene Adjei
Examiners: Dr. Michael Baffoe (University of Manitoba), Dr. Gail Wideman, Dr. Laura Pacheco
Sulemana Fuseini
Thesis Title: Between the Rock and Hard Places: How Child Welfare Workers in St. John’s Newfoundland Navigate Competing Demands at Work
Supervisor: Dr. Paul Banahene Adjei
Examiners: Dr. Funke Oba (Toronto Metropolitan University), Dr. Magnus Mfoafo-M'Carthy (Wilfred Laurier University), Dr. Laura Pacheco, Dr. Kathleen (Kathy) de Jong
2022
Fred Andersen
Thesis Title: Indigenizing Social Work education: pedagogical implications for Bachelor of Social Work programs in Atlantic Canada
Supervisor: Dr. Paul Banahene Adjei
Examiners: Dr. Kathleen (Kathy) de Jong, Dr. Christopher Smith, Dr. Mavis Dako-Gyeke (University of Ghana)
2019
Lorraine Frances Clarke
Thesis Title: Managing Tensions: Understanding Experiences of Climate Change in Atlantic Canada through a Somatic Artist-researcher Practice
Supervisor: Dr. Bren LeFrançois
2018
Isabel Lanteigne
Thesis Title: The International Field Placement Experience: A Continuous Process with Learning Moments and Outcomes
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Dominique Mercure (Laurentian University), Dr. Paul Banahene Adjei, Dr. Shelly Birnie-Lefcovitch
Debashis Dutta
Convocation: Jun-18
Thesis Title: It’s the Same Rain: Using the Interpretative Phenomenelogical Approach to Explore Parenting Experiences of Bengali Speaking Immigrants to Canada
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. John Graham (University of BC), Dr. Gail Wideman, Dr. Sulaimon Giwa
2017
Jason Albert
Convocation: Oct-17
Thesis Title: Indigenous Social Work Administration
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Glen Schmidt (School of SW of Northern BC), Dr. Heather Hair, Dr. Sylvia Moore
Christiana MacDougall Fleming
Convocation: May-17
Thesis Title: A Social Work Exploration of Distress in Childbirth
Supervisor: Dr. Heather Hair
Examiners: Dr. Gina Wong (Athabasca University), Dr. Gail Wideman, Dr. Sonja Boon
Ruth Parsons
Convocation: May-17
Thesis Title: Identifying Therapeutic Change Processes in the Treatment of Complex Trauma
Supervisor: Dr. Dennis Kimberley
Examiners: Dr. Alan McLuckie (University of Calgary), Dr. Mike Devine, Dr. Kathy Sitter
2016
Lynn Barry
Convocation: Oct-16
Thesis Title: Social workers’ knowledge of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD): Implications for assessment practices with mothers
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein, Dr. Leslie Bella
Examiners: Dr. Dennis Kimberley, Dr. Kathleen Sitter, Dr. Pam Miller (University of Victoria)
2015
Elizabeth Patterson Roe
Convocation: Oct-15
Thesis Title: Exploring the influence of international social work practicums on career choices and practice approaches
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Rebecca Davis, (Rutgers University, NJ), Dr. Donna Hardy-Cox, Dr. Delores Mullings
Derek Chechak
Convocation: May-15
Thesis Title: Professional dissonance as a predictor of job dissatisfaction and psychological distress among social work professionals: A cumulative risk model
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Ross Klein, Dr. Mike Devine, Dr. Stephen Ellenbogen, Dr. Melissa Floyd-Pickard (University of North Carolina)
Sheri M. McConnell
Convocation: May-15
Thesis Title: What happens after children tell? A qualitative analysis of narratives of women who as children disclosed intra-familial sexual abuse
Supervisor: Dr. Ken Barter
Examiners: Dr. Ramona Alaggia (University of Toronto), Dr. Shelly Birnie-Lefcovitch, Dr. Brenda LeFrancois
2014
Christina Harrington
Convocation: Oct-14
Thesis Title: Living with the loss of Canada’s fallen soldiers: A qualitative study of family members’ experiences following deaths in combat
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Elizabeth Dow (University of Fraser Valley, BC), Dr. Dennis Kimberley, Dr. Michelle Sullivan
2013
Linda L. Fehr
Convocation: Oct-13
Thesis Title: The meaning of social justice to social work students
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Carolyn Campbell (Dalhousie University), Dr. Mike Devine, Dr. Ken Barter
Carole R. Mayer
Convocation: Oct-13
Thesis Title: Younger women’s experiences with distress at time of breast biopsy and diagnosis
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Jon Church, Dr. Shirley Solberg, Dr. Julianne Oktay (University of Maryland)
2011
Susan Hillock
Convocation: May-11
Thesis Title: Conceptualizing oppression – resistance narratives for social work
Supervisor: Dr. Donna Hardy-Cox
Examiners: Dr. Donna Hardy-Cox, Dr. David Gil, Dr. Ben Carniol
Raymond Neckoway
Convocation: Oct-11
Thesis Title: The role of culture in parenting: Some Ojibway parents’ perspectives
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Ross Klein, Dr. Dennis Kimberley, Dr. Ken Barter, Dr. Leslie Bella, Dr. Norm Garlie
2010
Gail Wideman
Convocation: Oct-10
Thesis Title: Strengthening rural social work practice with older persons: the relevance of intermediate resources in one Newfoundland community
Supervisor: Dr. Leslie Bella
Examiners: Dr. Patricia MacKenzie (University of Victoria), Dr. Mike Devine, Dr. Ken Barter
2009
Gail Zuk
Convocation: May-09
Thesis Title: Honoring the subjective: an exploration of the self-reflexive portfolio in social work education
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Sharon Taylor, Dr. Linda Turner (St. Thomas University), Dr. Donna Hardy-Cox
John Francis Ostrander
Convocation: May-09
Thesis Title: Self-determination meanings in concurrent disorders treatment and recovery experiences: A qualitative study
Supervisor: Dr. Dennis Kimberley, Dr. Tracey Swan, Dr. John McDonald
Examiners: Dr. Dennis Kimberley, Dr. John McDonald, Dr. Ken Barter, Dr. Nancy Sullivan, Dr. George Hurley
2008
Bernadette Gallagher
Convocation: Oct-08
Thesis Title: Adjusting the lens: Parents create change in Ontario’s child protection system
Supervisor: Dr. Ken Barter
Examiners: Dr. Faye Murrin, Prof. Rosamund Thorpe (James Cook University, Australia), Dr. Mike Devine, Dr. Dennis Kimberley
Eveline J. Milliken
Convocation: May-08
Thesis Title: Toward cultural safety: An exploration of the concept for social work education with Canadian Aboriginal peoples
Supervisor: Dr. Joan Pennell
Examiners: Dr. Valli Kalei Kanuha, Dr. Nancy Sullivan, Dr. Janet Fitzpatrick
Karen Pollett
Convocation: May-08
Thesis Title: Social work knowledge, values, and skills: Improving services to parental caregivers of persons with developmental disabilities
Supervisor: Dr. Janet Fitzpatrick
Examiners: Dr. Charles Malsbury, Dr. Carol Baines (Ryerson University), Dr. Michelle Sullivan, Dr. William Kennedy
Suzanne McKenzie-Mohr
Convocation: May-08
Thesis Title: Out from beyond trauma: Women’s experiences of the process from rape to living well
Supervisor: Dr. Leslie Bella
Examiners: Dr. Catrina Brown (Dalhousie University), Dr. Michelle Sullivan, Dr. Morgan Gardner
Marion Isabel Brown
Convocation: May-08
Thesis Title: She hits like a girl: Contexts and constructs of femininity, use of violence and living in group homes
Supervisor: Dr. Leslie Bella
Examiners: Dr. Meda Chesney-Lind (University of Hawaii), Dr. Tracy Swan, Dr. Morgan Gardner (Education)
2007
Anna M. Scheyett
Convocation: Oct-07
Thesis Title: Clinician impact on consumer decisions regarding psychiatric advance directives
Supervisor: Dr. Shelly Bernie-Lefcovitch
Examiners: Dr. Nancy Sullivan, Dr. Dennis Kimberley, Dr. Joan Pennell, Dr. Peter Cornish
Patricia A. Robinson
Convocation: May-07
Thesis Title: Mental health research: A path to personal, interpersonal, and political change for participant researchers?
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Shelly Birnie-Lefcovitch, Dr. Janet Fitzpatrick, Dr. Mark Salzer
2006
Michael C. Devine
Convocation: Oct-06
Thesis Title: Social worker participation in organizational change: Input, impacts and commitment
Supervisor: Dr. Dennis Kimberley
Examiners: Dr. Carolyn Hurley, Dr. Roger Delaney (Lakehead University), Dr. Donna Hardy-Cox, Dr. Bruce Sheppard
Judy E. MacDonald
Convocation: Oct-06
Thesis Title: Untold stories: Women, in the helping professions, as sufferers of chronic pain (re)storying (dis)ability
Supervisor: Dr. Joan Pennell, Dr. Leslie Bella
Examiners: Dr. Tanya Titchkosky (St. Francis Xavier University), Dr. Sandra M. LeFort, Dr. Shelly Birnie-Lefcovitch
2005
David Tranter
Convocation: May-05
Thesis Title: Different than dad: A phenomenological exploration of masculine gender role strain
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Richard Jones (Marquette), Dr. Leslie Bella, Dr. Ted Hannah
2003
Claude A. Olivier
Convocation: May-04
Thesis Title: Relationships between income level and work, service use, and informal relations among people living with HIV/AIDS
Supervisor: Dr. Leslie Bella
Examiners: Dr. Neree St-Amand (University of Ottawa), Dr. Ian Bowmer, Dr. Shelly Birnie-Lefcovitch
Lena Williams-Carawan
Convocation: May-04
Thesis Title: Listening to the voices of the fishing people: How fishers make sense of their lives in today’s world
Supervisor: Dr. Joan Pennell
Examiners: Dr. Donna Lee Davis (University of South Dakota), Dr. Nancy Sullivan, Dr. Sharon Taylor
Carolyn Campbell
Convocation: Oct-03
Thesis Title: Struggling for congruency: Principles and practices of anti-oppressive social work pedagogy
Supervisor: Dr. Leslie Bella
Examiners: Dr. Nancy Sullivan, Dr. Ken Barter, Dr. Lena Dominelli (University of Southhampton, UK)
Mary L. McCarthy
Convocation: May-03
Thesis Title: The relationship between supervision and casework retention in county-based child welfare systems
Supervisor: Dr. Ken Barter
Examiners: Dr. Chet Jablonski, Dr. Stephen Burghardt (City University of NY), Dr. Leslie Bella, Dr. Helen Ball
Mary I. Armstrong
Convocation: May-03
Thesis Title: An empirical study: A model of the pathways between social support, family well-being, parenting quality, and child resilience
Supervisor: Dr. Shelly Birnie-Lefcovitch
Examiners: Dr. Carolyn Smith (University of Albany), Dr. Ross Klein, Dr. Janet Fizpatrick, Dr. Shelly Birnie-Lefcovitch
2002
Glen G. Schmidt
Convocation: Nov-02
Thesis Title: How long are you staying? Retention of social workers in Northern child welfare practice
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Alice Gaudine, Dr. Michael Kimzapf University of Calgary), Dr. JoAnne Zampa
Linda Turner
Convocation: Oct-02
Thesis Title: Dimensions of creativity in generalist social work practice: constructions and retiring practitioners
Supervisor: Dr. Ken Barter
Examiners: Dr. Anne Westhues (Wilfred Laurier), Dr. Helen Ball, Dr. Nancy Sullivan, Dr. Ken Barter
Judith M. Dunlop
Convocation: Oct-02
Thesis Title: Managerial perceptions of local collaboration: The Ontario Healthy Babies/Healthy Children example
Supervisor: Dr. Leslie Bella
Examiners:Dr. Sally Palmer, (McMaster University), Dr. Donna Hardy-Cox, Dr. Shirley Solberg, Dr. Leslie Bella
2000
Mary A. Altpeter
Convocation: Oct-00
Thesis Title: Breast cancer, cultural beliefs and rural women: Racial and age differences in intentions to seek care
Supervisor: Dr. Joan Pennell, Dr. Frank Hawkins, Dr. James Mitchell
Examiners: Dr. Abraham Ross, Dr. Lynn Videka-Sherman (University of Albany), Dr. Ken Barter, Dr. Shelly Birnie-Lefcovitch
Rosemary A. Clews
Convocation: May-00
Thesis Title: Enriching anti-racist social work curriculum – sensitizing concepts from New Brunswick
Supervisor: Dr. Leslie Bella, Dr. Joan Pennell, Dr. Leslie Brown
Examiners: Dr. Alan Whittick, Dr. Neree St-Amand, (University of Ottawa), Dr. Michael Ungar, Dr. Lan Gien
1999
Janet M. Fitzpatrick
Convocation: May-99
Thesis Title: Patient-based outcomes: Older adults’ perceptions of hospital and recovery experiences
Supervisor: Dr. William Rowe, Dr. Mary Valentich (Calgary), Dr. Christine Way
Examiners: Dr. Carolyn Pepter (McGill), Dr. Frank Hawkins, Dr. Dennis Kimberley, Dr. Elizabeth Dow