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Eric Kobischen recently obtained his education doctorate in organizational leadership and development at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona Submitted
LIVERMORE FALLS — Regional School Unit 73 Superintendent Scott Albert has announced that three staff members received their doctorate degrees recently.
Karen Barnes, a social worker at Spruce Mountain Primary School in Livermore, has obtained her doctorate in social work with a criminal justice specialization from Walden University. Submitted photo
Karen Barnes is a social worker at Spruce Mountain Primary School. Eric Kobischen is a special education teacher at the middle and high schools while Melissa Plourde is an occupational therapist for the district.
Barnes received her doctorate in social work with a criminal justice specialization from Walden University. She completed the coursework in two years, then spent another three completing her dissertation.
“It was most challenging for me to work full-time and complete my studies,” she said. “I have a very supportive family that was extremely helpful.
Barnes received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maine at Farmington and a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Maine at Orono.
“I focused all of my doctoral work in adolescent mental health and school safety,” she said. “I hope to leverage the PhD degree to continue to encourage multidisciplinary work among school and community providers to identify students with emotional needs and provide early intervention.”
Barnes said she found the process to be challenging, but very rewarding.
“I received support from school administration throughout the journey,” she said. “I received a full scholarship from the Barbara Solomon Foundation that enabled me to complete my studies. I am looking forward to using my degree to create social change in the areas of school safety and adolescent mental health.”
Kobischen obtained his education doctorate in organizational leadership and development at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. From start to finish, it took him four years and eight months without taking any time off from classes, he said.
“For me the most challenging thing was balancing work, family and the doctoral journey,” he said. “During the time I was working on my EdD, all three of my children were married. Even the day of the wedding I would submit papers and work for the specific class I was taking at that time.
“I did enjoy the research and the writing that was required for this program.”
Kobischen obtained a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Roberts Wesleyan College and his Masters degree from Thomas College.
He said, “The doctoral journey is one which requires focus and passion in an area that one has.
“I will be retiring from RSU 73 at the end of this year. My doctorate will allow me to teach online at a college and continue to do research on special education teachers and the attrition rate in the United States.
“My research topic was “Collaboration and the Intent to Stay, a Quantitative Correlational Study of Special Education Teachers in Maine”. This quantitative correlational study focused on five collaboration factors and the intention of special education teachers to remain in that profession.
“The results of this study will advance the current body of knowledge in the area of special education teacher retention and attrition. I will also be conducting this study in other parts of the country looking for common threads to why special education teachers often think about leaving the profession and what can be done to reduce the attrition rate.”
Plourde completed her doctorate work at Boston University obtaining a post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy. It took her three years.
Melissa Plourde, an occupational therapist in Regional School Unit 73, recently obtained her post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy from Boston University. Submitted photo
“The most challenging aspect of pursuing this degree was balancing the demands of being a mom and wife with approximately 25 hours of course work and research,” she said. “This was in addition to also working full time.”
Plourde received her Bachelor of Science in occupational therapy from the University of New Hampshire in 1998.
“The post-professional doctorate program at BU is one of the few programs that allows a student to bridge from a Bachelor of Science degree to a doctorate level degree,” she said. “Occupational therapy did not become an entry-level masters degree until early 2000.
“Boston University is ranked as the top occupational therapy program in the nation and is a globalized online program.”
Plourde added, “My research was specific to increasing the inclusive participation of children with disabilities in established recreational programs in rural Maine. As a school-based occupational therapy practitioner for the past 20 years, I identified an important shortcoming in our rural community: limited access of children with identified disabilities to participate in meaningful recreational pursuits with their non-disabled peers.
“Often, living in a rural community limits the number of available recreational choices and makes it even more challenging to find a program that is suitable for a child with a disability. I created an evidence-based program entitled EQUIP for Recreation.
“The overall aim of this program is to provide the resources and tools through a caregiver education and training consultation, designed to fit the specific context of the RSU#73 community. Occupational therapy practitioners can play an essential role in community-based health and wellness programming.
“Having created several other evidence-based programs within our district, the doctorate program allowed for me to understand and work through the process for designing and publishing research. My intent is to use this degree to publish additional research and articles to support school-based occupational therapy practice.
“Attending BU offered additional opportunities. I have guest lectured for several of the courses offered in the BU OTD program. I also was given the opportunity to author a chapter in the sixth edition of The Occupational Therapy Manager, entitled ‘Communicating Across Generations and Cultures’. This book is written specifically for supporting occupational therapy practitioners to become effective leaders across all practice areas.”
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