Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Selected Variables On The Motivation And Attitudes Of Urban Secondary School Students In Large Metropolitan School District., San Juanita Garza-Perez

Dissertations (Pre-2016)

None

A Comparative Analysis Of Scientific Research Administrators Leadership Practices In Public And Private Universities, Amin Muhammad

Dissertations (Pre-2016)

None

An Advocacy Coalition Approach To A Study Of The Politics Of Education In Tennessee, Patricia Ehle Ceperley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This was an instrumental case study that examined the extent to which the politics of education in Tennessee that resulted in the passage of the Education Improvement Act of 1992 and related tax increases conformed to the assumptions of the Advocacy Coalition Framework as articulated by Sabatier. The framework viewed education policy change as the result of the interaction of (a) competing advocacy coalitions within a policy subsystem over a decade or more, (b) changes that are external to the policy subsystem, and the (c) effects of stable system parameters.

The researcher used a snowballing technique to identify 12 key …

The Relationship Between The Method Of Selection And Length Of Service Of Department Chairs And Degree Of Subordinate Faculty Support, P. Michael Ditchen

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The preparation of individuals that assume the role of department chair is a critical challenge facing administrators of institutions of higher education (Gmelch & Houchen; 1994). Department chairs assume the position without leadership training, without administrative experience, without clear understanding of the role, and without an awareness of the personal cost of the position (Gmelch & Houchen; 1994). Much of the literature pertaining to the department chair is derived from speeches, journal articles and how-to books and is anecdotal in nature (Creswell, Wheeler, Seagren, Egly, & Beyer, 1990; Gmelch, Burns, Carroll, Harris & Wentz; 1992; Gmelch, Carroll, Seedorf & Wentz, …

Critical Decision Making Skills Of Postgraduate Respiratory Care Personnel, Leisa Kay Bowden

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The researcher of the study became interested in critical decision making skills while working with Respiratory Care post graduates. The researcher of the study noticed through observation a deficiency in critical thinking skills, reasoning abilities and decision making skills of recent post graduate Respiratory personnel. These weaknesses impacted a deterioration in interdepartmental communications and most importantly a deterioration in the quality of patient care. The problem of this study is to determine the effects of critical decision making skills in the College of West Virginia’s 1995 Respiratory Care class as compared to the College of West Virginia’s 1994 Respiratory Care …

Issues Of Power And Centrality In United Methodist Ministers' Occupational Activities: Implications For Professional Education, Richard Bruce Osmann

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The purpose of this interview based qualitative study was to explore the influence that a plurality of social contexts, represented through United Methodist congregations in the Virginia Conference, have on the formation of ministers' occupational activities.;The study used a typology developed by Larry Blazer (1987) to identify the occupational activities practiced by parish ministers. The investigation weighted clergy's professional practice using Judith Hackman's (1985) concepts of power and centrality in her study institutions of higher education's budgeting process. Congregational representatives identified occupational activities that were central and peripheral to their congregation's mission. Clergy identified the occupational activities that received more …

"Mattering" Doesn't Matter: An Analysis Of Adult Undergraduate Persistence Patterns, Terri Laskey Fauber

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

A steady rise in the number of nontraditional students combined with high attrition has raised questions about whether postsecondary institutions have been effective in creating environments that facilitate adult student success. This concern led to the current study which investigates whether adult undergraduate perceptions of environmental support and responsiveness to student needs affects persistence patterns.;Tinto's (1993) Academic and Social Integration Model and Schlossberg, Lynch, and Chickerings' (1989) ecological perspective have guided this study. Students' perceptions play a critical role in their willingness to become engaged or involved in the educational environment and therefore affect persistence. Schlossberg, Lasalle, and Golecs' (1990) …