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Perceptions: A Comparative Case Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Urban And Suburban African American Administrators, Edward E. Wilson

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Despite the research conducted on this group, African Americans continue to be underrepresented in educational leadership, particularly in districts with growing minority populations. This qualitative, narrative-based study sought to build on previous research conducted on African Americans working in education, specifically within leadership as principals. By examining the perceptions of urban and suburban African American principals, this research contributed to the understanding of an emerging need within education where many districts are becoming increasingly diverse in terms of student populations, yet still lack diversity within their leadership ranks. The purpose of this study was to be intentional in comparing the …

The Perceptions Of Post 9/11 Veteran Students Who Are Parents Regarding The Role Of Institutional Services In Bachelor Degree Completion, Alicia Marie Reddin

Educational Studies Dissertations

Currently there is a dearth in the literature surrounding the experiences of Veterans and individuals with children within higher education. The goal of this dissertation was to understand Veteran student parents’ perceptions of the ways in which their undergraduate institutions supported their completion of a bachelor’s degree. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 individuals; this dissertation analyzes the findings of the 6 participants who were both Veteran students and parents concurrently. Narratives were constructed for each participant and resulted in the identification of four intersecting themes: relationships, institutional barriers, motivators, as well as barriers and threats. Special attention was paid …

Can Free College Programs Level The Playing Field? An Exploratory Study Of Understanding Non-Economic Persistence Barriers For Low-Income Students, Alan Byrd

Dissertations

The rising cost of higher education has created substantial access and persistence barriers for low-income students. Consequently, gaps in educational attainment between low-income students and their middle- and high-income peers have continued to widen over the last few decades. Colleges and universities have taken notice of these growing disparities, and several institutions have responded by developing need-based financial aid programs to close unmet need gaps for Pell Grant recipients. These last-dollar financial aid programs have opened doors for more low-income students to attend selective institutions, but it is unclear how these programs will influence their persistence and completion rates. The …

An Exploration On Why Parents Choose Catholic Schools, Sara Giza

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

“Though Many We Are One” is one of the mottos of a Catholic school system and is the foundational statement to what Catholic school stand for in the Diocese of the Midwest (pseudonym). My dissertation explores why parents choose alternative education in a Catholic schools. Catholic schools provide the student with the guidance and the ability to grow academically, spiritually, and emotionally. I analyzed the viewpoints of parents, administrators, and pastors within selected Catholic schools in the diocese to determine if there are similar foundational statements among multiple Catholic schools or if each school stands for something entirely different. Interviews …

Leading For Excellence: Leadership Behaviors That Cultivate A High-Achieving School Environment, Kristen Belknap

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this explanatory mixed-methods study was to determine the degree of importance for the 12-step principles proposed by Harvey et al. (2014) to create a K–12 school environment that fosters high student achievement as perceived by public school elementary principals. A secondary purpose was to explore and describe the leadership strategies for implementing the 12-step principles proposed by Harvey et al. to create a K–12 school environment that fosters high student achievement as perceived by public school elementary principals.

Methodology: An explanatory mixed-methods study was completed to examine the degree of importance each of the 12 leadership …

Our Place And Power: Testimonios From Latina Senior Student Affairs Officers, Julie A. Leos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Latina leadership in higher education is more important ever. This study provides an empowering understanding of the experiences of Latina Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAOs) in higher education in the U.S. and their practices related to wielding the power and influence associated with their roles. Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) (Solorzano & Yosso, 2000), Intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1988), and Borderlands Theory (Anzaldua, 1987) served as a theoretical framework for this study and provides a basis for understanding the Latina experience from a critical perspective.

A testimonio research design was used to explore the following wonderments: (1) What meaning do Latina SSAOs …

Relationship Between Membership In Honors College And Participation In High-Impact Activities And Perceived Gains, Clara H. Ohannes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research study investigated the relationship between membership in the Honors College and senior-level students’ self-reported involvement in high-impact educational activities and their perceived gains from their college experience. This quantitative study analyzed secondary data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) collected from senior-level students in Spring 2017 at a large, four-year, public research institution in the southeast United States.

A logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relationships between the involvement in high-impact educational activities and Honors College membership. The relationship between Honors College membership and several high-impact activities were found to be significant (p<.05), which included participation in a leadership role, study abroad, research with faculty and a senior capstone experience. Since membership in Honors was found to significantly contribute to participation in four out of the six high-impact practices listed in NSSE, it could be said that generally, at the particular institution in this study, Honors students are more likely than Non-Honors students to participate in high-impact learning activities.

Then, …

Student Attitudes And Behaviors Regarding Academic Dishonesty, Kelly A. Pearson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research study investigated the relationship between students’ attitudes toward academic dishonesty and their self-reported cheating behaviors. Additionally, the study investigated the potential differences between gender and the academic variables class level and cumulative GPA and both students’ attitudes toward academic dishonesty and their self-reported cheating behaviors. This quantitative study analyzed secondary data from a Spring 2014 administration of the Academic Integrity Student Survey (AISS) to examine the attitudes and behaviors of undergraduate level students (N = 574) at a large, four-year, public, research intensive institution in West-Central Florida.

Results indicated a statistically significant correlation between students’ attitudes toward academic …

Superintendent And Public Board Of Education Members Overcoming Controversial Policy, Donna Ambrosius

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive multiple case study was to explore the actions of educational leaders when implementing policy that may be deemed controversial, through the lenses of sensemaking theory. Findings provide insight on how districts leaders are able to operate efficiently and effectively, and shows that it is essential for board members and the superintendent to adapt to the given situations, to reflect on the current setting, and to be committed to moving forward. The organization looks to the superintendent to be the educational leader, but also to be the one to provide the guidance and means to create …

Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Techniques And Former Riverside County And San Bernardino County Teachers Of The Year: A Phenomenological Study, Brian Redmond

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to determine what former County Teachers of the Year understand and describe as the methods they use for culturally responsive classroom management with respect to Brown’s Five Culturally Responsive Factors (developing personal relationships, creating caring learning communities, establishing a business-like learning environment, establishing congruent communication processes and, teaching with assertiveness and clearly stating expectations).

Methodology: This qualitative study used a phenomenological design to discover what former County Teachers of the Year do to identify and describe as the methods they use for culturally responsive classroom management with respect to Brown’s Five Culturally …

Life After Graduation: Current Seniors' Perceptions Of Alumni Engagement And Their Expectations Of The Institution Once They Graduate, Jessica Burns Fugate

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alumni participation in the life of an institution is more important now than ever before as state and federal funding continue to shrink and alumni are called on for financial support and to serve as resources for current students. Institutional leaders are hard-pressed to bring in external revenue to bridge the gap as budgets shrink to successfully balance operational costs (Barr & McClellan, 2011), which is done mostly through fundraising efforts targeted toward parents of students, alumni and often current students before they graduate to establish a culture of philanthropy. This need for external revenue increases the necessity for engaged …

Educators' Perceptions Of Students' Academic And Social Growth In A Collegiate High School Program., John Matthew Legg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to examine educators’ perceptions of high school students’ academic and social growth in a collegiate college program. Collegiate high school programs afford opportunities to minorities and the economically disadvantaged, as well as first-generation college students (Aviles-Reyes, 2007). This research used a qualitative case study framework to collect information about educators’ perceptions of the academic and social integration of students in a collegiate college program. Data were collected in phases—educator focus group interviews and individual interviews—and subsequently coded and reviewed using thematic comparative analysis. The guiding question was as follows: What are educators’ perceptions of …

An Evaluation Of The Effects Of The Hillsborough County Public Schools (Hcps) Principal Induction Program On Principal Performance, Gloria Waite

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The principal at all instructional levels holds an awesome responsibility of ensuring that students receive the instruction that they need to be successful. They are responsible for both the management of the building and their employees as well as the instruction that students receive. Interactions include working with students, teachers, parents and community members to create a positive school culture that promotes student success.

Expectations for schools are great and are measured by school grade in the state of Florida. School grades are determined by the performance of students on state assessments. The components of the school grade are updated …

How Schools Create Healthy Testing Cultures And How Principals Use Standardized Test Data To Become Leaders Of Learning, Holly A. Gurule

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Standardized tests are not new to the field of education. The problem with them seems to lie in the ways these tests are now being used as criteria for various high-stakes decisions such as teachers’ evaluations, school grades, school sanctions, and even graduation from high school with a diploma. With so many different uses for standardized tests, it is easy to see how our perception of them has become skewed.

This bounded case study of a small elementary school in a large urban district centered on shifting the focus away from looking at standardized tests as a negative, as mere …

Exploring Barriers That Higher Education Women Presidents And Chancellors Experience During The Centralized Search Process, Lori Sussman

All Theses And Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study examined emergent barriers revealed by analyzing data from job advertisements, structured survey results, and interviews with past and present women presidents and chancellors of public and private not-for-profit higher education institutions about their selection journey for these jobs. The purpose of this research was to engage women who were past and present presidents or chancellors of public or private nonprofit colleges and universities to explore their experiences with gender-bias during the president/chancellor recruitment, selection, and transition enactment. The first question was to study how gender-bias appears during the recruitment of women candidates for a higher education …

Physical Therapist Faculty Transition To Academic Leadership, Mary Ellen Vore

All Theses And Dissertations

The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) has elevated the accreditation standards for physical therapy (PT) faculty and program directors. These increased standards along with the proliferation of new physical therapy education programs and retirements of current program directors has created a nationwide program director shortage. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study identified factors that influence PT faculty in pursuing the position of program director as well as their perceptions of the responsibilities of program director. Qualified PT faculty (n=51) from accredited physical therapy education programs in the Middle Atlantic and New England regions of the United …

Nurse Educators’ Experiences With Integrated Learning Intervention Practice Systems And Learning Outcomes, Nikolaos S. Moraros

All Theses And Dissertations

Traditional learning interventions or remediation processes provided to underperforming students are often reactionary and offered too late in a course or program to be effective. These students’ knowledge gaps or learning deficiencies are not adequately addressed to effectively change his or her academic performance or learning outcomes in a timely manner. This descriptive qualitative phenomenological research study explored the lived experiences of a nursing school administrator and nurse educators who used a fully-integrated learning intervention practice system that includes proactive strategic remediation approaches at all levels in a pre-licensure vocational educational nursing program.

Purposeful sampling was used to select six …

Professional Competency Development Utilizing Emotional Intelligence In Medical Programs, Christopher Carlin

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the perceptions of physician assistant faculty about emotional intelligence. The study sought to determine PA educators’ familiarity with EI as a construct and to elicit perceived barriers in implementing EI within PA educational programs. The data were collected from a both a focus group of physician assistant faculty was convened from a university in New England and an online cross-sectional survey of randomized physician assistant faculty throughout the United States. The quantitative portion of the research investigated the perceptions faculty held about emotional intelligence. Additionally, the survey asked participants to …

Cultural Competency, Recruitment, And Retention In The International School: A Symbiotic Relationship, Daniel Mullen

All Theses And Dissertations

This study was guided by the following two research questions: (1) How do current international school leaders acculturate new faculty with a specific focus on local host country culture to encourage retention of effective teachers in the international setting? (2) What specific practices do current international leaders use to integrate host country cultural competencies in the orientation and recruitment processes to acculturate new staff? Participation took place through a REDCap online survey distributed to 442 current Academy for International School Heads (AISH) members around the world, with ninety participant responses (20%) collected. Participants were asked specific geographic and demographic background …

The Role Of School Leadership In Teacher Retention In Title 1 Schools, Latonya Wright Bolden

All Theses And Dissertations

The aim of this qualitative study was to examine the ways in which teachers’ perceptions of school leadership, particularly principals, impact the attrition and the retention of highly qualified educators. The focus of this study was the analysis of teachers’ views of the various philosophies of leadership and how the practices which stem from those philosophies affect the efficacy of the teachers. Because of the correlation between teacher retention and leadership styles, the behavioral leadership model of principals developed by Urick and Bowers (2014) was used as a conceptual framework for the study.

The findings of this research indicated that …

Principal Retention: Why Leaders Stay, Carrie Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study addressed the problem of principal retention. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influenced elementary principals to remain in the position and the factors that influenced incumbent principals to leave the elementary principalship. This qualitative case study used data from one-on-one interviews, focus group discussions, and student demographic data from the campuses represented to determine the factors that best influence retention. The sample population was 10 principals from 3 districts in Central Texas; 6 elementary school principals that continued to serve for 5 or more years and 4 incumbent principals that left the elementary …

A Black African Teacher’S Experiences In America: Examining The Lived Experiences Of A Black African Teacher Working In A Midwestern Public School, Valentine Malumbila

Dissertations

Using sociocultural theoretical approach, intersectionality of race, Critical Race Theory, and Bakhtin’s authoritative and persuasive discourse as a theoretical framework, this study explores the various diversities that I encountered as a Black African working and living in America. The diversity that I, like many other Black African immigrants in America, suffer results from culture shock due to lack of culture capital to comprehend and make sense of my surroundings. The lack of culture capital left me exposed to me some degrees of ethnic profiling, isolation and loneliness, and grieving due to loss of family and things that mattered the most …

The Influence Of Principal Leadership Behaviors On The Development Of Professional Learning Communities In Title I And Non-Title I Schools, Alicia Kingcade

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The quest to seek effective school improvement initiatives has been an ongoing challenge for schools across the country. As we continue on this search to find strategies to promote high-quality education and improve teaching and learning for all, school leaders are implementing creative approaches to enhance collaboration, learning, and results. This study examined the influence of principal leadership behaviors on the development of professional learning communities (PLC) in Title I and non-Title I schools. The study uncovered specific leadership practices and PLC structures that positively affect the development and sustainability of professional learning communities in two schools within Alexandria City …

Intrusive Advising And Retention Practices In A College Of Agriculture: A Case Study Of First-Year Student Experiences, Amanda Martin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of first-year students who experienced intrusive advising and retention initiatives in the College of Agriculture at Louisiana State University (LSU). Research participants consisted of 20 first-year students enrolled in the college in the fall of 2018. One-on-one, face-to-face interviews with first-year students were conducted to gain insight and understand student experiences with intrusive advising and retention initiatives within the College of Agriculture. College student retention and factors that contribute to understanding retention have been extensively studied (Astin, 1993; Braxton, Hirschy, & McClendon, 2004; Habley, Bloom, & Robbins, 2012; …

High School Students Activities And Learning Experiences: Students’ Views Of An Ipad Initiative, Susan E. Hess

Theses and Dissertations

With the increase of technology in classrooms today, school districts are using devices to prepare students to be literate in the digital world. Besides using computers, schools are introducing iPads as a way to give their students experiences with digital learning. One district embarked on a district-issued one-to-one iPad initiative in which every student was given an iPad to use for their academic and personal use. Despite iPads infiltrating high school classrooms, little research exists on the students’ perspectives of the use of the iPad for personal and academic use and the impact they have on student learning. In this …

Public Policy And The Sustainability Of Tanzanian Private Universities, Simon Lucas Taabu

Theses and Dissertations

There has been a surge of universities in general and private universities in particular in the last three decades throughout the world. This expansion has been unanticipated in some countries, but in others especilly in SSA expansion came as a result of public policy change. The current globalization movement can be attributed to most of the reforms taking place in higher education institutions although unique features have been observed in different contries and regions. This expansion has not been paired with resource increase and hence putting quality of education, accessibility, equality and quality issues into question. Scholars have expressed doubts …

The Value Of Interactive Multimodal Online Higher Education Classrooms: Examining The Impact Of Interactive Multimedia-Based Instructional Design (Imbid), Andrea Munro

Dissertations

Purpose: Despite their affordability and convenience, online courses have higher student failure and dropout rates than ground based-courses. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative single-case study was to determine if there is a difference between interactive, multimedia-based online instruction and traditional text-based online instruction as it relates to the level of student performance, engagement, and satisfaction in higher education.

Methodology: This quantitative research design used inferential statistics to analyze the research questions. The researcher selected 13 text-based courses that were redesigned to become interactive, multimedia-based courses. Archival student performance, engagement, and satisfaction data was abstracted from both the text-based and …

Exploring The Relationship Between Members Of Lifelong Learning Institutes And Host Institutions, Jon Charles Neidy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between an individual’s involvement in Lifelong Learning Institutes (LLIs) and his or her propensity for philanthropic giving to the institute or its hosting college or university. The dataset was acquired through a survey administered to eleven Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLIs) in the United States. Data analysis was conducted on seven research questions which explored how the length, type, and frequency of participation, as well as the level satisfaction, commitment, and feelings of community may relate to an LLI participant’s inclination to donate. The findings of this study reveal these …

Leading Organizational Change: A Qualitative Examination Of Experiences Of Traditional Public School Principals, Nikeshia Leatherwood

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The Every Student Succeeds Act has set the course for new accountability measures for school and system leaders. How principals lead organizational change might be key to the success their schools experience and the achievement results of their students. This phenomenological study examined the professional experiences, leadership trainings, and strategic initiatives of traditional public school principals who led organizational change efforts that resulted in two academic rating increases within a three-year period. Five principals, representing elementary and high school, were interviewed to collect data on their experiences of leading successful organizational change. Using Moustakas’ (1994) phenomenological method, rigor was established …

Best Practices Of Team Cohesion In Small Schools, Patricia Jean Shaw

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

This study investigates the best practices of team cohesion in small schools. The conclusions from the study assist future educational leaders with using best practices to influence team cohesion within school settings that have small groups of staff. If faculty can achieve team cohesion, goals can be achieved and success can be attained. Research for large organizations and team cohesion is documented; however, this study fills a gap in research by focusing on small schools. The study’s conclusions help prove that small schools benefit from team cohesion and outline the best practices for reaching team cohesion. This study is a …