Digital Commons Network^™

Knowledge And Access: An Investigation Into Course Material Models At The Collegiate Level, Jonathan David Sadhoo

All Theses And Dissertations

For over 1,000 years, physical textbooks have been the primary course material tool utilized to facilitate knowledge transfer from the instructor to the student population. In current times, multiple barriers to success have emerged for the modern student of higher education, including affordability, accessibility, and quality. In addition, student engagement with the course material can be a critical factor for student achievement. Taylor & Parsons (2011) indicated that student engagement levels in the classroom are linked with overall success in the course. Within higher education, faculty and academic administrators are at the front lines, attempting to reduce and eliminate these …

A Comparative Analysis Of Tardiness Policies Of Elementary Schools, Diana J. Goodwin

All Theses And Dissertations

Previous research has shown that student tardiness has been a challenge for educators as far back as the institution of modern schooling. While there has been considerable research about student absenteeism, student tardiness remains an under researched area, particularly at the elementary school level. The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare tardiness policies across several large, urban school districts, investigate their alignment with current research about tardiness and school attendance, and explore the possible relationship between school tardiness policies and student academic achievement. The research questions for this study were: What are the major similarities and differences …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Observation, Coaching, And Feedback Cycle, Susan B. Ficke

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to investigate teachers’ perceptions, attitudes, and viewpoints of how their daily teaching may be refined after implementing feedback from the Observation Coaching Feedback Cycle (OCFC) into their daily instruction. In direct connection, this study’s purpose seeks to fill a gap in literature regarding teachers’ perceptions of the OCFC experience. Reflective Practice Theory was selected as the Conceptual Framework that guided this study. Reflective practice is essential to understand one’s actions so as to engage in a process of continuous learning. Without reflective processes, people would not amend their work (Helyer, 2015). The …

Health Science Faculty Retention At Small And Mid-Sized Sized Private Universities, Thomas Pahnke

All Theses And Dissertations

Health science faculty shortages are one factor limiting the ability of institutions of higher education (IHE) to meet healthcare workforce demands. To address this problem IHE leaders must not only recruit, but also retain faculty. Given this problem, the purpose and question of this research study was to identify personal and workplace factors that contribute to health science faculty retention at small and mid-sized private Midwestern IHEs. To explore this question, a descriptive and exploratory quantitative survey research design was used. This design specifically sought to identify incentives for continued employment, as well as disincentives that cause a faculty member …

Cultivating Leaders: Professional Development Needs Of Community College Chairs, Heidi Kirkman

All Theses And Dissertations

Higher education is currently experiencing industry changes that make good leadership even more crucial. However, most academic leaders arrive at their first leadership position with no leadership training and find the transition challenging. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to examine the lived experiences of community college chairs in relation to leadership development practices. The research questions that drive this study are (a) What competencies/skills are needed for performing the department chair role? (b) What are the professional development needs of community college department chairs? (c) What types of professional development do department chairs find most valuable? (d) What …

The Value Of Food: A Small Rural School Cafeteria Budget Case Study, Rosie Rochelle Slentz

All Theses And Dissertations

This mixed-methods case study was used to examine a small school district in a rural setting that operates a child nutrition program without encroaching on the general fund, while still serving organic, made-from-scratch meals. Current research confirms that school districts are challenged to balance the requirements of the National School Lunch Program while maintaining quality. School lunch programs, particularly small rural ones, are operating at a deficit. This researcher addressed an important gap by providing a comprehensive account of a fiscally sound cafeteria budget in a rural area for a small school, serving 150 lunches per day. In this study, …

The Influence Of Fraternity Membership On The Leadership Identity Development Of Latino Men Attending Primarily White Institutions (Pwis), Francisco M. Lugo

All Theses And Dissertations

With the projected increase in the number of Hispanic/Latino students enrolling in postsecondary institutions, there has been an increase in studies on student success that have focused more on Hispanic/Latino students attending Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). One of the key factors that emerged as an under-examined but important aspect for the success of Hispanic/Latino students has been leadership development (Lozano, 2015, p. 3). Little is known about the “leadership development, capacity, and experiences while in college” of Hispanic/Latino males (Garcia, Huerta, Ramirez, & Patrón, 2017, p. 1). Garcia et al. (2017) pointed out that “scholars have examined the leadership development …

Student Leadership Development: Accreditation Considerations For Pharmd Programs, Cyndi Porter Fraser

All Theses And Dissertations

Doctor of Pharmacy professional associations such as the American Association of Pharmacy made a call to increase early leadership development of future generations of pharmacists to better prepare them for future leadership positions. This request for change was based on information related to a shift in demographics, an aging baby boom population, retirement of current leaders, changes in pharmacy practice, and an increase of specialty areas in pharmacy. The Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) and Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) recognized this need for improving student leadership development (SLD) by incorporating it into their guidance documentation, …

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 …

Comfort And Physical Classroom Design: Using Student Voice To Inform School Leadership, Ann M. Wagner

All Theses And Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study considered the comfort of students in the secondary physical classroom, seeking ways to meet the needs of 21st Century learners and to provide an equitable environment for all learners. A student survey was conducted on elements of the physical classroom space and interviews were conducted to further delve into student comfort in the classroom. As part of the interviews, students drew an ideal classroom space to further share their thoughts and ideas. Interviewees and respondents articulated the need for individual space in the classroom, for temperature control, and for the reduction of noise to optimize the …

Cultivating Women College Presidents: Difference Makers, Karen (Kas) Metzler

All Theses And Dissertations

The intention of this qualitative research study is to interview women who are college presidents/chancellors at two- or four-year, public higher education institutions in California about their experiences that have contributed to where they are today. There were twenty-six (26) participants in the study.

The research questions for the study were inspired by the statistics that show the current representation of women college presidents at two and four-year, public institutions in California is greater in comparison to the national statistic. The researcher became curious as to how and why women college presidents in California were thriving in a system that, …

The Impact Of Leadership Development Programming On The Career Pathways Of Females In Higher Education, Kathleen G. Shultz

All Theses And Dissertations

In an era of women running fortune 500 companies and holding some of the highest political offices, there is no denying that progress has been made in addressing gender diversity in leadership. In the 21st Century there is still a considerable gap in the representation of females in high level leadership positions across all major industries, illustrating that there is still considerable work still left to be done. Higher education is entering a time when a significant number of presidents will be retiring, offering an unprecedented number of vacancies in these and other executive level leadership positions. Understanding these circumstances, …

An Evaluation Of Lead Turnaround Partners’ Services In Virginia, Tamara A. Sterling

All Theses And Dissertations

School reform in K–12 education has experienced a cycle of changes that requires the implementation of stringent mandates for increased student achievement and sanctions for school divisions not meeting the required benchmarks. The purpose of this study is to identify school-based services that Lead Turnaround Partners (LTPs) provided to priority elementary schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia relative to the improvement, if any, of third through fifth grade students’ Standard of Learning (SOL) reading assessment scores. The study utilized a systematic review approach to data collection that will analyze Lead Turnaround Partners’ Scope of Work, Quarterly Reports, and Standards of …

The Lived Experiences Of Clinical Adjunct Dental Hygiene Faculty, Susan Lori Vogell

All Theses And Dissertations

Clinical education is an integral part of a dental hygiene student’s education. Clinical adjunct dental hygiene faculty primarily teach in the clinical setting. Clinical adjunct dental hygiene faculty are often hired for their clinical expertise and may lack teaching experience. The transition from clinical practice to academia raises concern about the adequacy of support and preparation clinical adjunct faculty receive as they begin their new role as educators. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis was to explore clinical adjunct dental hygiene faculty members’ experiences of preparedness as they transitioned from clinical expert to novice educator. Six clinical adjunct dental …

Integrated Student Services: Exploring Integration On Community College Student Success, Charles Michael Scheetz

All Theses And Dissertations

Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) have become like hospitals where there are multiple offices in centralized locations. One of the areas that need further study is how to integrate these services effectively and efficiently to service students. Healthcare has developed the triage model and IHEs are starting to bring this model into the educational settings. This qualitative study of a community college’s integrated student service model reviewed the impact of the model on student success of a specific student population. The overall problem was a lack of data about the impact of integrated student services on specific student population success. …

The Potential Of Rethinking The Teacher Observation And Evaluation Model, Cheryl L. Lang

All Theses And Dissertations

Today, across the United States of America, ongoing efforts are underway to transform the teacher evaluation system into a useful and manageable tool for improving teaching and learning in the classrooms. Currently, school districts in Maine are required to implement teacher observation and evaluation systems as a method of improving instructional practices in the classrooms. According to Mezirow’s adult learning theory, adults learn best when the learning fits into their frame of reference that has been long cultivated through maturity into adulthood, and they become invested in what they are learning. School districts have an opportunity to make teacher observations …

Supporting Educator Professional Growth In Times Of Change, Amanda M. Doyle

All Theses And Dissertations

This action research cross-case comparison study is set at an independent school in Maine which serves approximately 1,600 students in grades 6-12. Recently, the administrative team of the school articulated an academic strategic plan focused on increasing student achievement as measured by standardized test scores. The changes created a challenge because administrators raised expectations and accountability of staff members with respect to professional performance. The current climate in the institution presents an opportunity to provide a sense of direction and support for faculty through thoughtful leadership and professional development (PD) programming to support their progress on meeting the goals set …

An Evidence-Based Faculty Development Program For Online Teaching In Higher Education, Ruth Chisum

All Theses And Dissertations

A critical component in the successful implementation of online education hinges on providing faculty development opportunities that promote the utilization of pedagogical best practices in online teaching. While such training programs are on the rise, institutions are no closer to a universal consensus on how to design and evaluate such efforts. Historically, the success of faculty development programs has been measured via post-completion satisfaction surveys, attendance counts, and faculty perceptions of the usefulness of the content immediately following a training event. However, such metrics rarely provide an accurate measurement of the true efficacy of training, which in the context of …

The Impact Of Community College Adminstration Leadership Styles On Morale And Productivity In Higher Education, Melissa Ann Croteau

All Theses And Dissertations

This dissertation examines the impact of different leadership styles of community college administrators that faculty and staff experience and how they can affect satisfaction and morale within the community college system. There is an increasing recognition that higher education institutions require effective leadership and there is a continuing need to examine what types of leadership styles are more likely to produce favorable outcomes so that faculty and staff will have increased job satisfaction and overall positive morale. A qualitative research study was done by using a focus group addressing leadership styles, morale, and job satisfaction directed to a small group …

Training And Supervision Of Paraprofessionals In Special Education: A Qualitative Case Study, Catherine D. Stieg

All Theses And Dissertations

Researchers have identified educator concerns about inadequate paraprofessional training and supervision in PK-12 schools. Studies also show special educators are not adequately prepared to train and supervise the paraprofessionals. Additionally, the voices of special educators and paraprofessionals are narrowly represented in the literature. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to document the most effective methods of training and supervision, as perceived by special educators and paraprofessionals in the case study school district. This qualitative case study included two surveys which incorporated the Paraeducator Common Core Guidelines (PCCG) (CEC, 2015) and the concepts of adult learning by Drago-Severson (2015). The …

Policies And Procedures Perceived By School Leaders To Reduce Truancy In A Public Charter School, Alix Desulme

All Theses And Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the causes of student truancy and the policies and procedures established by one public charter school to reduce truancy. Eight participants were asked to discuss the policies and procedures of their school, CSS, and how they as school leaders contributed to the success of the school regarding low truancy rates. Student truancy has become a major concern in the United States with some states and some counties experiencing higher truancy rates than others. This study aimed to understand leaders’ perceptions of the effectiveness of truancy policies at their school. To understand what factors affected truancy at …

The Effects Of The Dallas Independent School District Code Of Conduct On Lgbtq Young Adults Of Color, Antoinette Mcintosh

All Theses And Dissertations

This study explored the past lived experiences of LGBTQ young adults of color (ages 23-28) who were affected by the DISD Student Code of Conduct while attending high school. This study sought to discover the experiences, behaviors, and expectations that LGBTQ youth of color had in relation to the DISD Code of Conduct. This study used a qualitative phenomenological method with data collected from purposeful sampling of six LGBTQ young adults of color who attended DISD high schools and were suspended and/or expelled due to the zero tolerance nature of the student code of conduct. Inductive reasoning was used as …

Investigation Of The Relationship Between Orientation And Persistence, Kellie A. Ziemak

All Theses And Dissertations

This study sought to understand persistence from a student’s perspective. In the past, student success courses were able to provide students with the opportunity to learn the college-readiness skills essential to student persistence. Developmental education reform in Florida has restructured course requirements, and students can now decide if they want to enroll in a student success course. This leaves colleges exploring alternatives to assist students in gaining the skills they need to be successful in college. This study used Tinto’s student integration theory as a conceptual framework to determine if students thought orientation helped them integrate both socially and academically …

Decision-Making And Ethics: A Study Of Massachusetts Superintendents, Maryann Perry

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the basis on which superintendents made decisions to see if they were using the four ethical frameworks of the multiple ethical paradigms to guide their decision-making. The primary purpose was to comprehend, as portrayed by Shapiro and Stefkovich (2016), which moral frameworks (i.e., justice, care, critique, and the profession) were used, assuming any were actualized by Massachusetts superintendents in decision-making. Superintendents require methods and processes that assist them to probe, “the ethical depths of each situation that calls for a judgment” (Rebore, 2013, p. 31). For this qualitative study, the modification of …

Higher Education Mergers: Challenges Blending Organizational Culture And The Influence Of Leaders, Amy A. Maison

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore, identify, and describe the challenges two-year college administrators face when blending the organizational culture of two or more institutions as a result of an involuntary, single sector merger. This phenomenological qualitative study drew findings from interviews with 12 individuals who have experienced a merger, are currently in leadership or faculty positions, and work for the Technical College System of Georgia. Using Moustakas’s (1994) model of transcendental phenomenology and the open systems theory, the researcher sought to uncover the human experience of a higher education merger. As a result of the data analysis, …