Digital Commons Network^™

The Organizational Structures Of Instructional Design Teams In Higher Education: A Multiple Case Study, Jason Drysdale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated how organizational structures influence leadership over online learning initiatives for dedicated instructional designers in higher education. A qualitative research method was used for within-case analyses for 3 individual universities and a comparative case analysis of all 3 studied institutions. Purposive sampling was used to identify each university that participated and operated within 1 of 3 organizational structure profiles. Data were collected through document analysis and semistructured interviews with participants in 3 key roles at each institution: dedicated instructional designer, online faculty member, and online learning administrator. The organizational structure that most positively influenced the ability for dedicated …

Deindustrializing School : The Implementation Of Career Academies And Implications For School Leaders., Terra Greenwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rooted in an antiquated curriculum, the traditional model of schooling remains a persisting factor in student disengagement at all levels, but especially in high school (Labaree, 2008). At a time when college and career readiness is vital to a school’s accountability, principals must rethink ways to educate a diverse student population. Given the need to provide both academic and vocational aspects, career academies create career-themed small learning communities in an effort to increase student engagement, belonging, and post-secondary success. This study uses a multiple case study design to explore the much-needed perspective of high school principals as they collectively implemented …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Teachers’ Perceptions Of Principals’ Transformational Leadership Practices And Teacher Morale In Elementary Schools In Southern Ontario, Chinyere Saka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research seeks to find a relationship between teachers’ perceptions of principals’ transformational leadership practices and teacher morale in elementary schools. To this end, a correlational research design was conducted in this study to identify the strength and nature of the relationship between the two variables (teachers’ perceptions of principal’s transformational leadership practices and teacher morale). Two surveys were administered to elementary school teachers. The independent variable, teachers’ perceptions of principals’ transformational leadership behavior, was measured using the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI). The dependent variable was teacher morale, and the Purdue Teacher Opinionaire (PTO) was used to measure this variable. …

Paving The Way For Merleau-Ponty’S Eye And Mind In Organizational Communication Studies, Johan Bodaski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The body is a sense-based medium that creates and interprets organizations. Bodies create organization. An aesthetic theory of organizational communication reveals the significance of the body to the organization. Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy of aesthetics offers a theory of aesthetic organizational communication that is yet to be developed. Merleau-Ponty’s aesthetic essay on painting, Eye and Mind, describes the body as the medium through which painters turn the world into painting. His philosophy of painting builds bridges between aesthetics, the body, and organizational communication.

In chapter one, four theories of organizational communication are described: communication constitutes organization (CCO), text/interpreter, ventriloquism, and …

Examining The Clinical Prediction Of Cohesion In Group Psychotherapy And Potential Moderators, Ron Dolgin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Group cohesion, or the way in which group members relate and work toward the primary task of a therapy group, is a predictor for positive outcome in group psychotherapy and the building block for most group development models. Research has shown that interventions are most effective when tailored for the developmental stage of the group (Burlingame, Fuhriman, & Johnson, 2001). Logic follows that if best practice dictates that interventions be implemented based on developmental stage which, in turn, is largely informed by group cohesion, then group leaders should be competent in accurately assessing the cohesion of the group. To date, …

The Implementation And Evaluation Of An Athlete Leadership Development Program With Male Older Youth Hockey Players, Matthieu Boisvert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to implement and evaluate a leadership development program that targets the enhancement of athlete leadership behaviours, cohesion, and collective efficacy. The sample comprised of 14 male major midget hockey players (M = 16.46, SD = 0.78) from one team competing in the Bluewater Hockey League during the 2017-2018 season. Players participated in six leadership development workshops over the course of the season. The results indicated no significant mean changes at post-intervention for athlete leadership behaviours, cohesion, and collective efficacy. A focus group interview conducted with the team’s leadership core (i.e., captain and 3 …

Exploring Scholar--Practitioner Leadership: Superintendents' Application Of Theory To Practice In Texas Public School Districts, Michael D. Jones 6674845

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study was designed to investigate the methods of practice employed by Texas school superintendents who have completed a doctoral program centered on scholar–practitioner leadership. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe how serving superintendents apply their prior learning and knowledge to the articulation and translation of their district’s mission/vision. The study described how six serving superintendents translate theory to practice by inquiring how each participant articulates the district’s mission/vision. Through the analysis of face-to-face interviews, phone conversations, emails, and informal observations recorded in a researcher’s journal, four common elements of scholar–practitioner leadership practice were …

Leadership Practices In Similar Schools With Varying Primary Grade Reading Outcomes: A Comparative Multiple-Case Study, Jacqueline M. Cuthill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students who are below grade level before they leave third grade are less likely to graduate. A large number of schools are failing to increase student achievement in reading, especially for students of color and those who are economically disadvantaged. Leadership can influence student achievement; however, literature lacks specifics about leadership practices that could help school leaders improve student outcomes. This multiple-case study explores the leadership practices in three similar elementary schools with varying primary grade reading outcomes and contributes details about the leadership functions of Setting Direction, Developing People and Redesigning the Organization (Leithwood, Seashore, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004). …

The Relationship Between The Perceived Implementation Of Green's Four-Dimensional Model Of Educational Leadership And Students' Proficiency In Basic Skills, Josie Currie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate relationships between elementary-level educators perceptions of their schools implementation of Greens four-dimensional model of educational leadership and the percentage of students proficient in Language Arts and in Mathematics, averaged over three years. Represented by responses to twenty items selected from the 2013 state-wide administration of the Teaching, Empowering, Leading, and Learning survey in Tennessee (TELL Tennessee), school-level means at 1,187 elementary schools were obtained for each of four five-item scales that were intended to measure each dimension of Greens model. Along with a grand mean computed across all twenty items and denoting …

No “I” In Team: A Sport Communication Ethnography Of Cohesion And Leadership Of A Collegiate Track And Field Team, Dean Stier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Based on an ethnographic method of observation and ethnographic interviews, this study examined naturally-occurring nonverbal communication and sport communication of a collegiate track and field team. The researcher conducted twentyfour hours of observations and ethnographic interviews with seven research participants (n=7). These approaches provided insight into communicative characteristics of cohesion and leadership, two main conditions of the groupthink theory. An analysis of the observational field notes and ethnographic interviews mostly supported prior research on cohesion and leadership. However, emergent themes are offered, which provide insight into gender communication, sport communication, and small group communication within this setting. A discussion of …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Teacher Perception Of Greens Four-Dimensional Model Of Principal Leadership And The Academic Achievement Of Secondary Students, Stephanie Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between student achievement assessed longitudinally in terms of ACT composite scores and state-mandated tests of proficiency and the perceived extent to which high schools have implemented Greens four-dimensional model of educational leadership.Four scales with five items each were used to measure each dimension of Greens model. The items for each dimension originated as responses to twenty items on the 2013 administration of the Teaching, Empowering, Leading, and Learning survey in Tennessee (TELL Tennessee). School-level means at 248 high schools were found for each scale that was proposed to measure each …

The Relationship Between Middle School Lexile Growth And School Nutrition, Lori A. Joiner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Children in poverty tend to have malnutrition and iron deficiency, and often receive their only meals for the day from a school nutrition program. Students of poverty are underperforming their academic peers. The average reading score of a student can be predicted by the accumulated levels of childhood poverty. Research has found that iron can have a positive impact on brain health. Nutrition deficiencies during the adolescent years may increase the risk of decreased cognitive function. School breakfast and lunch programs follow USDA guideline that limit portions, fats, salts, and sugars, but do not fortify vitamin and minerals necessary …