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Principal Leadership, Teacher Morale, And Student Achievement In Seven Schools In Mitchell County, North Carolina., Morgen A. Houchard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand and measure principal leadership practices and teacher morale as it relates to student achievement in Mitchell County at two elementary schools, four middle schools, and one high school. First, a review of the related literature attempted to define teacher morale as much as possible given that it is an ever-changing individual characteristic. Second, the researcher tried to understand teacher morale and distinguish between high and low elements and characteristics of teacher morale. Third, the researcher examined the difficult task of measuring the morale of teachers in public education today. Fourth, an attempt …

Sullivan County K-12 Administrators' Perceptions And Attitudes Regarding Harassment And The Associated Legal Liability., Janie Weaver Stapleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

All students should be guaranteed a learning environment that is free from all forms of harassment that negatively affect the school climate as well as the learning environment.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the perceptions and attitudes of Sullivan County, Tennessee, K-12 administrators regarding harassment and the associated legal liability. The study also ascertained the attitudes of the administrators pertaining to various forms of student-to-student harassment in their schools, collected data regarding their perceptions of the effectiveness of mandated anti-harassment measures, and examined administrators' attitudes toward the need for more harassment-avoidance training.

The research design was …

Leadership Practices: Perceptions Of Principals And Teachers In Sullivan County., Mary E. Rouse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the teachers in Sullivan County perceive that principals used the same leadership practices as the principals reported they use.

The researcher used the survey method of data collection in which 897 teachers were given the opportunity to participate and 576 teachers returned completed surveys (63.2%). In addition, 29 out of 29 principals participated in the research (100%). The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) (Kouzes & Posner, 2003a) was used to gather information regarding the principals' leadership practices. Principals self-reported their perception of their leadership practices, whereas teachers reported their perceptions of their …

An Analysis Of Major Facilitators To Their Success As Reported By Successful Women Administrators., Lisa Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study was designed to review the history of women in leadership and to evaluate the identified facilitators of success for women in leadership positions. Participants were asked to identify the facilitators that they considered important to their success. The facilitators were then compared to determine the most commonly occurring and the most influential among those cited by the participants. The results reflected those facilitators such as mentoring programs, training programs, as well as informal opportunities. Emotional intelligence was also examined in the context of this research.

The findings of this qualitative study yielded the facilitators of success as …

A Policy Discourse Analysis Of U.S. Land-Grant University Diversity Action Plans, Susan Van Deventer Iverson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Persistence In The Walters State Community College Associate-Degree Nursing Program., Jeffrey Tom Horner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The WSCC ADN program had 66.57% persistence rate between the years 2000-2004. This retrospective study analyzed 28 demographic, pre-clinical, and clinical variables to identify correlates for persistence within the WSCC ADN program. The population size was 730 first-time candidates or the entire population of five consecutive clinical classes graduating between the years of 2000-2004. The candidates were identified and the variables tabulated using the WSCC student information system. SPSS 13.0 software was employed to conduct descriptive, frequency, multiple regression, multivariate analysis of variance, and univariate analysis of variance tests. The criterion variables included persistence within the entire population, gender-specific persistence …

Community Coalitions: Implications For Educational Policy And Administrators, A Study Of Anderson Elementary In The Anderson Weed And Seed Neighborhood., Mary A. Rausch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2001, the Anderson Neighborhood of Bristol, Tennessee, received official recognition as a Weed and Seed site by the United States Department of Justice. This designation is provided to a local coalition of committed community members organized to “weed” out the elements that contribute to crime and delinquency in a targeted neighborhood and “seed” in strategies to build strong neighborhoods. Anderson Elementary School is a key partner in the effort and the conduit for a variety of coalition initiatives.

Through investigation of measures and surveys administered at Anderson Elementary School, the study was designed to ascertain if there were improvements …

An Analysis Of How Student Transience Is Related To Achievement Test Scores In A Northeast Tennessee Elementary School., Dixie Chapman Bowen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Few data exist that specifically examine the relationship between student transiency and achievement test scores. No concrete data exist on any of the Bristol, Tennessee, City Schools that specifically examine the relationship between student transience and achievement test scores. Few studies use quantitative measures to investigate the relationship of transiency on achievement. This study is significant because the researcher used data collected through quantitative methods to examine the impact of transience on one school.

This dissertation addressed the question, “How is achievement related to transiency?” Additional questions included: “How do nontransient first through sixth graders perform on the Terra Nova …

A Comparative Study Of The Perceptions Of Elementary School Administrators, Teachers, And Students Regarding Recess And Free Play In The Public School., Amy Bennett Banner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to recent studies, the number of schools that have severely limited or eliminated recess and free-play opportunities is on the rise across the nation. School officials cite the increasing levels of state and federal pressure to perform on standardized tests as the primary reason for this shift away from the playground. The threat of lawsuits and safety concerns are also listed as factors in this change of policy.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the perceptions of directors of schools, supervisors, principals, assistant principals, teachers, and students regarding recess and free play in three East …

Factors Associated With Successful High School Distance Education Programs., Kathy Murphy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this research project were to identify the extent to which online courses are available to high school students in Tennessee, to describe the characteristics of current online programs, to identify barriers to the implementation of online courses in school systems that are not currently offering such programs, and to offer recommendations that could facilitate implementation of these programs. The research went in two directions. A study of past and current online educational programs was completed in order to learn the nature of successful programs across the country. Then, a survey was constructed and sent to appropriate technology …

Women In Leadership Positions In Tennessee Public Schools: A Qualitative Study Of Female Directors Of Schools., Joy O'Dell Yates

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to determine the best methods for achieving key leadership roles in education. The problem was to define the qualities that are important in leadership positions and to determine how those qualities relate to the top-level positions in school systems across Tennessee.

Nineteen female directors of schools were interviewed. Directors also completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (5X-Short). Characteristics of transformational and transactional leadership styles were included in the study. Most of the directors scored high on using the transformational factors (idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration) of leadership and on using …

Georgia Female School Superintendents: Perceptions Of Isolation, Juliann Payne Alligood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The researcher's purpose in this study was to describe the perception of isolation among Georgia female school superintendents. A qualitative method was used to conduct the study. The research instrument used in conducting the study was comprised of 13 open-ended interview questions which were designed to elicit responses to the research question and subquestions. The researcher interviewed ten Georgia female school superintendents concerning their positions as female school leaders. The researcher recorded the interviews with audio tapes, had tapes transcribed by a trained transciptionist, and coded the transcripts for recurring themes and patterns. To validate her findings, the researcher enlisted …