Digital Commons Network^™

Gender Characteristics And Barriers To Community College Leadership, Joanna Mcclellan

Theses and Dissertations

Prior research has determined that there are still gender barriers that women must overcome to reach administrative positions in many employment settings. Gender barriers to leadership positions have been and continue to be a sensitive matter that must be addressed by community college administrators. This exploratory quantitative research study examined rural community college administrators’ perceptions about gender barriers and explored administrators’ perceptions about management styles based on gender. The study population included 596 community college administrators in the United States. Of those, 128 community college administrators chose to participate in this study and completed a 42-item researcher designed survey instrument …

Evaluating User Satisfaction And Perceived Quality Of Electronic Health Records In Mississippi, Dakota Chamblee

Theses and Dissertations

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) is a health information technology that has already begun to change the way healthcare providers care for patients. EHRs can potentially enhance the quality and efficiency of patient care (Simon et al., 2010); however, some research shows that EHRs do not always do so. The lack of improved efficiency and quality of care can lead to frustrated and dissatisfied users. The effects of different aspects of EHR implementation could affect user satisfaction and perceived quality of EHRs. This study investigates the how time since implementation, training, and leadership affect user satisfaction and perceived quality of the …

The Creation And Implementation Of Interprofessional Simulation Leadership Scenarios, Angeline C. Delucas

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Healthcare is in a historical state of change creating an era that requires superior leadership skills. Leaders face burgeoning challenges in a competitive environment ensconced in reform. Today’s dynamic healthcare environment demands that nurse and interprofessional leaders be astute in a variety of areas including: fiscal responsibility and accountability, organizational politics, interpersonal skills, human resources, communication, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence. Some areas such as fiscal management are considered hard skills, or skills which can be taught, while others such as conflict resolution are referred to as soft skills, or skills that are learned through experience. Though soft …

Leaders, Followers, And The Space Between: A Three Dimensional View Of Leader Attention And Decision-Making, Karen T. Macmillan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A quasi-experimental field study explores how follower voice, leader regulatory focus and leader-member exchange (LMX) affect leader attention and decision-making. The model responds to calls for more work into the interplay between leaders and followers and the effect on leadership (Avolio, 2007; Howell & Shamir, 2005), the integration of top-down and bottom-up processes that affect attention (Ocasio, 2011; Rerup, 2009); and the types, tactics, targets, and outcomes of follower voice (Morrison, 2011). Twenty-seven established leaders and their followers completed on-line instruments in a time-lagged fashion. Leaders were asked to respond to common …

Leadership Identity Development In Greek Life Organizations: Lessons Learned, Justin T. Lawhead

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on the multi-faceted process of leadership identity development through an-in dpeth analyis of the life experiences of students involved in Greek life at a mid-size researched institution in the Souther United States region. Research was conducted within the framerwork of the Leadership Identity Development (LID) model authored by Komives, Owen, Longerbem, Mainella, and Osteen (2005). Of particular interest was the degree to which the data upheld the presence of the four development influences of the LID model : 1) peer influences 2) meaningful involvement 3) reflective learning and 4) adult influence.Framed by an understanding of college student …

Gay, Straight, Or Slightly Bent? The Interaction Of Leader Sexual Orientation And Gender On Leadership Evaluations, Fred George Macoukji

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Existing research has shown that gender stereotypes regarding characteristics of men and women influence others' perceptions of their fit with organizational roles, including leadership roles (cf. Eagly & Karau, 2002). However, little research has examined stereotypes regarding other demographic characteristics (e.g., race, sexual orientation) and how they may interact with gender stereotypes to influence leadership evaluations. The current study examined whether leader gender and sexual orientation interact to influence subordinates' evaluations of leader effectiveness, likability, and boss desirability using an experimental design. In addition to examining whether leader gender and sexual orientation interacted to predict leader evaluations, the present …

Experiences And Outcomes Of Women Who Have Completed A Statewide Leadership Development Program, Dorinda Booker Rolle

Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative narrative study explored the experiences and outcomes of 12 women who completed a statewide leadership development program. The purpose of the study was to gather the stories and perceptions of the program’s outcomes of women who graduated from the Leadership Texas program between 1983 and 2008. Bandura’s (1977) social learning theory and the EvaluLEAD framework (Grove, Kibel, & Haas, 2005) were used to assist in the exploration and documentation of participants' perceived outcomes of the program within three domains, the individual, organizational, and community levels. Through one-on-one interviews, participants shared their experiences and perceived outcomes after graduating from …

Leadership Loss Within Independently-Controlled Protestant Churches: Protecting Against Leadership Turmoil And Turnover, Daniel L. Rundhaug

Dissertations

Throughout leadership research, limited focus has been given to the highest levels within independently controlled Protestant churches. Specifically, what accounts for the quality of relationship that exists between the senior pastor (recognized as the CEO of the organization) and the governing board to which he or she is responsible? This study examines the leadership relationship issue through the lens of a complementary leadership approach using Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory with transformational leadership and transactional leadership theories. In addition, several other questions were asked to identify potential other independent variables that contribute to the quality of the relationship between the two …

Managerial Behavioral Complexity And The Collegiate Registrar, Katherine Jeanette Humphreys

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Colleges often put an emphasis on the student experience and the student as a "customer" that should be courted, tracked, and understood. Yet, there are few academic studies that address the administrative roles that oversee the offices with direct student contact. All colleges have a registrar's office, or an office responsible for much of the institution's infrastructure from enrollment to graduation. Gunn & Backes (1992) point out, "In a climate where schools are competing for the best students, something as simple as making the registration system run smoothly and efficiently for the student can have major impacts, providing services that …

Perceptions Of Educational Administration Pre-Service Training By Former Illinois Superintendents Currently Serving As University Professors, Douglas Raymond Kaufman

Theses and Dissertations

PERCEPTIONS OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION PRE-SERVICE TRAINING BY FORMER ILLINOIS SUPERINTENDENTS

CURRENTLY SERVING AS UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS

Douglas R. Kaufman

179 pages December 2009

The 1983 publication of A Nation at Riskwas the start of the latest chapter in the long history and development of the public school superintendent. A Nation at Riskbrought new pressure and awareness on university programs that train school administrators coupled with suggestions on how to improve their effectiveness. This study describes many of these suggested reforms and investigates their effectiveness and rate of implementation.

This qualitative study describes the experiences and perceptions of pre-service learning …

The Role Of Spiritual Formation And Ministry Governance In Developing Mission-Oriented Governing Boards, Allen Schoonover

Doctor of Ministry

Congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have struggled over the last generation to reach out effectively to new members. This struggle is the byproduct of a changing ministry context leaders are trying to address. By the 1980s, those elements that had fueled the growth of the Lutheran Church the United States throughout the previous century had largely faded. An awareness of these changes and the corresponding decline in membership and contributions has prompted leaders to examine how to reach out more effectively to those outside traditional ethnic and cultural Lutheran enclaves. In order to improve their congregation’s effectiveness, …

Innovation In Academic Libraries During A Time Of Crisis, Dane Michael Ward

Theses and Dissertations

During a period of rapid social and technological change, academic Academic libraries and librarianship are experiencing a period of great change, or crisis, influenced by multiple factors including emerging technologies, declining budgets, and changing information. More than a transitory historical phase, these changes represents a fundamental transition between paradigms (Kuhn, 1962). Academic libraries and librarianship are moving from a paradigm focused on collections and books to a paradigm focused on learning. Within this context, innovations are new processes, services and products that facilitate this transition to the new paradigm.

Beyond this definitional work, the work serves as an exploration of …

Financial Retrenchment: A Phenomenological Study Of Two Public School Districts In One Community, John Andrew Asplund

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated how two school districts within the same community reacted to the closure of an electric generating power plant that provided approximately 45% of each district's property tax revenue.

The districts under study were chosen for two reasons: (1) They were both affected by the closure of the power plant, and (2) They exemplify the peculiar nature of Illinois public schools. Even though both districts exist in the same relatively small town and serve the same families throughout their schooling, they remain separate, yet parallel, entities.

The two districts are parallel in that the power plant was responsible …

Thinking With Arendt: Authenticity, Gender And Leadership, Rita A. Gardiner

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this dissertation, I examine the conceptual underpinnings of a new management theory called authentic leadership to discover why so little attention has been paid to gender. In much of the scholarly literature on authentic leadership, I suggest there is a failure to interrogate the complexities surrounding the concept of authenticity, especially as it relates to the diversity of lived experience. Rather than encouraging a genuine approach to leadership, this theory's normative foundation is more likely to encourage social conformity. By contrast, I suggest that Hannah Arendt's insights into uniqueness provide a different lens from which to consider how lived …

Shared Leadership In Higher Education: A Phenomenological Case-Study Of The Impact Of Shared Leadership On The Admission And Transfer Staff At A Regional Comprehensive State University, Christopher William Fox Ma

All Student Scholarship

This exploratory research project was structured as a case study which sought to analyze the impact on relevant staff members of a comprehensive public university of a shared leadership model being applied to a transfer student recruitment program.

Interactive Empathy And Leader Effectiveness: An Evaluation Of How Sensing Emotion And Responding With Empathy Influence Corporate Leader Effectiveness, Gerald Burch

Theses and Dissertations

Empathy has been shown to be a very powerful social and work ability. This study surveyed 754 employees of a privately held eastern United States company, and incorporated annual performance evaluations to empirically link interactive empathy to leader performance of 102 leaders. Data was collected from the leader’s followers, peers, and supervisors and from self-report personality evaluations. The results of this study show that leaders that are willing to engage their followers with empathic displays are seen as better leaders from their supervisors and have more engaged employees. Other contributions of this study include validation of the interactive empathy scale …

Elementary School Teachers' Perceptions Of Leadership Behavior And Job Satisfaction, Angela L. Askew

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the relationship between elementary teachers' perceptions of their principal's leadership behavior and how these perceptions relate to their job satisfaction. Perceptions were measured by the Leadership Behavior Instrument and the Job Satisfaction Survey. The respondents for the surveys worked in Southeast Tennessee and Northeast Mississippi. This study was guided by the following four questions: 1: How do elementary teachers perceive the leadership behavior of principals in the domains of human relations, trust/decision making, instructional leadership, control, and conflict; 2) To what extent to elementary teachers express satisfaction with …

What Are The Key Competencies, Qualities, And Attributes Of The African American Municipal Police Chief?, Patrick Oliver

Faculty Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to identify and understand the dimensions of leadership of those African Americans, who are effective as the chief executive officer (CEO) of a municipal law enforcement agency, and thereby to educate and inform both those aspiring to be police chiefs and those presently serving as police chiefs, particularly African Americans. Four content areas were examined to gain a better understanding of the research question: (1) Police executive leadership literature; (2) African American leadership; (3) The trait theory of leadership; (4) emotional intelligence. Study participants were all African American police chiefs with the expertise and …

Rhetorical Invention, Leadership, And Dialogue: Dorothy Day's Extemporaneous Encounters, Tracy Ann Stockwell

Dissertations (1934 -)

Dorothy Day, the co-founder and pragmatic leader of The Catholic Worker Movement, delivered extemporaneous speeches from the inception of the movement in 1933 until her death in 1980. Selected digitized, archival copies of her public discourse are analyzed for the first time through a newly developed framework for rhetorical communication and leadership entitledEncounter Rhetoric.

A hybrid model synthesizing the theory of invitational rhetoric, transformational leadership theory, and social movement theory is developed and employed to conduct a critical analysis of 17 speeches delivered by Day between 1958 and 1975. This analysis reveals the rhetorical strategies employed by Day as a …

Miguel A. Nevárez: A Life History Of Educational Leadership, Rolando Avila

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this qualitative study was to analyze Miguel A. Nevárez’s educational leadership style by focusing on his notable contributions to The University of Texas-Pan American. The researcher defined leadership style as actions by the leader. After examining Nevárez’s background to place his motivations and actions in proper context, this study analyzed what Nevárez did, how he perceived his actions, and how others perceived his actions. The life history written by the researcher was primarily based on data collected through 25 interviews; however, the researcher also utilized other available published and unpublished sources to supplement the interview data. The …

Organizational Culture Of A Non-Profit Organization: A Study Of Local Congregations Of The United Methodist Church, Alexandra Arjannikova

Communication ETDs

This dissertation applies organizational culture, identification, commitment, and leadership theories to explain how United Methodist Church (UMC) congregations (members and pastors) view the work of the local church and how it differs from the recommendations of the denomination's top leadership. I develop case studies of congregations using a triangulated- methodological framework of observations, interviews, and textual analysis, which captures the experience of leaders and members of three UMC congregations located in different geographical areas. I analyze the data from these research sites using thematic analysis that produced detailed and comprehensive narratives about each congregation. These case studies identify the values …

The Effects Of Sexual Orientation And Behavioral Style On Perceptions Of Men's Leadership Potential And Effectiveness, Kristin Elizabeth Mann

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

This study addressed a gap in the industrial-organizational psychology research by investigating perceptions of LGBTQ leaders in the workplace. Specifically, it investigated the theory that gay men and heterosexual women experience similar scrutiny and resulting discrimination when in leadership roles. Participants were 363 psychology students who evaluated an applicant for a managerial position. Participants scored the candidate’s leadership potential (hirability) and effectiveness based upon his resume, biography, and short video interview. The candidate’s sexual orientation (gay, heterosexual, control) and behavioral style (agentic/masculine, communal/feminine) were manipulated, for a resulting 2 x 3 research design. By integrating gender and leadership theories with …

Hunger, Leadership And Social Change: A Students Teaching Students Course, Catherine Gannascoli

Environmental Studies Electronic Thesis Collection

Empowering youth to be catalysts for social change and global citizens will create a world where individuals feel inspired and prepared to address the most challenging problems. Hunger is a multifaceted issue with various underlying economic and social causes, yet it is also an opportunity to mobilize and empower individuals to be agents of change. Understanding the potential of individuals to work towards sustainable, effective hunger eradication is an important tool to create widespread social change. This course critically examined the systemic causes of hunger, explored sustainable, hunger eradication methods, and empowered students to be pattern-changing social entrepreneurs. Through partnerships …

Changes In Leadership Self-Efficacy, Leader Identity, Capacity For Socially Responsible Leadership, And Curiosity Due To A Structured Leader Development Program, Lori K. Pyle

Dissertations, 2014-2019

As the study of leadership evolves, it is vital to consider adult development; specifically student leadership development. This study examined changes over time in undergraduate students’ leadership self-efficacy, leader identity, and socially responsible leadership capacity. As a component of motivation to learn, curiosity breadth and depth were included to explore how the “positive approach to new information” relates to individual leader growth. This research helps explain how leader identity fits into a student leader development model as an outcome and as a contributor to future leader identity growth and engagement with leadership tasks. A combination of longitudinal and cross-sectional designs …

The Effect Of Leadership On Job Morale For Graduate Students, Nicole Rose Terrell

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Leadership techniques have a vast effect on job morale and intentions to remain with an organization. Studies often base their inquiries on how to apply leadership strategies in a versatile, hierarchical format to situations that require astute leadership practices (Maslow, 1954), but do not assess the opinions of graduate students with some degree of workforce experience. Given the lack of research on the graduate student population with workforce experience, the current study sought to understand which leadership techniques have positive and negative impacts on their job morale and employee satisfaction utilizing a web-based survey. The following research questions were addressed: …

Mission Driven Educational Leadership--Does It Matter? Examining The Correlations Between District Mission And Student Achievement, Brett Michael Kustigian

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to look at mission driven school district leadership in Massachusetts public schools and attempt to identify any relationship, or lack thereof, between district mission statements and student achievement. In this study, 288 Massachusetts public school districts are ranked according to their 2011 high school graduation rate and their 2011 tenth grade Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) results. From the 288 districts, a sample of the top thirty and the bottom thirty were selected. All district wide mission statements were obtained from the websites of the top 30 and bottom 30 school districts with a …

Standardized Testing Of Special Education Students: A Comparison Of Service Type And Test Scores, Christine L. Hogan-Young

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program Modified Academic Achievement Standards (TCAP MAAS) achievement test scores for special education students who receive their instruction in the resource classroom or in an inclusion classroom. The study involved third, fourth, and fifth grade special education students in an east Tennessee school district. The TCAP MAAS scale scores used were from the 2011-2012 school year. An independent samples t-test was implemented in this study. The dependent variable in the study was the TCAP MAAS scaled scores. The independent variable was student placement. …

School Culture And Leadership: Teacher Perceptions Of Title I And Non-Title I Schools, Krista R. Crum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to see if teachers perceive a significant difference in school culture and leadership in Title I and non-Title I schools. Specifically, this researcher considered the possibility that teachers working in Title I schools have lower perceptions of their school’s culture and leadership than teachers working in non-Title I schools. A quantitative study was used to find the perceived differences between school culture and leadership in Title I and non-Title I schools. A quasi-experimental design was selected because preexisting data were collected on teachers in an upper East Tennessee region. The data were collected from the TELL …

Power, Likeability, And Perception: Evaluating Men And Women In High And Low Power Positions, Daria A. Bakina

Psychology - Dissertations

When asked, it is relatively easy to come up with an example of a position of high power (e.g., president) or low power (e.g., intern). One can imagine the types of tasks or behaviors each of those positions entails. The theories of social power detail how power is attained, the behaviors of individuals in power, and the consequences of those behaviors (e.g., French & Raven, 1959; Fiske & Depret, 1996; Keltner, Gruenfeld, & Anderson, 2003). Most of the studies on behaviors of high power individuals have found that no differences exist between the behaviors of high power men and women. …

Perceptions Of Middle School Principals As Instructional Leaders: A Case Study Of Two Schools, Todd J. Van Erp

Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate the perceptions of middle school teachers and principals regarding the instructional leadership behaviors of the middle school principal in two top performing Minnesota middle schools. Similarities and differences in those perceptions were explored. Multiple data collection methods were used. The Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) was used to measure the perceptions of Minnesota middle school teachers and principals in relation to the principal's instructional leadership behaviors. Interview questions were based on the ten subscales of the PIMRS survey. Interviews were conducted in both schools with the principal, randomly selected …