Digital Commons Network^™

A Grounded Theory Of Individualized Learning Practices In New Jersey Higher Education, Dennis William Devery

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a theory, grounded in data provided by faculty, administrators, and institutional document analysis, concerning why and how faculty and administrators at three New Jersey higher education institutions use individualized learning practices. Individualized learning practices, as defined in this study, are the actions, activities, and procedures performed by faculty and administrators at the course, program, and institutional levels that assist students as they progress through a higher education institution. The study found a variety of individualized learning practices are utilized by faculty and administrators at the course, program and institutional levels …

Executive Coaching As A Model Of Professional Development For School Superintendents, Timothy Brian Arnold Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This study is a utilization-focused program evaluation that describes the impact of an executive coaching model on the professional learning of superintendents who participated in the IASA School for Advanced Leadership (ISAL). This program evaluation is a knowledge-focused, or lessons learned-oriented, formative evaluation of the ISAL cohort program. A qualitative approach is used to describe the lived experiences of superintendents who participated in the coaching model provided through the ISAL cohort program. The results were intended to inform general practice and to provide recommendations on the use of a coaching model in the professional development of superintendents for the ISAL …

Interpersonal Leadership: The Role Of Perceived Motivation For Self-Disclosure And Self-Disclosure Appropriateness In Employee Affect For Supervisor, Caleb Barrett Malik

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has strongly supported the importance of supervisor leadership style in employee satisfaction and productivity in the workplace. Although the use of referent power is a key factor in successful leadership, little research has been conducted to identify specific communicative behaviors that enable a supervisor to establish a referent power base. Given that positive affect, specifically liking, is the basis for the enactment of referent power, this study examines the relationship between a supervisor's self-disclosure behavior and the extent to which an employee likes his or her supervisor. A sample of working professionals (N=168) was surveyed and asked to …

Illinois Teacher Evaluation Student Growth Component: A Predecision-Making Policy Analysis, Joshua Robert Olsen

Theses and Dissertations

ILLINOIS TEACHER EVALUATION STUDENT GROWTH COMPONENT:

A PREDECISION-MAKING POLICY ANALYSIS

Joshua R. Olsen

122 Pages May 2015

Public school districts in Illinois are going to face massive changes to their evaluation systems in the coming years. Thanks to the adoption of the Performance Evaluation Reform Act of 2010 and Senate Bill 7 of 2011, teacher evaluation must contain student growth as a significant factor, beginning with the 2016-2017 school year. Not only must student performance on tests become part of the evaluation of teachers, but, moreover, teacher evaluation will play a greater role in the hiring, retention, and release of …

How The Army Hispanic Access Initiative Is Helping Hispanic Students Graduate From College, Sidney S. Mendoza

Theses and Dissertations

The United States (U.S.) Army and the nation have a growing population of Hispanics. Yet Hispanics are still lagging in filling white-collar positions in the U.S. and Army. The Army has taken notice and implemented the Hispanic Access Initiative (HAI) through its Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at colleges and universities that are classified as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). It has done this in order to recruit more Hispanic Officers into its Officer Corps. This study follows seven Hispanic students and discusses their experiences with ROTC at an HSI. They faced the same issues many Hispanic students deal with when …

A Phenomenological Study Of Women In India Striving To Achieve Work-Life Balance In Finance With Competing Priorities, Linda Shahisaman

Theses and Dissertations

There is a common phrase used in India, Na Stree Swathantrayam Arhati, which translates into women not deserving independence. This ideology gives women a disadvantage at an early age in life. This study strives to strengthen the ability of women that are enduring disabilities, gender issues, and inequality in the home and work place. There has been increased research on the topic in India especially due to the increased discrimination against women in the country. Women's empowerment can be viewed as women gaining control or power over their lives and this study strived to gain that. This particular study is …

A Phenomenological Study Focused On The Lived Experiences Of Cable Television Executives Surrounding The Phenomenon Of Candor With Their Teams, Pao Lo

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation study examines how cable television executives are able to experience the phenomenon of candor with their teams. The research used a phenomenological research framework to gain an understanding of how cable executives are able to experience candor. Face to face interviews was the method and tool used to obtain the data. The cable executives were purposefully selected from the researcher’s professional network to participate. The research analyzed the data to reveal any common themes or undertones in how the phenomenon of candor is experienced. The research discovered that cable executives do experience candor and the environment to foster …

Cultural Transparency In A Virtual Work Environment, Jason Kujanen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine cultural transparency and engagement in workplaces where a majority of employees work virtually. The study was conducted with Cisco Systems, a high-technology company based in Silicon Valley, California, using an online survey and phone interviews to assess the organization’s level of cultural transparency and the factors that create an open and engaging environment. Trust was found to be a key denominator in fostering transparency and employee engagement. Virtual tools, such as instant messaging, WebEx, and telepresence, foster cultural transparency and can be powerful supports for the creation and maintenance of trust, …

What Are The Necessary Skills To Lead An Innovation Center In Saudi Arabia?, Abdulaziz Hamad Algabbaa

Theses and Dissertations

In the early 2000s, technology innovation became a strategic choice for Saudi Arabia, supported by an increasing base of start-up technology businesses and young Saudis, who are considered a potential driving force for innovation and entrepreneurial activities. Since then, technological innovation encouraged more Saudi young people to become entrepreneurs or innovators. Thus, in mid 2000s, Saudi Arabia launched many initiatives related to innovation, science, and technology, such as the establishment of innovation centers and research parks, in an effort to support developing individuals who could potentially become future entrepreneurs. The purpose of this study was to identify the top leadership …

Impact Of Leadership Style On Innovation: A Study Of Retired Military Senior Officers In Executive-Level Supervisory Roles Within The High-Technology Engineering Defense Industry, Jose Collazo

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between leadership style and past military rank, and how these might impact an organization’s innovation climate. The sample consisted of (a) retired U.S. Army senior officers currently employed as executive-level supervisors in the high-technology engineering defense industry and (b) those working under such supervisors. Two leadership styles investigated in this study are transactional and transformational, the former defined by incentive structures based on pay and promotion according to performance, and the latter defined by charisma, inspiration, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. Although these are not mutually exclusive styles, they are conceptually distinct operating modes. The …

Authentic Leadership: Demonstration Of Authentic Leader Behavior From The Perspective Of High School Wrestling Coaches In Successful Wrestling Programs, Angel Rubio

Theses and Dissertations

Authentic leadership emphasizes the role of ethics and trust a leader displays and which can be a natural and inherent part of a leader’s behavior (Robbins & Judge, 2010). Leaders who are authentic know who they are, know what they believe in and value, and behave in a way that reinforces those values and beliefs openly and candidly (2010). Authenticity is inward-focused and reflects on the behaviors that a leader believes are virtuous and true, from which they project a self-perception that is consistent with their self-concept (Sosik & Cameron, 2010). Studies within the spectrum of sports have identified that …

An Examination Of The Issues Impacting Athletic Directors At Ncaa Division I Football Bowl Series Non-Automatic Qualifying Institutions, Wayne Joshua Stickney

Theses and Dissertations

This study attempted to identify the issues confronting athletic directors at the NCAA Division I FBS membership institutions from the following athletic conferences: American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid American Conference, Mountain West Conference, and Sun Belt Conference. These conferences are considered to be non-BCS automatic qualifying conferences. Since the literature showed a lack of research on most of the issues that impact the university athletic director, this research attempted to present an enhanced perspective of the issues that the athletic director must confront in his or her career and daily life. The researcher utilized an explanatory sequential mixed methods …

Southern California Small Business Leaders And Emotional Intelligence: Exploring Perceptions Of Effect And Value In The Workplace, Steven P. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Although they represent 99.7% of all employers in the American domestic workforce, the annual failure rate of small businesses is alarming. Given this high failure rate, research is needed to better understand the characteristics of leaders who create and sustain success in small businesses. The two-part purpose of this sequential, explanatory mixed-methods study was to (a) measure the emotional intelligence of small business leaders in Southern California and (b) explore the leaders’ perceptions of the effect and value of EI in the workplace. Following the collection of quantitative data using an online version of the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence …