Education Commons^™

Attitudes Of Black Secondary School Teachers Toward School Guidance In The Potchefstroom Area, South Africa, Elias H. Masibi

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study To Determine The Relationship Between Perceived Communication Practices Of Leaders And Subordinate Response To Change, Catherine L. Chevalier

Dissertations

Organizational change continues to challenge leaders as they are charged with transforming their followers from a present state to a future state. This research examined the relationship between perceived communication practices of leaders and employee response to change in a natural setting. Randomly selected employees from the research and development division of a mid-size Fortune 500 company located in the Midwest comprised the sample (N. = 110). The study was executed upon completion of a large-scale change in policy which was formally communicated according to a protocol established by senior management. The participants completed three survey instruments: (1) Communication Environment …

An Investigation Of Teachers' Beliefs Concerning Evaluation Procedures And Criteria And Their Willingness To Assume An Active Role In The Process, Terina Walker-Harvey

Dissertations

Teacher evaluation has received less than favorable reviews over the decades. Reports comment on the unsound practices, inappropriate assessment methods, and inadequate performance criteria. As a result, teachers in some cases come to view the process as ineffective and inadequate. This study hypothesized that (a) teachers who believe in evaluation hold different beliefs regarding evaluation specifics compared to those who disbelieve, (b) teachers who believe in evaluation and view professional development as the purpose for conducting evaluation hold different views regarding evaluation specifics compared to those who disbelieve and view personnel decisions as the purpose for evaluation, and (c) those …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Transformational Leadership And School Climate, Christine L. Jensen

Dissertations

The study investigated the relationship between transformational leadership and school climate in elementary schools in w est Michigan with enrollments of 200-800 students. Eighteen school districts with 294 participating teachers completed two questionnaires.

The independent variable of transformational leadership was investigated by using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire to measure teachers' perceptions of leadership factors. The dependent variable of school climate was investigated by using the Organizational Climate Descriptor Questionnaire-Revised Elementary. The questionnaire was used to determine teachers' perceptions of principal openness, teacher openness, and overall school climate.

As a result of the data analysis, the investigation supported that there was …

The Level Of Management Support Behaviors And The Effect On Participation Rates In Corporate Fitness Programs, Diane Braatz

Dissertations

Survey methods were used to evaluate the relationship between the nature and degree of management support provided to corporate fitness programs and employees' participation rates in those programs. A questionnaire requesting information about demographics, participation rates, and supportive management practices in the areas of coaching, modeling, and reinforcing, was sent to representatives of 400 companies. Completed questionnaires representing 157 organizations were returned. Across all respondents, the mean reported level of employee participation in fitness programs was 20.7%; the range was 2 to 67%. The level of employee participation was positively related to the total level of management support (i.e., combined …

Women And The Public School Superintendency: An Integrative Review Of The Dissertation Research, Carol A. Swingle

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to prepare a comprehensive summary, evaluation, and synthesis of the dissertation research conducted from 1970 to 1994 regarding women public school superintendents.

The units of study for this research synthesis were the 79 criterion-selected doctoral dissertations completed at colleges and universities in the United States between 1 970 and 1994 that utilized women public school superintendents as their sole, or primary, data set.

Data were collected relative to both the content and the quality of the selected dissertations. Data analysis was completed using the integrative research review techniques of listing factors, taking a vote, …

A Descriptive Study Of The Implementation Process For All-Day Alternate Day Kindergarten Schedules In Michigan Public Schools, Kenneth G. Drenth

Dissertations

This research project was initiated and designed to gather data on the decision making, implementation, and evaluative processes being used in Michigan schools implementing all-day alternate day kindergarten schedules.

The major issues of concern w ere an assessment of preplanning activities transpiring prior to implementation, staff development preparations, parental involvement in the decision-making process, and evaluative data collected.

Data were collected during the fall of 1994 via a questionnaire sent to 68 Michigan school districts that had implemented an all-day alternate day kindergarten. The same questionnaire was also sent to five Michigan school districts that had implemented the all-day alternate …

Teachers' Perception Of Instructional Leadership And Student Achievement, David Anspaugh

Dissertations

The focus of this study was to investigate the teachers' perceptions of the principal's leadership behaviors and how the achievement level of the students was affected. Three middle schools representing the Prairie View Public Schools were used in the study. These middle schools were Sparta Middle School, High Plain Middle School, and Middleville Middle School.

A staff survey was given to the 33 teachers in each of the buildings. The survey dealt with 18 leadership behaviors of the principal. The teachers were asked to rate the behaviors as to their importance to them and if the behaviors existed. The survey …

Participative Management And Productivity: Partners Or Adversaries?, Michael Heenan Swearingen

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine what style of management was used by different office furniture manufacturers and whether or not a participative style of management affected organizational productivity. Organizational productivity was defined by factoring together the yearly sales and the financial stability for the organization, as defined by Dun & Bradstreet.

The five hypotheses studied were:

1. The higher the educational level of the organization's management is, the more likely they are to use a participative style of management.

2. The older an organization is, the less likely they are to use a participative style of management. …

Classroom Personalities Of Effective Teachers Within A Technical College Setting, Fred Manley

Dissertations

This study used student ratings to examine relationships between instructor personality and teaching effectiveness for technical college faculty. Research was specifically conducted to address three questions: (1) what personality traits are associated with effective teaching, (2) do the personality profiles of effective teachers differ by academic area, and (3) are there personality dimensions that distinguish above average from below-average instructors.

Students enrolled in classes taught by instructors randomly selected from the accounting, computer information systems, marketing, and office occupations departments at five Wisconsin technical colleges rated their instructors on 29 personality traits and 18 teaching behaviors. Pearson product-moment correlations were …

Citizens' Attitudes Toward Baraga And L'Anse Schools Sharing Resources And Consolidation In Two Community Attitude Surveys: A Five-Year Comparison, Anni C. Gregor

Dissertations

The focus of this study was to determine the relationship between respondents' data to six replicated education questions embedded in two community attitude surveys conducted in 1988 and 1993 in Baraga County, Michigan. The six questions were proposed to determine respondents' attitudes toward Baraga and L'Anse schools' sharing of educational curriculum, extracurricular activities, school calendars, staff, transportation, and consolidation of the two school districts. Demographic data in the two studies were cited to compare respondents' personal history and other demographic data between 1988 and 1993.

In the two studies, a total of 845 randomly selected subjects responded to six questions …

The Crisis Of Perception In Education: The Scientific And Historic Evolution Of Systemic Educational Reform, Cynthia C. Phillips

Masters Theses

This study presents a literature synthesis that pertains to the evolution of systemic reform. A hermeneutic and heuristic template illuminates the historical tapestry of educational reform. Examination of the antecedents of four waves of educational reform, indicates that an impending paradigmatic shift parallels and perhaps prompts the evolution of systemic reform. The learning organization metaphor builds the synthesis for the following supposition: the history and philosophy of science drive the construction and deconstruction of mental models held by society. The crisis of perception alludes to the possibility that current mental models, established under the Newtonian paradigm, serve to motivate dysfunctional …

A Study Of The Effectiveness Of The Michigan Certified Boardmember Award (Cba) Program, Henry Bothwell Iii

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine, among Michigan certified school board members, the perceived effectiveness of the Certified Boardmember Award (CBA) program.

Four specific research questions were investigated:

1. What topics do CBA certified school board members believe to be the most important within the CBA program?

2. How do CBA certified school board members rate the quality of the CBA courses?

3. How often do CBA certified school board members use the knowledge gained from CBA courses in making decisions as members of the board of education? 4. How valuable do CBA certified school board members believe …

Learning Expectations And Learning From Problem Situations In Occupational Education, Michael Alexander Krischer

Dissertations

Employers have shown a growing interest in problem solving skill in addition to specific occupational skills (Carnevale, Gainer, and Meltzer, 1990). Learning expectations are defined as attitudes involving the self-conception of one's ability to respond to difficult situations, and learning from problem situations is defined as the ability to organize specialized knowledge so that it can be applied to a new situation. The purpose of the study was to examine relationships among these two variables and performance in a situation requiring the application of occupational knowledge under a novel set of conditions. The study was carried out at the Industrial …

Beliefs And Perceptions Of Michigan Superintendents Toward Females Advancing In The Ranks: Perspectives To Increase The Minority Pool, Dennis J. Stanek

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine potential factors which affect the advancement of females in the role of superintendent. With the research pointing to a variety of causes for the low percentage of female superintendents, the reason for this study was to make various groups in leadership positions aware of such factors.

Three research questions were studied:

1. Do practicing K-12 male superintendents in Michigan possess significantly different beliefs and perceptions toward female superintendents than do practicing female superintendents?

2. What experiences did the respondent have in working with a female superintendent?

3. What perceptions do K-12 superintendents …

A Study Of The Correlation Between Per Pupil Funding And Student Achievement In The State Of Michigan, Douglas Harold Snyder

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate if a relationship existed between per pupil funding levels and achievement levels of students in the state of Michigan. The study sought to apply objective, systematic research techniques to a question which receives much emotional, unscientific discussion. To that end, the study asked the question whether a connection existed between student achievement as measured by Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) tests and the amount of per pupil funding in the student’s school district.

In an attempt to address these concerns this study examined two sets of variables. One set represented educational effectiveness …

A Study Of The Effect Of Developmental Kindergarten Placement On Student Achievement: Issues And Other Alternatives For The "Unready" Child, Sandra F. Earley

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of developmental kindergarten placement beyond third grade and whether differences exist in levels of academic achievement between students who participated in developmental kindergarten and those who were recommended to attend but did not.

The target population of this study spanned 3 years and included 203 kindergarten eligible students in a suburban school district in mid- Michigan who were recommended to attend developmental kindergarten. The accessible population was 105 of the original 203 students.

The Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) reading and mathematics test mean scores were analyzed for both groups …

The Relationship Of Teacher Attitudes Toward Evaluation And School Building Climate, Timothy James Lowe

Dissertations

Present management theory divides teacher evaluation into two categories, summative evaluation and formative evaluation. Summative evaluation is used for administrative decision making. Formative evaluation is used for shaping the performance of teachers. Traditionally, the evaluation process has been more summative than formative. Therefore, teachers have regarded evaluation with some apprehension.

In the 1960s, Halpin and Croft suggested that the climate of a school is analogous to its personality. School climate can be defined as the perception incumbents have of the organization. Degrees of climate can be organized along a continuum ranging from closed to open. A closed climate is characterized …

Stress And Healthwellness, A Longitudinal Study, Howard Allen White

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to compare and examine the self-evaluated general health status of individuals in a five year longitudinal research study. Self-evaluations of health status have been shown to predict mortality, above and beyond the contribution to prediction made by indices based on the presence of health problems, physical disability, and biological or life-style risk factors.

The association between the stressful events of everyday living and the onset of the disease process suggests the importance of understanding the specific relationship under which stress is likely to result in illness. This research investigated the interrelationship of the different …

An Analysis Of Local Response To State Initiated School Reform Legislation: Michigan Public Act 25, A. Bruce Watson

Dissertations

Educational reform has been a topic of interest to educators, politicians and tax payers for over a century. Michigan’s educational reform legislation, Public Act 25. enacted in 1990, is a shared-responsibility model where the state and local school district share responsibility for implementing four major educational reform components. These components are, core curriculum, annual educational report, school improvement planning and accreditation.

The study was designed to answer the following two research questions. Initially, do elementary principals in Michigan public elementary schools perceive educational reform indicators and conditions to be in enough strength to allow educational reform to continue under Public …