Education Commons^™

Transforming Nursing Preceptors By Developing Emotional Intelligence, Michael Francis

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Changing the process of professionally developing nursing preceptors to meet the growing and changing needs of the nursing profession is critical. This evidence-based project leveraged an advanced preceptor education program for inclusion of basic emotional intelligence tenets and transitioning them into preceptor self-awareness, leadership recognition, and return on human capital investment. A large integrated healthcare system in Northern California identified a strategic need for preceptor development and within the system two acute care hospitals and one home health/hospice agency were selected to participate. The intervention included the development of a six-hour curriculum delivered through an interactive and innovative in-person learning …

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 …

Exploring Principals' Perceptions About Efficacy In Arizona Urban Schools Designated For The School Improvement Process, Charlotte Patterson

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Studies have determined a positive relationship exists between the self-efficacy of students and academic achievement, and teacher efficacy and student achievement. For over a decade schools have been publicly targeted for school improvement in a process with implications for efficacy. The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine if principals’ perceptions about efficacy impacted their practices leading school improvement. Principals’ responses to two research questions led this study:

1. How do principals describe their perceptions about the efficacy of their school community relative to the school improvement status, label, or rating for their school?

2. How do principals describe …

Mechanism For Leadership Development And Effectiveness: The Relationship Between Followership, Leadership, And Psychological Capital, Saurabh Gupta

Dissertations

Research supports the strategic role of a leader in improving individual and organizational performance (Day et al., 2009; Kaiser & Curphy, 2013). Developing leadership and enhancing leadership effectiveness remains at the forefront of organizational strategic plans (Day et al., 2009; Kaiser & Curphy, 2013). However, a majority of leadership development efforts fail in their purpose, which causes a leadership crisis in many organizations (Fernández-Aráoz, Roscoe, & Aramaki, 2017; Gurdjian, Halbeisen, & Lane, 2014; Kaiser & Curphy, 2013; Madanchian, Hussein, Noordin, & Taherdoost, 2017; Pfeffer, 2015; Wakefield, Abbatiello, Agarwal, Pastakia, & van Berkel, 2016). Neglecting the role of followership and using …

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 …

Examining The Perceptions Of Principals To Improve Professional Development Opportunities And Support From Central Office: A Program Evaluation, Noah Riley

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The work of Louis, Leithwood, Wahlstrom, and Anderson, (2010), Manna (2015), Leithwood and Azah (2016) validates that principals can have a powerful influence on instruction and learning in schools. Supporting principals’ growth with professional development, therefore, is critical to building principals’ competencies as instructional leaders. Although school districts are unique in internal and external conditions (e.g., educational, political, and financial); which may influence their approach to supporting principals, a useful place for all school districts to start is with an appraisal of principals’ perceptions of current support and professional development from central office; regardless of district internal and external …

Creating Conditions For A Collaborative Relationship Between Principals And Their Supervisors: A Change Initiative, Noah Riley

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Studies by Kelley and Peterson (2002), Drago-Severson, Blum-DeStefano & Asghar (2013) and other researchers, have shown that in order for principals and other building leaders to be able to demonstrate the required expectations of “new” principal standards, they must engage in ongoing supervision, evaluation, coaching, and continuous career-long professional development. These studies also suggest that school districts, in their support and development of principals’ growth in competency capacity building, are more effective when the principal supervisor works in collaboration with principals they supervise/evaluate in a trusting, mutually respectful relationship of shared accountability for improving instruction and learning. This change …

23 Illinois Administrative Code 50: Redefining The Formal School Site Observation In Principal Evaluation (A Policy Advocacy Document), Noah Riley

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This document explores how the establishment of a Principal Evaluation Steering Committee (PESC) to implement and monitor U.S. District X’s Illinois Principal Evaluation Plan (IPEP) may ensure the effectiveness of its principals as capacity builders who facilitate meaningful and productive systems change. The PESC intervention helps ensure principals and their staff is engaging in purposeful reflective practice and collegial inquiry activities and exercises designed to increase their cognitive, emotional, interpersonal, and intrapersonal capacities (Drago-Severson, Blum-DeStefano, & Asghar, 2013). This document outlines the positive and effective impacts in the contexts of educational, economic, social, political and, moral and ethical …

Principal Leaders And College And Career Readiness Programs, Inna Goretaya Polishchuk

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the intersection of high school principals and college and career readiness initiatives in five high school contexts. Because school principals are responsible for setting the vision in a school, college and career readiness initiatives have the potential to overlap significantly with the principal’s direction of the school. Moreover, studies indicate college and career readiness programs might rely on the active support of the school administrator if they are to succeed. What the school leader cares about tends to be what staff focus on; therefore, this study examines how three factors influence the effectiveness of a college and …

Interprofessional Education: How Curriculum Influences And Develops Future Healthcare Professionals, Karen Keune

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The value of higher education is a topic of great consideration and discussion, not only for current and future students, but also for legislators, educators, and employers. A college degree is more than a pathway toward advanced knowledge in a given subject; it is a component of a larger outcome beyond a diploma, it's a job. While the scale of employment opportunities appears to rise for those with a college degree, it is not enough to guarantee security for new graduates, no matter their topic of study. More than a competency in the field of study is required to prove …

Differences In Leadership Behaviors Of Principals And Success In The School Turnaround Processes, Annette Lee

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine leadership behaviors of principals associated with public elementary schools that were either in the school turnaround process or had already transitioned out of school academic turnaround from 2011 through 2016. Transformational leadership guided the study to determine whether leadership behaviors differed among leaders of schools associated with academic failure. School accountability data were initially gathered through the Louisiana Department of Education website. Academically unsuccessful schools (AUS) were identified. Schools that were deemed failing at least one time during the 2012-2016 timeframe were grouped as follows: (a) Group A consisted of two schools …

The Impact Of Male Gender Dissonance On Women’S Potential Eligibility For Advancement To The Position Of High School Principal, Kristen Lee Harris

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative, replication study was to discover what behaviors female administrators exhibit that may prompt male administrators with whom they work in California public education to demonstrate behaviors associated with gender dissonance and also to determine what impact these dissonant behaviors may have on women’s potential eligibility for advancement to the position of high school principal.

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study examined the experience of six male and six female high school principals in Riverside County, California. Purposive criterion sampling method was applied to identify participants based on delimiting criteria. The researcher collected and coded data …

Motivation To Lead: College Students' Perceptions Of Their Roles As Leaders On Campus, Jacob M. Gross

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Student leadership in college has long been studied from the perspective of the university, and more specifically, how the university supports its student leaders in hopes of enhancing institutional reputation. With this in mind, there is little attention given to the micro-level experience of college student leaders. As such, researchers are called to shift the rhetoric on student leadership away from an institutionally-driven conceptualization to a more student-focused discourse. The central aim of this study was to gather student leader perceptions of their roles as campus leaders and construct meaning behind those perceptions. This qualitative research study examined the phenomenology …

Understanding The Liberal Arts Experience: Developing Leadership Skills From Classical Education, Christina Kloch

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This descriptive case study seeks to determine how public high school students perceive the value of participating in liberal arts activities and how they believe these activities influence their academic success and future choices after their high school graduation. Participants were selected from students who participated in both a liberal arts and leadership activity at the research site during the 2018 spring semester. The eight selected participants were asked to complete an initial interview and a member checking interview. The researcher also observed each participant’s leadership activities twice. Themes emerging from the collected data included participant’s access to leadership development …

Out Of The Shadows The Matriarch Rises: A Case Study Of Women Academic Deans At A Southern, Research One Institution, Jacob Lee Vaughn

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

This study examined the experiences of women in higher education as a career as well as the challenges women face in pursuing an appointment as Dean of a college. Selected participants were interviewed to gather data from their own narratives about the experiences and challenges as current women Deans in higher education. Each participant attributed their success to family support and proper mentoring, while highlighting institutional policies acting as a form of gendered oppression. Recommendations were suggested to higher educational representatives and legislators concerning the correction of the gendered environment favoring the advancement of men into a more equitable …

A Case Study Of Students' Experiences And Nursing Educators' Leadership Practices To Facilitate Rpn To Bscn Professional Socialization, Susan L. Eldred

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This interpretive qualitative case study of nursing educators’ facilitation of bridging students’ professional socialization in support of their transition from RPN to BScN in the context of one Canadian Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) to Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing (BScN) bridging program explored: (1) how nursing educators understand bridging students’ professional socialization; (2) what leadership practices they use to facilitate professional socialization; (3) how bridging students understand these leadership practices in support of their professional socialization; and, (4) what programmatic support nursing clinical educators receive to support bridging students. Transition, professional socialization, and leadership practice constitute this study’s conceptual framework. …

Examining Group Dynamics Of High School Adminstrative [Sic] Teams: How Individual And Group Leadership Traits Foster Integration Of Ideas And Actions In Learning Organizations, Steven Brady

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the complexity of leadership teamwork and focuses on high school administration teams. These teams are complex and support multiple stakeholders throughout their educational institutions. The primary purpose of this study is to understand how high school administration teams construct strong group dynamics that foster integration of ideas and actions across a learning organization. The secondary focus is understanding leadership traits that teams and individual leaders of high school administration teams possess and how teams utilize communication to support effective leadership teams. The study analyzed high school administration teams, of three or more members, looking at the team …

Creating A Culturally Proficient El Program: An Evaluative Toolkit, Julie Krohn

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Improving achievement of English learners (ELs) requires districts to examine the effectiveness of their EL programs, a measure required by Federal Title III law. This capstone project examines how might an EL program review toolkit, including an analysis of data, policies, practices, and beliefs, shape an EL program? To answer this question, a program evaluation toolkit was created to help leaders of EL programs analyze the effectiveness of their EL programs. Leading a team of teachers through the EL program toolkit, the author and team analyzed qualitative and quantitative data, identified an area of growth, and created a vision and …

Leading Mindfully In Dynamic Times: Can A Mindfulness-Based Leadership Training And Coaching Program Increase Leadership Effectiveness?, Nina Tan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This research examined the influence of a Mindfulness-based Leadership Training and Coaching Program (MBP), in garnering three aspects of leadership effectiveness; extra employee effort, productive performance and followers’ satisfaction with leadership.

We hypothesized that mindfulness-based leadership training and coaching program can influence leaders’ frequency in adopting authentic, transformational and transactional leadership behaviors to enhance leadership effectiveness.

We tested these predictions separately on two control and intervention groups. Results suggested that the combined training and coaching mindfulness-based intervention program had predictive effects between the practice of mindful attunement of leaders’ behaviors and enhancement in leadership effectiveness, even in a short span …

Creative ‘Class’: Leading Innovation With Digital Pedagogy In Cultural And Creative Industry (Cci) Programs, Dana Morningstar

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Leaders of cultural and creative programs (CCIs) in Ontario community colleges are key to realizing potential in higher education related to digital pedagogy, creativity, industry partnerships, entrepreneurship and innovation. In this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP), the role of an academic leadership group is considered from Ontario-centric creative industry and innovation policies and college processes. The problem of practice is the gap of harmonized leadership strategy between higher education classroom practices and regional and provincial overarching educational strategy to increase innovation through digital pedagogy. Colleges have collective capacities in innovating with digital pedagogy in creative industry programs and providing graduates with …

A Systems Approach To Increasing Awareness And Coordination Of Student Retention And Completion At A Canadian College, Peter A. Mal

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

As competition for students and scarce resources increases due to political and economic pressures, awareness and coordination of student retention and completion become a critical priority for post-secondary institutions. However, despite increased attention on Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) (Black, 2010; Gottheil & Smith, 2011; Hossler & Bontrager, 2015; Wilkinson et al., 2007) and the growth of retention-focused student services in recent years, retention rates remain unchanged (Habley, Bloom, & Robbins, 2012). Post-secondary students are in the midst of a significant transition period (Tinto, 1993) and face challenges related to mental health and wellness, relationships, rigors of academic life, and personal …

Harmonies And Dissonances: The Relationship Between Values Taught And Values Experienced In Three Values-Oriented High Schools, Barbara Merson

Educational Studies Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the relationship between values taught and values experienced in three values-oriented high schools, i.e., high schools whose educational philosophy and objectives include an emphasis on specific values. The research questions focused on description of values taught and experienced within the schools, the perception of leaders and teachers about this relationship, and the theories of action developed by school leaders and teachers to enhance the relationship. Primary data sources included interviews with leaders and teachers, observations of classrooms and public spaces, and document reviews in each school. Data were analyzed both within each school and across the …

Investigating The Effectiveness Of A Community Leadership Program Based On The Experiences And Perceptions Of Alumni Participants, Sandi Wolff

Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation investigated the perceptions of alumni who participated in a civic leadership program (LP) in a large, metropolitan city with over 1.7 million residents in its local community. The program, with a 42 year-long history, had no formal data on its participants, the program, or its efficacy. The research investigated the expectations, experience, and engagement of participants over its 42-year history. To examine these concepts, the study was motivated by three research questions: (1) What is the relationship between the participants’ program satisfaction and the program elements? (2) To what extent did the program meet expectations, based on participant …

Historical Analysis Of Leadership Theory In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints And Its Educational System, Kevin D. Whitehead

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An organization’s leadership theory acts as a collection of primary guiding characteristics which influence its identity and direction. Developing leaders has always been important for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Historically, the Church has promoted leadership ideals for all its members through various aspects of its doctrine and organization. This study provides an analysis of multiple leadership texts produced by the ecclesiastical and educational wings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The study helps to reveal how Latter-day Saint leadership theory has developed over time. This study considers the unfolding of Latter-day Saint leadership …

Impact Of Student Leader Role On A Study Abroad Trip, Anna Jones

Honors Projects

This research looks specifically at a college-level course associated with the EDTL 4900: Ireland! Crossing Borders and Building Bridges study abroad program. The ideals of expeditionary learning guided the development of the course assignments and curriculum, the choice of field experiences, and the teaching styles that were utilized while abroad. The paper is an analysis based upon the experiences the student leader had while abroad taking into the duel role the student leader had while experiencing the expeditions and culture of a new country and leading a group of students through their first venture abroad. Due to the need for …

Organizational Improvement Plan, Jenny Morgan

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Within the constraints of competing ideologies; Indigenous vs Western knowledge, health service leaders committing to embedding cultural safety and humility into health care services for Indigenous peoples, and the broader change of direction laid out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015), is the overall need to improve health care services, experiences, and outcomes of Indigenous peoples. This need includes increasing the number of Indigenous peoples working at all levels and disciplines in health, and signifies the organizations responsibility to retain those employees once they enter the system. A mainstream tertiary health care centre located in Western Canada …

Minnesota Female Principals From Historically Dominated Cultures In The United States: What Are Their Perceptions Of How Ethnicity, Gender, And Race Have Impacted Their Leadership Identity?, Alejandra Estrada-Burt

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ways in which ethnicity, gender and race impact the leadership identity of women of color who self-identify as belonging to the one of the four largest racial groups in the United States. A study was conducted on leadership identity survey and intensive interviews to answer the following: “Minnesota female principals from United States historically dominated cultures: What are their perceptions of how ethnicity, gender and race have impacted their leadership identity?” Fifteen participants completed a leadership identity survey and 13 of the 15 participants completed an intensive interview. Once data was …

Promoting Teacher Retention And Increasing Job Satisfaction By Preventing Burnout In The Early Childhood Workforce, Erin Bergevin

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Burnout is a serious psychological condition characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feelings of reduced personal accomplishment (Maslach, 1982). When early childhood educators experience burnout, it undermines educational quality, puts children’s emotional development at risk, and compromises teachers’ mental health. Furthermore, burnout contributes to the alarmingly high rate of teacher turnover in the field of early childhood education. This project addresses the research question: How can early childhood program leaders learn to implement supportive strategies to promote teacher retention and increase job satisfaction? The project is comprised of a series of professional development sessions and a comprehensive resource handbook intended …

Experiences Explored Through The Prism: Out Gay And Lesbian Pathways To University Presidency, Patrick Englert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

The profile of university presidents has changed very little in the past twenty-five years, with the majority being white males (Kim & Cook, 2013). The presence of the ‘lavender ceiling’ (Friskopp & Silverstein, 1995) in higher education is evidenced in there being less than one percent of university presidents who openly identify as lesbian and gay (L&G) (Rivard, 2014). Colleges and universities continue to be largely heteronormative and struggle to create safe, supportive, and just campuses; mirroring instead the bias and microaggressions that occur outside the insulated walls of academia (Bazarsky, Morrow, & Javier, 2015; Vaccaro, 2012).

This multi-case qualitative …

Participatory Action Research Examining The Role Of Physical Activity In Mentoring For Resilience, Francesca Gable

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study examined the use of physical activity-based mentorship programs to positively influence student mental health and resilience in post-secondary institutions. The process of relationship building was observed through regularly implemented physical activity interactions over time. The purpose was to determine the ability of a physical activity-based mentorship relationship to positively influence student resilience. A participatory action research methodology was used to engage with a population of ninety undergraduate Kinesiology students (30 mentors:60 protégés) over an eight-month period. Sixty interviews and thirteen focus groups were conducted, and fifteen-hundred pages of journal reflections were consulted to further understand the relationship building …