Education Commons^™

Mindfully Organizing Collective Teacher Efficacy: A Case Study Of Efficacious Educator Teams, Bruce "B.C." Preston

All Theses And Dissertations

Collective teacher efficacy (CTE) has well documented positive effects on student outcomes (Goddard et al., 2017), teacher job satisfaction (Buonomo et al., 2020), and educator persistence (Guidetti et al., 2018) in the face of challenging tasks. Characterized by the collective belief in the group’s capability to successfully accomplish tasks associated with their professional practice (Donohoo, 2018), what influences group efficacy belief formation remains an underdeveloped area of academic and practical understanding (Tschannen-Moran et al., 2014). To better understand the influences that shape CTE beliefs, and how those influences contribute to the known sources of CTE, a multiple–case study design was …

The Perceptions Of School Psychologists Regarding The Disproportionality In Special Education For Students Of Color: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Jessica Ann Marshall

All Theses And Dissertations

Racial disproportionality in special education has been a problem of practice since Dunn called attention to it in 1968. Research has demonstrated the adverse effects on students including stigma, labeling, reduced access to high-quality educational opportunities, restrictive settings, and lower expectations and educational outcomes. Little research on disproportionality has examined how individual characteristics and societal factors intersect with specific school variables and contexts. Using disability critical race theory as a lens for exploration, this qualitative phenomenological study examined the phenomenon of disproportionality situated within a specific context to uncover how local factors may contribute to the incidence of disproportionality. Seven …

How Canadian School Leaders Perceive Their Capacity To Foster Culturally Responsive School Practices To Influence Student Outcomes, Heather Saunders

All Theses And Dissertations

Despite numerous studies on race relations and racism in Canada, there is a relative paucity of research on school leaders’ perceptions of cultural responsiveness in the Canadian educational system. Racial diversity among students enrolled in Canadian schools has increased dramatically over the last few decades. The diversity gap between a racialized student population and White school leaders continues to widen, with more than 95% of Canadian school leaders being White (Turner, 2015). The primary objective of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore school leaders’ perceptions of how culturally responsive practices improve student outcomes. This study was guided by the …

Mindfulness And Its Impact On Leader-Employee Relations In Higher Education Social Work Departments, Autumn A. Straw

All Theses And Dissertations

This sequential, fixed, mixed-methods study explores how mindfulness practice by leaders in higher education social work programs influences the leader-employee relationship among a sample of higher education social work department leaders and their faculty. This study was developed out of the intersection of personal, professional, and academic interests in both mindfulness and leadership. Additionally, this study fills a gap in the existing literature on how leaders’ individual mindfulness practice influences the relationship between them and their employees (Reb et al., 2019; Rooney et al., 2021; Urrila, 2021).

The results of this study were that the sample of social work higher …

A Qualitative Phenomenological Study Of Public School Teachers’ Experiences While Teaching During A Pandemic, Andrew M. Bard

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of K-12 public school teachers related to stress and burnout while teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three research questions guided this study: (1) How do K-12 public school teachers describe their lived experiences while teaching during a pandemic?, (2) How do K-12 public school teachers describe their perceptions of stressors related to teaching during a pandemic?, and (3) How do K-12 public school teachers describe their experience as learners while adapting to teaching during a pandemic? Constructivism and social constructivism were applied as the conceptual and theoretical …

Factors That Correlate With Student Engagement And Success In Honors Student Theses At A New England Public Institution, Megan Williams

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the factors that correlate to successful outcomes on honors theses at an undergraduate public institution compared to findings collected from several private liberal arts colleges. Utilizing Kuh’s (2008) theory of engagement and success as a theoretical framework, this study sought to understand how participation in a single high-impact practice – a culminating senior experience – impacted sense of belonging, engagement and success in an honors senior thesis. An anonymous online survey (Trosset & Weisler, 2018) was deployed to answer two research questions: does a positive student-faculty relationship correlate to engagement and …

Perceptions Of Induction: A Phenomenological Case Study, Kimberly L. Stephens

All Theses And Dissertations

The first months of teaching can significantly diminish a probationary teacher’s perception of their ability when the nuances of the job and students become overwhelming. On average, a school will lose three out of every 20 teachers annually. The problem this study researches is how faculty and staff provide support for probationary teachers. Too often, induction models remain underdeveloped, understudied, and rarely are formative assessments associated with faculty interactions. In this study, the dynamic interplay between the individual, the environment, and behavior establish a deeper understanding of the teacher network as a social system with expected returns. The tenets of …

Exploring Factors Influencing First Generation Undergraduate College Students’ Perceived Social-Self Efficacy (Psse) And Ability To Socially Integrate With Academic Advisors, Kaycee Leigh Gnatowski

All Theses And Dissertations

Academic advisors are an integral part of the undergraduate college student experience. Primarily recognized as one of the first connections to an institution that a college student encounters, academic advisors provide students with guidance, support, resources, and mentorship throughout a student’s academic journey at the institution. Although academic advisors are found to have a profound impact on a college student’s academic and social development, persistence to degree completion, and retention rates at the institution, many undergraduate college students are unable to socially integrate with academic advisors, primarily during a student’s sophomore year of college. A student’s sophomore year of college …

Chronic Absenteeism: Exploring Challenges And Obstacles That Impact Students’ Attendance In Northern Maine Rural Schools, Leland Caron

All Theses And Dissertations

Educational success relies heavily upon consistent school attendance (Rogers & Feller, 2018). In Maine, a student is identified as chronically absent when 10% or more of the days enrolled in school are missed due to excused or unexcused absences (Maine Department of Education, 2019). Chronic absenteeism impacts millions of students across America each year. National data identified that approximately five to seven and a half million school-aged students miss a month or more of school each year (Chang & Davis, 2015). This qualitative interpretative phenological study (IPA) was designed to fill some of the gaps in the literature on chronic …

The Perceptions Of Instructional Coaches Regarding Relational Trust With Teachers: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Kathleen A. Provost

All Theses And Dissertations

Instructional coaching continues to be a professional development model that many districts utilize to foster professional growth among their teaching staff. Although instructional coaches are usually content area and pedagogical specialists hired as experts, there is a high level of teacher resistance to instructional coaching due to lack of trust reported between coaches and teachers in the kindergarten through 12th grade setting. Although previous research has signified the need for instructional coaches to build trust with their teaching colleagues, few studies captured the lived experiences of instructional coaches in how they build relational trust. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological …

Examining The Delivery Methods Of Current Content And Curriculum For Recruit Police Officers, Daniel Barrancotta

All Theses And Dissertations

This qualitative-interpretive, phenomenological analysis study describes the lived experiences of police officers, their training programs and their educational relationships with academy instructors and field training officers. The focus was not on content material, but rather the delivery methods of the curriculum, in an attempt to provide training programs that improve transference of knowledge for increased learning and job preparedness. This research study showed that a lack of knowledge and understanding of andragogy for police academy instructors and field training officers is creating a limited learning environment for recruit police officers. Without the knowledge and ability to use better forms of …

Massachusetts High School Teachers’ Perceptions Of Transitions In Teaching And Assessment Related To The Next Generation Science Standards, Alyssa Mocharnuk

All Theses And Dissertations

The experiences and perceptions of high school science teachers with the transitions in teaching and assessment related to the adoption of the 2016 Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Framework based on the Next Generation Science Standards were studied in this interpretative phenomenological analysis. The Next Generation Science Standards incorporated both traditional disciplinary content ideas and the new science and engineering practices (NGSS Lead States, 2013). Teachers were required to develop new materials, and difficulty in developing new ways of teaching and assessing science (Friedrichsen and Barnett, 2018; Kawasaki and Sandoval, 2020; Wilde, 2018) was exacerbated by the delay in high-stakes testing …

Understanding First-Generation Hispanic Student Experiences With Community College Campus Resources, Monica Medina

All Theses And Dissertations

Community colleges serve as an essential gateway to higher education for Hispanics. Although first-generation Hispanic (FGHC) students continue to enroll in community colleges, there is limited research to explain their experiences using campus resources. This study’s purpose was to contribute to the existing literature on FGHC students and determine if their use of campus resources helped them succeed. This study used the conceptual framework of academic engagement (Tinto, 1996). Nora’s (2003) and Nora et al’s (2006) student engagement theory as lenses to explain how FGHC students can have pre-college characteristics that can affect their social, academic, and overall goals for …

Educator Burnout And Coping Styles: A Case Study, Jennifer Mendicino

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative instrumental case study is to discover the perceptions of high school and middle school teachers in south shore Massachusetts on the extent of workplace burnout they have experienced and to discover whether they are using effective coping styles to prevent burnout. Data was gathered through an anonymous survey composed of short answer and Likert scaled questions and analyzed utilizing Creswell’s 5 Steps (Creswell & Poth, 2018). The anticipated outcome would be two-fold: to improve retention of seasoned teachers and increase awareness for teachers, and to inform school leaders on how to reduce workplace burnout. Seven …

School Employees’ Perceptions Of Organizational Support During A Critical Incident, Donavon P. Soumas

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to discover the lived experiences and perceived organizational support (POS) of school employees’ during the abrupt transition to remote education instruction resulting from a critical incident such as COVID-19. In direct connection, this study’s problem was to fill a gap in the literature regarding school employees’ lived experiences and POS during the abrupt transition to remote education instruction as the result of a critical incident. Organizational support theory and experiential learning theory were the conceptual framework that guided this study. The researcher used semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with 10 school employees at a …

Urban Teachers Program: Culturally Responsive Middle School Teachers Describe Their Competencies, Kristina Sterling

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to document ways that Urban Teachers’ candidates enact culturally responsive teaching practices in an effort to combat the opportunity gaps in education and increase students’ achievement rate. This study focused on documenting responses to the questions: How do Urban Teachers enact culturally responsive teaching practices in their classrooms? How do teachers in the Urban Teachers program describe overcoming perceived barriers to implementing culturally responsive teaching in an urban school district? The problem of the study was a lack of evaluation of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) practices of those Urban Teachers once they entered the …

Exploring The Roles, Responsibilities, And Leadership Styles Of Rural School Principals, John L. Hewitt Iii

All Theses And Dissertations

Rural schools face challenges that differ from those faced by urban and suburban schools. Many are isolated, located in poor areas, understaffed, and subject to resource scarcity. In addition to these challenges, rural school leaders are often assigned or assume additional roles and responsibilities as school principals. My goal was use Northouse’s (2016) leadership theory to perform a qualitative comparative case study on eight rural school principals in districts in southwestern Wisconsin to explore their roles, responsibilities, and leadership styles. The study found that rural school principals incur multiple, non-traditional, and unfamiliar roles and responsibilities. The study also found that …

The Impact Of Administrative Support For Dental Hygiene And Nursing Online Faculty, Margarita Rivera

All Theses And Dissertations

This study examined online faculty in dental hygiene and nursing baccalaureate degree completion programs and their experiences with online education in the area of administrative support. The purpose of this study was to investigate the types of administrative support systems needed for dental hygiene and nursing faculty to teach in baccalaureate degree completion programs in New York State, which offer more than 50% of their curriculum online. The objective of this study was to provide leaders in institutions of higher learning with insight and aid in reaching the goal of improving dental hygiene and nursing online programs. A total of …

Creating The Conditions For Deeper Learning: Leadership Practices For Reframing 21st Century Education Systems, Caryn M. Lewis

All Theses And Dissertations

The convergence of advanced technologies, sociocultural trends and transformative shifts in global industries is accelerating the need for change in the American education system. Research and practice reveal promising developments in pedagogical approaches and a growing movement toward the implementation of deeper learning models. This phenomenological study examined the lived experiences and perceptions of superintendents leading dynamic shifts in public education to provide equitable access to deeper learning methodologies. The application of a dual framework supported the development of the study design and allowed for synthesis of the key components impacting system redesign. Data was elicited through semi-structured interviews to …

Role Of Health Professions Faculty Leadership In Student Success: Exploring Student And Faculty Views, Kim Emery

All Theses And Dissertations

High student achievement translates into high retention and graduation rates yet raising retention rates continues to be a challenge in U.S. health professions colleges. Institutions of higher education use a variety of program strategies to improve student success. Studies show that student success, although multi-factored, is most strongly influenced by faculty-student interactions. Radiologic technology programs have better retention rates compared to nursing programs but there is a lack of literature explaining this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to explore how health professions faculty and students in radiologic technician and nursing programs understand faculty leadership behaviors related to the …

Rural Teachers’ Perceptions Of School Principals’ Leadership Behaviors Affecting Motivation To Improve Professional Practice., Zeljko Micevic

All Theses And Dissertations

School principals and teachers being a powerful force of social change is a well-established argument. While literature confirms the substantial impact school leaders and teachers have on improving organizations and student outcomes, there is a dearth of granular knowledge related to how rural school principals in China influence teachers' motivation to improve professional practice. Thus, by engaging in a qualitative study leveraging the Interpretative Phenomenological Approach (IPA) this study aimed to illuminate the principals' behaviors that teachers perceived as having significant impact on their motivation to improve practice. As part of its conceptual framework, the study incorporated a theoretical framework …

A Phenomenological Study Of Emotion Amid Significant Organizational Change, Ian Menchini

All Theses And Dissertations

This study employed a phenomenological methodology to explore the experiences shared by leaders of a public university in the Northeast United States during an extraordinary period of organizational change. The university’s organizational transformation was particularly noteworthy because it came in the face of circumstances entirely out of the university’s control. These circumstances included its state’s declining population as well as its state government’s failure to invest heavily in higher education. These long-term challenges were exacerbated by the sudden onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and a near simultaneous proposal by its system’s former executive to radically and negatively change the university’s …

Program Director Support For Adjunct Faculty In The Promotion Of Student Success, Nicholas Anthony Dejosia

All Theses And Dissertations

There is a need for adjunct faculty in community colleges to be supported by administration at the program director level or by those that have experience socializing new adjunct faculty into their departments, to ensure the promotion of student success in the classroom. This qualitative phenomenological study allowed the researcher to interpret the subjective lived experiences of ten educational leaders within a community college to document how they support adjunct faculty members to develop teaching methods to promote student success. The research question posed was, what do program directors and those who have experience socializing new adjunct faculty into their …

The Effect Of School Discipline Processes On Student Perceptions Of Personal Safety In Rural Middle Schools, Jaslene Atwal

All Theses And Dissertations

There is a need to clearly communicate expectations and consequences of misconduct to deter students from engaging in negative behaviors that create a physically or psychologically unsafe learning environment at school. A poor school climate has been found to have a detrimental effect on student achievement. A positive learning environment can transform negative situations into positive ones and have a beneficial effect on student behavior and achievement. This study explored the effect of a proactive discipline program on students’ perceptions of their physical and psychological safety in rural middle schools. The research questions for this study asked what factors most …

Androgynous Leadership: A Gender Balanced Approach To School Administration, Kristie Morin

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to explore the most desirable personality traits for school administrators, if personality sex-types have changed since 1981, and how school administrators practice androgynous leadership. Twenty-six school administrators completed the Bem Sex Role Inventory survey to discover their personality trait make-up and how often they perceived using 60 personality traits. Eight school administrators participated in a virtual one-on-one interview. The findings from this study concluded that the seven most desirable personality traits for a school administrator are adaptable, compassionate, reliable, conscientious, truthful, sensitive to the needs of others, and willing to take a stand. There …

Nontraditional University President: From Candidate To President, Mark J. Braun

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to understand a nontraditional university president’s transitional experience of the presidential search process and the competencies he believed he possessed and how those competencies have been utilized as a university president. The study utilized Creswell’s approach to phenomenology to document the experience of going through the search process. The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU, 2016) report, the AASCU State College and University Presidential Competency Model, provided the framework for this study. This study used that framework to evaluate whether the nontraditional president has the same competencies called for in …

Examining The Communication Strategies Utilized During An Organizational Change Within Universities’ Branch Campuses, Portia R. Stallworth

All Theses And Dissertations

In this interpretive phenomenological study, the researcher sought to understand the lived experiences of branch campus administrators’ perceptions of the communication strategies utilized during a pervasive organizational change. Minimal research has been conducted surrounding the specifics of the communication strategies that have effectively and successfully matriculated branch campus administrators through an organizational change. To gain a better understanding of the lived experiences and perceptions of the communication strategies utilized during a branch campus organizational change, 35 members of the National Association of Branch Campus Administrators completed a qualifying survey. A semistructured interview was conducted with 10 branch campus administrators who …

Knowledge And Access: An Investigation Into Course Material Models At The Collegiate Level, Jonathan David Sadhoo

All Theses And Dissertations

For over 1,000 years, physical textbooks have been the primary course material tool utilized to facilitate knowledge transfer from the instructor to the student population. In current times, multiple barriers to success have emerged for the modern student of higher education, including affordability, accessibility, and quality. In addition, student engagement with the course material can be a critical factor for student achievement. Taylor & Parsons (2011) indicated that student engagement levels in the classroom are linked with overall success in the course. Within higher education, faculty and academic administrators are at the front lines, attempting to reduce and eliminate these …

A Comparative Analysis Of Tardiness Policies Of Elementary Schools, Diana J. Goodwin

All Theses And Dissertations

Previous research has shown that student tardiness has been a challenge for educators as far back as the institution of modern schooling. While there has been considerable research about student absenteeism, student tardiness remains an under researched area, particularly at the elementary school level. The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare tardiness policies across several large, urban school districts, investigate their alignment with current research about tardiness and school attendance, and explore the possible relationship between school tardiness policies and student academic achievement. The research questions for this study were: What are the major similarities and differences …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Observation, Coaching, And Feedback Cycle, Susan B. Ficke

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to investigate teachers’ perceptions, attitudes, and viewpoints of how their daily teaching may be refined after implementing feedback from the Observation Coaching Feedback Cycle (OCFC) into their daily instruction. In direct connection, this study’s purpose seeks to fill a gap in literature regarding teachers’ perceptions of the OCFC experience. Reflective Practice Theory was selected as the Conceptual Framework that guided this study. Reflective practice is essential to understand one’s actions so as to engage in a process of continuous learning. Without reflective processes, people would not amend their work (Helyer, 2015). The …