Education Commons^™

Exploring The Effects Of Policies On Military Readiness, Renard Dominique

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify factors of military policies that are counterproductive to III Marine Expeditionary Force’s (MEF) organizational readiness. The III MEF/Marine Corps Installation Pacific (MCIPAC) Liberty Regulations of Japan and Battalion Order (BnO) 11000.1C Bachelor Enlisted Quarters (BEQ) Regulation are two governing policies to which Marines and Sailors attached to III MEF and MCIPAC commands are subjected. The following research questions were formulated utilizing the Zero-Defect Theory and the Theory of Humanism as a conceptual foundation: How does perception toward the III MEF/MCIPAC liberty and BEQ regulation influence personal acceptance and adherence to these policies; …

Veterans Using Mindfulness Practice To Cope With Trauma & Operational Stress Injuries, T'Challa Azhar Stuckey

All Theses And Dissertations

Psychological distress due to military operations is impacting returning veterans mentally and physically. The purpose of exploring literature relating to veterans is to determine if mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) are beneficial in managing the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Data generated by the research question “What are the therapeutic benefits of mindfulness-based interventions, if any, in managing the symptoms of PTSD among veterans?” were explored to determine the effectiveness of using mindfulness-based coping skills to manage symptoms such as hyperarousal, intrusive recollections, and avoidance. The studies that were analyzed reported on veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces …

Factors That Influence Student-Athlete Academic Major Selection, Priya Sen

All Theses And Dissertations

This secondary research study explored four identified factors that influence student-athlete academic major selection. The purpose of this study was to explore how each identified factor influenced student-athlete academic major selection, including athletic coaches, student-athlete identity, academic advising, and career exploration (Amran, 2013; Andrews, et al., 2017; Henrion, 2009; Kelly, 2009). There were no participants in this study and data collection was based on a content analysis of 20 peer-reviewed studies. Several themes were identified in relation to attributes directly and indirectly influencing the academic major selection for each of the four factors (Amran, 2013; Andrews et al., 2017; Henrion, …

A Systematic Literature Review Of School Leadership Intelligences For The Development Of Neuro-Educational Leadership, Sheria Nicole Pope

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The purpose of this study was to systematically examine primary research about the integration of school leadership intelligence and effective leadership practices. Neuroscience as it relates to school leadership is an emerging topic in the field of education. The conceptual framework for this study was focused on three areas of intelligences and their relationship to applied neuroscience. The theoretical foundations were derived from Goleman’s emotional intelligence, Glasser’s conversational intelligence, Ang and Van Dyne’s cultural intelligence, and Thorndike and Stein’s social intelligence. The theoretical underpinnings for each intelligence was aligned to Rock’s SCARF Model (status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, fairness). A systematic …

Exploring Barriers That Higher Education Women Presidents And Chancellors Experience During The Centralized Search Process, Lori Sussman

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This qualitative phenomenological study examined emergent barriers revealed by analyzing data from job advertisements, structured survey results, and interviews with past and present women presidents and chancellors of public and private not-for-profit higher education institutions about their selection journey for these jobs. The purpose of this research was to engage women who were past and present presidents or chancellors of public or private nonprofit colleges and universities to explore their experiences with gender-bias during the president/chancellor recruitment, selection, and transition enactment. The first question was to study how gender-bias appears during the recruitment of women candidates for a higher education …

Physical Therapist Faculty Transition To Academic Leadership, Mary Ellen Vore

All Theses And Dissertations

The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) has elevated the accreditation standards for physical therapy (PT) faculty and program directors. These increased standards along with the proliferation of new physical therapy education programs and retirements of current program directors has created a nationwide program director shortage. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study identified factors that influence PT faculty in pursuing the position of program director as well as their perceptions of the responsibilities of program director. Qualified PT faculty (n=51) from accredited physical therapy education programs in the Middle Atlantic and New England regions of the United …

Black Certified Educators' Lived Experiences Seeking Employment In Connecticut's Public Education System, Anita Samuels-Watkins

All Theses And Dissertations

Many researchers have studied how Black educators serve as role models for Black students and affect students’ academics and emotionality. Currently, a shortage of U.S. Black educators has prompted many state legislatures to create initiatives to increase the number of Black educators in school systems. In the State of Connecticut, legislators implemented initiatives in 2012 and 2015 to increase the number of minority (Black and Hispanic) school teachers and administrators. To date, these initiatives have not been successful. In fact, approximately 270 Black educators certified between 2013 and 2017 had not found employment in public schools in 2018. The researcher …

Nurse Educators’ Experiences With Integrated Learning Intervention Practice Systems And Learning Outcomes, Nikolaos S. Moraros

All Theses And Dissertations

Traditional learning interventions or remediation processes provided to underperforming students are often reactionary and offered too late in a course or program to be effective. These students’ knowledge gaps or learning deficiencies are not adequately addressed to effectively change his or her academic performance or learning outcomes in a timely manner. This descriptive qualitative phenomenological research study explored the lived experiences of a nursing school administrator and nurse educators who used a fully-integrated learning intervention practice system that includes proactive strategic remediation approaches at all levels in a pre-licensure vocational educational nursing program.

Purposeful sampling was used to select six …

Professional Competency Development Utilizing Emotional Intelligence In Medical Programs, Christopher Carlin

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the perceptions of physician assistant faculty about emotional intelligence. The study sought to determine PA educators’ familiarity with EI as a construct and to elicit perceived barriers in implementing EI within PA educational programs. The data were collected from a both a focus group of physician assistant faculty was convened from a university in New England and an online cross-sectional survey of randomized physician assistant faculty throughout the United States. The quantitative portion of the research investigated the perceptions faculty held about emotional intelligence. Additionally, the survey asked participants to …

Their Story: College Persistence Of Hispanic/Latino Students At Predominantly White Institutions, Zwisel M. Gandía

All Theses And Dissertations

This phenomenological qualitative study examined the Hispanic/Latino students’ college experiences at Predominantly White, 4-year institutions in an effort to better understand what these students perceived as contributing factors to their sense of belonging and persistence through their first year. Participants included individuals classified as first-year or second-year college students. Data was collected through individual interviews where personal stories were examined by using the student integration model and theory of mattering and marginality to identify reoccurring themes. Identifying these factors was the key motivating factor in determining success and persistence through their first year. From this study, four emergent themes shed …

Assessing Clinical Judgment Utilizing Embedded Patients In A Baccalaureate Nursing Program’S Simulation Laboratory, David K. Wells

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The purpose of this study was to determine if clinical judgment could be assessed in baccalaureate nursing students during a 15 to 20-minute embedded (live patient) simulation scenario using role play. Graduate nurses are expected to apply critical reasoning and be clinically competent when caring for patients when they enter the nursing profession. The use of simulation scenarios is an approved and effective supplement to the clinical experience of nursing students. This study was conducted due to the sparsity of evidence referencing clinical judgment in live patient simulation scenarios. This study used a convenience sample (n=22) of baccalaureate nursing students …

Cultural Competency, Recruitment, And Retention In The International School: A Symbiotic Relationship, Daniel Mullen

All Theses And Dissertations

This study was guided by the following two research questions: (1) How do current international school leaders acculturate new faculty with a specific focus on local host country culture to encourage retention of effective teachers in the international setting? (2) What specific practices do current international leaders use to integrate host country cultural competencies in the orientation and recruitment processes to acculturate new staff? Participation took place through a REDCap online survey distributed to 442 current Academy for International School Heads (AISH) members around the world, with ninety participant responses (20%) collected. Participants were asked specific geographic and demographic background …

The Role Of School Leadership In Teacher Retention In Title 1 Schools, Latonya Wright Bolden

All Theses And Dissertations

The aim of this qualitative study was to examine the ways in which teachers’ perceptions of school leadership, particularly principals, impact the attrition and the retention of highly qualified educators. The focus of this study was the analysis of teachers’ views of the various philosophies of leadership and how the practices which stem from those philosophies affect the efficacy of the teachers. Because of the correlation between teacher retention and leadership styles, the behavioral leadership model of principals developed by Urick and Bowers (2014) was used as a conceptual framework for the study.

The findings of this research indicated that …

Healthcare Organizations And Succession Planning, Michael J. Smith

All Theses And Dissertations

Healthcare organizations have been shown to operate as big business, except for one area. Research has shown that healthcare organizations do not implement succession plans for leadership turnover, director level and above. There is a need for successful healthcare systems to implement a succession plan for these leadership roles. Without a leadership succession plan, a healthcare organization can be caught in a bind and short-staffed. A system without a succession plan can also experience severe turbulence, which can lead to lost revenue and a decrease in customer and employee satisfaction. Nursing has had a successful succession plan in place for …

A Phenomenological Study Into Niche Marketing In Higher Education, Scott W.H. Barton

All Theses And Dissertations

As higher education continues to face declining enrollment and financial pressures from decreased funding, colleges and universities must find innovative ways to differentiate themselves from competing institutions through niche marketing initiatives. This qualitative, phenomenological study developed existing research and addressed a gap in the literature as it relates to niche marketing in higher education. The research objective of this study was to illustrate the perceived value of niche marketing in light of the shifting trends in marketing, the increased competition colleges and universities face, and the need to isolate the uniqueness of a university. This study further identified individuals who …

Teachers' Perceptions Regarding Reaching Struggling Learners In An Elementary School Mathematics Classroom, Colleen Kelleher

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Elementary school is a critical educational period during which students develop early mathematics skills and build a foundation for future academic success. The purpose of this study was to document the instructional practices and interventions teachers use to identify and meet the needs of struggling learners in a K-3 mathematics classroom. Specific areas of focus included how K-3 teachers identify areas of need and plan for interventions, the resources they rely on in that process, and their own self-efficacy regarding addressing students’ specific needs. Results from online surveys and semi-structured, one-on-one interviews indicated that teachers identify a range of student …

Forgotten Leaders: An Examination Of Professional Learning Needs Of California's Rural Superintendent-Principals, Colby James Smart

All Theses And Dissertations

Professional isolation and lack of relevant professional growth opportunities are common challenges for California’s rural school administrators. More than 27% of California’s 1,026 public school districts employ superintendent–principals as their sole administrator. The problem examined in this study is the degree to which participation in a blended community of practice (COP) affected the professional isolation and lack of professional growth opportunities that California’s superintendent–principals experience. The purpose of this descriptive case study is to help decision makers understand better the impact that blended COPs have on alleviating professional isolation and gaps in professional learning. This study informs the reader on …

Comfort And Physical Classroom Design: Using Student Voice To Inform School Leadership, Ann M. Wagner

All Theses And Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study considered the comfort of students in the secondary physical classroom, seeking ways to meet the needs of 21st Century learners and to provide an equitable environment for all learners. A student survey was conducted on elements of the physical classroom space and interviews were conducted to further delve into student comfort in the classroom. As part of the interviews, students drew an ideal classroom space to further share their thoughts and ideas. Interviewees and respondents articulated the need for individual space in the classroom, for temperature control, and for the reduction of noise to optimize the …

Cultivating Women College Presidents: Difference Makers, Karen (Kas) Metzler

All Theses And Dissertations

The intention of this qualitative research study is to interview women who are college presidents/chancellors at two- or four-year, public higher education institutions in California about their experiences that have contributed to where they are today. There were twenty-six (26) participants in the study.

The research questions for the study were inspired by the statistics that show the current representation of women college presidents at two and four-year, public institutions in California is greater in comparison to the national statistic. The researcher became curious as to how and why women college presidents in California were thriving in a system that, …

Teacher Preparation: Implementing Theory Into Practice, Loni Rae Miller

All Theses And Dissertations

Teacher preparation programs are mandated to prepare teachers that are ready for the changing landscape of the education profession. New accreditation requirements in preservice assessments and certification requirements for highly qualified teacher status are requiring teacher preparation programs to review their course plans. The purpose of the qualitative study was to examine how the graduates of a traditional teacher preparation program were implementing the PBL project design in their first year of teaching after receiving scaffolded instruction of the educational theory. The researcher explored which factors the graduate perceived allowed them to use PBL in their classroom. Using qualitative interviews, …

Community College Presidents’ Leadership Styles And Perceived Impact Of Personal Leadership Style On Faculty Relations, Claudia Grooms

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory multiple case study was to develop an understanding of a group of two-year college presidents’ various leadership styles as well as to explore perceptions of their relationship with faculty and the manner in which personal leadership style impacts faculty relations. College presidents employed by a two-year college system in the southern United States were asked to complete an online MLQ Leadership Style Survey and a Demographic/Perceptual Questionnaire to obtain this data. A Transformational Leadership Style was identified as the predominant leadership style with a Transactional Leadership Style with Contingent Rewards as a very close second. …

The Impact Of Leadership Development Programming On The Career Pathways Of Females In Higher Education, Kathleen G. Shultz

All Theses And Dissertations

In an era of women running fortune 500 companies and holding some of the highest political offices, there is no denying that progress has been made in addressing gender diversity in leadership. In the 21st Century there is still a considerable gap in the representation of females in high level leadership positions across all major industries, illustrating that there is still considerable work still left to be done. Higher education is entering a time when a significant number of presidents will be retiring, offering an unprecedented number of vacancies in these and other executive level leadership positions. Understanding these circumstances, …

Mentors And Social Relationships: The Impact On Adjunct Professors, Amy Elizabeth Egan

All Theses And Dissertations

Adjunct professors are growing in numbers across higher education institutions. There are mentor programs at many universities, but there is little research into the social aspects of mentoring relationships. The traditional format of mentor programs is a structured program between a senior faculty and a new faculty member. This qualitative study of a medium sized public university focused on mentor programs between adjunct and full-time faculty. Three research questions were addressed during the study. The first question was: what is the past experience of the participants in group mentor programs? The second question was: what characteristics were valued within the …

The Future Is Now: Examining The Black Student College Selection Process, Johnnie Johnson

All Theses And Dissertations

College selection factors is a subject that seemingly changes on an annual basis, largely due to the shift in the importance of factors to each incoming undergraduate class. This qualitative phenomenological study examined the factors that influence the decision of Black students over a 15-year period, as well as the factors that influence current students. This study answered questions related to which factors are important and revealed the results of college experiences of Black students. Using survey and interview data from Black students who have completed or who are presently attending college at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI), this study …

The Visiting Team: Research On The Engagement Of Urban, Commuter Student-Athletes, Corey Christine Berg

All Theses And Dissertations

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III mantra of “offering participation in a competitive athletic environment that pushes student-athletes to excel on the field and build upon their potential by tackling new challenges across campus” requires administrators to support and promote academic achievement, athletic success, and personal well-being. For Division III student-athletes who are also urban, commuter students, the path to engagement in those areas is not clearly defined. The intent of this two-phase, mixed methods study was to evaluate the priorities of urban, commuting student-athletes at a NCAA Division III institution in New York City.

The following research …

Middle School Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Integration Of Technology Into Pedagogy, Joe George Gerez

All Theses And Dissertations

The aim of this qualitative exploratory case study was to examine middle school teachers’ perceptions of the integration of technology into pedagogy. Data collection occurred from analyzing middle school teacher’s experiences, observations, and motivation following a technological implementation initiative into pedagogy. The evaluation of the study data included the analysis of surveys and interpretation of in-depth interviews of teachers. A pedagogical focus on teacher integration of technology supported by the self-determination theory as the research study’s theoretical framework examining human motivation was appropriated to the case study. As educational leaders face significant challenges in understanding the impact of teachers’ perceptions …

Cultural Appropriation: The Continued Phenomena Of American Indian High School Mascots, Joshua Bullock

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the phenomenon of how high school administrators view the identity of their school’s American Indian mascot and how it creates school culture, views of American Indians, and cultural appropriation. Critical race theory offered a positional framework to contextualize the phenomena as experienced by each participant. Understanding the influence of an American Indian mascot has on administration is important because it adds insight into the controversial conversation about American Indian mascots and their use nationwide. This research study added to the body of knowledge regarding American Indian mascots by specifically engaging in …

Generation Z, Employee Enagement And Leadership Communication Behaviors, Natalie Kompa

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As Generation Z enters the workforce, new and perplexing questions for leaders emerge. Members of Generation Z, the generational cohort following the Millennials, were born in 1995 and later and come with unique characteristics, including an ability to use technology and consume online data in accelerated ways. Much has been written about the Millennials but little can be found in the current literature about Generation Z and workplace behaviors. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine if there is a correlation between Generation Z’s levels of employee engagement (trust, control mutuality, commitment and job satisfaction) and leadership’s …

Critical Soft Skills And The Stem Professional, Elizabeth J. Kranz

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The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the implementation of soft skills that are critical to the success, as defined by promotability and long-term career trajectory, of STEM professionals from the perspective of STEM professionals and those with whom they work closely. Participants for the study represented two professional categories, (a) late-career STEM professionals and (b) human resources professionals with experience in succession planning for STEM professionals. These two groups of participants were selected for their experience with the soft skills and capabilities necessary for STEM professional career progression.

The primary research question was: What components and …

The Impact Of Prior Communication About Organizational Turbulence On Members’ Perceptions During Institutional Change, Evelyn J. Thomas

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In this qualitative study, the researcher explored the perceptions of select faculty who were experiencing their university’s sale of their college to another academic entity, and to whom accurate levels organizational turbulence might not have been fully communicated prior to significant institutional change. Communicating levels of organizational turbulence is an important factor, and it is a necessary first step in transformational change. Members’ prior perceptions of organizational turbulence could affect their willingness to accept and progress through a substantive change plan. In this study, the researcher used turbulence theory as a conceptual framework to explore the level of foreknowledge of …