Education Commons^™

Refining The Goals Of Public Education In The United States: An Exploratory Single-Case Embedded Study Of A Student-Centered Path-Goals Setting, Tuan Pham

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The public higher education system in the United States has inherited a multitude of aims and missions in order to fulfill its social and educational objectives. As a result, many higher education institutions suffer from unclear goals. Nevertheless, the researcher identified the student's goal-oriented process as the fundamental aspect of this educational system from its inception until the present. The exploratory single-case embedded study conducted at a regional comprehensive institution highlighted the differences, difficulties, and issues faced by students, administrators, and the institution itself in its pursuit of specific goals in higher education. Indepth interviews were employed to investigate the …

The Role Of Leaders In Implementing Effective Leadership Strategies Towards The Educational Barriers Of Us-Based Refugee Students: A Qualitative Case Study Of Congolese Refugee Students, Faustin Busane

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This qualitative research study explored the experiences of three families of refugee school students, two school officials (a Superintendent and a Principal), three teachers, and one humanitarian agent all living in a Southeastern U.S. city. The results of the study revealed that the language barrier is the main academic challenge that refugee students encounter when they enroll in U.S. schools. The study also found that educators conceptualize their responsibilities toward refugee children by emphasizing the importance of high-quality teaching, and establishing through establishing strong relationships between parents, school officials, and exercising patience in the process. This study poses important implications …

First-Generation Leaders: A Qualitative Examination Of Characteristics, Traits, And Identity Of First-Generation Graduates In Leadership, Jamie Woolery

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study looked at first-generation college graduates and their paths to successful leadership roles. First-generation college students are defined by the National Association of Personnel Administrators (NASPA) as students from families in which their biological parents did not complete a four-year college degree (NASPA, 2017). An investigation was conducted on demographics, access to education, opportunity, and other factors that lend themselves to successful first-generation leaders who changed the narrative for themselves and their communities. This study looked at the previously conducted literature to provide background support for the need of the research, along with further recommendations and interviews which added …

Black Women Vice Presidents Of Student Affairs At Community Colleges Leadership Pathways And Barriers, Danielle Sims Brooks

Dissertations

This study explored the lived experiences of five Black women Vice Presidents of Student Affairs (VPSAs) at community colleges through narrative inquiry to get a better understanding of the strategies Black women deploy to be successful as well as the challenges and barriers they must navigate. Data was analyzed from a purposeful sample of five Black women VPSAs to get a better understanding of the experiences of Black women executive leaders in higher education. Participants shared many similarities in their educational and professional backgrounds in higher education by their experiences with leading and developing essential areas in student affairs. Findings …

Reasons For The Theory-Practice Gap In Education Administration, Gary Houchens, Ysuf Badavan, Nuray Kisa

Educational Administration, Leadership, and Research Faculty Publications

The theory-practice gap can be defined as "a failure to apply or to relate the concepts, ideas and theories to professional conditions". The aim of this research was to explore the reasons for the theory-practice gap in the field of educational administration. Participants included 380 school administrators working in primary, secondary and high schools and 57 researchers working in different higher education institutions in Ankara. The views are collected through the questionnaire with two different forms, namely Reasons of Theory-Practice Gap in the Field of Educational Administration developed by the researchers. Data were interpreted by percentages, frequency distributions and chi-square …

Superintendent Recruitment: Effects Of Superintendent Job Status, School Councils (Principal Selection Models), District Wealth, And Signing Bonus On Applicant Rating Of The Job, Mark Jeffery Martin

Dissertations

This nearly perfect replicated study (Millay, 2003) was a superintendent recruitment simulation with the purpose of investigating factors that influence recruiting qualified individuals to serve as district superintendents of public schools. The study was a factorial experiment involving a four-way 2 x 2 x 2 x (3 x S) fixed-factor betweenwithin analysis of variance (ANOVA) which yielded 24 cells. The participants in the study were Kentucky Superintendents (N = 72) and individuals in Kentucky certified to be a school superintendent (N = 72) but employed in another position.

The between-groups variables were superintendent job status (superintendent, certified), district wealth (high, …

Leading Through The Messy Middle: Women Presidents Of Maine Colleges And Universities

International Journal of Leadership and Change

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Leadership In School Innovation: A Case Study, Savannah Adkins Denning

Dissertations

Expansive research on leadership, particularly school leadership, has suggested leaders have an indirect impact on student outcomes, as leaders build a school’s academic capacity, which elevates teaching and learning (Hallinger, 2010). Though there is significant empirical research regarding school leadership, there is a lack of research investigating the intersection of leadership and innovation. In terms of innovation, “personalized learning,” has become an emerging topic among education researchers, as scholars seek to understand the potential impact personalized learning strategies have on student outcomes.

The purpose of this study was to explore how leadership interacts with innovation. This study specifically explored the …

Leadership In Higher Education In A Culture Of Declining Relevance And Incivility, Sam Evans

International Journal of Leadership and Change

The institution of higher education is experiencing numerous challenges, and questions are surfacing regarding our relevance in an environment where the focus is on workforce development. Concerns are being raised about the preparation of our graduates for the demands of the workplace and, internally, we are dealing with behaviors characterizing a culture of incivility. These are not new concerns, but the prevalence of disconnects between higher education and the realities of the workplace appear to be increasing. These perceptions of disconnects tend to be exacerbated by behaviors occurring on university campuses that in some cases have become violent and/or disruptive …

Chinese Higher Educator Perceptions Toward Leadership Effectiveness In Regard To Gender, Kanglei Meng, John Baker

International Journal of Leadership and Change

This article discusses Chinese educator perceptions of effective leadership behaviors in order to determine how these teachers define effectiveness and whether a correlation exists between their perception and leaders’ gender. Factors include conscious and unconscious gender bias, Chinese culture, historical background, and identity. As a male-dominated country, China has been deeply influenced by Confucianism; hence, limited attention has been on female leadership. The article identifies and reviews three Women’s Revolutions in China and their effects in the past century in order to predict the status of female leadership. The researcher used the Chinese version of the LPI survey and conducted …

University Identity Change Through A Psychological Sense Of Community Framework: A Case Study Of The Elimar Model, Elizabeth F. Turesky, Mary Anne Peabody

International Journal of Leadership and Change

Leading through identity change is a highly emotive experience. When leadership is understood as an emotional community development process, the benefits for repurposing identity are greatly enhanced. This article introduces a change model that embeds emotional awareness throughout a four-phased process, adapting concepts originally presented in McMillan and Chavis’s (1986) psychological sense of community (PSOC) theory and Scott and Jaffee’s (1989) change curve model. In this case study, we focus on a four-year multi-campus northeastern United States public university as a model to investigate how individuals in leadership positions consider the role of affect in creating positive identity change to …

Analytics: Potential In Higher Education, Brian Brausch, Joseph Cangemi, Keith Moody

International Journal of Leadership and Change

Analytics is altering the world of business and leadership as companies take advantage of its descriptive and predictive capabilities. Industries incorporating analytics into their daily operations are outperforming their competitors, generating greater profits and reducing expenditures. Following industry’s lead, higher education is beginning to make sure of big data to induce academic success by means of increased enrollment, retention, and graduation rates. Incorporating analytics into the decision-making process and overarching operations of an organization may yield considerable outcomes in corporate and academic environments. Integrating analytics into corporate culture requires collaborative partnerships focused on mutual interest and leadership expertise. This article …

Winning On And Off The Court: An Interpretive Case Study Of A Leader’S Effectual Power And Influence, Eugene Smith

Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to study the leadership profile of a leader’s effectual power and influence. A qualitative research design is preferred to capture rich, thick personal responses from the interview participants. Semi-structured interviews were utilized with open-ended questions, which enabled the respondents to provide unique insights and reflections of their direct and indirect experiences with the research subject. Additionally, document inquiry and direct observations were used and, as an outcome, triangulation was achieved.

Effective use of power is studied in the context of a leader’s ability to influence others to induce a desired outcome. The subject’s influence …

Overcoming Failure: Characteristics Of Leaders Who Have Successfully Recovered From A Significant Setback, Richard Leo Hunt

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to study the characteristics of leaders who have experienced a setback or failure and have bounced back to success. A qualitative research design employing an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) methodology was used. Semi-structured interviews with open ended questions allowed the respondents to share valuable insights into the thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of their individual experiences. The results suggest that after experiencing a setback, a process develops where feelings and thoughts are experienced immediately following the event that is followed by a period of coping and adapting, a transition to a resilient state, and behavioral …

Enhancing Instructional Leadership Through Collaborative Coaching: A Multi-Case Study, Gary Houchens, Thomas A. Stewart, Sara Elizabeth Jennings

Educational Administration, Leadership, and Research Faculty Publications

Purpose – Executive coaching has become increasingly important for enhancing organizational leaders’ professional effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a growing body of research literature that examines how coaching techniques help school principals improve their instructional leadership.

Design/methodology/approach – Using a protocol based on a theories of practice framework (Argyris and Schön, 1974) to support principals in deepening their self-reflection, this study added the element of a guided peer-coaching component in a group setting.

Findings – Results confirmed the effectiveness of the coaching protocol for assisting principals in deepening their self-awareness and critical reflection regarding their …

Crisis Leadership During The Great Recession Of 2008, Steven M. Walker, Matthew P. Earnhardt, Jason M. Newcomer, James W. Marion, Jr., Jon C. Tomlinson

International Journal of Leadership and Change

Understanding leadership characteristics, frameworks, components, and contexts that are beneficial to the guidance of organizational policy is useful for understanding the way in which leaders should act during a crisis. Recessions are common throughout economies; yet, many see recessions as crises. Due to the chaotic nature of economic recessions, leaders must work in conditions of uncertainty, complexity, and volatility. Therefore, using a qualitative phenomenological approach, an examination was conducted on leaders’ lived experiences of the Great Recession of 2008 to further understand the concept of crisis leadership. A discussion is included on the way in which leaders internalize and analyze …

Two Models Of Health Sciences Center Leadership During Turbulent Times, Howard F. Stein, Seth Allcorn

International Journal of Leadership and Change

Leadership and change in health sciences centers are explored through contrasting two models of leadership: commonly practiced leadership and what has been referred to as “good enough leadership” (GEL). Several common cases or scenarios are presented through the lens of each model, with the conclusion that good enough leadership is more functional, creative, and healing than more widespread conventional models.

Innovating In Higher Education -- Challenges And Responses Within A Conservative Context, John Whikehart, Robert F. Arnove

International Journal of Leadership and Change

This article presents a case study of a community college – Ivy Tech-Bloomington (IN) – to illustrate challenges faced by postsecondary institutions around the world. Ivy Tech-Bloomington has faced reduced state funding and increased pressure to emphasize the instrumental value of education – namely, “workforce development” – with constructive responses that diverge in many ways from dominant trends in higher education. Inspired by a vision of serving the common good, of helping those students most likely to fail, and valuing the role of the arts and humanities, the leadership of Ivy Tech-Bloomington has accomplished many of its goals in an …

Leadership Challenges For The University Of The 21st Century, James R. Ramsey, Madison Wesley

International Journal of Leadership and Change

Though its goal to provide quality, affordable education has not changed, the “University of the 21^st Century” has entered a period of transition. With the pressure to uphold its standards while maintaining cultural relevancy, the academy finds itself in the midst of a challenging time made even more difficult by its precarious financial situation. However, education in leadership must recognize that this transitional period is also one of opportunity. The University of Louisville has developed a strategy for addressing modern that endeavors to benefit students and educators alike as it unites them.

University College Connection Summer 2015, Dennis K. George, Dean, Wendi Kelley, Univeristy College

UC Publications

No abstract provided.

Dare To Care: Teaching Leadership To Gifted Students, Sarah E. Fox

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This thesis details the creation and execution of the class “Dare to Care: Teaching Leadership to Gifted Students,” which was offered through a Saturday enrichment program to gifted middle school students. The class combined the study of leadership skills with the idea of being a change agent—a leader who uses his or her abilities to make a positive difference. This thesis documents the lesson plans of the class and students’ reactions to each lesson.

Trends Shaping Society: Implications For Higher Education In The 21st Century, Nathan Phelps

Dissertations

The world is changing quickly and in complex ways, and this study addresses some of the key implications of these changes for higher education leaders today. Many leaders are facing the difficult task of determining which developments in the larger society are most important and what they may mean for their institutions and for higher education as a whole. This study presents a broad analysis of trends shaping society, highlights patterns within these trends that are important, and offers a framework based on these patterns that leaders might use to help them clarify and evaluate the implications of these changes. …

University College Connection Summer 2014, Dennis K. George, Dean, Wendi Kelley, University College, Western Kentucky University

UC Publications

No abstract provided.

Staff Perceptions Of Work-Environment Factors Affecting Morale In Southeastern Registrar's Offices, Rheanna Plemons

Dissertations

Studies on morale are prevalent in industry, healthcare, and public educational systems. However, morale studies are limited within higher education and focusing on the support staff at universities. This qualitative study used focus groups to identify themes among support staff in selected Registrar’s Offices in the Southeastern region of the United States. Institutions were chosen based on comparable enrollments and similar organizational structure. The researcher asked participants to discuss their perceptions on current morale levels in the office and how different work responsibilities affect morale. In addition, participants were asked to discuss motivators used by leaders and whether those motivators …

What Leadership Development Institutes Can Never Teach College Presidents About Leadership, Livingston Alexander

International Journal of Leadership and Change

While most new presidents of colleges and universities advance to the presidency through a traditional academic pathway, an increasing number of new presidents are now coming from positions outside of higher education. Yet, regardless of how they come to the position, many new presidents are unprepared for the complex challenges they will encounter when they take on their new assignments. A large number assume that participation in professional development seminars, often promoted as institutes for new presidents, will provide the essential algorithm for a successful presidency. Operating on such an assumption may well turn out to be a fatal mistake. …

Leadership, A Question Of Power And Vision, Douglas Biklen

International Journal of Leadership and Change

Leadership! Books have been written about it, yet we still seem to want more accounts of it. In large part, the desire for ever more examples and models of leadership derives, I think, from the fact that leadership occurs in context, and particular contexts seem to call for particular kinds of leadership qualities. In this brief paper, I will discuss leadership for school improvement and two core principles that can help explicate it: power and insight.

The Development Of Campus Academic Leaders, Walter H. Gmelch

International Journal of Leadership and Change

What are universities and colleges doing to provide preparatory leadership experiences for our next generation of academic deans and department chairs? They typically come to the position without leadership training, without prior executive experience, without a clear understanding of the ambiguity and complexity of their roles, without recognition of the metamorphic changes that occur as one transforms from an academic to a leader, and without an awareness of the cost to their academic and personal lives. A radical change to developing academic leaders must be achieved if we are to respond to today’s challenges. The purpose of this research is …

The Role Of Supportive Leaders At Top Performing Universities: Best Practice Lessons From American Institutions For Indonesian Higher Education, Gerardo M. Gonzalez, Margaret Sutton

International Journal of Leadership and Change

Leaders at top performing American universities share the fundamental belief that the faculty is the engine of quality within the university and that supportive leadership can fuel it. Academic administrators who function as supportive leaders help create the interpersonal, institutional, and financial conditions necessary to support high levels of performance by members of the faculty. This paper discusses and illustrates supportive leadership in top performing American universities in order to stimulate dialogue about whether and how supportive leadership can be fostered in Indonesian institutions of higher education.

Implementing The Team Approach In Higher Education: Important Questions And Advice For Administrators, Tracy M. Lara, Aaron W. Hughey

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

Many companies have implemented the team approach as a way to empower their employees in an effort to enhance productivity, quality and overall profitability. While application of the concept to higher education administration has been limited, colleges and universities could benefit from the team approach if implemented appropriately and conscientiously. The authors discuss some of the issues and concerns that are relevant to implementing the team approach in an academic environment. Suggestions for implementing teams in higher education are provided, including the difference between the team approach and traditional administration, the importance of a preliminary needs assessment, the development of …