Education Commons^™

School Leaders’ Understanding And Implementation Of Their School District’S Mission And Vision Statements: A Qualitative Study, Venice P. Daley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore the perspectives of school leaders in a single public school district regarding their purpose in leadership, understanding, and implementation of their school district’s mission and vision statements. Three research questions guided the study:

1. How do Florida’s public school leaders incorporate or implement the district’s mission

and vision statements in their daily practice?

2. How do Florida’s public school leaders incorporate the school district’s vision and

mission statements into their purpose as leaders or roles as educational leaders?

3. How and in what ways do Florida’s public school leaders …

Latter-Day Saint Women And Leadership In Higher Education: An Intrinsic Case Study, Elizabeth J. Darger

Theses and Dissertations

There are few women in the highest levels of leadership in most industries, including higher education. This intrinsic case study provides insight into the leadership journeys of 15 female leaders at Brigham Young University, which is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Four prevalent themes emerged about their leadership journeys. First, a leadership role was not part of the participant's life plan. The remaining three themes related to acceptance of a leadership role. Participants reported feeling nudged to consider a leadership role, feeling a sense of relational responsibility in accepting a leadership role, and receiving a …

Perspectives Of Esl Teachers On Translanguaging Pedagogy In Supporting The Literacy Engagement Of Emergent Bilingual Students In A Texas Charter School, Gemma Olson

Theses and Dissertations

The interconnectedness of the world today through advanced technology and travel allows students exposure to a diverse cultural landscape. Combined with a fast-changing computer technology-driven education, and culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, there cannot be just one way to teach and learn. This study explored the perspective of ESL teachers on translanguaging pedagogy in supporting the literacy engagement of emergent bilingual (EB) students in an urban elementary charter school in Texas. Through Participatory Action Research (PAR), data was collected from three ESL teacher participants using the spiral-action cycle. Findings that emerged included (a) intrinsic motivation that translanguaging pedagogy support emergent …

The Role Of Mentorship In The Advancement Of Black Women In Higher Education Administrative Roles, Kimberly Colclough

Theses and Dissertations

Literature has suggested that mentorship is one of the most influential components of career advancement. However, for Black women in higher education administrative roles, mentorship also serves to garner community and support. This research study focuses on the lived experiences of Black women administrators in higher education institutions, the obstacles they face in pursuit of support and career advancement, and how they benefited from a relationship with a mentor. This descriptive phenomenological qualitative study was implemented by conducting in-depth interviews with a small sample of (6) six African American women administrators from various higher education institutions located in the Northeast, …

Understanding The Circumstances That Contribute To Teacher Retention And Attrition In An Urban School District And The Impacts Of Financial Incentives On Teacher Retention, Meshelley Sams

Theses and Dissertations

This study is aimed at understanding the circumstances that contribute to teacher retention and attrition in urban schools in the Southwestern United States. Harris et al. (2019) reported that at the national level, 16% of all teachers attrit yearly. Attrition contributes to the increasing teacher shortage problem that many districts face. The purpose of the study, guided by Chris Argyris’ organizational theory, examined the circumstances that contribute to the attrition of highly qualified teachers and the extent financial incentives are linked to the retention of highly qualified teachers. This qualitative phenomenological study involved 9 teachers, interviewed with a researcher designed …

A Generic Qualitative Study Of District, School, And Teacher Leader Experiences With Increasing Reading And Writing Achievement, Jennifer Fowler

Theses and Dissertations

English Language Arts (ELA) test scores have declined since the 2020 COVID-19 virus caused schools and districts in the United States and around the world to shut down for substantial periods of time. School and district leaders and teachers across the country are working to increase ELA achievement.

In this generic qualitative research study, local district, school, and teacher leaders were interviewed and asked questions about their experiences with increasing reading and writing achievement using semi-structured interview protocols.

Four research questions were addressed. They concerned the challenges, successes, supports, guidance, mandates, and advice offered by district, school, and teacher leaders …

Women Of Color In Higher Education Institutions: Strategies To Attain Administrative Leadership Positions, Oghenemano O. Evero

Theses and Dissertations

Race and gender continue to be contributing factors to the disparity and lack of representation that exists among higher-education leaders. This study examines the lived experience of women of color to identify the strategies they utilized to attain administrative leadership roles at a Higher Education Institution (HEI). Participants included women of color leaders with at least 5 years of experience in higher education and in a leadership role. Participants also had advanced degrees. Using a narrative inquiry design, the study involved semi structured interviews to gather data from the sample population. The seven (7) women of color HEIs administrative leaders …

Emotional Intelligence And Teachers’ Performance In The Classroom In Cairo, Egypt, Wessam Refat

Theses and Dissertations

Effective teachers continue to be in demand in the workforce. Schools and universities need professional teachers who show passion for their jobs and high work performance. This research will investigate the association among teachers’ age, gender, tenure, emotional intelligence (EI) scores, perception of emotional intelligence application in classroom, and perception of any potential impact on their prior year’s self-reported annual teaching evaluations in Madinaty National School in Egypt. For this study, the researcher will utilize mixed methods for data collection based on concurrent design (Creswell, 2014; Kummar, 2014). For additional data collection of teachers’ perspectives on emotional intelligence (EI), the …

An Application Of Lewin In A Trans-Pandemic World: A Narrative Inquiry In A Case Study With A Suggested Model For The Future, Chandler Barksdale Ewell Caldwell

Theses and Dissertations

Change is constant in today’s post-pandemic world. This is truly evident in online business success with entrepreneurs that defy past limitations and rely on future vision. This study purposely attempts to identify and qualify the impact of stylized change focused leadership in response to workplace changes during the variant challenges of the corona virus pandemic. The relevancy of Lewin’s organizational change model in today’s new normal provides the foundation for this research. Data were gathered through interview with a purposive sample of 12 managers executives and team members from a public sector organization. Evolving through an iterative process of evaluation …

Transformational Leadership Strategies In U.S. Public Universities, Jason C. Hardman

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explores the transformational leadership strategies used by university leaders to transform their respective institutions of higher education in the post-pandemic era. The study builds on Bass's (1985a) transformational leadership model, and the guiding research question is, "What transformational leadership strategies do university leaders use to transform university environments?" The study utilizes a narrative inquiry approach to collect and analyze data from publicly available and accessible sources. The data analysis highlights four themes of transformational leadership practices, including idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. The findings reveal that transformational leaders exhibit high moral standards, personal …

Exploring Leaders' Sensemaking Of Emergent Global Norms For Open Science: A Mixed Methods Discourse Analysis Of Unesco’S Multistakeholder Initiative, Lisa Cuevas Shaw

Theses and Dissertations

In November 2021, all 193 United Nations Member States adopted the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Recommendation on Open Science (UNESCO, 2021a), which signaled a shared commitment to globally recognized standards for open science. However, as with other normative instruments established by intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) such as UNESCO, the ways in which local, national, and regional leaders will implement the recommendation can and will vary (Finnemore, 1993). Top-down and bottom-up coordination across international stakeholders in the research system is critical for the framework to be effective in driving global policy implementation and enabling sustained research culture change. …

Women Of Color In Higher Education Institutions: Strategies To Attain Administrative Leadership Positions, Oghenemano O. Evero

Theses and Dissertations

Race and gender continue to be contributing factors to the disparity and lack of representation that exists among higher-education leaders. This study examines the lived experience of women of color to identify the strategies they utilized to attain administrative leadership roles at a Higher Education Institution (HEI). Participants included women of color leaders with at least 5 years of experience in higher education and in a leadership role. Participants also had advanced degrees. Using a narrative inquiry design, the study involved semi structured interviews to gather data from the sample population. The seven (7) women of color HEIs administrative leaders …

Social Capital And Leadership Competencies Of Recent Kenyan Immigrant Leaders In The United States And Canada: Relational, Structural, And Cognitive Perception, Dorcas Cheruto Mworsho

Theses and Dissertations

Academic research on immigrant social capital indicates that the social capital gained from a country of origin is not easily transferable to a host country (Hopkins, 2020; Hou et al., 2018; Tegegne, 2015). The debate has gained recognition in the recent past as more developed countries continue to receive an increasing number of immigrants. Kenya is among the countries that continue to experience a global surge of professionals immigrating who have settled in North America. Research reveals that some known social connections within host countries are exploitative and detrimental to Kenyan immigrants who try to access meaningful leadership positions that …

Characteristics Of Leadership Of Selected Historical Leaders In Music Education In The United States With An Exploratory Study Of The Explicability Of These Characteristics To Modern Music Education Leadership In Elementary Schools, Ashley Loren Stringfield

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this multicase, qualitative study dissertation was to describe how the leadership characteristics of the founders of the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) inform today’s music educators’ leadership abilities. During the 1907 Keokuk conference the founding members discussed the first set of guiding principles for various subjects within the music discipline including chorus, band, and piano. For this study, the research questions are focused on the similarities in leadership styles of music education leaders past and present. Suggestions for improvement of teacher and administrator leadership characteristics were revealed by the leaders themselves.

Eight public elementary school music teachers …

She Leads Business Education: A Phenomenological Study On The Career Development Of Female Deans Leading Aacsb-Accredited Business Schools In America, Rachel Staples Guettler

Theses and Dissertations

As women advance into leadership roles in America, there is a demand for career development research to deepen understanding of strategies for overcoming obstacles and maximizing opportunities. This study investigated 13.4% of the population of female Deans of AACSB-accredited business schools in America through qualitative inquiry. During this study, 157 of 540 American business schools with AACSB accreditation were led by female Deans. A female perspective was interpreted through the framework of Career Development Theory revealing the internal and external forces impacting career development chronology, experiences, contexts, behavioral patterns, beliefs, and leadership of women who have become Deans. Gender-related and …

The Effect Administrators Have On Employee Morale Within The University Of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Sherry L. Beaty-Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between Arkansas County Extension County staff morale and their perceived relationship county staff had with their County Staff Chair. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service (UAEX) can utilize the results from this research to identify individuals who have the capacity to build high-quality relationships with staff members, thereby promoting higher levels of morale within the organization. Administrators can use this study to identify current or future leaders within the organization by identifying those who can promote high-quality relationships with county-level staff. Results from this study may also be used …

The Impact Of Transformational Leadership On Postsecondary Student Affairs Division Employee Job Satisfaction, Commitment, And Engagement, Valerie Edwards Richardson

Theses and Dissertations

Leadership is a transformational process that moves followers to achieve more than is usually expected of them. Research has shown that transformational leadership positively impacts and inspires job satisfaction, organizational commitment and employee engagement among academic lecturers and student populations. But little research has explored the impact of these constructs within the context of non-academic, lower level support staff in higher education. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of Transformational Leadership characteristics on the perceptions of lower level, support staff’s job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and work engagement in a technical college in Southwest Georgia. The target …

The Salvation Of The Africana Child: Via The Role Of The Black Woman In Educational Leadership, Tamara S. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

Black Women principals have unique experiences that they have lived that influence the way they lead schools. Strong and committed leadership creates school environments where children can thrive.

This study illuminated the connectivity of race, class, and gender to the lived experiences of Black Women principals according to the Africana Womanism paradigm set forth by Dr. Clenora Hudson-Weems (2020). The question my research sought to answer was: How do the lived experiences, as they relate to race, class, and gender, of Black Women principals impact the way they lead? The sub-question for the study was: How do the lived experiences …

Successful Impoverished Schools: What Are The Existing Conditions In High Poverty Schools That Have A Higher Than Average Proficiency Rate?, Mitchell Winn Nerdin

Theses and Dissertations

Proficiency levels in schools often correlate with the poverty levels of schools. However, in 2018 three schools in Utah beat the state average proficiency rate on all three of Utah's end of year summative English language arts, mathematics, and science exams. These high scores provide evidence that schools are not necessarily limited by poverty in helping students succeed academically. By examining the schools that beat the state average on at least one exam, this study describes the conditions that were in play, which contributed to their students' academic achievement. A description is given of the conditions in the schools that …

Middle School Transition: The Influence Of An Academy Approach And The Role Of Leadership, Kimberly Calhoun Odom

Theses and Dissertations

Students entering middle school frequently encounter challenges in their transition as they leave the comforts of elementary school. Traditionally, fifth grade students experience their last year in elementary school in a similar fashion to the previous five years of elementary school. They are in self-contained classrooms with one teacher for the majority of their school day. This study’s objective is to determine best practices and strategies that support fifth grade students in transitioning to the rigors of middle school. More specifically, the research focuses on the impact of an Academy structure in the elementary setting that models the transitions of …

School Innovation: A Phenomenological Study Of Leadership, Kevin H. Storch

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to gain an understanding of what school innovation looks like as well as how school and district leaders address the concept. Technology has forever changed society. We must be careful not to confuse school innovation as the implementation of technology in the classroom. Educational leaders face the challenge of engaging students in meaningful learning opportunities that go beyond rote memorization and performance on standardized assessments following NCLB and Common Core. This study identifies characteristics of school culture that are necessary for innovation to take place. Principal and district leaders have to be knowledgeable …

Trust In Schools, Student Race, And Third Grade Reading In New York City Public Schools, Alexa Sorden

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study examines the relationship between teachers' and parents' trust in the school principal in association with third-grade students reading proficiency as determined by the New York State Testing Program. In addition, this study examines the association between combined trust scores and their influence on Black and Latino students’ reading proficiency. This study merged preexisting New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) Learning Environment Survey data and the New York State Testing Program examination data. Six hundred eleven schools comprised the final sample from the 708 public elementary schools that currently make up the NYCDOE traditional public school system …

Perceptions Of The Specialized Literacy Professional: A Performance Profile, Julie S. Dauksys

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop a performance profile of specialized literacy professionals. The International Literacy Association provided suggestions on how to prepare these professionals through the publication of The Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals (ILA, 2018); however, there is little awareness of these standards in the field, nor of the proposed definitions of the roles and responsibilities of literacy professionals (Bean et al., 2017).

The findings of this explanatory sequential mixed methods design provided insight into the daily work of the specialized literacy professional. This data is significant because the findings support the overarching goal …

Revisión Sistemática De Competencias De Liderazgo En Formación Inicial Docente [Systematic Review Of Leadership Skills In Initial Teacher Training], Maria M. Martinez-Mena

Theses and Dissertations

La presente investigación se enfocó en analizar el desarrollo de competencias de liderazgo más relevantes para la formación inicial docente de futuros profesionales de la educación mediante una revisión sistemática. El liderazgo es un factor importante en el éxito o el fracaso tanto individual, de grupo u organizacional. El desarrollo, formación y las competencias de liderazgo en la educación es un tema relevante el cual debe ser investigado. Siendo el rol de los docentes fundamental para los procesos formativos de los estudiantes se debe desarrollar las competencias de liderazgo en su formación inicial. Los procesos formativos incluyen tanto en el …

Hispanic School Leaders And Their Impact On Education, Linda Guzmán

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to investigate the impact Hispanic school leaders have in schools that are primarily Hispanic. The Hispanic community is one of the fastest-growing in the United States. Hispanics are the largest student group represented in elementary and high schools yet are disproportionately underrepresented in school leadership. Hispanic school leaders experience challenges in gaining the education, opportunities, and work experience to achieve leadership roles in schools. Once Hispanic leaders gain leadership roles and grow in experience, they face challenges implementing policies that positively impact their school community. A review of the literature identified challenges …

Liderazgo Directivo Escolar En El Funcionamiento Del Programa De Educación Especial De La Región Norte De Puerto Rico, Meilin Gomez Román

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito de este estudio es explicar el efecto del liderazgo directivo en el funcionamiento del Programa de Educación Especial en la Región Norte de Puerto Rico. Mediante este estudio se pretende conocer de qué manera el liderazgo que ejercen los directores escolares afecta el funcionamiento del Programa de Educación Especial.

Este estudio tiene un enfoque cuantitativo con un diseño no experimental transversal de alcance descriptivo. Se administraron dos cuestionarios para la recolección de datos. La muestra estuvo constituida por 32 directores escolares que participaron de manera voluntaria.

Los resultados demostraron que el estilo de liderazgo predominante y que más …

Self-Actualized Leaders’ Relationships With Dynamic Teams, Joseph Walter Pieri

Theses and Dissertations

A recent study of 831 companies around the world found that employees on average tend to spend 54% of their time working within teams (Frey et al., 2013). Today, this number is estimated to be an additional four to six percent higher (Gallup, 2020). Despite the upward trend of increased reliance on team-based structures in effort to improve productivity and boost morale, research reveals approximately two-thirds of U.S. employees are not engaged in their workplace (Gallup, 2020). More than half (51%) of workers merely go through the motions of their job, barely meeting minimum position responsibilities. However, leadership is essential …

The Facts Of Life: Professional Identity Narratives Of Expatriate Language Instructors In Egypt, Sierranicole Butler

Theses and Dissertations

This study uses a narrative approach to investigate the lived experiences of two expatriate TESOL instructors at a private university in Egypt. Through the use of observations and interviews, the researcher analyzed how the emotions and beliefs of experienced expatriate TESOL instructors influence, shape, and are shaped by their Language Teacher Professional Identities. Farrell’s (2011) Professional Role Identities codes were used. The study revealed that expatriate language instructors face a number of trying experiences when teaching students, interacting with colleagues, and taking on various leadership roles within their institutions based on a number of factors including their own beliefs, backgrounds, …

A Comparative Case Study Exploring The Experiences Of Women Leaders In Academic Affairs And Administration In Higher Education Through The Lens Of Intersectionality, Johniqua S. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

There is an increasing concern about the absence of women in senior positions in academia and administration within institutions (Johnson, 2016). There is limited research to compare the journeys of women leaders in academics and administration. This study is an examination of women’s experiences of perceived barriers to leadership roles in faculty and administration. Using comprehensive interviews, this study explores personal accounts to emphasize apparent barriers to career advancement. The goal of the study is to explore women in senior positions in academia and administrative paths to leadership. The male dominated society has made it challenging for women to grow …

Perceptions Of Nontraditional Students Towards Extracurricular And Student Leadership Programming, Allison V. Niemiec

Theses and Dissertations

Nontraditional student populations at higher education institutions have been continuously growing, which requires institutions to become better prepared to address their unique needs. The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to explore the perceptions of nontraditional students towards extracurricular and student leadership programming at Rowan University. This research study involved a cross-sectional survey that identified characteristics of nontraditional students enrolled at Rowan University since at least the fall of 2019 and identified their satisfaction with and interest in extracurricular and leadership opportunities. Optional one on one interviews were administered to gain a better understanding of the survey …