Education Commons^™

Challenging Anti-Black Racism: To Improve The Efficacy And Success Of Black Administrators. Organization Improvement Plan, Rohan N. Hollingsworth

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The success of Black students has been at the forefront of discussion and planning in many school boards. As a result, we have seen many solutions and proposed solutions addressing anti-Black racism. Some of these solutions included de-streaming courses, revisions on how Black students were suspended, and the inclusion of culturally relevant pedagogy and critical race theory in the curriculum, to name a few. These institutionally proposed solutions are all great and even add value to the educational experience of Black students.

Although these strategies greatly enhance students’ experience, they fail to challenge the status quo of society. These strategies …

Transactional And Transformational Leadership In The Superintendency: A Phenomenological Study Of Three Upper Peninsula Superintendents’ Experiences, Lisa A. Coombs-Gerou

All NMU Master's Theses

This study aimed to analyze and provide an understanding of how three rural public school superintendents in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan practiced transformational leadership. Transformational leadership includes the elements of idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration (Burns, 1978). Transformational superintendents must lead our schools to provide students with the best educational opportunity. The study focused on the superintendents experiences in deciding to become a superintendent, their beliefs about leadership, and how they approached decisions through a transactional or transformational process. The study also sought to provide insight into the relationship with their school board and how …

Leadership Identity Development Among Aspiring Women Leaders In Higher Education: A Phenomenological Study Of Formal Mentoring, Malia E. Roberts

Dissertations

Men have held the majority of presidencies, vice-presidencies, deanships, and other top administrative positions on college campuses since 1950 (Parker, 2015). The disproportionately low representation of women holding leadership roles in higher education is even more urgent considering few women ever reach the senior most leadership levels (Hannum et al., 2015). As such, the American Council on Education not only identified the need to increase the presence of women in leadership positions and to cultivate a pipeline of future leaders, but also the need to provide formal leadership training opportunities for women (Howard & Gagliardi, 2018). While various higher education …

Investigating The Most Valued Components Of The South Carolina Teaching Fellows Program By Graduates Who Have Remained In The Education Profession, Amanda Jane Darden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The vision of every elementary, middle, and high school in the United States is to deliver an excellent educational setting to each and every student who enters their school building. Educational research overwhelmingly demonstrates that a primary factor contributing to an “excellent educational setting” is having highly qualified and effective teachers (Rice, 2003). However, the teacher supply and demand issues currently facing our nation is significantly compromising the ideal of providing excellent educational settings in our schools. Teacher attrition is a problem that faces schools throughout the United States. The number of teachers leaving their positions to pursue other careers …

A Phenomenological Study On The Informal Learning Experiences Of Female Mid-Level Administrators, Kathryn L. Curameng

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study is to identify and describe the informal leadership development experiences of female mid-level administrators in private nonprofit higher education.

Methodology: This phenomenological study identifies and describes the informal leadership development experiences of female mid-level administrators in private nonprofit higher education institutions in California. Respondents were selected based on specific criteria and recommendations of a sponsor. The researcher collected data through semi-structured interviews and observations of participants.

Findings: Examination of the qualitative data from interviews with 16 female mid-level administrators working in private nonprofit higher education yielded nine major findings. These included 2 unexpected …

Mentors’ Perspective On Mentoring Practices For New Teachers: A Qualitative Study, Rosa Smith-Norman

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological research study explores the lived experiences of mentors as they share their perceptions of mentoring practices to better understand how participatory experiences affect the professional growth of new teachers. Using a phenomenological research design helps to better understand the participants’ perceptions and personal meaning making processes that emerge from their first-person lived experiences of their professional practice. This study explores how ongoing participatory experiences have served to shape one’s perceptions about teaching and learning though the use of best mentoring practice strategies. To this end, this study triangulates the data by conducting an initial email interview questionnaire …

Hospitality And Seminary Culture: A Phenomenological Study On The Presence And Practice Of Hospitality Between Seminary Leaders And Students, Jesse Matthew Adams

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

While hospitality is a major biblical doctrine and a requirement of Christian living and outreach, few ministers begin their ministries recognizing the essence and essentiality of hospitality in ministry or intentionally highlight and model it to those they lead. One root cause for this may stem from the seminaries in which our ministers train, that our seminaries have no apparent agreement on a formal framework for teaching hospitality and too few seminaries are marked by a culture of hospitality. This study seeks to establish a formal framework for hospitality in seminary education. Such a framework could be used to instigate …

Addressing A Cohort Discrepancy Among Ninth-Grade Students At A Rural/Suburban High School, Bryley Keaton Murphy

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Ninth grade is a critical period where some children experience academic and social growth, while others struggle to navigate their new context, leading to reduced outcomes at school and worsened physical/mental health (Benner & Graham, 2007; Rice, 2001). This mixed-methods action research (MMAR) study addressed how professional practice changes could better support students during this foundational period. Quantitative data was collected from school databases to compare the rate of student success and identify demographic discrepancies, while qualitative data was used to identify possible causes. These data were then integrated to create insightful meta-inferences into the problem of practice. From these …

Lifting As We Climb: Effective Mentoring Methods For Black Women Who Aspire To Senior Leadership Roles In Higher Education, Janine Mixon

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 125,485 Black women earned a bachelor’s degree in 2019 in comparison to 70,909 in 1999. As the number of Black women on college campuses have increased, the number of Black women in senior leadership roles have remained stagnant. It is important for higher education institutions to find ways to increase the number of Black women in senior leadership roles because diverse staff and faculty not only increases students’ success but the institutions’ success. One of the ways in which colleges and universities can support the career advancement of Black women is to …

The Impact Of Mentorship On Attracting And Sustaining Female Superintendents In The State Of Washington, Michelle Kuss-Cybula

WWU Graduate School Collection

Female superintendents continue to make up a small fraction of public-school superintendents in this country. This study focused on gathering stories of current female superintendents in the state of Washington, all of whom are within their first three years of their superintendency to determine the extent to which mentoring had an impact on their career path leading into the superintendency role and the impact of mentoring in sustaining their role as a seated superintendent.

This qualitative study focused on five essential questions:

• What kinds of mentoring do female school superintendents experience on their pathway to becoming chief executive of a …

Mentoring: The Factors That Contribute To Persistence To Graduation For African American Males In Predominantly White Institutions In Missouri, Paula Miller

Dissertations

Due to several decisions by the United States Supreme Court in the 19^th and 20^th centuries, African Americans were granted access to PWI’s of higher education. However, African Americans still face challenges in obtaining post-secondary education. For example, in 2019 – 2020, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics (2021), 13.1% of African Americans graduated with master’s degrees. Additionally, in 2020, 19% of African Americans attained a post-secondary degree in Missouri (Towncharts.com, 2021).

Despite access, the number of African Americans obtaining degrees remains low. And, when the lens is focused on African American males, the numbers are …

Does Race Still Matter? An Exploration Of Race And Mentoring Relationships From The Perspective Of Early Career Teachers Of Color And Mentors, Franchesca R. Ho Sang

Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring has been attributed to lowering attrition rates of teachers. At present, the majority of teachers in the United States are White and female. The national teacher workforce does not represent the student body. Although there have been recent initiatives to improve the diversity within the teacher workforce, by explicitly recruiting teachers of color (TOC), the attrition rates of these teachers are negating the effects of recruitment efforts. Previous research has pointed to the need to consider race in novice TOC mentee and mentor matches, as cultural capital theory suggests common knowledge and experience may lead to stronger mentor relationships …

Retention Of Novice Teachers, Renna Varano

Culminating Experience Projects

The field of education is a constantly unsettled field with new pedagogical trends, new policies and immense attrition rates at every turn. Upon attempting to study the causes and effects of teacher attrition, it can be deduced that there is no one cause yet one major effect: student achievement. Schools that have lower rates of student achievement typically have difficulty maintaining a highly effective teaching staff. This issue affects any and all types of schools, some more than others. In order to guarantee students a right to an equitable education, school leaders must create supportive mentoring and induction programs for …

Building Stem Teacher Capacity At A South American International School, Daniel Yamasaki

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Although originating in the United States, STEM education has gained acceptance worldwide as an inquiry-based, interdisciplinary approach engaging students in active learning. Despite the ubiquity of STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, schools face challenges in providing professional development for teachers. This dissertation addresses a lack of adequate professional development to support STEM implementation at an international school in South America. Based on a constructivist assumption that teachers’ beliefs, cultures, and experiences mediate their learning, a mentoring program was selected as the most viable solution strategy. Mentoring provides a pathway for mentees to enact new strategies with their mentor’s support promoting …

Latinx On The Rise Mentoring Program’S Impact On Graduating Student’S Professional Integration Past Undergraduate Studies, Lucero Martinez-Salas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring programs are implemented to create a space for skill and information transmission between a mentor and mentee. Mentoring programs are typically implemented in an academic setting with professors or peers acting as a mentor and students as mentees. Based on the under-representation of Latinx students in higher education and further career paths, mentoring with this population could be positively impactful to their student experience. This thesis focuses on the Latinx on the Rise mentoring program and the experience of the mentees with a focus on the Latinx student experience. Implications for implementation of such programs and their impact will …

Examining How Black Administrator Employment Decisions Are Impacted By The Behaviors Of Supervisors, Annie Wilson Whitaker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how Black, public school administrator employment decisions are impacted by the behaviors of supervisors in Virginia. Commonalities among the lived experiences of Black, public school administrators were examined in order to identify specific behaviors which impact employment decisions.

Transcendental phenomenological qualitative research design was utilized. Participants were identified through gatekeeper introductions and then narrowed through snow-ball sampling. Data was collected through open-ended face-to-face interviews with 12 Black, public school administrators in Virginia via a secure online platform. The data was analyzed in order to identify emergent themes which represent the lived …

Exploring Co-Planning Conversations As A Professional Development Activity For Mentors And Mentees At The Beginning Of A Yearlong Teacher Residency, Channing Parfait

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In order to prepare pre-service teachers for their roles in the classroom, it is important to examine the rigor and purpose of the mentoring experience. This study explored the aspects of co-planning conversations that helped experienced and novice teachers expand their expertise and develop a mutually beneficial mentoring relationship at the beginning of a yearlong teacher residency model. While research on co-planning during the student teaching/residency experience exists, this research illuminated the importance of mentoring conversations early on in the teacher residency experience. Using a single case study design, observations, one-on-one interviews, and artifacts from four mentor-mentee dyads, data were …

Agency, Mentorship, And Self-Efficacy: Achieving Gender Equity Among Texas Superintendents, Carmela Marisa Levy-David

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this qualitative case study was to revisit Bandura’s agency, self-efficacy theory, and Kram’s mentor theory to address the disproportionality between the number of men and women superintendents in Texas. Despite extensive female representation in classrooms, campus leadership, and central office positions, the number of women superintendents remained relatively unchanged for nearly a decade. Access to mentors, leadership pipelines, career pathways, and other factors was examined to identify current and prior barriers to promotion. Semistructured interviews gathered reflections and experiences from the lens of seven current women superintendents and six mentors of women superintendents. Survey responses from women …

Formal Mentoring Programs: An Exploration Of Barriers To Implementation In Nursing Schools, Megan Christine Duncan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Although there are over three million registered nurses in the United States, the national nursing shortage has reached epic proportions, with a vacancy rate of 9.9%. One of the contributing factors to the nursing shortage is the lack of qualified nursing faculty. While formal mentoring programs have been identified as best practice in supporting the expert nurse clinician in their transition into the novice nurse faculty role, these programs are not consistently implemented in schools of nursing. In this phenomenological study, the perceptions of nursing leaders regarding barriers to the implementation of formal mentoring programs were analyzed. Using a …

A Path To Visibility And Leadership: How Mentoring Relationships Impact Career Advancement In Student Affairs For Asian American Women, Erica Alcantara Aros

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Asian American women who choose a career in student affairs within the field of higher education are severely underrepresented in both staff positions and top officer/administrator positions compared to White women and other women of color. As the Asian American college student population continues to rise and women make up the majority of undergraduate students in the United States, institutions of higher education must address the need for student affairs staff and administrators to proportionally represent their diverse student bodies. Unfortunately, with an average of 2% of the roles of higher education administrators filled by Asian Americans, few Asian American …

Factors That Contribute To Motivation And Student Achievement As Adolescents Transition From Elementary To Middle School Or Junior High In One Urban District In The Rio Grande Valley, Lizette Villarreal Longoria

Theses and Dissertations

This study will examine factors that contribute to the decline in achievement scores in reading and mathematics when students transition from elementary to their first year in middle school or junior high school. It will test the hypothesis that motivation is not a function of mentors, academic support, teams, parental involvement, transition experience, math perception, and reading perception for students transitioning from elementary to middle school or junior high school. In this quantitative research study, data will be collected using a multiple linear regression analysis to examine the factors that contribute to motivation and the achievement score decline in reading …

Understanding Mentoring Relationships And Career Advancement In Higher Education, Nelky Rodriguez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The development of administrators, faculty, and staff within higher education presumes an apprenticeship between an experienced individual (supervisor, tenured faculty, or friend within the field) and the employee (Reybold, 2003). Understanding the path to career advancement within higher education can assist in personal career aspirations (Rhoads & Tierney, 1993). However, many institutions do not recognize the need for a mentor as necessary for developing a person’s career. A professional roadmap to advancement within higher education usually consists of policies and procedures and social and cultural norms, yet without guidance, these can be difficult to master on one’s own. Studies have …

Perceptions Of Classroom Management Coaching At District A Independent School District, Ashley L. Brittain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study addressed teacher retention and research-to-practice gaps in the literature related to classroom management coaching and what types of teacher support are the best and why. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of teachers, campus administrators, and campus intervention coaches regarding District A Independent School District’s campus intervention coach model. This study attempted to understand better the perceptions of how the campus intervention coach model influences teachers’ decisions to remain in the profession; how teachers, campus administrators, and campus intervention coaches perceive the campus intervention coach model’s effectiveness in reducing the percentage of …

Understanding A Familial Mentorship Model In Cultivation Of Leaders Who Serve, Herald Chip Johnson

Dissertations

This study was designed to explore a lineage of leadership enacted through mentoring from individuals with respected reputations for excellence in leadership. Using a narrative inquiry approach, I explored how I used knowledge gained from past mentors to inform future leadership actions and decisions based on the examples through their leadership. An exploration of leadership models uncovered the interconnectivity among the life of the mentor, the lessons passed on to the mentee, and the manner in which the story is told. Resonant leadership, transformative leadership, and servant leadership theory provided the theoretical framework used to analyze in-depth interviews in which …

A Case Study In The Use Of Mentorships In Academic Instructional Coach Development., Matt Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academic instructional coaches have long been used to support teacher development and student learning. As a recent position in the education field, there is little information regarding the development of staff in this role. This study sought to better understand how academic instructional coaches are mentored and developed within challenging school contexts. The theoretical framework for this research is guided by the social constructivism epistemology. In alignment with this framework, a collective case study was utilized to better understand the relationship between the principal and the academic instructional coach. Exploring this relationship emphasized how principals support academic instructional coach growth. …

Is This Seat Taken? African American Male Perceptions Of Ascension In The Federal Office Of Inspectors General Community, Donrich L. Young

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The federal law enforcement community is one that should be diverse and reflect society as a whole. Traditionally, federal law enforcement, and specifically the Office of Inspectors General (OIG) Community, has been occupied by White males at all levels. This qualitative exploratory case study examined the perceptions and lived experiences of eight African American males currently employed in or recently retired from the federal OIG community. The research findings resulted in the emergence of three themes: (1) mentorship, (2) treatment and opportunities, and (3) underrepresentation. The implications and recommendations which evolved from this research study may contribute to the development …

An Evaluation Of Beginning Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding The Implementation Effectiveness And Outcomes Of Teacher Induction Programming In Minnesota Public School Districts, Shorena Dolaberidze

Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership

Background

“No matter the quality of their preparation, new teachers encounter many distinct challenges as they navigate their first months and years in the classroom” (New Teacher Center, 2015, p.1). To empower new teachers and strengthen their performance during instructional times, as well as enhance the effectiveness of their contribution school wide, many school districts implement induction programming. “Research demonstrates that comprehensive, multi-year induction programs accelerate the professional growth of new teachers, reduce the rate of new teacher attrition, provide a stronger return on states’ and school districts’ investment, and improve student learning” (New Teacher Center, 2015, p. 2)

Wong …

Faculty Role In Student Career Development: A Qualitative Study, Marianne Jacullo Brosnan

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

As chief architects of curriculum, faculty are largely responsible for student learning outcomes. Given the cost of higher education and the amount of debt students incur, higher education stakeholders want to know if higher education is worth the investment.

Student career preparedness is an important goal of higher education. While research has been dedicated to college student development, career decision-making, and student-faculty interaction from a student perspective, little is known about the faculty perspective and their role in student career preparedness in a specific articulated way.

In this study, the phenomenological perspective provided a framework for data collection and analysis. …

Voices Of The Mentors: An Examination Of Perceptions And Meaning-Making Of Mentors In A Site-Based Program, Sheila R. Jacobs

Theses and Dissertations from 2020

Although past studies of mentoring at-risk youth have yielded mixed results (Faith et al., 2011; DeWit et al., 2016), mentoring as an intervention for at-risk youth has increased in the past decade and has been supported by the United States Federal Government (Hughes, Boyd, & Dykstra, 2010; Gordon, Downey, & Bangert, 2013; Reddick, Griffin, & Cherwitz, 2011). Because studies focused on the perceptions and experiences of mentors are limited (Hughes et al., 2010; Haddock et al., 2017), and because of frequency of early mentor/mentee relationship termination (Grossman et al., 2012; Golder, 2016), this qualitative study sought to capture and understand …

Developing Mentoring Relationships Among Collegiate Coaches Using Developmental Leadership Strategies, Lawren Mckinney

Leadership Education Capstones

A mentor is described as a role model with influence on another’s professional career (Abiddin, 2006). Mentoring comes from a development of an individual (Abiddin). Where this development is the growth of the individual to develop a leadership style (Day, 2011; Day et al., 2014). The purpose of this study is to explore how developmental leadership can help increase mentoring relationships between collegiate coaches in Division II athletics. The experiences of this phenomenon among collegiate coaches gives the opportunity to hear from them the individuals directly involved in these mentoring relationships within the program striving for continuous growth. This study …