Education Commons^™

The Impact Of Mentorship On Women Superintendents In Minnesota, Amy Denneson

Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership

Problem

Mentorship [was] commonly cited in the research as one of the most effective supports available to women in attaining the superintendency. Research has shown that women more actively use mentoring systems than men in their career paths, but the effectiveness of their mentoring practices is unclear.

Purpose

The purpose of this study [was] to gather information from practicing female superintendents in Minnesota about the extent to which they were mentored and the mentor qualities they perceived as most effective. This study was quantitative in nature and designed to answer four research questions: (1) How extensive is mentoring among women …

From The Voices Of California Female High School Principals: Examining Barriers And Support Systems In A New Era Of Educational Reform Through The Lens Of Activity Theory, Janice M. Jones

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the perceived barriers and support systems female high school principals experienced, through the lens of activity theory, while attaining and serving in their current position during the newest era of educational reform in a specific geographical region.

Methodology: Semistructured interviews were conducted with current female high school principals to gather data on the barriers and support systems they experienced. The theoretical framework of activity theory was used to analyze the subjects’ interaction with their environment as they sought the outcome of becoming and serving as high school principals. …

Understanding Women's Experiences With Women-Only Leadership Development Programs In Higher Education: A Mixed Methods Approach, Danielle Marie Geary

Dissertations (1934 -)

Previous research indicated that women’s advancement into the leadership and administrative ranks in higher education has stalled over the past twenty years. Studies highlighted the socio-cultural and structural barriers that create challenges for women’s advancement in the academy. This study focused on the use of women-only leadership development programs (WLDPs) as a potential resource for women in the pursuit of advancing their careers. Few research studies to date assess the outcome for women who have attended WLDPs. This study was an in-depth case study of the Women in Higher Education Leadership Summit (WHELS) held at the University of San Diego, …

An Exploration Of The Identity And Career Development Of African American Women In Higher Education Leadership: Does Hair Style Make A Difference?, Yasmine Osir Farley

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

African American women, a group that endures the intersectionality of being both a woman and an African American, have many obstacles in their path as they advance in their career. Despite the strides that have been made in America to improve things for women and people of color, the interwoven societal standards of beauty do not include African American women. This standard of beauty affects women in that no matter how intelligent they are, looks play an important part in their professional life. For African American women, hair is a large part of who they are and how others perceive …

Improving The Education Of Leaders: An Exploratory Case Study In An Undergraduate Business Leadership Course Focused On Gender, Kanina Blanchard

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This exploratory case study is conducted in an undergraduate leadership course at a business school in Ontario. The research develops an understanding of how former students value and are influenced by leadership education that teaches a breadth of knowledges (instrumental, hermeneutic and emancipatory) and focuses on participants’ perspectives of how gender and inequality continue to impact the practice of leadership in Canada. By using document analysis and semi-structured interviews, findings emerge which provide insights into how changes in curricula and pedagogy may better prepare students of leadership to navigate the ethical and social complexities in today’s workplace.

¿Dónde Pertenecemos? Narrative Analysis Of Afro-Boricua Women’S Experiences Of Belonging Within And Beyond College, Marie Nubia-Feliciano

Educational Studies Dissertations

Afro-Latinas, Latinas of African descent, exist at the intersections of culture, race, gender, and class, and this position informs how we experience our world. This unique experiential perspective is present when we decide to attend college. It was the goal of this research project to explore the post-secondary educational experiences of Afro-Latinas. One particular group of Afro-Latinas was the subject of the research project: Afro-Boricua women.

The unique relationship that Puerto Rico has with the United States provided a backdrop for these women’s college going experiences. It provided a historical framework of colonialism and racialization that occurred both on the …

The Educational Journeys Of First-Generation College Women In Stem: A Grounded Theory Study, Susan Geier

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the various factors that influenced these first-generation college women as they chose a college and selected a STEM major and subsequently persisted to upper level (junior/senior) status. Twenty-five first-generation college women in STEM majors who attended a research-intensive university in the Midwest were interviewed. Approaching this study using constructivist grounded theory provided the opportunity for deeper insights by examining data at a conceptual level while preserving the voices of the women in this study. The women faced numerous challenges on their journeys, yet they persisted. As the women in this study selected …

A Study Of The Relationships Between Empowerment, Decision-Making Style And Job Satisfaction In Female Middle Managers Within Ontario's University Registrarial Units, Lee Ann C. Mckivor

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

An emerging body of literature has sought to explore the role of variables such as decision-making styles and structural empowerment in predicting job satisfaction in various populations and contexts. This study aimed to advance this knowledge by questioning the predictive ability of structural empowerment and decision-making styles in female registrarial middle managers in Ontario universities. It was hypothesized that when female registrarial middle managers feel empowered, dependent on their decision-making style, they experience high job satisfaction.

An online survey tool comprised of the Conditions for Workplace Effectiveness Questionnaire (CWEQ-I), the General Decision-Making Scale (GDMS), and the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), …

Females In Automotive Careers: Career Decision-Making Influences And Experiences During University Preparation And Beyond, Russell A. Leonard Jr.

Dissertations

Today, women fill nearly 50% of the jobs in the U.S. economy (U.S. Dept. of Labor, 2014). While women are making progress in many careers once considered male only, they are still underrepresented in the male-dominated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers, filling only 25% of available STEM jobs (Beede et al., 2011). The problem is not a lack of interest in STEM subjects, but a “leaky pipeline” that develops early in adolescence. By the eighth grade, half as many girls are interested in STEM careers as boys (National Science Foundation [NSF], 2007). Even after graduation from college, women …

Stress, Coping, And Well Being Of African American College Women: A Grounded Theory Study, Christine R. Hannon

Doctoral Dissertations

African American women are a rapidly growing population on college campuses. Though enrollment trends suggest an increase in African American women’s pursuit of educational attainment, they face unique challenges and obstacles (National Center for Education Statistics, 2011). Researchers have noted that stressful life events have detrimental effects on the emotional, physical, and mental well-being of college students (Greer & Brown, 2011; Reynolds, Sneva, & Beehler, 2010; Hall et al., 2006; Larson, 2006; Andrews & Wilding, 2004; Nonis et al., 1998; Shapiro et al., 1998; Cohen & Herbert, 1996; Van Eck et al., 1996). Research focused on the unique challenges of …

The Influence Of Society's Perceptions And Stereotypes On African American Women Administrators' Leadership Practices, Kim Hiel

Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership

Abstract

African American female educational leaders have historically faced multiple racial and gender challenges (Murtadha & Watts, 2005). These perceived challenges could bear impact on African American women’s actual leadership practices. African American women experience daily, the challenges of duality in their roles: the color of their skin (Meyerson, 2001) and their gender (S.N. Jones, 2003). The challenge of navigating the world through the lens of race and gender continually plays a part in the lived experiences of African American women; placing them at an intersection between race and gender across specific social contexts.

An examination on literature related to …

The Experiences Of First-Generation Women From South-Central Appalachia Who Have Obtained Their Doctorate Degree In Educational Leadership, Teressa Ann Dobbs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to investigate the experiences of first-generation women from South-Central Appalachia who completed a doctorate degree in educational leadership (EdD). Research indicates that nearly one third of doctoral recipients reported being first-generation, and the majority of these students concentrated in certain academic areas such as education. Furthermore, the literature suggests that there is a strong correlation between educational achievement levels and family background as well as cultural and geographic factors. While the amount of literature on minority groups has increased over the past 20 years, literature on the people and culture of Appalachia is limited. When first-generation …

Intercultural And Career Experiences Of African American Women Midlevel Leaders At Predominately White Institutions, Rabekah Stewart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women leaders positively influence the college experiences of students at predominately White institutions (PWI), but the retention of those women leaders remains an issue. At the time of this study, limited research informed race and gender issues that intersect the career advancement of African American women serving in midlevel leadership positions at PWIs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the intercultural and career advancement experiences of these women. Critical race theory, critical race feminist theory, and intercultural communications theory were used as a framework to understand the participants' intercultural and career advancement experiences, perceived influences, …

You're Kind Of Just Conditioned: Women And Female College Students' Defiance Of Dominant Social Messages In The Development Of Leader Self-Efficacy, Shannon Darracott Howes

Dissertations

Researchers have consistently found that women have lower leader self-efficacy (LSE) than men, despite being equally capable as leaders. This is problematic because LSE is associated with many benefits that support the development and enactment of leadership. Despite the importance of LSE, there is a dearth of research on the construct, particularly in the higher education context. This grounded theory study utilized semi-structured interviews with 12 undergraduate students who identified as females or women to explore how they developed LSE. Findings were related with four core concepts that were woven throughout the various categories of themes that comprised the grounded …

Voices Of Perseverance: A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Life Histories Of Female African-American Registered Nurses, Marva E. Brooks

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

There is a demand in the United States for a representative body of registered nurses to meet the needs of an ever-growing, aging, and increasingly diverse population. The implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the aging and retirement of the majority White nursing workforce created a need for a diverse body of competent and culturally-sensitive nurses to care for the aging baby boomers, an increasingly diverse population, and to counter healthcare disparities. Lack of diversity in nursing has been compounded by the high attrition rate of minorities in nursing education programs, particularly African Americans, the largest minority group in …

The Adjustment Of First Year African American Women To Predominately White Institutions: Implications For Best Practices, Maisha Beasley

Doctoral Dissertations

Currently, both scholarly literature and educational practice are lacking depth and scope about the lived experience of African American (AA) female students, and, as a result, they lack effectiveness for this population of students. In particular, they do not address the varying ways AA female students adjust to the university during their first year, the most critical year for student retention and persistence in the college experience (Pike & Kuh, 2005), nor do they recognize how intersectionalities of identities in AA women are salient to successes and challenges at PWIs. This study addresses this gap in the research by not …

Are They Listening?: Revisiting Male Privilege And Defensive Learning In A Feminist Classroom, Cameron A. Tyrrell

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Privileged students, particularly male-identified students, in women’s studies classrooms have been a population of study previously. Many feminist educators have encountered resistance from a male-identified student in their classroom. Scholarship has been done that analyzes the discourses around how male privilege is invoked by men in women’s studies classrooms. This study defined defensive learning with specific acts of disengagement that hinder privileged students, particularly male-identified students in Gender and Women’s Studies, from taking classes that are considered “feminist,” and from learning about systems of privilege. A series of semi-structured interviews with six male-identified students who were enrolled in women’s studies …