Educational Leadership Commons^™

Theory Versus Practice: A Study Of Strategy Making In Five Public Mba Programs, Michael Alwyn Wilde

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined whether coercive, normative and mimetic isomorphic mechanisms contribute to the strategies public MBA programs develop and implement in their quests to differentiate themselves. An additional purpose was to examine whether influential environmental elements impact strategy development in ways that make these organizations more similar than different.

In depth interviews were conducted in an attempt to discover the experiences and perspectives of five current directors of MBA programs in public institutions of higher education. Purposeful sampling, in the form of convenience sampling within a clearly defined population, was used.

The findings suggest that none of the five MBA …

Practitioners Or Researchers: Ed.D. Or Ph.D.? An Analysis Of Educational Leadership Doctoral Programs, Michael Dwyane Kennedy Jr.

Dissertations

This mostly descriptive study was conducted to analyze differences in doctoral degrees in educational leadership programs across the United States based on U.S. News and World Report (2011) rankings for Graduate Schools of Education. Specifically, this study explored admission, program, and final requirements as well as curriculum and faculty roles to determine the trends that have been evolving, increasing, decreasing, or remaining consistent in certain schools of the United States since the release of the Levine study of educational leadership programs in 2005. Five groups were used: 1) higher ranked 20; 2) lower ranked 20 graduate education schools; 3) top …

Concurrent And Dual Credit: The Bridge To Postsecondary Education For First-Generation College Students, Todd Arron Loftin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the most significance Social challenges facing the United States is increasing the number of students entering postsecondary education and having them persist to degree completion. To accomplish this undertaking, more first-generation college students must matriculate and find academic success. Considerable research exists concerning the barriers first-generation students must overcome; however, little research exists regarding the benefits of participating in dual and concurrent credit coursework as a way to increase confidence and prepare for the rigors of higher education.

The purpose of this correlational, quantitative, exploratory study was to consider the impact of dual and concurrent credit on the …

Self-Determination, Success, And College Readiness Of First Generation Students In A Higher Education Institution, Manuel Ochoa

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of the study was to describe and compare if self-determination factors differed in first and non-first generation college students and success levels. Additionally, comparisons of college readiness levels were measured, and finally a measure of factors that contribute to college success based in first and second semester grade point averages were investigated using multiple linear regression analysis. Using a Self-Determination Theory framework of human motivation, helps identify a basic psychological need for autonomy as a central feature for understanding effective regulation and well-being (Moller, Ryan, & Deci, 2006). The target population in this study was 1,586 returning students …

Assessment Of A University Faculty Development Program On Speaking And Writing Pedagogy Through Direct Measurement Of Student Learning Outcomes, Julie Gissendanner Howdeshell

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess a faculty development program through direct measurement of student learning outcomes through investigating the relationship between participation in a faculty development program on speaking and writing pedagogy and student learning outcomes in oral and written communication. Faculty and students enrolled in senior capstone courses in Spring 2011 were asked to participate as part of requirements for internal assessment and external accreditation. Of the 1,448 students enrolled in capstone courses that semester, 1,002 papers and 727 recordings were received, representing 69% and 50% of those enrolled respectively. A sample of 400 papers and …

The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence And Leadership Effectiveness Among Sponsored Research Administrators, Ventez Derrell Jones

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of emotional intelligence, as perceived by senior level university sponsored research administration professionals and their perceived leadership effectiveness, as measured by the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory and the Kouzes and Posner Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) for Self. Senior research administrators are now more than ever being faced with profusely, increasingly, difficult issues within the scope of their daily work processes.

The relevant review of literature focused on four key areas: theoretical rationale for examining emotional intelligence, the link between emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness, effective leadership practices within education, and …

Gender Performativity In The Community College: A Case Study Of Female Backline Classified Staff, Samantha Rose Powers

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This case study explored the gendered performances of five female backline classified staff members who work in non-traditional fields within a community college. More specifically, this study defined gendered behaviors at a community college, and explored how these behaviors have affected the identities of women working in non-traditional fields at the community college. This study indicated through documents, observations, and interviews that there was mixed evidence of the degree to which gendered behavior is cultivated at a community college in Washington. Document review, interview, and observation findings showed that women at the community college reported expectations of gendered behavior, gender …

First-Generation Student Success After Academic Warning: An Exploratory Analysis Of Academic Integration, Personal Adjustment, Family And Social Adjustment And Psychological Factors, Gabrielle Shoshana Zeisman

Dissertations and Theses

As many as a quarter of undergraduate college students are placed on academic probation at least once during their college career. In addition, first-generation college students are even more at-risk for stopping out or dropping out due to being less academically prepared than their non-first-generation peers. In order to examine factors that influence first generation student academic risk and success, this exploratory study examined the intersection of academic standing and four primary conceptual contributors: academic integration, personal adjustment, family and social adjustment, and psychological factors. Survey data were collected from first generation undergraduate students at an urban research university who …

Factors Influencing The Institutionalization Of Diversity In Higher Education, Kelly S. Meier

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

To understand the impact of diversity in higher education, it is important to consider the critical role that diversity plays in the educational process. This requires a broader understanding of the influence diversity can have on the curricular, co-curricular, and interpersonal experience of a developing college student (Denson & Chang, 2009). Strategies for anchoring diversity as a core value or relating it to the inner workings of an institution are in demand (Chun & Evans, 2008). The purpose of this study was to identify highly actualized diversity initiatives and practices that can be replicated at other institutions meeting the sample …

Disrupting The Deficit Discourse On Historically Black Colleges And Universities: An Organizational Identity Case Study Of Philander Smith College, Shametrice Ledora Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The federal Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines a historically Black institution of higher education as "any historically Black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principle mission was, and is, the education of Black Americans." Today, there are approximately 105 HBCUs, more than half private, the rest public, and a few two-year institutions (Allen, Jewell, Griffin, & Wolf, 2007). While currently only 14 percent of Black college students attend HBCUs, 70 percent of all Black doctors and dentists, 50 percent of all Black engineers and public school teachers, and 35 percent of all Black …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Women In Leadership And Community At Old Dominion University From 1970 To 1990, Ann E. Wendle Barnes

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

During the 1970s college campuses in the United States were often the venue through which change occurred. Female faculty and students were assertive in their efforts to influence equality between men and women across the country (Morris, 1984). This historical phenomenological study examined the oral history of several women who advocated for women's rights at Old Dominion University (ODU) by establishing the Women's Caucus, Women's Studies Program, and Women's Center during the late 1970s through the 1990s.

Participants selected for this study took part in semi-structured interviews, and the results of the interviews were triangulated with archived documents available at …