The Cultural Dimension Of Structural School Reforms: The Case Of Schedule Changes, Maylen Sullivan

Dissertations

The four-by-four (4x4) schedule—a type of high school block schedule—presents promising prospects for improving teaching and learning. Using a qualitative, single case study methodology, I investigated a school transitioning from a traditional six-period schedule to a 4x4 schedule during its 2nd and 3rd year of implementation. The study aimed to understand the factors that influenced the transition, the stakeholders’ responses to the decision, and the factors that influenced their responses. Some of the main considerations that motivated the decision included the desire to provide more opportunities within the school day for students to meet A/G college eligibility requirements, allow students …

Navigating The Bow Wave Of Change: The Felt Experience Of Belonging To The United States Naval Academy's First Gender-Integrated Class, Peter Shaner

Dissertations

On July 6, 1976 the United States Naval Academy (USNA) admitted its first-ever gender-integrated class. I was a member of that class, along with 81 female classmates who entered USNA with the class of 1980 (USNA ‘80). Those classmates were pioneers, though few of them realized at the time just how long and how hard their journey would be. The numerous challenges faced by USNA ‘80 on their journey through the Academy have been well documented (Gelfand, 2008). But there has been far less research on the lived experience of that pioneering class. This study fills a gap between historical …

An Examination Of Early Childhood Leadership In Public Elementary Schools: A Mixed Methods Study, Wesam Alshahrani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As state-funded Pre-K programs in elementary schools continue to grow, elementary principals are increasingly responsible for supporting, supervising, and leading these programs. Therefore, examining elementary principals' early childhood leadership competencies and the factors influencing them may help understand and improve their experiences as early childhood education (ECE) leaders. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study examined the ECE leadership of Tennessee public elementary school principals in two phases.

In the quantitative phase, statewide surveys were used to collect data from 67 principals. The survey comprised 51 items assessing nine ECE leadership competencies, synthesized from statements of leading ECE and elementary education …

Balancing Act: An Exploration Of Polarities In Personal And Professional Life, Hana Mamnoon

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This purpose of this project is to explore the concept of polarities. I have been using creative problem solving for years, but recently, I have come to realize that some of the complexities we face in our everyday lives are not actually problems to solve, but rather are polarities to manage (Johnson, 2014). By undertaking this project, I aimed to build my skill set around polarity management in order to help me develop in both my personal and professional spheres. This project allowed me to explore some of the literature of polarities as well as put the concepts into practice …

Creative I'Mprint, Melissa Rheaume

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Creative I'mprint

This Master's project delves into the innovative concept of a "Creative I’mprint" and its implications for creative practitioners in fostering effective change leadership. The project aims to investigate the dynamic relationship among perception, influence, and creativity, with the goal of empowering creative practitioners to better comprehend how their creativity impacts others and leaves a lasting impression. Through the design of a comprehensive workshop and conference presentation, the project facilitates the exploration and definition of creative practitioners' Creative I’mprint. Drawing from diverse theories and frameworks including emotional intelligence, lateral thinking, and self-awareness tools, the project provides a structured approach …

Leadership Development Through Athletic Experience, Antoine Grace

All Student Scholarship

This qualitative research aims to find the relationship between athletics and leadership development by examining athletes' and nonathletes' students, life, leadership experiences, and learned behaviors. The research utilized a purposive sampling to recruit a diverse group of participants from the university that classify as either student-athletes or non-sport-playing students. The collection of data from participants has been conducted using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis has been used to identify patterns and themes in the interview data, allowing for a meaningful understanding and interpretation based on aspects of athletes' and non-athletes' experiences. This study aims to contribute to the existing literature on …

Sexual Exploitation: The Crisis And Eradicative Solution, Tonnie Adams Bracey

Student Capstone Projects

French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” I find this to be true in our current era of the digital age. Although technology has gifted a newly improved and vast method of making worldwide connections and broadening our perceptions and views, a change in how we communicate has conveniently presented itself, but the historic pattern of how we handle these new advancements have indeed stayed the same.
Smart phones are a mainstream vessel employing the world with a plethora of information while giving all sorts of people access to individual’s lives …

Examining The Effects Of Leadership-Fostered Organizational Priorities On Employee Mental Health, Lauren Cornelio

Thinking Matters Symposium

This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge by addressing the gap in the current literature regarding how organizational priorities enacted by a leader foster a work environment that can impact the mental health of employees. Utilizing a qualitative research design grounded in phenomenology, this study explores employees’ subjective experiences within different organizational cultures. By adopting a phenomenological approach, the study uncovers nuanced insights into employees’ lived experiences, shedding light on the intricate interplay between organizational priorities determined by the leader and employee mental health. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, allowing participants to reflect upon their perceptions of …

Shakamohtaa: Connecting And Coming Together To Support International Student Career Readiness, Sabreena Macelheron

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Abstract

In the evolving Canadian landscape, permanent residency acquisition has undergone a transformative shift from land sales to educational credential procurement. Canadian higher education markets post-secondary qualifications to international students (IS) seeking migration routes, posing nuanced challenges. IS, despite holding higher education credentials, often find themselves relegated to non-field specific jobs due to existing disparities in the Canadian job market. Amid this equation, IS grapple with the essential need for pre-and-post graduate career experiences to fulfill eligibility criteria for permanent residency application. This pursuit extends beyond merely aligning with their credentials, requiring conformity to approved national occupation codes aligned with …

A Study Of Leadership's Role In Building Relationships Among Virtual Team Members, Danna V. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research study focused on leadership's role in building relationships among virtual team members. A qualitative case study, the research focused on organizations in the medical device industry within the Charlotte Metropolitan region of North Carolina. The research was formed using 15 open ended questions in an interview of 20 leaders of virtual teams. Each leader was interviewed individually and allowed to elaborate on their answers to help the researcher to thoroughly understand the approach used to help the relationships form among their virtual team members. During the interview, the discussion between the researcher and the leader being interviewed covered …

A Phenomenological Study Of Female Master Of Divinity Graduates' Experiences And Role Incongruity At Texas Baptist Seminaries, Michele Lee Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Women pursue Christian education, obeying God’s call to prepare for ministry leadership. This qualitative hermeneutical phenomenological research study aimed to examine the perspectives of women graduates from Master of Divinity (MDiv) programs at Baptist Seminaries in Texas and to discover if their treatment could be linked to traditionally held beliefs about gender. The lived experiences of the study participants were defined as their first-hand accounts and perceptions of interactions with their male classmates and professors. The theory that guided this study was the Role-Congruity Theory, defined by Eagly and Diekman (2005) as aligning a group’s characteristics with their typical social …

Ministry After A Leadership Failure: Principles For Transitional Worship Leader, Eric R. Medford

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite much information and attention given to senior leadership transitions after a moral failure in leadership, there is little information regarding supporting pastoral staff moral failures and how to lead a ministry department to a place of healing and restoration. This thesis examined the distinct challenges of transitional leaders assuming the role of guiding a worship ministry department through a previous leader's moral failure. This study analyzes commonalities and themes to demonstrate the unique challenges the worship ministry faces apart from the church. Literature and research on leadership transitions due to moral failures tend to focus on senior pastoral leadership. …

Worldviews Impacting Leadership Within U.S. National Security: Christianity Vs Secularism, Remy Goldsmith

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Worldviews influence and impact all aspects of life. This is because the way one chooses to see the world affects the decisions one chooses to make. Whether choosing a job, a religion, or a partner, all are affected by one’s worldview. This is also because worldview is where virtues derive from. The establishment of virtue is the cornerstone of building character and developing ethics. In other words, it forms the moral compass that an individual uses to base their decisions. As that stands, this means that worldviews and virtues are applicable and impactful toward leadership and decision-making within national security. …

The 5 Disruptions, Anthony Hughes

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The end of GWOT, coupled with Russian failures in Ukraine, has created an uncertain strategic environment—similar to the environment after WWI. The Great War aftermath created a power vacuum exploited by rising powers—likewise, the GWOT and Russian aftermath has created a new multi-polar environment with a new actors competing to revise the balance of power. The emerging era is a Great Power competition marked by competitions between powers across different venues to accrue status relative to their competitors. After WWI, 5 Disruptions emerged to reshape the balance of power between states. These disruptions were: diplomatic, technical, military, economic and social. …

Millennial Latina Non-Profit Leaders: Exploring Self-Sabotaging Behaviors And Their Journey To Reclaiming Their Power, Tatiana Mendoza-Larreynaga

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed method study was to identify and describe self-sabotaging behaviors experienced by Millennial Latina nonprofit C-Suite leaders and explore the impact of these behaviors on their career development. A secondary purpose of this study was to identify strategies employed by Millennial Latina nonprofit leaders to overcome self-sabotaging behaviors.

Methodology: Employing a mixed method sequential explanatory design, the research involved eight Millennial Latina nonprofit leaders, utilizing convenience and snowball sampling. Data collection included electronic Likert scales to quantify self-sabotaging behaviors and interviews to explore lived experiences. Analysis sought to identify prevalent behaviors and strategies for overcoming …

Mentorship Experiences Of College Level Educators: A Phenomenological Study, Rebecca M. Arsenault

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the impact that mentorship had on the retention of ten participating educators working at various post-secondary educational institutions. The theory guiding this study was Dansereau’s leader-member theory guided as it pertained to the interactions between a dyadic relationship such as the one represented by one-on-one mentorship. The central research question for this study asked about the mentorship experiences of educators in higher education who have been in the field of education for five years or more. This study used transcendental phenomenological to study the essence of the experiences of 10 educators …

Emotional Shared Experiences: A Phenomenological Qualitative Transcendental Study On The Shared Experiences Of Ten Pastors In Rural Central Virginia Due To The Covid 19 Mandate That Closed Their Houses Of Worship, Earnest L. Shannon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological research study was to describe the shared emotional experiences of 10 senior pastors of Christian churches located in rural central Virginia due to the national COVID 19 mandate that forced them to close their houses of worship. Moreover, in the United States of America, a COVID 19 mandate was implemented that closed places of worship, which altered the American pastor’s routine schedule. Therefore, the central research question explicated in this research study was, “What are the personal emotions experienced by 10 senior pastors in rural Virginia during a phenomenon, the national COVID 19 …

Church And Community: Bridging The Gap To Create A Culture Of Acceptance And Inclusiveness, Matthew L. Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This DMIN project helped St. Paul High Street Baptist Church develop a community engagement team that helped them reestablish its long-lasting relationship with the community surrounding the church. Certain issues within and outside of the church were discussed that had led to a lack of community engagement within recent years. A community engagement team was put together to help bridge the gap between the church and its surrounding community. To help with this, several community engagement team events were held, and surveys were given to both church and community members. Through the successful completion of this project, St. Paul High …

Great Leader, Great Learner: Shepherd-Teachers, Self-Directed Learning, And The Preaching Moment In Small Southern Baptist Churches, Matthew Thomas Gowin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore the influence of the shepherd–teacher’s learning attributes, informed by adult learning theory, on the preaching moment within a conservative Southern Baptist congregation. Malcolm S. Knowles offered the theory guiding this study in his concepts of andragogy and self-directed learning. Knowles introduced an educational model that emphasizes adult learning and primarily self-directed learning. The study observed whether being a self-directed learner impacts the shepherd–teacher’s instructional activities, including preparation and delivery. The study addressed an identified gap between adult learning theory and homiletics. The multiple-case study started by surveying pastors with the …

The Influence Of Transformational Leaders In Reconnecting The Millennial Generation To The Community Of The Local Church, Brandi Lynn Ginty

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Population statistics point to an exodus of Millennials from local churches, reinforcing the increasingly widespread opinion that the church is no longer relevant or relatable (Barna Group, 2019a, 2019b; Conway, 2019; Del Rosario & Bock, 2017; Earls, 2022; Easton & Steyn, 2022; Fry, 2019; Gale et al., 2023; Kinnaman & Matlock, 2019; Omilion-Hodges & Sugg, 2019; Packard & Ferguson, 2019; Sumpter, 2019; Wilson, 2019). Culturally contextual ministry leadership methods are needed if the trajectory of these statistics is to change. To reach the population of the Millennial generation, ministry leaders need to examine the cultural needs of those they are …