Educational Leadership Commons^™

The Role And Contribution Of Rural North Carolina Community Colleges In Social Capital Development, Tanya J. Mcghee

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Community colleges are important settings for the development of social capital as well as institutions of higher learning. The democratic mission, geographic dispersion, and close relationship with multiple stakeholders throughout their service regions allow community colleges to be well-suited to act as liaisons and social architects facilitating social capital creation. This is particularly true in rural areas, where community colleges are often among the largest employers and are major cultural and civic engagement centers. In an era of persistent budget reductions and fiscal tension, there is a need to better understand the multitude of ways rural community colleges support communities …

An Ethnographic Case Study Exploring Culturally Responsive Teaching And Learning, James H. Jones Jr.

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

With the continued transformation of the cultural landscape of America and the recognition of the importance of our diverse communities, schools and educational leaders across the country must transform and grow to be reflective of this diverse world. Because it has been demonstrated that principals have a profound impact on instruction and student learning, facilitating the implementation of culturally relevant pedagogies can play a critical role in developing and sustaining effective urban schools. However, there is an undertheorized tension between the inequality regimes of managerialism and the goals of culturally responsive school leadership, highlighting that the undergirding theories of action …

How Exemplary California Community Colleges Vice Presidents Of Student Services Use Conflict Leadership Strategies To Establish Common Ground And Produce Breakthrough Results: A Phenomenological Study, Ieisha Smith

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological conceptual replication study was to discover and describe how exemplary California Community Colleges vice presidents of student services establish common ground and produce breakthrough results by using the six domains of conflict leadership strategies (ethical behavior, shared interests, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication).

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study explored and described the impact of using conflict leadership strategies to establish common ground and produce breakthrough results as perceived by California Community Colleges vice presidents of student services. I was part of a thematic team of six peer researchers and faculty advisors who developed …

Championing Equity: Culturally Responsive Leadership Strategies Of California Community College Eops Leaders, Cara Demyra Askew

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this ethnographic study was to identify and describe how CCC EOPS leaders are culturally responsive in their leadership strategies, based on Horsford et al.’s (2011) culturally relevant leadership framework.

Methodology: This qualitative ethnographic study identified and described culturally responsive leadership techniques among 16 CCC EOPS leaders. Participants were purposefully chosen based on a predetermined set of criteria for the study. The researcher collected two types of data to gain firsthand knowledge of CCC EOPS leaders’ lived experiences. Data was captured using web-based semi-structured interviews and artifacts, which were subsequently coded and analyzed to identify themes and …

Board Of Trustees Meeting Minutes, April 28, 2023

Board of Trustees Minutes

Minutes from the Wright State University Board of Trustees Meeting held on April 28, 2023.

Facilitating Sense Of Belonging For Collectivist International Students: Intervention Strategy Utilizing Peer Support, Taylor Marie Wieringa

Masters Projects

International student populations have persisted in higher education with limited support. Research regarding international student experiences from collectivist home countries have found that mentorship programs could be helpful in assisting with transition and overcoming culture shock, yet few current intervention strategies go beyond international student orientation. This project explores relevant literature regarding barriers unique to students from collectivist home countries as they adjust to the individualist culture of American colleges and universities. With these barriers in mind, this project also explores peer mentorship as an intervention strategy to engage international collectivist students and assist in feeling that they belong on …

Coach Leadership Counts And Civic Mindedness Matters, Sarah L. Sharpe

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this sequential exploratory study was to investigate how New Jersey public high school coaches who self-report transformational leadership traits may potentially influence the development of civic mindedness in their respective student-athletes. Three main research questions were posed regarding coaches’ transformational leadership practices, their roles in the development of students’ civic mindedness, and connections between the two. It was posited that the behavior of coaches can have a significant effect on the student-athletes that participate on their teams. The theoretical lens of transformational leadership permeates this research. A mixed-methods approach was utilized. Kouzes and Posner’s Leadership Practices Inventory …

Mapping Psychological Safety In The Nursing Classroom: A Situational Analysis, Lori Beth Beard

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the qualitative situational analysis was to explore the interconnectedness of human and non-human elements that shape psychological safety in the associate degree nursing classroom learning environment. Using grounded theory methods together with situational analysis, specifically situational mapping, a theory of psychological safety in the nursing classroom emerged from the data. The data highlighted several theoretical categories that capture how faculty use various elements to construct psychological safety in the classroom. From the data emerged the theory that nurse faculty connect their nurse identities to the elements when building psychological safety into the classroom learning environment. Implications for …

Coaching Teachers Under Duress, Cathy A. Toll

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

At a time when teachers are feeling exceptional amounts of duress, literacy coaches often feel ineffective. However, coaches can be more important than ever when their collaborations increase teachers’ self-efficacy, resiliency, and success with students. This article provides six simple rules that literacy coaches can use to enhance their work and strengthen the effectiveness of their teacher partners: be realistic, respond to teachers, adjust the scale, keep eyes on the prize, make a difference, and stop the spiral. Rooted in theories of complex adaptive systems and research on the needs of teachers in times of stress, the suggestions herein provide …

A Glimpse Into Arkansas Teachers’ Grading Practices 2022-23, Sarah Morris, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This case study assesses the current, self-reported grading practices among Arkansas teachers. We distributed a Teachers’ Grading Perceptions survey in November, 2022, and we conducted semi-structured interviews with teachers and principals in January-February, 2023. We gathered both quantitative and qualitative data from the teacher survey, and we used interviews to collect themes for current grading practices in Arkansas’s schools. We generated a grading equity scale from the survey questions, verified by a reliable alpha coefficient = 0.83, and we use this in a multivariate regression to explore teacher characteristics and their likelihood of favoring grading equity practices. We collected themes …

Arkansas Teachers' Grading Practices And Implications, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Josh B. Mcgee

Policy Briefs

In this brief, we assess current grading practices in Arkansas. We find teachers’ grading practices are inconsistent across the state. We suggest districts assess their grading practices and provide ongoing professional development opportunities for teachers to reflect on their grading practices.

Developing A Sense Of Belonging Among First-Year First-Generation College Students, Charlotte Rose Balkus

Masters Projects

The purpose of this project is to explore the barriers experienced by first-year first-generation college students, and what support services can be provided to mitigate the barriers. Through an intensive review of literature, sense of belonging is one of many barriers that first generation college students face. Being the first to do something can be uncomfortable and scary. The intentions of this project are to create a Living Learning Center that aids first-generation college students during their transition to college. This Living Learning Center will host a summer bridge program designed to lessen the struggles that first generation college students …

Selling Graduation: Higher Education And The Loaning Of Liberation, Annie Pocklington, Elizabeth J. Flanagan, Christopher Bodenheimer Knaus

Essays in Education

While the costs to attend college continue to rise exponentially, a bachelor’s degree is held up as required for economic stability within the U.S. and across the globe. With drastic disparities in earning potentials after graduation reduced by racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, ableism, and related structural disparities, the value of a degree continues to be questioned, especially for historically marginalized communities. As the loan industrial complex continues to profit off of students, President Biden has offered $10,000 in student loan relief for some borrowers, though this action has been blocked by federal courts and is currently on hold. Whether Biden’s …

Military-Affiliated Student Experiences In Post-Secondary Education, Cole T. Hendrix

ATU Scholars Symposium

Abstract

This paper is intended to learn about the experiences of military-affiliated students in post-secondary education by surveying veterans, service members, and dependents on what resources they have available, what resources they would like to have, and comparing between 2-year, 4-year, public, and private institutions. Participants were surveyed at five different institutions. Three closed-ended questions asked for background and other disadvantaged identifiers. Three open-ended questions ask in detail about their experiences at their institution. Students at public 4-year institutions received the best assistance with room to improve. Institutions of higher learning would benefit their military-affiliated students by providing a military-affiliated …

Student Willingness To Report Weapons And School Violence At A Rural Secondary School In Arkansas: A Quantitative Study, Travis Poole

ATU Scholars Symposium

School safety continues to be a concerning and vital topic in education. This quantitative study examines the willingness of students from a rural Arkansas school district to report weapons being brought to school or violent occurrences happening at school and analyzes the behavior associated with students reporting or not reporting. The study examines barriers that exist to help to explain why students would not report weapons or violent incidents to staff members or adults in the school district. The study surveyed 52 students from a secondary school with Likert-style survey questions. The questions were grouped into different variables such as …

A Phenomenological Examination Of The Lived Experiences Of African American Female Superintendents In The State Of Arkansas, Debra Denise Goodwin Myton

ATU Scholars Symposium

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of African American female Superintendents in the State of Arkansas. One of the major educational issues is the limited number of African American female superintendents in the USA and the state of Arkansas, in particular. African American women venturing into the superintendency are hindered in their goals by their double minority status as women and African Americans (Wiley et al., 2017). A qualitative, narrative research lens was used in this study to capture the individual career advancement of African American female Superintendents in the State of Arkansas. …

The Effect Of Satisfying The Requirements For Fire Officer School On Leadership Self-Efficacy Among Fire Service Officers: A Quasi-Experimental, Nonequivalent Control Groups Study, Thomas James Grady Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control groups study was to determine if a statistically significant difference exists in fire officer leadership self-efficacy of officers who have attended fire officer training school and those who have not attended fire officer school. This study utilized self-efficacy theory, leadership self-efficacy theory, social cognitive theory, and adult learning theory to support explanation of such standards. This quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control groups study employed the Bobbio and Manganelli’s Leadership Self-Efficacy Scale (LSES) to assess the degree of fire officer leadership self-efficacy. Within testing sites, there was a treatment group (Training) and a control group (No …

A Phenomenological Study Of Contexts Of Parent Responsibility For Middle School Student Achievement, Benjamin F. Erskine

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to describe lived experiences of parents of middle school students who are engaged in their children's educational achievement as stakeholders within the overlapping spheres of influence. Eighteen participants were selected from three middle schools in a school district in central Delaware. The central research question is: What lived experiences motivate parents of middle school students to engage in their children's educational achievement as stakeholders within the overlapping spheres of influence? Research sub-questions deal directly with the participants' understanding of the theory guiding this study, Epstein's theory of overlapping spheres of influence, as …

Elementary Grade Students’ Perspectives On The Impact Of Adult Behaviors On School Climate, Tameka Walker

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

Social and emotional learning (SEL) had become a focus of educators around the world because of global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing social unrest that hurled the topic to the forefront of today’s educational conversations (Bozkurt, et al., 2020) Despite this recent interest in SEL, it is not a new concept. This research informs educational leaders on students’ perceptions of school culture and contributes to literature that has shown that improvements in students’ social and emotional skills transfer to other areas of their lives. The teaching of reading, writing and arithmetic is not enough to equip today’s …

Exploring Academic Librarians' Lack Of Experiential Learning In Teaching College Freshmen Information Literacy Skills: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study, Pearl Gloria Adzei-Stonnes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to explore academic librarians’ lack of experiential learning in teaching college freshmen information literacy skills in four-year higher education institutions across the United States. The central research question was – “what challenges do academic librarians experience in teaching information literacy skills?” – Twelve academic librarians who were involved in teaching college freshmen information literacy skills were examined on the phenomenon. Three different data collection methods used were questionnaire, letter writing and interviews. The theory that guided this study was Kolb’s experiential learning. Kolb’s experiential learning theory emphasized the process of learning in …