Educational Leadership Commons^™

Teacher And Staff Perception Of School Climate: A Case Study, Michael Shane Hampton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine how different public-school teachers and staff perceive school climate at an achieving public middle school. The research sought to find relationships between teacher sub-groups and other staff members, and how they perceived the school climate, either negatively or positively. The researcher believed that there would be a positive perception of school climate, which coincided with high student achievement. Additionally, it was believed that there would be no relationship between teacher types or demographics, and how the climate would be perceived among the different groups. This paper also presents a review of the …

Stress Among Ncaa Division Ii Head Coaches, Dee Gerlach

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify factors that create stress among head coaches at the National Association Athletic Association Division II level. Data was collected through a demographic questionnaire and the Coaching Issues Survey (CIS), a tool used to measure specific factors that may create stress among coaches. The factors of the CIS include four subscales: Athlete-Concerns, Time-Role, Program-Success, and Win-Loss. Participants (N=416) consisted of head coaches representing the following sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s golf, women’s golf, men’s and women’s golf, softball, women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s tennis. The independent variables for this …

A Case Study Examining Students' Experience In Student-Centered Learning Practices Implemented At An Air Force Training Course, Mindy Fisher

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study is to examine students’ experience of student-centered learning practices implemented at an Air Force training course. At this stage in the research, student-centered learning is generally defined as a learning approach during which students generate learning opportunities and reconstruct knowledge dynamically in an open-ended learning environment (Lee & Hannafin, 2014). The theory guiding this study is constructivism based on Lev Vygotsky’s learning theory which represents an epistemological perspective as to the nature and evolution of individual understanding where learners create their own learning. Student-centered learning environments are rooted in constructivist approaches (Creswell & Poth, …

The Lived Experiences Of Public School Educators Bullied By School Administrators: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Kristyn Renea Baker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological study discovered and explored the lived experiences of public school educators bullied by school administrators. Student bullying has been a problem, however, there has been much less attention given to educators who are bullied by their superiors. The research question guiding this study asked what are the lived experiences of public school educators who have experienced administrator bullying? The theory guiding this study was social cognitive theory by Albert Bandura. The study was conducted with 10 educators (former and current) in public school districts across the United States obtained by professional referrals and/or selected from identified cases …

Improving Students' Scores On The Georgia End Of Course Assessment For Biology, Natasha Takia Simpson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this applied study is to solve the problem of underperforming student test scores on the End of Course Biology assessment for high school students at an alternative school in Georgia, and to formulate a solution to address the problem. A multi-method design will be used consisting of both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The first approach will be structured interviews with the administration. The second approach will be focus groups with teachers. The third approach will analyze quantitative data from student surveys. The results may provide insight into an underlying problem in underperforming scores on the End of …

Autocratic Leadership Within West African Pentecostal Denomination, Ezekiel Olaleye

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to determine whether autocratic leadership theory best explains the nature of leadership in the West African Pentecostal/Charismatic Denomination (PCD) across West Africa and to compare the current leadership practices within the PCD to a biblical and theological framework. Since Africa is the fastest growing Christian continent in the world, it is important to give careful attention to matters arising within the church leadership. The researcher believes that this study helped shed light on leadership challenges within African Christianity, Christian education, and most importantly within the Pentecostal/Charismatic denomination. It also provides information that …

How Can Education Support Prepare Students For A Workforce Focused On Innovation? A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Scott Allen Myers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand how faculty members and administrators describe their experiences in preparing their students for an innovation-focused 21st century workforce. The guiding theories associated with this study were Kolb’s experiential learning theory (ELT) as a gauge for modeling the learning process and Bloom’s taxonomy to assess learning levels. The relationship between Kolbs ELT, Bloom's taxonomy, and this study was conceptualized as a gauge to assess learning skill effectiveness. The central research question associated with this study was: How do faculty members and administrators describe their experiences preparing their students for an innovation-focused …

An Exploratory Case Study Of Resegregation In Wake County Public Schools System: Perceptions Of Community Stakeholders, Margaret Mary Crowe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to examine community stakeholders’ perceptions of resegregation in Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) in North Carolina. Stakeholder perceptions of resegregation were defined as the stakeholder’s awareness of the change in the racial student demographics in WCPSS since the removal of court-ordered mandates to desegregate. The theory guiding this study was critical race theory, as it is focused on societal and legal constraints placed on individuals based on race or ethnicity, which aligned with this study because stakeholder decisions regarding student school assignment policies can influence student resegregation. The central research question …

Making It To The Next Grade: How Elementary School Principals Make Sense Of Grade Retention Policies For English Learners, Lynmara Colón

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Critical approaches to policy suggest that policy, even in the most apparently democratic polity or institution, codifies and extends the interests of those who disproportionately wield power (Levinson et al., 2009). While many people are involved in conversations and decisionmaking processes related to the implementation of grade retention or promotion policies, the final decision is made at the school level. Critics of grade retention, meanwhile, also warn that retained students may be harmed by stigmatization, reduced expectations for their academic performance on the part of teachers and parents, and the challenges of adjusting to a new peer group (Schwerdt et …

The Experience Of Becoming A Teacher Leader, Cory G. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Teacher leadership has become an increasingly important aspect of school reform and evaluation. Teacher leadership is often viewed as teachers leading either through formal positions or influencing others informally. There is a lot of research describing the benefits of teacher leadership, but there is little that describes the process of a teacher leader and the effects this experience has on the teacher leaders themselves. This study examines the experience of becoming a teacher leader as viewed through interviews with 11 junior high school teachers from a single school district.

The findings of this study suggest the importance of initial events, …

Remembering The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Missouri Education Policy And Lessons For Covid-19, Phi Nguyen

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

Amid the disruptions of COVID-19 are opportunities to reimagine schooling and education. Taking a historical perspective, this article analyzes education policy following an earlier pandemic, the influenza pandemic of 1918-19, to explore if and how educational change might be possible. Drawing on primary source analysis of Missouri education policy, I argue that influenza-related policy talk was practically non-existent, and the talk that was present mainly focused on how the flu disrupted, but not changed, school operations. Without policy talk advocating for change, policy action the years following the influenza pandemic continued along the lines of Progressive reforms that were already …

The Pandemic Teaching Journey: Challenges, Lessons Learned, And Opportunities, Janice Garnett

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

This paper aims to highlight the challenges, lessons learned, and opportunities resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education, pivoting from in-person to remote course delivery. The information shared is based on the experience of an instructor in the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), College of Education, Health and Human Sciences' Department of Educational Leadership. In addition, this document will explore how teaching and learning shifted during the pandemic and potentially reimagined for virtual environments focusing on the role of faculty and engagement of students, emphasizing professional students.

Perceptions Of Self-Efficacy & Support Among Secondary Early-Career Teachers And Their Principals During The Covid-19 Pandemic, James A. Martinez, Kelly Gomez Johnson, Frances E. Anderson, Frederick L. Uy

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

In response to challenges faced by middle and high school educators during the COVID-19 pandemic, a study was conducted in the Spring of 2021 involving 33 early-career mathematics teachers and eight supervising school principals in the State of California. These participants completed detailed surveys which provided demographic information, as well as perceptions of support, efficacy and job satisfaction. Findings show a variety of associations among teacher perceptions of support and their efficacy and job satisfaction in the face of challenging circumstances. As it related to principal support and recognition, principal participants expressed confidence in their ability to support teachers as …

Cordes Chair Seminar: Teaching Authentically In An Age Of Reality Superstars, Casandra Cox

TFSC Publications and Presentations

The Teaching and Faculty Support Center is pleased announce that Casandra Cox, instructor in the Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology, will present the November Cordes Chair Seminar from 2 - 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 30, in Home Economics 108. Her presentation is entitled, "Teaching Authentically in an Age of Reality Superstars." Cox has been on the AECT faculty since 2003 and has received numerous teaching awards, including the Bumpers College's John W. White Outstanding Teaching Award and the Jack G. Justus Excellence in Teaching Award. She is also a Fellow of the U of A Teaching Academy.

Social Work Junior Faculty Perceptions Of Their Doctoral Level Teaching Preparation, Marissa Hardwrict

Dissertations

Each year, hundreds of students graduate with a terminal degree. Many have aspirations to teach at a college or university. This includes graduates of social work programs. However, little information is known about the experiences of teaching readiness of social work Ph.D. graduates. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of social work junior faculty and their perceptions of readiness to teach. Literature reporting on the curriculum in Social Work Ph.D. Programs are linked to students being developed and heavily engulfed in research activities (Acquavita & Tice, 2015; Dinerman et al., 1999; Reneau, 2011). Since many programs …

Untapped Potential: Social Emotional Learning And Intervention Programs For Students Experiencing Underperformance, Kathleen Bridget Healy King

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This study seeks the voice of practitioners to identify social emotional factors positively influencing students otherwise experiencing academic underperformance. Research has affirmed the positive impact of social emotional learning (SEL) on both short-term and long-term outcomes, while also indicating a correlation between difficulties with social emotional factors and academic underperformance. Intervention programs provide a unique opportunity to leverage SEL assets for more positive outcomes for students experiencing underperformance. This study examines the SEL factors intervention program practitioners identify as having a positive impact on students experiencing underperformance, utilizing triangulated sources: (a) document analysis of intervention program design, (b) interviews with …

What I Wish I Had Known: College Graduates’ Experience Of Student Debt, Lamyeia Fields

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Why Can’T I Read? The Demise Of Literacy Among African American Boys In The Fourth Grade: The Perception Of Ten Fourth Grade Chicago Public School Teachers’ Lived Experiences Of Literary Instruction During Their Undergraduate Student Teaching Program, Kimberly Darlene Lloyd

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative, non-experimental phenomenology study used interviews to better understand the undergraduate literary curricula experiences of ten fourth-grade Chicago Public School teachers. The study explored the lived experiences of their literary instruction to African American fourth-grade boys. The purpose of this study was to identify why these youth have low reading proficiency and score the lowest of all demographics who take standardized test. The study results showed that nine of the ten teachers felt they lacked the skills to teach literacy effectively as a new teacher. The researcher discovered four major themes: connect, curricula, teacher perception/literacy & professional development, and …

A Convergent Parallel Mixed Methods Study Measuring The Impact Of Math-Economics Cross Curricular Intervention, Kelli Leanne Kelley

Theses and Dissertations

Research studies in the past have linked math ability to success in economics courses. However, most of these studies have utilized a quantitative study design with limited studies testing the influence of math interventions on student’s academic ability in economics courses. This study will use a convergent mixed-methods research design to quantitatively measure the impact of a Math intervention on High School 11th and 12th grade Economics students and qualitatively observe student engagement and motivation during the intervention. A causal-comparative research design will be utilized for the quantitative strand to compare math ability in economics courses between students who participated …

Creativity In Science, Engineering, And The Arts: A Study Of Undergraduate Students' Perceptions, Dildora F. Beaulieu

Dissertations and Theses

Creativity is widely recognized as being invaluable for human development and a crucial 21^st century talent. Preparing students for an uncertain and complex world requires that higher education promote students' imagination, originality, curiosity, and flexibility and build their capacity to take risks to try new approaches to problem-posing and problem-solving. However, little is known about how undergraduates enrolled in different disciplines view creativity. This quantitative study at a university in the northwestern United States assessed how undergraduate students in different academic disciplines responded to an instrument on creativity measurement developed by Dlouhy (2012). The study asked: How do undergraduates …