Digital Commons Network^™

Negotiating In School Districts When Times Are Tough, David Alan Dolph

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

When the economy is depressed, resources are limited, mandates are overwhelming, and the organizational climate in the district is souring, education leaders and teachers union officials often brace themselves for contentious negotiations. Poor economic conditions affect the district’s ability to offer raises, maintain current benefit levels, and provide adequate instructional programs, supplies, and equipment. Some districts are forced to cut staff positions to balance their budgets.

Amidst this turmoil in education and an already- heightened public awareness and concern about accountability and transparency, recent legislative attempts have attacked the rights of public workers to bargain collectively.

The Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Black Women Leaders In Fortune 500 Companies, Latonya R. Jackson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Black women are underrepresented in leadership positions within organizations. The extent to which self-efficacy influences the advancement potential of Black females is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the self-efficacy beliefs of black women in leadership positions and to determine how Black women leaders' careers are influenced by their self-efficacy beliefs. Participants for the study were determined using convenient random sampling. The objectives of this study were to determine the profile and level of self-efficacy, and leadership practices of participants based on tenure (length of time in a leadership position), age comparison and work experience (total number …

Navigating The Gate Keepers: A Mixed Method Study Of Early Career Librarians In The Tenure Process, Judith Wolfe

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The “gate keepers” oversee the enforcement of the rules, set by the university, for those seeking tenure. This elite club decides what counts, how it is completed and evaluated, and where to set the equity bar. The pre-tenured librarian expects to be treated with openness and fairness but may be met with bias and secrecy. Without a network or mentoring system many early-career librarians are not reappointed, are denied tenure, and become dropouts in the last year of the tenure process.

This study explores mentoring functions as they relate to joining the “club” within an academic library. This study also …

Counselor Development In The Process Of Mastering Cultural Competence: A Study Of Professional Growth Experiences, Marie Antoinette Wakefield

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Grounded theory methodology was employed to explore the experiences of counseling professionals as they work to develop a higher level of cultural competence. Three key findings support the core theme, navigating change toward cultural competent practices: 1) environmental awareness; 2) dispositions toward the development in cultural competency knowledge, and skill; and 3) systemic factors that influence cultural competency and growth. This study provided perspectives from those who work in the trenches, who are struggling to ensure that practices, instructional experiences, policies and procedures, and current research promote culturally competent practices. The results offer greater insight into the teaching practices, learning …

The Acquisition Of Cultural Competence: A Phenomenological Inquiry Highlighting The Processes, Challenges And Triumphs Of Counselor Education Students, Douglas L. Garner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Although research has effectively isolated and identified the key characteristics of a culturally competent counselor, there are few studies regarding the acquisition of these characteristics. To close the gap between theory and practice, studies are needed researching the emergence and, acquisition of these characteristics. This study explores how Masters-level Counselor Education students narrate the encounters, challenges, triumphs and epiphanies associated with their preliminary attempts to practice in a culturally competent manner. This phenomenological inquiry seeks to shed light students attitudes, beliefs and dispositions; defines the processes related to the acquisition of cognitive awareness and learning, skills and abilities; and illuminates …

Leadership Practice In Elementary School Dual Language Programs: A Collective Case Study, Joanie K. Monroy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research in effective programming for English language learners has demonstrated the efficacy of dual language education as a model for closing persistent achievement gaps for this growing population of students. With goals of high academic achievement, linguistic proficiency in two languages, and cross-cultural proficiency, dual language education is an enrichment model of education that eschews the deficit thinking often associated with language-minority students. Based on the promise of enriched education for all participants, the number of dual language programs is increasing nationwide. As districts across the United States plan for the implementation of dual language programs, identifying effective leadership practices …

A Study Of The Effect Of Appreciative Inquiry On Student-Course Engagement And Attendance In The Community College, Frances Virginia Turner Robbins

Dissertations

his mixed-methods research study investigated the effects of Appreciative Inquiry on student-course engagement and attendance in core academic classes at a community college in central Mississippi. In an increasingly competitive global economy, most individuals need education or technical skills beyond high school to secure employment offering self-supporting wages. However, graduation and completion rates at colleges and universities show many students who embark on the education journey do not successfully reach their goals. Researchers (Friedman, Rodriguez, & McComb, 2001) suggest poor attendance rates remain linked to lower student engagement and contribute to student attrition. Attrition, in turn, lowers enrollment, hinders institutional …

Manufacturing Mississippi's Workforce: An Assessment Of Employability Skills As Perceived By Faculty And Senior Students Of Four Year Manufacturing Related Degree Programs, Mamie Yvette Griffin

Dissertations

A worldwide concern exists that undergraduate programs are not producing graduates with the kind of lifelong learning and professional skills needed for workplace success. Numerous research studies indicate new employees lack needed employability skills such as teamwork, decision-making, and communication.

Similarly, recent national and state findings suggest that graduates of Mississippi‟s manufacturing-related degree programs may not be fully prepared to meet the needs of manufacturers in the state. Hence, this research proposes to determine the degree to which Mississippi‟s four-year manufacturing-related degree programs address employability.

To answer this question, the present study utilizes descriptive non-experimental research to assess the perception …

The Essence Of The Distributed Leadership Experience Of A High School Literacy Coaching Team: A Phenomenological Study, Nancy Spaniak

Dissertations

This is a phenomenological study of a high school literacy coaching team’s experience during the 2010-2011 school year, the first year of its existence. As a distributed leadership organizational routine, the practice of literacy coaching was adopted by a large suburban high school to promote its initiative to infuse literacy strategies into every teacher’s classroom instruction. The purpose of the study was to uncover the essence of the literacy coaching team’s distributed leadership experience in order to elucidate the effect of distributed leadership on developing the literacy coaching initiative in general, and the literacy coaching team members as leaders in …

April 13, 2012 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Promoting The Integration Of Vocational And Academic Skills Using The Principles Of The Let Me Learn Model: A Case Study Of Transformational Leadership, Debra Ihunnah

Theses and Dissertations

Two educational models, the Let Me Learn Model (TM) and the Integration of Academic and Vocational Skills Model IV were implemented at the Cumberland County Technical School in New Jersey. The purposes of the study were (a) to introduce and enhance the teachers' knowledge about the two educational models (b) to assist teachers in using that knowledge gained from implementation of the models as a catalyst to change their teaching practices and (c) to enhance student learning. This was an action research study that examined the implementation of the two models and examined my transformational leadership skills. The Let Me …

Factors Contributing To Successful Transitions Into The Role Of A New Superintendency In Texas: A Mixed Methods Triangulation Convergence Inquiry, Nancy B. Jones

Administrative Issues Journal

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors contributing to a successful transition into the role of a new superintendency in Texas. A triangular designed mixed methodology with a convergence model was employed. The setting was urban, suburban, and rural school districts in Texas. The participants were superintendents of public school districts in Texas. Quantitative data were collected through the use of an electronic survey, while a focus group was conducted to collect the qualitative data. Participating superintendents indicated that the training and education they received had adequately prepared them for the role of a new superintendent and …

Improving Creativity In Temporary Virtual Teams, Michael A. Zore

Professional Projects

We live in an interconnected world in which physical location has become less of a hindrance to communication, yet newer message transmission media alter not only the process but also the content of creative communication. While temporary virtual teams offer alternatives to solve issues which resist resolution using traditional approaches, virtual team characteristics can limit the ability to create novel and useful solutions. Since creativity is a necessary and significant requirement for success across a wide variety of domains, this poses a serious challenge for those intending to improve organizational creativity through the use of virtual teams and exposes the …

Striking A Balance: Managing Blogs In Loosely Coupled Systems, Troy A. Swanson, Dennis E. Gregory, Edward E. Raspiller

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

As the oldest implementation of Web 2.0 technologies, blogs present an opportunity to understand how community college administrators are addressing two conundrums: conundrum of control and the conundrum of adaptability. These problems arise from the need of leaders to put organizational controls in place even as these controls limit the tool's usefulness and the adaptability of the technology. The purpose of this study using a multiple case study method is (1) to further the understanding of how community college administrators and blog authors strike a balance between organizational control and adaptability when implementing and using blog technologies and (2) to …

General Education Requirements In A Community College Baccalaureate Rn-To-Bsn Program, Jason Bentley Krupp

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Increasing demand for nurses with bachelor degrees, the growing culture of accountability in higher education, and the community college baccalaureate phenomena provided the impetus for this study. This ex-post facto quantitative study examined the graduation rates and time to degree of 240 students who were enrolled in a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program at a community college in Florida between Fall of 2002 and Spring of 2004. The general education course enrollment patterns of the students were analyzed to determine if they impacted student graduation rates and time to degree. Graduation rates and time to degree of students …

Employment Of Command And Control Systems Within The U.S. Marine Corps, Aaron B. Lang

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify potential barriers to the effective employment of command and control (C2) systems to enhance warfighter readiness. Five research hypotheses guided this study, which addressed the perception of the effective employment of Marine Corps C2 systems based on demographic characteristics, which included: organization, occupational field, experience, rank, and recent deployment experience.

The population of the study included Active and Reserve Staff Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs) and Officers that now serve, or have recently served in an infantry unit within the Operating Forces, and the Marines and civilian employees involved in the capability development, acquisition, …

Perceptions Of Personnel At Selected Texas Community Colleges Regarding The Impact Of Technology On Their Libraries, Sharon K. Kenan

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Technological innovations have transformed all areas of community college libraries. Automated library systems, office software, and Internet access have altered work processes for library personnel and have changed research methodologies for students and faculty. The purpose of this bounded multiple case study was to explore how the adoption of technology has changed important areas of four community college libraries in Texas. Using purposeful sampling to select community colleges with high technology libraries, the study explored how the adoption of technology by the case college libraries changed the libraries and the roles of people employed within the libraries by examining the …

Effects That Previous Employment Experiences Had On Organizational Commitment Of An Hourly Workforce, Charles August Bartocci

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

A committed workforce is critical to the success of any organization. While there was a great deal of debate on how to best describe commitment, one model that attracted a significant following is the Three Component Model (TCM) developed by Meyer and Allen (1988). While it may be argued that the model is a mixed model combining attitudinal and behavioral measures, researchers have largely agreed that the scale that measures affective commitment is both valid and reliable. How commitment is developed in a workforce is of considerable interest. A minority of researchers have considered a variety of antecedents that contribute …

Identifying Patterns In The Crucial Educational Leadership Constructs Used By The Most Cited Authors And Published Works Of 1990-2010, Sitalaiti Lotulelei

Theses and Dissertations

This study conducted a bibliometric analysis for the purpose of identifying the crucial leadership constructs that best explain and/or define effective educational leadership in two decades (1990-2000 and 2001-2010). The study reviewed top authors in educational leadership and analyzed their top cited works to identify leadership constructs which were (a) unique to leadership works within the 1990-2000 decade, (b) unique to the 2001-2010 decade, and c) similar or different between the two decades. The study found that the leadership constructs did evolve and shift during the study period and addressed the changing demands of individuals, educational organizations, and the external …

If You Build It, Will They Come? Building The Collaborative Infrastructure And The Ohiolink Collaborates Toolbox, Barbara J. Strauss, Margaret Maurer, Julie Gedeon

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

This research examines how libraries are collaborating, why libraries collaborate, and seeks the environmental conditions that foster successful cross-institutional collaborations. The Ohio Library and Information Network (OhioLINK) Consortium’s CollaboraTeS Project is examined, to inventory expertise and needs within the OhioLINK community and the members’ willingness to share, barter or contract their expertise with other OhioLINK institutions. This is followed by an examination of a sample of North American collaborative projects to identify environmental conditions that foster collaborations in North American libraries. A brief survey within the OhioLINK environment was then conducted that validated anecdotal evidence that the CollaboraTeS Toolbox has …

A Third Way Beyond The Old College Teacher-Scholar Model And The University Researcher Model Of Faculty Excellence, Eugene Rice

UNIversitas: Journal of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

In this forum, I want us to talk about the models of academic excellence. What makes for good work? What is it that gets rewarded? I’m convinced that if we really take a careful look at American higher education there are only two models that dominate our thinking about academic excellence, and the changing character of faculty work. I also think that we need a third way, which I will discuss after considering the two models that currently dominate.

The Efficacy Of Simulation As A Pedagogy In Facilitating Pre-Service Teachers’ Learning About Emotional Self-Regulation And Its Relevance To The Teaching Profession, Terry De Jong, Jeniffer Lane, Sue Sharp

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study was undertaken in response to the imperative of teacher education courses incorporating National Professional Standards for Teachers, in particular Standard 7, which deals with the professional engagement of teachers (AITSL, 2011). It aimed to evaluate the efficacy of simulation and active recall as a learner-centred pedagogy in facilitating pre-service teachers’ learning about their capacity to self-regulate emotionally and its relevance to the profession. A simulated ‘critical incident’ was used in a lecture to guide students (n=106) to analyse and understand their emotional responses to an altercation between the lecturer and a colleague. The evaluation involved both quantitative and …

500 Million Frenemies: A Phenomenological Study Of The Prevalence And Perceptions Of Female Students And Male Students As It Relates To Cyber Bullying On Social Networking Websites, Dana Manzi-Schaed

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to discover the lived experiences of male and female high school students regarding cyber bullying on social networking websites. Previous research has shown that male and female students have very different experiences with traditional bullying; the current phenomenon of cyber bullying has yet to be widely researched. In addition, this research sought to better understand what, if any, the gender differences were in how students perceive adult prevention of cyber bullying as well as how both genders behave in informing adults of instances of cyber bullying. The goal of this research was …

Rethinking The “Apprenticeship Of Liberty”: The Case For Academic Programs In Community Engagement In Higher Education, Dan W. Butin

Education Faculty Publications

This article articulates a model for the “engaged campus” through academic programs focused on community engagement, broadly construed. Such academic programs—usually coalesced in certificate programs, minors, and majors—provide a complementary vision for the deep institutionalization of civic and community engagement in the academy that can revitalize an “apprenticeship of liberty” for students, faculty, and academic staff.

Case Example Of The Implementation Of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support In A High School Setting, Hank Bohanon, Pamela Fenning, Kimberly Thier

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

The purpose of this case study was to expand the literature base regarding the application of high school schoolwide positive behavior support (PBS) in an urban setting for practitioners and policymakers to address behavior issues. In addition, the study describes the use of the Change Point Test as a method for analyzing time series data that are dependent in nature. The researchers used an existing case study example to guide the implementation of the intervention. The overall implementation of PBS reached full fidelity during the final year. Focused professional development may have been related to changes in statistically significant office …

Senate Meeting, January 23, 2013, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Authentic Leadership Versus The Business Model On The Future Of Universities, Judith Puncochar, Patricia I. Hogan, D Faust

Faculty Works

Using a business model to operate universities has serious consequences for universities. Three faculty members discuss the contemporary university in regards to branding efforts, alumni contributions, faculty morale, student worldviews, and the effects of applying a business model to a university education on our society. We posit alternative approaches.

An Analysis Of Institutional Policies And Practices Critical For Effective Leadership In Developmental Education Programs, Carolyn Gaughan Sizemore

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to identify the most critical institutional policies and practices deemed essential for the effective development and governance of systemic, effective developmental education programs in community colleges through the perspective of community college administrators. This study ranked community college leaders’ ratings of what policies and practices should be implemented to improve developmental education programs. Expert opinion by the participating developmental education administrators and college presidents were compared and ranked to identify priorities for change. The results could serve as guidelines for the improvement of developmental education programs for student success in community colleges. This non-experimental, …

Examination Of The Relationship Between Individual Leadership Style, Teamwork And Learning Preferences -- A Case From A University In China, Raymond Ho

Journal of Business & Leadership: Research, Practice, and Teaching (2005-2012)

This study explores the effects of Chinese transformational leaders' preference in teamwork, and creative learning activities and leadership style. Three types of leadership styles, transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire, were measured using Bass and Avolio's (2004) Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Student participants were questioned on their preferences of teamwork based on their leadership styles and type of teaching styles that they preferred. Data analyses indicated that while behaviors associated with transformational leadership motivated followers, the results did not significantly relate to a leader's propensity to support teamwork. In addition, creative learning activities were not preferred by participants who experienced laissez-faire leader behavior. …

Values-Based Management Or The Performance-Values Matrix: Was Jack Welch Right?, Aaron A. Buchko, Kathleen J. Buchko

Journal of Business & Leadership: Research, Practice, and Teaching (2005-2012)

Two alternative models were identified in the existing literature on organization values and managerial performance. The Values-Based Management model suggests that organizational values influence managerial job performance through a process of enactment, am/ thus managerial performance is contingent upon the strength of the firm's values. The Performance-Values Matrix model suggests that organizational values and managerial job performance are independent constructs. We conducted an empirical study of these two models at a manufacturing facility. We measured organizational values enactment through a 360 degree feedback process using Behavioral Observation Scales, and obtained data on manager's annual job performance appraisal ratings. The results …