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Exploring Community College Stigma: A Phenomenology Of The Lived Experience For Community College Transfer Students Attending The University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Eric M. Michael

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Despite impressive statistics related to community college transfer student achievement, negative perceptions and stigma attached to attending community college persist. The problem addressed by this phenomenological study is the community college stigma experience for transfer students attending the most highly-ranked public university in Massachusetts: UMass Amherst. This dissertation pioneers use of a conceptual framework built from the elements of stereotype threat to illustrate experienced community college stigma; Specifically, it begins to address the forty-year-old unsubstantiated contention of William Neumann and David Riesman, that there is less stigma attached to attending community college in California than in Massachusetts. Broken down to …

Women Leaders In Mathematics Education: An Analysis Of Gender In Leadership Roles In Professional Organizations, Brianna Kurtz, Farshid Safi

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Professional organizations within mathematics education have been a source of development, connection, pedagogical direction, and policy for decades. With gender and equity discussions reaching the forefront of the mathematics education conversation, one must consider the gender representation of those leading the organizations upon which we rely. The authors analyzed historical presidential data from four major mathematics education professional organizations in the United States. Women were found to be in presidential roles at a statistically significantly less proportion (p<0.001) in three of the four organizations. When the organizations were considered aggregately since the enactment of Title IX, a trend to a plateau at 40% female leadership was seen. Future analysis beyond the presidential role and breakdowns by other factors are advisable.

Improving Practice In Special Education: The Evaluation Process As A Development Tool, Allison Gilmour, Amanda Sheaffer, Caitlyn E. Majeika

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Throughout the country, schools are using new teacher evaluation systems as a tool for professional development with the goal of improving teaching quality and students’ outcomes. However, not all teacher evaluation rubrics specifically address or encourage evidence-based practices for special education teachers, and many principals report that they are unsure how to evaluate special education teachers. This article provides an overview of teacher evaluation and special education teacher evaluation, and presents a strategy, based on existing research on effective teacher coaching and performance feedback, goal setting, and self-monitoring, to assist special educators in leveraging the evaluation process as a professional …

The Quest To Increase Student Academic Outcomes: Actions Of Two Charter High Schools, Laura Schaffer Metcalfe

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This study examined how two charter high schools located in the Phoenix area with a large population of low-socioeconomic students were able to assist students with academic success as measured through accomplishment on standardized achievement tests. Analysis of two Title 1 Reward high schools with grades 9 – 12 during the 2014 school year to determine what actions were implemented to attain high levels of student success on standardized achievement tests. Results were gathered through qualitative means from teacher, administrator, and other staff interviews and classroom observations. Findings from the study revealed how students were successful on standardized tests, how …

Understanding How Edd Students View Educational Research: A Qualitative Study Using Domain, Taxonomic, Componential And Text Mining Analysis, Chen Zong, Courtney Donovan, Dara Marin Prais

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how EdD students initially view educational research and themselves as researchers before taking their first required research course. This study used four types of qualitative data analysis methods: domain, taxonomic, componential, and text mining. The findings suggest that the EdD students are able to identity several attributes of research, but there is a dissonance on the attributes aligned with upper academic research. The students understand the importance of research to educational practices, but do not have sufficient understanding about research methods and methodologies. Their views of what research is are formal …

An Analysis Of Central Florida Principals' Professional Perceptions Relative To Safe-School Officers In One Large Urban School District, Christina Steppi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Public school districts in Florida are required by law to cooperate with local law enforcement agencies to establish and assign one or more safe-school officers at each public school. Public school principals assume a significant role in the implementation of state policy measures and are responsible for providing safe school climates for students and staff (Coburn, 2005; Gawlik, 2015). However, principals' perceptions inform their individual interpretation of state policy measures, influencing the implementation process (Reid, 2017). This study utilized a cross-sectional survey to measure principals' perceptions of safe-school officers and their effect on facilitating safe school climates for students in …

Rural School District Principals’ Perceptions For Recruiting, Hiring, And Retaining Highly Qualified Teachers, Mary Giles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Highly qualified teachers (HQTs) have more influence on students’ academic success than class size, curriculum, school culture, and technology. However, principals display discrepant practices in recruiting, hiring, and retaining HQTs. The purpose of this basic exploratory qualitative study was to investigate the perceptions of elementary, middle, and high school principals from a rural school district in a southern state concerning practices of recruiting, hiring, and retaining HQTs. Senge’s paradigm of a learning organization and an adapted model of Dickinson’s recruitment, selection, and retention of child welfare workers guided this study. Research questions addressed administrators’ perceptions of strategies used to recruit, …

High School Principals' Instructional Leadership Practices To Reduce School Violence, Linda Hunt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the constant increase of school violence, there is a need to prepare leaders how to best protect the school. However, high school principals may be inconsistently implementing instructional leadership practices that have been shown to reduce school violence. The purpose of this basic qualitative research design was to examine how high school principals were implementing instructional leadership practices to reduce school violence. The conceptual framework was Bandura's social learning theory, which posits that people can learn by observing the behavior of others, and Hallinger's and Murphy's theory of instructional leadership regarding andragogy. A purposive sampling was used to select …

A Supplemental Leadership Development Programs Model Preparing Aspiring Leaders For Principalship, Kathleen M. Setzer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A suburban school district in the Mid-Atlantic faces a crisis with a lack of qualified principals to lead middle schools and high schools. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the perceptions of principals who participated in the Associate Principal Leadership Development Program in a suburban public school district in the Mid-Atlantic. The conceptual framework of this study was grounded in Senge's systems thinking, which looks at the components of a system and the system as a whole to determine how the interconnectedness of the components impacts the entire system. Schools have intricate components, such …

Exploring The Experiences Of First Generation College Students, Maceo Daniel Wattley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At a large, urban university in the Midwestern United States, graduation rates of first-generation college students (FGCS) who are the first within a family to be admitted and attend a 4-year post-secondary institution of higher learning have declined over the past decade despite programs instituted to improve student retention. The purpose of the study was to explore FGCS’s and university administrators’ experiences affecting the decisions for FGCS to drop out and to examine student and administrator recommendations for improvements, based on their experiences, to prevent attrition. Guided by Knowles’s theory of andragogy, which describes how adult learners are self-directed and …

It’S A Family Affair: Exploring The Needs Of Families In Supporting Trio Upward Bound Students, Tashena Denise Briggs

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

First-generation and/or low-income families have a difficult time navigating the college-going process. These families have daily obstacles that make preparing and entering post-secondary education challenging, including family trauma, financial hardships, decision-making skills, and lack of knowledge regarding college-going strategies. The purpose of this study is to uncover what specific support tools low-income and/or first-generation families participating in the Danielsville College TRIO Upward Bound program need as they support their students through the college-going process at Hinley Park High School. This qualitative study utilized a research methodology case study approach to understand the lived experiences of fifteen participants (one student, three …

Principal Instructional Leadership For Teacher Participation In Professional Development: Evidence From Japan, Singapore, And South Korea, Taeyeon Kim, Youngjun Lee

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

We investigated the relationship between principal instructional leadership and teacher participation in multiple types of professional development in Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. Using the Teaching and Learning International Survey dataset of 2013, we employed two-level logistic regression models to estimate the rigorous effects of principal instructional leadership that were separated out from teacher-level effects. We found that the influence of principal instructional leadership on teachers’ participation in professional development varied across types of learning activities and countries. Our analysis suggests that principal instructional leadership can influence teachers’ participation in mentoring, mentoring, peer observation, and coaching compared to the other …

Principal And Teacher Perceptions Of How Principal Motivational Leadership Practices Influence School Climate, Emily Harber Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research indicates that school leadership influences the success of student outcomes through school climate. However, little is known about how principals and teachers perceive principals’ motivational leadership practices and how these leadership practices influence school climate. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain a better understanding of seventh and eighth grade principal and teacher perceptions of principal motivational leadership practices influence on school climate. This study was based upon Sullivan’s motivational language theory and Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory by way of the utilization of the conceptual framework on charismatic leadership. The research questions focused on principal and …

Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Preparedness To Implement Ccss Writing Standards, Latonja Allen-Mallard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Writing achievement is a concern in the United States at the national and local level. The problem addressed in this study, in an urban Illinois school district, is that there has been a lack of adequate teacher instructional preparedness in Common Core State Standards (CCSS) writing instruction coupled with low student writing performance. The purpose of this study was to explore how elementary school teachers who teach Language Arts perceive their instructional preparedness to teach writing that aligns with the CCSS writing standards; and, to explore what elements of instructional preparedness they perceive would be beneficial to meet the demands …

Retaining Teachers Rated As Effective In Title I Schools, Jessica Nicole Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher retention and continuity are important for students, particularly for those in middle- to high-poverty, low-achieving schools. There is a gap in practice related to providing support for and overcoming barriers to the retention of teachers rated as effective, particularly keeping them with students with socioeconomic and academic need. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of leaders in Title I schools to understand better the elements and support they identify for retaining teachers rated as effective. Bruner's work explaining how needs, motivations, and expectations influence perceptions informed the study. Research questions were designed to …

Elementary School Principals’ Instructional Leadership Practices Supporting Academically Marginalized Students, Stacy Lynette Parker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research problem addressed in this qualitative case study is the need to understand elementary school principals' instructional leadership practices supporting academically marginalized students. Instructional leadership practices to "close the achievement gap" are imperative to document, so that best practices can be highlighted and disseminated among educational institutions that face similar challenges. The conceptual framework of the principal instructional management theory is used to explore instructional leadership through 3 dimensions: managing the instructional program, defining the school mission, and fostering academic achievement. Semistructured interviews and thematic analysis were conducted to collect and analyze data from 11 elementary principals in response …

The Influences Of School Counselors' Professional Development On Their Comfort Levels Addressing Mental Health And Substance Use, Megan Lynne Hines

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was an investigation of the comfort levels of school counselors to address PK-12 students’ mental health and substance use concerns. While incidents of bullying and school shootings rise it is unclear how school counselors’ professional development has influenced their level of comfort identifying and addressing PK-12 students’ mental health and substance use concerns. Accordingly, this quantitative descriptive survey examined school counselors’ recognition of mental health and substance use symptoms, frequency of encounter, and whether their developmental stages influenced their comfort levels in addressing students’ mental health and substance use concerns. Rønnestad and Skovholt’s counselor development model was the …

Culturally Responsive Leadership And Distributed Leadership Practices In A Stem School, Cynthia Bradley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Culturally responsive leadership practices and distributed leadership are strategies that could aid racially diverse students to become successful in STEM courses and later in a STEM field. The purpose of this study was to explore culturally responsive leadership practices and distributed leadership within a STEM school to support racially diverse students. Distributed leadership and culturally responsive leadership practices were the conceptual frameworks of the study used to explore the rationale for the decision-making within a school. The research questions addressed the challenges and opportunities of implementing culturally responsive leadership practices and distributive leadership to enhance the diversity of students in …

Integration Workplace Practices For Generation Z- An E-Delphi Study, Unnatti Jain

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Effective integration of new generations of employees has been a problem for organizations for decades, resulting in high turnover, increased costs, and lowered revenue. Generation Z (Gen Z) has recently entered the workforce and is experiencing the same ineffective integration practices as prior generations, with characteristics and expectations that conflict with current work climates. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the level of consensus among 15 midlevel organizational managers over the age of 30, employed at a mid-level managers’ position with a direct reporting line of 20 or more employees for a minimum of 2 years, possessing …

Perceptions Of High School Principals About Improving African American Male Academic Outcomes, Andre Lavelle Credit

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In this study, the African American male students’ academic achievement gap and the principals’ strategies to overcome this problem were investigated. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to assess the viability of the different strategies that principals have put in place in their respective schools with the aim of improving the academic outcomes of African American male students. The study was guided by the theoretical foundation of culturally responsive teaching, which ensures effective diversity management through the cultural resources of teaching. The research questions addressed 3 major components: the principals’ self-perceived beliefs and attitudes toward enhancing the …

Interventions To Address Teacher Attrition From Low-Income Schools, Kenneth Bradley Darnell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research problem was teacher turnover from low-income K–12 schools to higher-income K–12 schools. This problem is important because of the negative effects on student learning and the high cost of replacing departed teachers. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to describe how low-income schools can implement interventions that will positively address the challenges teachers face that lead to teacher attrition through the support of administration, parental support, coworker relationships, and safety as perceived by teachers who formerly taught in low-income schools. The conceptual framework for this study was human capital theory. The participants were 56 K–12 teachers …

Perceptions Of Transformational Leadership In Northern Great Plains Reservation Turnaround Schools, Lynn Jean Lawson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

American Indian/Alaska Natives have the highest rates of poverty and unemployment and the lowest rates of graduation in the United States. Leadership and classroom instruction influence academic achievement. Little is known about leadership methods for turnaround efforts in American Indian schools. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore administrators’ and teachers’ perceptions of transformational leadership in 2 American Indian reservation turnaround schools in the Northern Great Plains. Burns’ transformational leadership theory guided this study. Two K-8 administrators and 6 K-8 teachers, who were state certified and served at least 1 year at their school site, volunteered …

Developing Teacher Leaders Through Professional Development Offered In A District Teacher Forum, Suzanne T. Koty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher attrition is an ongoing problem in education, and the lack of leadership opportunities contribute to that problem. Teachers who serve in leadership roles are more likely to remain in the profession and positively impact students and the profession as a whole. However, there is little qualitative research to address how teachers develop the needed leadership skills to take on additional leadership roles. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experiences of participants in a District Teacher Forum. The District Teacher Forum is a cohort of teachers identified as Campus Teachers of the Year led by the …

Elementary Principals' Behaviors And Collaborative Professional Learning Communities, Lisa Gaines High

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Principals need to possess leadership skills and behaviors that help set expectations for collaborative work. The problem in this case study was that little was known about the collaboration-building behaviors principals use that promote effective collaboration between members of the school community. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe the behaviors principals exhibit when building collaboration through the implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The conceptual framework was based on 3 elements: leadership styles and approaches, collaboration, and the implementation of effective PLCs. The primary research question explored how principal behaviors contribute to collaborative professional learning …

Adult Learners' And Instructors' Perceptions Of The Andragogical Instructional Method Used At A Northern Mississippi Community College, Renee Lajune Hall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to understand adult learners’ and instructors’ perceptions of the andragogical instructional method used at a Northern Mississippi Community College. In addition, this study explored how well the andragogical instructional method worked as a way to educate adult learners. A qualitative phenomenological design was used to examine the perceptions of six returning full-time adult learners and six full-time instructors regarding the use and impact of the andragogical instructional method via purposeful sampling. Data was collected by face-to-face interviews. Through the participants’ shared experiences and reviewing the interview transcripts, several themes emerged regarding their perceptions of …

Effect Of Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports On Middle School Students’ Discipline, Ricky Lamont Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has documented that a pervasive problem affecting today’s schools is disruptive student behavior and the long-term, negative outcomes associated with the use of out-of-school suspensions (OSS) to address it. The program, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), was implemented in a local middle school with a diverse student population at which there was a history of student discipline problems in an effort to improve student behavior and reduce discipline referrals. Guided by Skinner’s theory of behaviorism, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the effect that PBIS had on the following discipline-related variables: number of office discipline …

Instructional Leadership Of Elementary School Principals Regarding Proficiency In Mathematics, Melvinia Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Elementary school principals, as instructional leaders, are critical to improving

mathematics proficiency. The research problem was that elementary school principals are

inconsistently applying instructional leadership to support mathematics teachers' efforts

to improve students' proficiency. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to

understand how elementary school principals apply instructional leadership to support

mathematics teachers in their efforts to improve student proficiency in mathematics. The

conceptual framework was the instructional leadership model of Hallinger and Murphy,

which defines three main dimensions of instructional leadership: (a) the school mission,

(b) the instructional program, and (c) the school climate. The research question …

The Values Influencing Assistant Principals' Decisions To Utilize School Resource Officers, Tracy Yvette Thompson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School administrators use control and maintenance to create a safe learning environment for students in the United States public schools. However, when school resource officers (SROs) within U.S. schools are assigned authority over disciplinary procedures certain students become negatively impacted. Substantial research has been conducted regarding the impact and roles of SROs, but very few studies explored the opinions of assistant principals (APs), the individuals typically responsible for the enforcement of school discipline. In this study, a qualitative interpretative design was used to explore what values and beliefs guide APs in their decisions to involve SROs in school disciplinary procedures. …

Expectations And Incentives: Parental Financial Support For College During The Transition To Young Adulthood, Allyson Flaster

Journal of Student Financial Aid

This study provides new insight into enrollment disparities by examining how the financial support adolescents expect to receive from parents as they transition to young adulthood differs by parent and family characteristics and whether they attend college. I do this by estimating expectations of cash and in-kind co-residency support in the year after high school completion using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. The results indicate that children whose parents are highly educated, who have high solidarity with their parents, and whose parents hold norms of adolescent financial dependency have particularly large financial incentives to attend college—particularly a …

Clicking In The Dark: Are Student Financial Aid Websites Accessible For Students With Disabilities?, Zachary W. Taylor

Journal of Student Financial Aid

The United States (U.S.) Access Board, a branch of the federal government responsible for advancing the inclusion of people with disabilities into U.S. society, recently amended Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). On January 18th, 2018, the final Section 508 amendment required all Title IV institutions of higher education in the United States to conform to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG) at the Level-A and Level-AA thresholds. As students with disabilities are often minoritized from the U.S. higher education system, this study explored the web accessibility of institutional .edu financial aid websites (n=450) to learn if …