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A Phenomenological Study Of Perceptions Of Early Childhood Administrators Related To Transformational Leadership, Educational Paths, And Organizational Climate, Lori Hayes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early childhood (EC) administrators could be the most important contributors to quality experiences in EC settings; they are also responsible for the caliber of experiences for children and staff. A quality EC program is licensed and accredited with administrators who have professional preparation and work experience and can lead and manage EC programs. There are the few direct educational paths to become an EC administrator. This lack of standardization influences the quality of leadership and organizational climate in EC settings. The purpose of this qualitative study as reflected in the research questions was to explore the experiences of EC administrators …

Barriers And Supports To Implementation Of Principal Leadership For School Change, Jodi M. Delucia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Practices for supporting school change have not been implemented consistently in K-12 schools in the United States. Researchers have not studied the needs of K-12 principals who fail to implement these practices, and barriers or supports to implementation have not been identified. The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methodology study was to understand K-12 principals' perceptions of the supports and barriers related to their abilities to implement the practices of challenging the process, inspiring a shared vision, enabling others to act, modeling the way, and encouraging the heart. Seven public school principals and 29 teachers in their schools completed …

A Reflective Exploration Of A Multiyear Elementary School Learning Community Experience, Susan Jean Ganley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study reports a reflection upon the experience of a multiyear elementary school learning community designed for improved teaching and learning. The exploration uses interview data to describe the perceptions and reflections of the principal and teachers directly engaged in this project of educational reform. The goal of this process is to gain a deeper understanding of the experience and to determine to what factors the participants attribute the outcomes of this project.

Through an auto-ethnographic reflective critical practice inquiry and extended interviews, this study describes the context and environment of this learning community and how the participants reflect on …

Teacher Commitment To The Implementation Of Ninth Grade Academies And Their Perceptions Of School Leadership, Deborah Kindel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the commitment of teachers to the implementation of ninth grade academies and their perceptions of school leadership during the reform process. Concern for successful high school completion prompted the redesign of ninth grade into a school-within-a-school format within a Florida school district. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the type of commitment and form of leadership evident in this reform initiative along with the relationship between them. As a mindset for change, commitment was represented as affective, normative, and continuance. Leadership styles were delineated as transformational, transactional, and passive/avoidant along with related outcomes of …

2010 Pod Conference Newsletter #3

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

No abstract provided.

How Do First Graders Define A Family?, Kelly Ann Mcgrail

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to determine how first grade students define a family. Qualitative research was used as the methodology for this inquiry. The participants were thirteen first grade inclusion students in a school that is located in Southern New Jersey. An instructional unit depicting various family constellations was implemented along with authentic discussions, a student survey, an interactive bulletin board, a classroom library containing family books, and writing prompts contained in My Family Journal. The data collected and analyzed was from student discussion, the subjects' work, direct observation of pupils, the instructional unit, and a teacher research …

Innovations In Management Training: Training Business Personnel Along The Structural Method, Papiya Deb, Madhav. Welling

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Trained manpower that can infuse order into the system is the need of the hour. This could be the most important contribution of well-managed companies that have developed a sound management cadre. Commercial organizations are best equipped to play a critical missionary role for two reasons- their vast and influential presence as also sound environmental management which is good business. Issues of social perspective now occupy important boardroom space. Corporate houses traditionally employing managerial skills to enhance the bottom line and shareholders value are increasingly reexamining their managerial skill and policy mix. There is yet unrecognized but a significant corporate …

The Relationship Between Organizational Culture And Sovereignty Of Merit Principle In Iran National Company Of Petrochemical Industry, Gholamreza Jandaghi, Seyed Borghei, Hossein Khanifar, Maryam Eslampour

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

It is needed in new world today that organization for their survival should search for new ways. One of these factors which help the organization in this aim is meritocracy. This happening is not accomplished in vacuumed. Other factors also have roles in this process; especially the culture of every organization may make the basic of sovereignty of merit principle because the unique culture of every organization shows the way of understanding and give meaning to event for individual.

Leadership In Tunisian Higher Education From The Perspective Of The Efqm Excellence Model, Raoudha Kammoun, Omar Ben-Ayed

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Since the early 1980s, the concept of quality has been a central focus of attention in the debate of higher education (HE). Over time, many developed countries have experienced a growing concern for quality in HE such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, and the United States of America, amongst others (Anyamele 2004, Becket and Brookes 2005). The focus on quality leads many developed countries to acknowledge the benefits of the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) within their institutions (Kanji and Tambi, 1999). However, quality movement is rather slow in the HE of developing countries. Indeed, some HEIs have …

Identifying Practices That Facilitate Effective Implementation And Sustainability Of Research-Based Professional Development Strategies, Emily Victoria Bryan Kibodeaux

Dissertations

This study was designed to determine whether significant differences existed in the level of implementation of a professional development strategy, the attitude of teachers toward this professional development strategy, and the knowledge of teachers regarding this professional development strategy. After teachers were trained on the professional development strategy, three treatments were utilized in the project: administrative observations and feedback, participation in a professional learning community (PLC), or training follow-up. Twenty-four teachers from four different schools in a school district in South Mississippi participated in the project over an 8 week time period. This quasi-experimental study collected pre- and post-treatment data …

Differing Administrator, Faculty, And Staff Perceptions Of Organizational Culture As Related To External Accreditation, Claire Procopio

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

There is an inherent tension in the U.S. system of accreditation. Historically, the system has been one of self-regulation (Brittingham, 2009). As access to higher education has grown, however, and the concomitant flow of federal money to colleges and universities has increased, the federal government and the taxpayers it represents have called for more and more external reporting of measures of college quality. Critics of the current system would like more external oversight to create what they have termed variously a “culture of quality” or a “culture of evidence” (Bardo, 2009; Crow, 2009; Kelderman, 2009; Understanding, 2001). The most dissatisfied …

Chinese Women Administrators In Higher Education: Developing Leadership Throughout Life, Susan Madsen

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

The development of leadership has been a critical concern of many organizational leaders in various sectors (public, private, and social) across the globe. To better understand this complex phenomenon, researchers (e.g., Bass, 1990; Bennis, 1989) have been conducting leadership studies for decades in various disciplines (e.g., education, management, psychology). Yet, studies in these disciplines on developing women leaders are just emerging as an important focus of researchers and practitioners in many countries throughout the world. In many regions it has become evident that the process of developing women leaders is particularly multifaceted and challenging. There are numerous complexities inherent in …

Re-Imagining Specialized Stem Academies: Igniting And Nurturing ‘Decidedly Different Minds,’ By Design, Stephanie Pace Marshall

Publications & Research

This article offers a personal vision and conceptual design for reimagining specialized science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) academies designed to nurture decidedly different STEM minds and ignite a new generation of global STEM talent, innovation, and entrepreneurial leadership. This design enables students to engage actively in the authentic work, modes of inquiry, and practices that distinguish four STEM learning cultures, environments, and communities: (a) Inquiry and Research Laboratory and Interdisciplinary Learning Center—develops disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and inquiry-based thinking; (b) Innovation Incubator and Design Studio—ignites innovative and design-based thinking; (c) Global Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship Institute—nurtures change leadership and systems-based thinking; …

Engineering Leadership, Davood Salmani, Omid Bagheri

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Around the 1960 and on to today, the environment of today’s is on customer satisfaction. Achieving this new paradigm, Engineering is to be more flexible and adaptable to the demands and expectations of stakeholders.

A Partnership Plan To Support High-Quality Instruction In Ohio’S Urban School Districts, Ben Mcgee

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Establishing work practices that allow for effective communication, collaboration, and negotiations between state departments of education (DOEs) and their large urban districts is a significant undertaking in the national reform effort. The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has had a unique opportunity to investigate how to establish an effective framework to build the necessary relationships between large urban districts and the supervising state educational agency (SEA) through funds provided by a Wallace Foundation grant and Harvard University’s leadership facilitation. The Wallace funding and partnership with Harvard provided four of Ohio’s largest urban school districts with the resources and expertise to …

Leadership In Higher Education: Handling Faculty Resistance To Technology Through Strategic Planning, Kelli Mcbride

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

People often recognize leadership in the concrete, mostly by identifying an effective or ineffective leader, but they have a much more difficult time explaining leadership in the abstract – what qualities result in transformational and visionary leadership. Often this lack of understanding does not surface until a crisis or challenge arises in an organization, when a gap occurs between what is and what should be. Higher education faces such challenges, and it needs transformational leadership, especially concerning faculty resistance to technology (Buckley, 2002; Hagner, 2000; Moore, Fowler, & Watson, 2007; Scott, 2003). As many organizations see online learning as their …

The University Chameleon: Identity And Time Issues Faced By Faculty In Dual Positions, Eric Daffron

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

My transition into full-time administration came gradually. A young assistant professor of English, I got my first taste of administration when I accepted a position as coordinator of my university’s study abroad programs. Later I served an enriching experience as director of my university’s honors college. With both positions, I remained on faculty, teaching usually a couple of courses each semester. Over time, I felt a certain dissonance in my dual role. A double agent of sorts,1 I felt pulled-in terms of time and especially identity-between my role as faculty member and my role as administrator. In fact, I came …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Empowerment And Organizational Commitment, Gholamreza Jandaghi, Reza Borghei, Hasan Matin, Nasrin Dastani

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

A rapidly changing environment threatens the survival of many organizations. The global economy propelled by booming regional economies, new media and information technology, universal consumer cultures, emerging global standards, and opportunities for corporate cost-sharing, has dramatically changed the environment in which organizations exist today (Ohema,1998,p.17). The survival of many organizations is threatened, in part, by reluctance to adapt to the changing environment. “Ecology evolutionary theory suggests that uncertain, volatile environments will support diverse organizational forms and that the apparent winners will fluctuate from time to time as conditions change” ( Hannan and Freeman, 1989, p.27).

A Phenomenological Study Of Leader Experiences And Reactions To Transformational Change In A Multicampus System, John E. Cech

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research on organizational change theory confirms the importance of leaders' ability to establish a sense of urgency, create institutional support for change, develop a vision, communicate the vision, empower others toward action, generate results, and ultimately create change in the organizational culture. Organizational change in nested systems, in which CEOs of individual units report upward through a state, regional, or corporate hierarchy, has not been extensively studied. To address this gap in the literature, this phenomenological study explored perceptions of college leaders who in 2002-2003 participated in the transformation of seven 2-year technical colleges into a community college system. The …

About The Authors, Volume 28 (2010)

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

About the editors and authors of volume 28 (2010) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development.

Weaving Promising Practices For Inclusive Excellence Into The Higher Education Classroom, María Del Carmen Salazar, Amanda Stone Norton, Franklin A. Tuitt

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Higher education is faced with an increasingly diverse student body and historic opportunities to foster inclusive excellence, meaning a purposeful embodiment of inclusive practices toward multiple student identity groups. Although the benefits of inclusive excellence are well established, college faculty often cite barriers to promoting it in classrooms, and this creates an opening for faculty developers to support them in weaving promising practices for inclusive excellence into their teaching. This chapter highlights the practices of inclusive faculty and the methods faculty developers can use to promote inclusive excellence along five dimensions: (1) intrapersonal awareness, (2) interpersonal awareness, (3) curricular transformation, …

Faculty Inside A Changing University: Constructing Roles, Making Spaces, Leslie D. Gonzales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The notion of a multiversity was stamped into the higher education literature by Clark Kerr in 1963 when he spoke about the numerous purposes tied to U.S. higher education. Kerr highlighted how the University is often pulled in many directions at once, asked to fulfill promises of the cultural, educational, national, societal, and now, of the global kind. Yet it is imperative to remember that these multiversities are not empty spaces. They are occupied and brought to life by the people who work inside them, especially the faculty, who Gregorian (2005) names as the "heart and soul, the bone marrow …

A Comparison Of Career Technical Education - 16 Career Pathway High School Participants With Non-Participants On Academic Achievement, School Engagement, And Development Of Technical Skills, Edith Aimee Orozco

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this research was to compare Career Technical Education- 16 Career Pathway high school participants with non-participants on academic achievement, development of technical skills and school engagement. Academic achievement was measured by Exit Level Math and English Language Arts Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) 2008-2009 scale scores. Development of technical skills and school engagement was examined through a developed survey using the High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE) as a reference. TAKS scale scores employed to measure academic achievement was obtained from secondary data and perceptions regarding development of skills and school engagement were obtained …

Faculty Development In Instructional Technology: A Multiple Case Study, Robson Moura Marinho

Faculty Publications

Employing the descriptive multiple case study method, this qualitative study explores the experiences of ten faculty members involved in learning about technology at a Major Pubic University in the United States. Participants shed light on the learning process in instructional technology by sharing their personal experiences, perspectives, ideas and behaviors. This paper summarizes the results of the study, making comparisons with related literature, and then discussing its practical implications and recommendations for faculty development. The findings indicate the need of a more holistic approach to faculty development programs in instructional technology.

Interdisciplinary Instruction In American Colleges Of Education: Rhetoric Or Reality?, G Boyd Chitwood

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the status of training for interdisciplinary instruction of K-12 teachers in NCATE-accredited teacher education programs in the United States. Further, program leader beliefs about interdisciplinary instruction were surveyed, and consistency of those beliefs with the actual conduct of their programs was studied. Interdisciplinary instruction has received significant positive mention over the last 80 years with waves of increasing interest identified up to the present. Support for this pedagogy has come from claims about effectiveness, teacher efficacy, nature of human learning and increased complexity in the contemporary world. Studies are lacking, however, on models for and prevalence of …

Stimulating Lecturers’ Innovative Behaviour In Malaysian Polytechnics, Nazidaabd Ghani, Kamaruzaman Jusoff

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Technical and vocational education that has been laid out approximately a century ago provides an important route for secondary school leavers to gain access to post-secondary technical and vocational educational and training and be successfully employed. Polytechnics of Ministry of Higher Education were established to produce semi-skilled employees to fulfil the needs of public and private sectors in the field of commerce, engineering and hospitality. However, a majority of graduates from polytechnics do not join the work force straight away but instead further their studies first to seek their bachelor degrees from universities and colleges before entering the work force. …

Leading Faculty: Understanding The Connection Between Goals And Values, Frank Grosso

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Faculty can never do enough. We need them to teach, write, advise, mentor, network, and conduct groundbreaking research. And when we are faced with extremely limited budgets, hiring freezes, and increased pressure to bring in research funds, university faculty are counted on to pick up the fallen pieces. Academic leaders find themselves asking faculty to give more time and effort to assist in advancing their institutions, but at what price? Typically, as leaders demand more of the faculty, morale tends to decrease and grumbling skyrockets. In actuality, it is like that in any organization. However, it is no secret that …

Potential Extensions To Transformational Leadership Models, C.R.A. Jackson

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

The view adopted in this research was that transformational leadership (Bass 1985; Burns 1978) could be characterised by an ability to bring about significant change in an organization, and that transactional leadership above was inadequate for this task. Since the 1980s, research (Avolio & Bass 2002; Bass 1990; Parry 1996) supported the idea that transformational leadership was more effective than transactional leadership in generating the extra effort, commitment and satisfaction of those being led (Bass 1990). Transformational leadership was a process where leaders and followers raised one another to higher moral and motivational levels (Yukl 1971). As Bass (1990) asserted, …

The Possibility Of Applying Senge’S Learning Organization Principles In Irbid Public High Schools As Perceived By Principals And Teachers, Mohammed Ashour

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Purpose of the study: 1. To be acquainted with the possibility of applying Senge’s learning organization principles in Irbid high public schools as seen by principals and teachers 2. To be acquainted with the individual differences of the participants about the possibility of applying Senge’s learning organization principles in Irbid high public schools related to the social type, experience and qualification 3. To be acquainted with the suggestions presented by principals and teachers in Irbid high public schools regarding the possibilities of applying Senge’s learning organization principles

Teacher Educators' Computer Technology Integration At Utah State University, Jiayi Wan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research is to develop a deep understanding of Utah State University teacher educators' perceptions and lived experience with computer technology integration. Ten methods course instructors in secondary education participated. Data were collected using the phenomenological research method: (1) conducting one-on-one in-depth interviews, (2) classroom observations of the four participants, and (3) examining artifacts, such as syllabi and presentation evaluation forms used by the participants.

The findings of this research show that the subjects regard computer technology as a powerful instructional tool. They also realize it is important to prepare preservice teachers with computer technology for their …