Digital Commons Network^™

Perceptions Of Teachers Regarding Development Of Positive Student-Teacher Relationships In Exemplar Schools Using Cstps, Sneha Sharma

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological, qualitative study was to describe and explore how teachers in Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21) exemplar schools developed positive student-teacher relationships using the 6 domains of the California Standards of the Teaching Profession (CSTPs).

Methodology: This study included 12 teachers from 2 high schools in California that were recognized as exemplary by P21. Each school principal chose 6 teachers by utilizing a list of specific criteria, based on the CSTPs, that was provided by the researcher. The researcher also conducted interviews of all 12 teachers, completed artifact analysis, and conducted observations of teachers. …

Merger And Acquisition Integration: Exploring Uncertainty From The Perspective Of The Middle Manager, Joseph J. Pazmany

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore middle managers’ perceptions about how organizations managed job-related, structural, and strategic uncertainty during a merger and acquisition (M&A) integration process. Furthermore, this research investigated what strategies middle managers perceived effective and ineffective for managing uncertainty and recommendations for managing uncertainty during future integrations.

Methodology. This qualitative study utilized a phenomenological research design that collected data through open-ended interviews. Fifteen middle managers participated in the study and were asked 12 questions that explored their perceptions about managing uncertainty during an M&A integration.

Findings. Overall, participants perceived strategic uncertainty …

Developing Social And Emotional Skills In Early Childhood Instruction: A Delphi Study, Tess Breen

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to explore social and emotional learning in early childhood instruction with an emphasis on identifying the methods expert early childhood teachers use to support and promote the development of empathy and emotion regulation, to have the teachers rate the impact of these methods, and to identify the specific activities used to implement the six most highly rated methods.

Methodology: This study utilized the Delphi method which is an iterative process used to collect and distill the judgments of experts using a series of questionnaires interspersed with feedback. Fourteen participants recommended strategies to …

Career And Technical Education On Mathematics And Reading Achievement For Students In North Central Arkansas, Kimberley Sartain

Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative research study was to determine the effects of gender and Career and Technical Education (CTE) participation level on the mathematics and reading achievement as measured by the ACT Aspire for 10th-grade students and ACT subtest assessments for 11th-grade students in 2 5-A high schools in North Central Arkansas. While researching the effects of gender and CTE participation level, this scholar found no statistically significant difference between gender and CTE participation level on student achievement. This researcher explored the literature relating to the mathematic and reading achievement of males and females as well as whether they …

An Ethnographic Study On The Relationship Between Andragogy And Perceived Ability Of Hybrid And Virtual Employees To Live Corporate Values, Laura Van Iseghem

Dissertations

As several businesses and organizations push to be profitable and successful, many lack efforts in enforcing and maintaining an effective vision and mission as part of the business strategy. This qualitative, ethnographic study aimed to identify the relationship, if any, between andragogy, an adult learning theory, and the perceived ability of the study company’s hybrid and virtual employees to live the seven corporate core values (trust, humility, embracing change, passion, positive attitude, teamwork and honesty and integrity) based on Knowles’ (1973, 1995) six assumptions of the characteristics of the adult learner and the eight process elements (theoretical framework) by which …

The Effect Of Item Stem And Response Option Length On The Item Analysis Outcomes Of A Career And Technical Education Multiple Choice Assessment, Tina M. Koepf

Dissertations

Critical decisions in Career and Technical Education (CTE) can be based on assessment outcomes, requiring an essential focus on continuous improvement initiatives to provide increased multiple choice (MC) assessment validity. Previous research has determined that the presence of flawed test items negatively impacts student success; therefore, an MC taxonomy has been established and used in the assessment industry. While rigorous and successful Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs that enroll high-level academic students exist, many CTE programs enroll students with a wide spectrum of academic ability. Because many CTE students often have inferior reading skills, it is necessary to take …

Teacher, Tutor, Scholar, Administrator: Preparation For And Perceptions Of Graduate Writing Center Work, Katrina Bell

Dissertations

This research uses a mixed methods approach to explore the both the preparation for and perceptions of graduate consultant writing center work. A review of literature shows a gap in both the knowledge surrounding graduate writing consultant education and the long-term outcomes or transfer of writing center training and work to post-graduate careers. The survey instruments in this study draw from two established studies, the Peer Writing Tutor Alumni Research Project and the National Census of Writing, while a request for curricular artifacts draws on case study research conducted by Jackson et al. Findings indicate that graduate consultants are being …

Mid-Level Student Affairs Professionals Worklife Negotiation And The Use Of Mobile Technology: A Case Study, Christopher M. Mullen

Dissertations

The mainstream media and academic research have covered worklife balance increasingly over the last couple of decades. Worklife balance, the notion that one’s work and life domains are equal, is a challenge for most working professionals. It has become even more significant with the prevalence of mobile technology such as smartphones and the continuously connected society in which we live. Student affairs professionals are not immune to worklife balance issues, particularly because they are in a field in which there are long hours and night and weekend work. This dissertation study uses work/family border theory to consider the following research …

Mechanism For Leadership Development And Effectiveness: The Relationship Between Followership, Leadership, And Psychological Capital, Saurabh Gupta

Dissertations

Research supports the strategic role of a leader in improving individual and organizational performance (Day et al., 2009; Kaiser & Curphy, 2013). Developing leadership and enhancing leadership effectiveness remains at the forefront of organizational strategic plans (Day et al., 2009; Kaiser & Curphy, 2013). However, a majority of leadership development efforts fail in their purpose, which causes a leadership crisis in many organizations (Fernández-Aráoz, Roscoe, & Aramaki, 2017; Gurdjian, Halbeisen, & Lane, 2014; Kaiser & Curphy, 2013; Madanchian, Hussein, Noordin, & Taherdoost, 2017; Pfeffer, 2015; Wakefield, Abbatiello, Agarwal, Pastakia, & van Berkel, 2016). Neglecting the role of followership and using …

Succession Planning For First-Year, P-12 Principals, Brannon Johnson

Dissertations

In order to improve retention of first-year principals, all schools should have a leadership succession plan for first-year, P-12 principals to help improve principal effectiveness and retention (Fink & Brayman, 2006). Russell and Sabina (2014) defined succession planning as the explicit design and implementation of programs to identify and develop high-quality principal candidates. Further, succession planning is about ensuring that the next set of leaders is trained and poised to take on leadership responsibilities when needed (Beaulieu, n. d.).

It is clear that the challenges of being a principal are great, and that this is especially true during the early …

Diffusion, Adoption, And Network Constraint: Can Understanding Personal Networks Of Afghan Women Improve The Adoption 0f Agricultural Innovations, Clair Wilcox

Dissertations

A plethora of case studies conducted in myriad locations find that factors influencing the adoption of agricultural innovation are different, emphasizing the need for locality specific understanding (Waddingon 2014). The diffusion of agricultural innovations may be influenced by the structure of the social system in which that diffusion is taking place. This study investigates the social structure of rural Afghan women, in an effort to determine how they interact and exchange information, and how the personal network structure, and the nature of the women’s interaction influences adoption of innovations. With the objective of framing rural development programs targeting women in …

Identifying Barriers To Teacher Implementation Of Evidence-Based Practices In Middle-School Reading, Brenda Fortson

Dissertations

This study explores factors that may be related to Mississippi’s 2015 eighth-grade reading scores, which rank the state in 50^th place (Nation’s Report Card, 2016). Whereas there are likely several factors that contribute to middle-school students’ poor performance on the high-stakes tests, this study examines teachers’ reported knowledge and use of evidence-based teaching practices, sense of self-efficacy in implementing the practices, and concerns regarding high-stakes testing and possible relationship with their implementation of the practices.

All public schools in Mississippi were invited to participate in an online survey of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade teachers. After data were screened, 187 …

Characteristics And Motivations Of Mississippi Community College Donors, Fred Young

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to identify characteristics and motivations of Mississippi community college donors. The researcher interviewed the lead administrator in charge of fundraising at 11 of the 15 participating Mississippi community colleges and asked them what they believed were characteristics and motivations of community college donors in Mississippi. The findings of the study suggest that the majority of Mississippi community college donors are white males, over 60 years of age, that live within the community college’s district.

Furthermore, this study revealed that relationships, donor recognition, participation in extracurricular activities, and belief in the community are …

Social Capital In Indian Country: The Effects Of Bridging And Bonding On Job Acquisition, Stephanie Davison

Dissertations

Native Americans living in Indian Country continue to experience poverty due, in part, to a lack of sufficient employment opportunities. Indian reservations, often situated in rural areas, can be difficult to access and complicated land and political issues can make it difficult to attract outside investors. However, as is the case for most people, Native Americans living on or near their respective reservation communities do not necessarily want to leave home to find work. This study examined the social networks of a sample of Native Americans from two tribes in Montana. A social network analysis was conducted to understand how …

Participation In Winter Guard International As Experienced By Ten Stakeholders: A Phenomenological Study, Jeremy Morgan

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the essence of Winter Guard International (WGI) as lived by ten stakeholders, invested individuals currently serving in leadership roles within the percussion and winds divisions of the WGI organization. Through the lens of a social constructivist theoretical framework, and the use of individual interviews to obtain data, this study considered what participants have experienced and the contexts in which these experiences have taken place. Grounded theory concepts were used initially to clarify the perspective and scope of the study. Analysis of the data involved the identification of significant statements from participant …

Nurse Expectations As Compared To Perceived Reality, Kathryn Mckelvy

Dissertations

Burnout and turnover in nursing have been well documented in nursing literature, but little is known about a nurse’s expectations of the profession compared to their perceived reality of the profession. Do these expectations meet the reality of the workplace, and does this cause the nurse to make a career change? What factors influence a nurse to leave the profession, job-hop, or return to school to further their education? The rate of nurse turnover is an ongoing issue with a lack of research regarding the foundation of nurse expectations compared to the realities of the profession.

The purpose of this …

Predicted Deepwater Bathymetry From Satellite Altimetry: Non-Fourier Transform Alternatives, Maxsimo Salazar

Dissertations

Robert Parker (1972) demonstrated the effectiveness of Fourier Transforms (FT) to compute gravitational potential anomalies caused by uneven, non-uniform layers of material. This important calculation relates the gravitational potential anomaly to sea-floor topography. As outlined by Sandwell and Smith (1997), a six-step procedure, utilizing the FT, then demonstrated how satellite altimetry measurements of marine geoid height are inverted into seafloor topography. However, FTs are not local in space and produce Gibb’s phenomenon around discontinuities. Seafloor features exhibit spatial locality and features such as seamounts and ridges often have sharp inclines. Initial tests compared the windowed-FT to wavelets in reconstruction of …

Factors For Influencing Intervention For Dyslexia, Michele Schraeder

Dissertations

Although instructional leadership and transformational leadership styles of elementary school principals have been found to be effective variables in increasing academic progress for students, the integration of instructional and transformational leadership behaviors has proved to be the most effective form of leadership. However, many students in elementary schools have difficulty learning to read despite good leadership by the principal, with 5-20% of students being diagnosed with dyslexia. While these students need phonetic, multisensory intervention to build necessary reading skills, many principals report lack of knowledge of this specialized instruction. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore variables that …

Self-Care Vs. Self-Sacrifice In Medical-Surgical Nursing Culture: A Critical Ethnography, Elise Jordan Juergens

Dissertations

The critical ethnography research examines need prioritization culture among medical-surgical nurses. Grove, Burns, and Gray (2013) define the problem statement as an explicit identification of the research need. Literature search yields scarce ethnographic research on the nursing population as a culture-sharing group, and no qualitative research exists regarding medical-surgical nurses’ self-need prioritization. The purpose of this critical ethnography is to observe medical-surgical nursing culture, related to personal need prioritization, as reflected by behavior and dialogue.

Qualitative research methodology is appropriate where statistical data is not. Research motivation involves seeking insight and sociocultural understanding. Critical ethnography is the chosen qualitative research …

The Challenges And Limitations Of Adapting Mozart's Così Fan Tutte For A Small University Setting, Christopher Lovely

Dissertations

In this dissertation, challenges and limitations related to presenting Così fan tutte within a small university setting are conveyed, as well as offering innovative ideas to create a manageable presentation. I recall my personal experience as Korepititor/Vocal Coach for The University of Southern Mississippi’s 2014 production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte. This document presents topics on the various workings of an opera production: pre-rehearsal preparation, language issues, rehearsal preparation, selection of singers, and production issues. It offers practical solutions to overcome various challenges a small university may encounter. Smaller university opera programs were surveyed regarding their adaptations of …

Tribal Governance In The United States: Adaptation And Change, Michelle Watts

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to the body of knowledge on indigenous governance, specifically that of Native Americans and Alaska Natives. This project examined how differing circumstances of Native Nations influence how Native Nations leaders perceive their ability to govern and their relationships with non-indigenous entities. It sought a greater understanding of the cultural adaptations of Native Nations, and how these adaptations influence governance and relationships with state and federal government entities. To gather information, surveys were sent out to all leaders of Native Nations in the United States, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) …

Male Nurse Practitioners' Views On Nursing Education As A Career Option: An Inductive Qualitative Content Analysis, James Mcdavid

Dissertations

As the nursing shortage continues, the demand for new nurses will increase. In 2015, nursing schools in the United States turned away 62,361 qualified applicants in the baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs (Fang, Li, Arietti, & Trautman, 2016). The number of funded, vacant nursing faculty positions increased from 6.9% in 2014 to 7.1% in 2015 (Fang et al., 2016). One idea to help with the nursing faculty shortage is to recruit male RNs into nurse faculty positions. Males count for 10.6% of nurses in the United States (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016). However, men only count for 5.5% of …

Cultural Branding: An Examination Of Website Marketing Practices At Historically Black College And Universities And Non-Hbcu Black Serving Institutions, James Hudson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference between the way that higher education marketing professionals at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and non-HBCU Black Serving Institutions (BSIs) use website marketing techniques for institutional branding. This examination was prompted by Gasman (2007) who suggested that the inability of some HBCUs to garner and/or maintain sufficient enrollment numbers stems from poor image management. Further, Gibbs (2015) suggested that a comparison between HBCU websites and Traditionally White Institution (TWI) websites might be beneficial. Thus, this study sought to answer the following research questions:

RQ1. Is there …

What Makes Employees Stay? Examining Social Exchange Relationships, Organizational Commitment, And Intent To Leave Among Casino Employees, Laura Haley

Dissertations

Turnover in the hospitality industry is higher than any other industry. In order for organizations to ensure their competitive advantage, they must continually facilitate ways to improve social exchange relationships, increase organizational commitment, and reduce intent to leave. Implementation of strategic HRD initiatives aimed at encouraging the development of leader-member exchange, team member exchange, and coworker exchange are important to increasing organizational commitment and reducing intent to leave. The purpose is to identify if a specific type of Social Exchange influences organizational commitment and intent to leave above others.

Results of this non-experimental study indicated that leader-member exchange, team member …

Voluntary Professional Development In Thailand: Teachers’ Motivation, Professional Life Phase, And Contingencies Of Self-Worth, Pongwat Fongkanta

Dissertations

To address the increasing focus on teacher proficiency, professional development opportunities for teachers are routinely provided in Thailand. The focus of this work is on professional development at the individual level and addresses teachers’ motivation for self-improvement and their own worth. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to first validate the relative importance of teachers’ motivation for participating in voluntary professional development and contingencies of self-worth. Secondly, the study sought to determine the relationship of the indicators that contribute to teacher participation with contingencies of self-worth. Lastly, this study examined in what way professional life phase may be related …

The Place Of Art In Black Panther Party Revolutionary Thought And Practice: From Revolution To Reform, A Content Analysis, Michael James Macaluso

Dissertations

The Black Panther Intercommunal News Services (BPINS) was one of the most powerful black presses and a mechanism to build an imagined political community. Unfortunately, the scholarly and sociological literature examining the artwork of the Black Panther Party published in BPINS has been inadequate. Most work to date focuses solely on one artist, Emory Douglas, the Party’s Minister of Culture and primary editor of their press. Many other artists contributed to the collective endeavor of art and organization at large. The artwork of the Black Panther Party was a communal enterprise geared toward the promotion of political consciousness through visual …

Paying For Performance: Public School Property Taxes And Public-School District Performance In Missouri, Keenan Daniela Kinder

Dissertations

An increase in the property tax rate of a school district creates an increase in local revenues for the district (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. [MODESE], 2017). The overarching question becomes: Do increases in the local tax levy compare to improved student performance? The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the difference between property tax rates of Missouri public school districts to student performance as viewed through the lens of benefit tax theory (Duff, 2004). Secondary data were obtained via the MODESE which included property tax rates and information from the Annual Performance Reports for public …

Assessing The Supports And Variables Needed For Graduation Of Students Receiving Special Education Service: A Longitudinal Study, Jennifer Dewaard

Dissertations

Graduation from high school is an important measure of success for both schools and individuals. While requirements for graduation change, the rate at which students receive a diploma within four years is on the rise. But students who receive special education services continue to have a lower graduation rate than the general population. It is imperative for both schools and individual students to increase this rate and close the gap for those receiving a diploma.

The purpose of this study is to examine that gap between graduation rates for the total population of a high school in West Michigan compared …

Strongly Bonded Supervisory Relationships: Demystifying The Bond Aspect Of The Supervisory Working Alliance, Melissa Heinrich

Dissertations

The current study explores the bond aspect of the supervisory working alliance through the lens of relational-cultural theory (RCT). Previous research posits a quality supervisory relationship is important for effective supervision and clinical outcomes. The Supervisory Working Alliance (SWA; Bordin, 1983) is a pan-theoretical model for the growth process in supervision including (a) mutual agreement on goals for supervision, (b) mutual agreement on associated tasks for accomplishing the goals, and (c) the emotional bond in the supervisory relationship. The process for mutual agreement of goals and tasks seems clear, the bond aspect of the SWA seems less clear. Research concerning …

Are Experienced Principals More Likely To Implement The Attributes Of The Three-Minute Walkthrough Program Than Less-Experienced Principals?, Trent Mosley

Dissertations

Today, in this era of accountability, school improvement rests heavily on the shoulders of building principals. Apart from being managers of school operations, disciplinarians, and community leaders, these individuals are also expected to be strong instructional leaders (Crum & Sherman, 2008). Principals now must engage in strategies that will lead the cycle of continuous improvement. One such strategy that has emerged is classroom walkthroughs (Cervone & Martinez, 2007). Classroom walkthroughs serve as a vehicle through which principals can engage teachers in a process that can lead to positive effects on teaching strategies through instructional conferences (Blasé & Blasé, 1998; King, …