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Unleashed: A Phenomenological Study Of Empowerment Leadership Among Elementary School Superintendents, Michelle Marie Ramirez

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory phenomenological study was to identify and describe the strategies used by exemplary superintendents of elementary school districts in Fresno, Kern, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo counties to create conditions for empowerment for everyone in their organization based on five variables: trust, love, belonging, strategy, and culture.

Methodology: This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of exemplary elementary school district superintendents in Fresno, Kern, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo counties. Purposeful, criterion sampling was used to identify 10 participants who met the study’s criteria. The semistructured, open-ended interview protocol was developed by a thematic research …

Human Resources Professional’S Job Practices In Manufacturing That Impact Employee Job Satisfaction And Retention, Alma Rosa Avalos

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to identify and describe employee job practices in the manufacturing industry as perceived by HR professionals that impact employee job satisfaction. The second purpose of this study was to determine which employee job satisfaction practices have the most impact on employee retention as perceived by HR professionals.

Methodology: An explanatory sequential mixed methods design examined the perceptions of 30 purposively selected Los Angeles County HR professionals. Data was collected through an online survey and interviews and analyzed using descriptive statistics, frequency tables, and qualitative analysis.

Findings: HR professionals consistently …

When Nigeria Happens To You: Finding Effective Leadership Approaches For Crisis Management And Organizational Resilience Among Nigerian Leaders, Grace Odim

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how Nigerian SME leaders interpret and apply leadership strategies to manage crises and build organizational resilience in volatile environments. The study focused on key dimensions of leadership, including strategic crisis navigation and vulnerability assessment, organizational resilience, contextual leadership, experiential learning and innovation, and organizational sustainability.

Methodology: This study employed a qualitative phenomenological research design to examine the lived experiences of Nigerian SME leaders who had navigated significant organizational crises. Participants were purposefully selected based on their direct experience managing disruptions that affected their businesses. Data were collected through semistructured interviews …

Integrating Military-Acquired Iso Quality Management Principles Into Civilian Employment: A Phenomenological Study Of Post-9/11 Veterans, Paul Encinias

Dissertations

Purpose: This qualitative phenomenological study explored how post-9/11 U.S. military veterans describe their lived experiences of understanding and applying four ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Principles (leadership, engagement of people, process approach, and evidence-based decision making) during the transition to civilian employment. This study further sought to understand how veterans articulated these competencies across employment stages and how those competencies were recognized within civilian organizations.

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study used semistructured interviews with 10 post-9/11 U.S. military veterans residing in the United States who had separated from active duty and were engaged in the transition to civilian employment. Participants were …

Student Perceptions Of Academic Support Systems: A Sequential Mixed Methods Analysis Of Persistence, James Anderson

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed-methods study was to assess the perceived influence of first-year institutional support services on student retention from the first to the second year at regional public universities in the Northeastern United States.

Methodology: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was used. In the quantitative phase, 437 retained second-year students completed the researcher-designed Retention Support Impact Survey to assess service utilization and perceived effectiveness. In the qualitative phase, 10 students participated in semi-structured interviews to provide deeper contextual insight into the numerical data.

Findings: The data indicated a disparity between service utilization rates and student-reported …

Elementary General Education Teachers' (Tk–1) Experiences Implementing Inclusive Practices For Students With Disabilities, Emily Ruth Engelson

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative multi-case study was to examine the challenges elementary general education teachers (TK–6) face, including confidence and skills, when working to successfully include students with disabilities in their classrooms. The study also sought to identify the most valuable professional development experiences, the role of grade-level collaboration in building teachers' capacity, and the administrative support and resources that contribute to teachers' success in including students with disabilities.

Methodology: This qualitative multi-case study employed semi-structured interviews with six TK–first grade general education teachers in Orange County, California, each with at least one year of experience including a …

Walking On A Tightrope: Women And Managers Navigating Maternity Leave And Return-To-Work, Rachel R. Kalvert

Dissertations

Purpose: This qualitative phenomenological study explored how professional women experience maternity leave and return-to-work, focusing on how managerial communication shapes perceptions of career, competence, belonging, and career progression. The study involved professional women who returned to the same organization full-time from 6 months to 3 years after maternity leave.Methodology: Fourteen professional women were recruited via snowball sampling and listservs. Data were collected through Zoom interviews. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and received interview questions in advance. The interview guide aligned with the study's three questions. After the interview, participants reviewed AI-generated transcript summaries for accuracy; and participants were given a …

An Explanatory Mixed-Methods Study Identifying And Describing The Perceived Impact Of Five Disruptive Career Skills On Women’S Career Advancement To An Executive Leadership, Roque Ramirez

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this explanatory mixed-methods study was to identify and describe the perceived impact of Johnson and Mohr’s (2019) five disruptive career skills on the career advancement of female chief petty officers with a military background as they progressed into a leadership position.Methodology: This explanatory mixed-methods study examined the experienced of eight female chief petty officers regarding the use of personal disruption strategies. Participants were selected through purposive sampling based on predetermined eligibility criteria and recommendations. Data were collected and analyzed by calculating means scores for quantitative responses and identifying qualitative themes related to the five personal disruption …

A Qualitative Case Study Exploring The Processes And Criteria For Presidential Leadership Selection In Three United States Higher Institutions Of Learning, Gabriel Kofi Boahen Nsiah

Dissertations

Background of the Problem

Today, research on U.S. higher education presidential search processes is limited, and existing literature characterizes these searches as reactive postures that are secretive, closed-door practices that have not adapted to the early signals of external seismic change. According to Quincy Martin (2021), “the world has evolved (p. 99).” Therein lies the problem. Quincy Martin insists, “Higher education has entered a period of upheaval, aided by new technologies, but hampered by political and cultural shifts. These are only amplified by modern, warp-speed information-sharing practices. All of this has exacerbated the consequences of scandals that threaten the stability …

Influence Of The Solar Cycle And Interplanetary Shocks On Turbulence At 1 Au, Sujan Prasad Gautam

Dissertations

This thesis studies the effect of the solar cycle and interplanetary shocks on turbulent fluctuations at 1 AU. We examine the solar cycle dependence of turbulence cascade rates corresponding to the total turbulence energy using the methodology developed by Adhikari et al. that utilizes a Kolmogorov phenomenology. Turbulence cascade rates are derived using 25 years (1995–2020) of Wind spacecraft plasma and magnetic-field observations. We find that the total turbulence energy cascade rate changes with the solar cycle, such that the cascade rate is largest during solar maximum and smallest during solar minimum. It is positively correlated with the solar wind …

Pediatric Clinical Reasoning Labs’ Impact On Student Self-Efficacy In Pediatric Physical Therapy Education, Bethany Early

Dissertations

All graduates of entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs must be competent to work with patients across the lifespan and high levels of perceived self-efficacy (SE) may be a predictor of future success. Experiential learning is an effective teaching and learning strategy used within Pediatric PT education (PedPTE). This study examined the extent to which pediatric clinical reasoning labs impact student SE within PedPTE, and to what extent does previous experience or interest in pediatrics have on perceived SE.

The methodology was a sequential explanatory mixed methods research design. Quantitative data collection included 27 second year DPT students, utilizing …

Grit And Inclusive Practice: A Phenomenological Study Of General Education Teachers In A Title I Elementary School, Andrea Martinez

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe elementary general education teachers' perceptions of how the core principles of grit, as defined by Duckworth et al. (2007); passion, perseverance, resilience, goal commitment, and growth mindset, influence their ability to implement inclusive practices for students with disabilities in general education classrooms.

Methodology: A qualitative phenomenological design was used to explore the lived experiences of elementary general education teachers. Purposeful sampling was used to identify participants who met the study criteria. Eight elementary general education teachers employed at a Title I public elementary school in Kings County, California, participated …

A Delphi Study: Communication Practices For Expert Elementary Administrators During Day-To-Day Crises On Elementary School Campuses, Anthony Michael Langford

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the communication practices expert elementary school administrators consider the most effective for informing their district office, staff, students, parents, and the community during day-to-day crises. The study also evaluated the effectiveness of these identified practices and determined the best methods for implementing the top three practices in each area. Methodology: This Delphi study focused on three areas of research: (a) the practices expert elementary administrators use to communicate during day-to-day crises, (b) the way expert elementary administrators rate the effectiveness of those practices, and (c) the methods expert elementary administrators …

The Art Of Crisis Leadership By Exemplary Naval Frontline Leaders, Broadus Brooks

Dissertations

Purpose: This qualitative, multiple-case study held significant importance because it aimed to identify and describe the strategies used by exemplary naval frontline leaders to lead in crisis, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study focused on the five critical tasks of strategic crisis leadership (sensemaking, decision making/coordination, meaning making, accounting, and learning), providing a unique insight into the experiences of these leaders during a crisis.Methodology: This qualitative, multiple-case study employed interviews to collect data from exemplary naval frontline leaders to identify and describe their leadership strategies during the unprecedented COVID-19 global health crisis.

Findings: Crisis leadership among U.S. naval frontline …

The Adolescent Development Of Small Business Owners’ Entrepreneurial Mindset, Fern Arredondo

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe how small business owners in Southern California interpret experiences before age 20 that influenced the development of the eight domains of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Entrepreneurial Mindset Index (EMI). This study used a qualitative phenomenological approach to explore how adult small business owners reflect upon and interpret experiences before age 20 that influenced the development of their entrepreneurial mindset. By examining the influence of pre-adulthood on these owners, the study aimed to deepen the understanding of how early experiences shape entrepreneurial mindsets and contribute to long-term entrepreneurial success. …

The Impact Of Vulnerability On Building Trust: A Qualitative Study Of Superintendents In Northern California, Jasmin Hasmukhlal Patel

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand and explain how exemplary superintendents in Northern California practice vulnerability to build trust within their organizations, guided by Brené Brown’s framework of vulnerability-based leadership: Authenticity, courage over comfort, curiosity and learning, practicing empathy, and leading with heart. An additional purpose was to examine the challenges these leaders encounter when practicing vulnerability in complex public education contexts. This study addresses a gap in leadership research by providing empirical insight into how vulnerability functions as a trust-building practice at the highest level of K–12 educational leadership.

Methodology: A qualitative phenomenological design was …

Rewriting The Future: Examining The Influence Of Mentoring On Ged Graduates' Pursuit And Performance In Postsecondary Education, Shari Antoinette Crain

Dissertations

This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of GED graduates who were mentored while earning their GED and examined how those mentoring experiences contributed to their academic achievement in community college. Although increasing numbers of adult learners pursue postsecondary education through the GED pathway, many encounter barriers related to academic confidence, institutional navigation, and access to support systems. Limited research has examined how mentoring supports GED graduates during their transition into higher education.

Guided by the College Student Mentoring Scale developed by Nora and Crisp (2009), this study examined mentoring experiences across four domains: psychological and emotional support, degree and …

Principal Leader Behaviors That Create Meaning For Their Teachers To Reduce Stress And Burnout, Angelina Santana

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study was to identify and describe the behaviors that exemplary high school principals use to create meaning for themselves and their teacher followers through relationships, character, vision, wisdom, and inspiration. In addition, the study aimed to determine the new teachers’ perceived degree of importance of the principal leader behaviors related to relationships, character, vision, wisdom, and inspiration to help create meaning.Methodology: The mixed methods convergent study design uses qualitative and quantitative means to collect and analyze data to understand how exemplary high school principals make meaning for their teacher followers. First, qualitative interviews …

Math Anxiety, Math Self-Concept And Math Self-Efficacy: A Study Of The Jingle-Jangle Fallacies, Marsha Natasha Durrant-Walker

Dissertations

Problem

The overlap and lack of clear distinction among the constructs of math anxiety, math self-concept, and math self-efficacy presents issues for research and practice. The literature reveals that math anxiety is closely linked to math self-concept (Klee et al., 2022). Additionally, math self-concept and math self-efficacy often overlap and are not easily distinguishable (Kranzler & Pajares, 1997; Pajares & Miller, 1994; Pajares & Urdan, 1996). Each of these constructs has been shown to play a critical role in student math achievement (Timmerman et al., 2016). -- When constructs are not defined or measured distinctly, inconsistencies may emerge in research …

Exploring Lessons In Research: A Survey On Parental Perceptions Of Reading Opportunities, Laura Kettlehut

Dissertations

Problem

This exploratory study examines how parents’ past reading experiences relate to their perceptions of their children’s current reading opportunities across home and school contexts. Grounded in longstanding literacy research, the study explores how parent‑led, educator‑led, and child‑initiated reading experiences collectively shape children’s literacy development.

Method

Two research questions guided the inquiry: (1) How do parents perceive their own past reading opportunities? and (2) How do they perceive their children’s reading opportunities at home and in school? To address these questions, a 41‑item survey was developed and administered to parents of children enrolled in K–8 schools. The instrument measured two …

A Qualitative Multiple Case Study Exploring Shifts In Thinking Of Principals Through Initiatives To Foster Relational Leadership Conducive To Retaining Teachers In High-Minority, High-Poverty Public Schools, Rita Seay

Dissertations

Problem

The public education system is broken, and teacher shortages have reached a crisis, especially in some specialty fields in United States (Carrillo & Salhotra, 2022; Podolsky et al., 2016). Lately, the teacher workforce has been described as a “leaky bucket” (Podolsky et al., 2016, p. 1). Indeed, the problems are complex in poor socioeconomic communities with racial and ethnic groups of students because teachers struggle to make a difference and, in most cases, fail due to insurmountable situations that are beyond their scope of influence (Rondfeldt et al., 2013). Evidence published that students suffer immensely from a broken, segregated …

The Effects Of Bilingual Services In Adaptively Leading Shared Parishes, John Patrick Cahill

Dissertations

Shared parishes are churches that have services in more than one language. Pastors struggle with how to lead, unify, and pastorally respond as populations shift and demographics change. One-third of the Catholic parishes in the United States have Mass in more than one language every Sunday. Leaders need to adapt by exploring bilingual services as a way to be more effective and inclusive. This descriptive quantitative study examined three blocks of parishioners at a particular shared parish: (a) those who attend Mass in English, (b) those who attend Mass in Spanish, and (c) those who attend the bilingual Mass. A …

Delphi Study To Explore The Organizational Characteristics, Conditions, And Infrastructures Needed To Integrate Professional Development With A Career Advancement Framework In The Form Of Career Lattice, Shelly Yu-Tze Tze Shelly Wang

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this policy Delphi study was to identify, prioritize, and build expert consensus on the organizational characteristics, conditions, and infrastructures that support employee access to professional development (PD) opportunities embedded within a career advancement (CAd) framework. Specifically, this study aimed to: (a) identify key organizational components necessary to support professional development within a career lattice structure, (b) determine the relative importance of these components as rated by experts, and (c) establish expert-recommended strategies for implementation.

Methodology: This study used a Delphi method, consisting of three rounds, to collect data from experts with the titles of manager, directors, …

Retention Of Elementary Special Education Teachers: A Phenomenological Study Of Retention Factors And Work-Life Balance In Brick-And-Mortar And Virtual, Independent Study Educational Environments, Meredith Clark-Lewis

Dissertations

Purpose: This phenomenological study aimed to identify the factors that influence the retention of elementary special education teachers in virtual, independent study environments and brick-and-mortar environments, and to explore similarities and differences in how elementary special education teachers experience work-life balance across educational settings.

Methodology: Purposeful sampling was used to identify 10 elementary special education teachers in California who worked in brick-and-mortar and virtual independent study settings and met the study's inclusion criteria. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted virtually, recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using NVivo qualitative data analysis software. Both deductive and inductive coding strategies were employed, guided by the …

Student Wellness: Exploring The Role Of Faculty In Implementing Effective Supports For Mental Well-Being And Academic Performance In Community College Dental Hygiene Education, Bernadette Heather Smith

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological, comparative study was to identify and describe effective supports used by dental hygiene faculty and their role in the mental well-being and academic performance of community college dental hygiene students.

Methodology: Two Southern California community college dental hygiene programs were selected for this phenomenological study to identify the use of faculty supports. A purposeful sampling strategy was applied to these populations to identify participants in specific selection criteria. Twenty-one participants, who consisted of five faculty members and five or six 2nd-year students from each school, were selected. Data were collected by conducting individual interviews …

Match Or Mismatch? : The Effects Of Fingerprint Evidence And Expert Testimony On Jury Decisions, Kassie N. Thallas

Dissertations

Fingerprint evidence is widely perceived as objective and reliable, yet is typically presented to jurors through expert testimony rather than directly evaluated. The present study examined how fingerprint match status and expert testimony influence juror decision-making. Participants (N = 225) read a mock criminal trial summary and were randomly assigned to one of five conditions. Four conditions were derived by crossing Expert Condition (fingerprint expert alone vs. conflicting experts) and Match Status (match vs. no match), with an additional control condition without fingerprint evidence. The participants made verdict decisions and rated the credibility, honesty and believability of the expert. The …

Exploring Detached Concern, A Dual-Process Emotional-Regulation Strategy, Among Intensive Care Nurses Providing End-Of-Life Care In The United States, Melissa Milton Miasek

Dissertations

Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses repeatedly provide end-of-life care (EoLC) and experience significant emotional distress, burnout, and moral distress that can lead to leaving the profession. Detached concern (DC), a dual-process emotional-regulation strategy which balances empathetic concern with emotional detachment, may support ICU nurses' emotional well-being; however, DC among nurses remains vastly understudied. This qualitative descriptive study gained deeper understanding of DC among ICU nurses providing EoLC in the United States. The study was guided by a conceptual model adapting Lampert and Glaser's dynamic DC process within Elfenbein's emotional regulation framework. The overarching research question explored ICU nurses' perspectives on …

A Computational Investigation Of The Deposition Of Firebrands Subject To A Turbulent Jet Flow, Patrick Wayne Damiani

Dissertations

To improve the understanding of the role of firebrands in fire spread, the dispersion and deposition of firebrands carried by turbulent jet flows were simulated by Lagrangian particle tracking and large--eddy simulation. The simulations were configured to replicate previous experiments involving cubiform and cylindrical particles carried by pipe flow and the resulting jet flow before deposition on the ground. First, validations were performed for the jet flow simulations by comparing quantities such as the jet spread rate and velocity decay constant with previous experimental and theoretical values for free jet flows. Then, two series of simulations were performed to evaluate …

Thermodynamic Properties Of Cluster Outskirts, Leo Moraczewski

Dissertations

We present the temperature, density, entropy, and pressure profiles of the intracluster mediums of eight galaxy clusters observed out to the virial radius with complete azimuthal coverage by the Suzaku X-ray space telescope. Suzaku’s low background was vital to probing the lower x-ray surface brightness of cluster outskirts that could not be studied by X-ray telescopes such as Chandra and XMM-Newton which have a higher background level. The eight clusters being examined are the last observed out to the virial radius by Suzaku that have not had their properties published. As all eight clusters have complete azimuthal coverage, we also …

The Desecration Of Sacred Spaces In The Dead Sea Scrolls And Pre-Nicene Latin Christianity: A History Of Interpretation Of The Eschatological Motif Of The Defiling Enemy In Apocalypticism, Rodrigo De Galiza Barbosa

Dissertations

Problem

The motif of the polluting enemy in the sanctuary is an important point of departure in the articulation of community boundaries in Hebraic-Christian culture. This particular motif has the potential to explain, at least in part, how Jewish and Christian communities would have understood the apocalyptic evil other and, from this understanding, set boundaries for their holy communities. Texts such as Dan 8 and 2 Thess 2 have been the locus classicus of the so-called antichrist, and ever since their interpretation has shaped how Christians and Jews have understood the enemy to their respective communities. In the history of …