Digital Commons Network^™

Resilience Ain’T Free: Surviving And Resisting While Navigating Well-Being As Black School Social Workers In California’S Bay Area, Ashley Lynnette Bonton

Doctoral Dissertations

The well-being of school-based mental health professionals is critical to the functioning of educational systems, yet the experiences of Black school social workers remain largely absent from existing research. Black school social workers often navigate complex professional demands while also confronting racialized expectations, systemic inequities, and emotional labor within predominantly white educational institutions. This qualitative study examines how Black school social workers in the San Francisco Bay Area navigate their personal and professional well-being within these conditions. Guided by Ecological Systems Theory and Critical Race Theory, this study explores how multiple environmental contexts and racialized institutional dynamics shape their experiences. …

Enhancing Hiv Prevention: Implementation And Evaluation Of A Standardized Hiv Risk Assessment Screening In A Primary Care Setting, William Duckworth

Doctoral Dissertations

Background: HIV remains a persistent public health concern, with 1.3 million people affected worldwide. Although advances in treatment have improved long-term management, early prevention still relies on identifying individuals at elevated risk. In many primary care settings, routine HIV risk assessment is inconsistent or absent, resulting in missed opportunities to screen, educate and initiate prevention strategies such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This gap underscores the need for structured, evidence-based tools to improve early risk identification and strengthen HIV prevention efforts. Purpose: Implement and evaluate an evidence-based standardized screening process for HIV risk assessment to achieve early identification and enhance appropriate …

Examining Alumni Engagement Policies Among R1 Universities: A Comparative Analysis Of Best Practices, Howayda Ackleh

Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores the need to update policies and enhance practices for alumni engagement in higher education institutions. Current alumni strategic plans require evaluation and refinement, while new approaches must be developed to strengthen alumni involvement. By analyzing the challenges institutions face in maintaining alumni connections, this review seeks to identify gaps and establish effective best practices. By examining the questions, how do alumni associations at select public R1 institutions apply Utilization-Focused Evaluation (UFE) principles to assess and improve their alumni engagement strategies, and how does this impact their alignment with institutional goals and objectives? This study aims to evaluate …

Ai Ethics And Governance For Leaders In Higher Education: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Of Faculty Early Adopters’ Sensemaking, Pedagogical Innovation, And Transformation, Freddie Seba

Doctoral Dissertations

Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially Generative AI (GenAI), is transforming how we work, learn, acquire, produce, and deliver knowledge, as higher education experiences existential pressures, including demographic changes that reduce enrollment and revenues, as well as shifting public and government perceptions of higher education's value.

This hermeneutic phenomenology dissertation study explores how faculty early adopters critically engage, innovate, and experiment with this nascent transformational technology in their pedagogies amid multilevel pressures: macro—market-driven (neoliberalism) logic, Big Tech, and demographic change; meso—institutional policy, broader faculty community, and pedagogical innovation; micro—widespread student adoption, pedagogical experimentation, and innovation.

This dissertation study centers on shifting AI …

For The Good Times: The Influence Of Leaders' Regret On Risk-Taking Behavior In Decision-Making, Ashley Elizabeth Owen

Doctoral Dissertations

Regret is a powerful and often underexplored emotion that significantly shapes leadership decision-making, particularly in high-stakes environments where the consequences of choices have lasting impacts on individuals, organizations, and communities. The researcher utilized qualitative research to explore how various forms of regret, including anticipatory regret, self-blame regret, and existential regret, influence risk-taking behavior and decision-making processes among higher education leaders within the University of Louisiana System. Drawing upon behavioral decision theory, regret theory, prospect theory, and emotional intelligence frameworks, the study aimed to understand how leaders experience, process, and respond to the emotional dynamics of regret within complex organizational settings. …

The Role Of A Lower Elementary Principal In Championing Co-Teaching As A Strategy To Promote Inclusive Education, Lauren Pigue Keen

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative autoethnographic study explores the role of a lower elementary principal in leading a co-teaching initiative to create a more inclusive educational environment for students with disabilities. Rooted in Lewin’s Change Theory, the study examines how personal experience, professional vision, and intentional leadership contributed to the implementation and expansion of co-teaching practices within an early childhood setting. The research focuses on the principal’s dual role as both a systems-level change agent and an insider experiencing the transformation firsthand. Data were collected through reflective narrative, stakeholder interviews, and document analysis to provide a comprehensive view of the leadership decisions, cultural …

The Influence Of Market Pressures On The Discursive Construction Of Dei In Elite Independent Private Schools, Anthony R. Clemons

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines how elite independent private schools (EIPSs), traditionally associated with privilege, prestige, and exclusivity, articulate their commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within a highly competitive market. Using Critical Race Theory and Neoinstitutional Theory, this mixed-methods study employs critical discourse analysis (CDA) and corpus linguistics (CL) to explore underlying forces contributing to the observed disjuncture between the ostensive and performative aspects of EIPSs’ DEI efforts. Using the publicly available diversity statements of 31 Bay Area EIPSs, findings reveal that the DEI discourse among these elite schools often reflects market-oriented institutional logics. EIPSs tend to frame DEI as …

Attachment Styles As Moderators Of Loneliness In Remote Work, Brody Tj Loughlin

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the role of attachment styles in moderating the relationship between remote work and loneliness. Drawing on attachment theory, which posits that early life experiences shape attachment styles and influence social interactions, the study examines whether attachment styles (anxious, avoidant, and secure) moderate the association between remote work and feelings of loneliness. The research targets 394 remote workers, using a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design with proportional stratified sampling to reflect the distribution of hybrid and fully remote work arrangements in the U.S. workforce. The Extent of RemoteWork measure, the Three-Item Loneliness Scale, and the Adult Attachment Scale assess …

Exploring The Relationships Between Motivations, Beliefs, Emotions, And Behaviors In The Context Of Organizational Change Readiness, Sidney Taylor Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations

Organizational change is an inevitable and key feature of an organization’s lifecycle, especially in today’s constantly shifting technological, cultural, and corporate landscapes. However, organizations often struggle to adapt, and change initiatives rarely succeed. Because of this, organizational change readiness has become a popular area of study in the field of industrial-organization psychology. Change readiness in the organizational context has been redefined several times over the past four decades, with recent efforts focused on developing a comprehensive definition and corresponding instrument of measurement for the concept. Change readiness at the individual level is intended to evaluate the psychological state in which …

Shattering Ceilings: Women Of Color, Mentorship, And Corporate Oppression, Raminder Kaur Attwal

Doctoral Dissertations

In the Fortune 500 organizations, a robust survey illuminates the diverse experiences of women of color, framed within theoretical frameworks such as Critical Feminist Theory (CFT), Social Capital Theory, and Community Cultural Wealth. Of 141 responses, 102 participants, representing various racial backgrounds, provide insights into corporate landscapes. Their positions range from mid-level to executive roles, showcasing a holistic view of organizational hierarchies. Remarkably, approximately 70.59% engage in formal mentorship programs, highlighting its profound impact on career development.

Assessing the effectiveness of tailored mentorship initiatives, the research emphasizes their transformative power in confronting oppressive corporate norms, drawing from insights provided by …

Emergence: Social Movements, Law Enforcement, And Defending The Sanctity Of Life, Diana Elizabeth Aroche

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines the aftermath of national social movements advocating for police reforms and accountability, with San Francisco emerging as a pivotal city at the forefront of criminal justice and policing transformations. Rebuilding community trust and implementing substantive police reforms aimed at preserving lives has proven to be a formidable challenge. The convergence of interests among all stakeholders, driven by a shared commitment to dismantling institutional racism and implementing reforms that fostered trust with communities of color and law enforcement, played a pivotal role.

A significant aspect of this reform process has been the development of social movement convergence, where …

The Experience Of Caregiver Burden And Burnout Among Resident Directors, Tanya Koroyan

Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this study was to understand the experiences of caregiver burden and burnout for Resident Directors (RDs). RDs live on campus and support students through traumatic experiences by serving in an “on-call” capacity. Student emergencies that RDs respond to include mental health concerns, sexual violence and sexual harassment, suicidal ideation, self-harm, grief, physical assault, etc. There is little research on understanding this work's experience and potential long-term implications.

Through a constructivist-interpretivist research paradigm and phenomenological qualitative methodology, nine interviews took place with individuals who had previously been RDs at Bay Area University, a large public institution in the …

Advancing A Systems Perspective On Innovative Behavior, Stephen Demski

Doctoral Dissertations

"Engineering organizations pursue innovation in strategy, structure, processes, and the services and products offered to remain relevant and competitive. Identifying factors supporting or constraining innovative work behavior and recognizing the complexity of their interactions are vital to sustaining an innovative workforce, yet how factors interact has not been comprehensively studied.

Recognizing innovative work behavior as the output of a complex system of factors guided this study’s literature search that identified over one hundred individual, team, and organizational factors influencing innovative behavior, interviews of engineers to learn what factors are essential in their work environment, and Delphi survey to rank factors, …

School Leadership Initiatives: To Promote Equitable And Inclusive Family Engagement Practices For English Language Learners, Lillian M. Holley

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative case study aimed to understand and document changes that coincided with a planned district-wide initiative, especially from the perspectives of the school system leadership team and families of English language learners (ELL). The following research questions were addressed in this study: How did school leaders experience the initiative to increase equitable family and inclusive family engagement practices for English Language Learners? How did the parents of ELL students experience change through the initiative? The findings of this study revealed that to work effectively with parents of ELL students, school systems must understand the experiences and needs of these …

Institutional And Leadership Factors Associated With Generating Funding For Research, Courtney A. Jarrell

Doctoral Dissertations

The strategic goal of increasing funding for research at a university is a complex objective dependent on various institutional and leadership factors. The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to assist institutional leaders in assessing institutional and leadership factors for generating research funding at research-intensive universities. The research design included a modified Delphi panel to gain consensus on the comprehensive set of institutional and leadership factors and survey items associated with research productivity. The panel participants were experts in research administration from various institutions. Through a literature review and feedback from panel participants, the current researcher identified …

Guiding Organizations Through Transformational Change And Crisis, Tonya Oaks Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

With sensemaking as a framework, the researcher used document analysis and semi-structured interviews to examine the main institutional logics, culture, and values used in communication from university leaders related to changes in response to crisis. Qualitative data from analysis of written communication from the first four months of the COVID-19 pandemic and interviews with presidents and chief communication officers (CCOs) were consolidated to address the research questions: (1) What sensemaking strategies do university leaders employ to frame organizational events and actions? and (2) Are institutional logics and culture used within leadership communication related to university presidents’ framing of the change …

Evaluating Barriers To And Impacts Of Rural Broadband Access, Javier Valentín-Sívico

Doctoral Dissertations

"The lack of adequate broadband infrastructure persists in many rural communities. Beyond funding, additional barriers persist, such as digital literacy and community-level self-efficacy. As a result, the first contribution articulates barriers at the organizational level. This work proposes a framework based on the Theory of Planned Behavior to highlight stakeholder dynamics that have constrained Regional Planning Commissions from advancing broadband infrastructure in rural areas. One approach to address these barriers is to provide stakeholders with analytical tools to evaluate the benefits and costs of various broadband options for their community since there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. To this end, …

A Qualitative Study Of The Collaborative Relationships Between District Leaders And School Principals In High-Performing And Low-Performing Schools Within A Single High-Performing School District, Shaunna Pierrelee

Doctoral Dissertations

Research on effective collaborative relationships between district leaders and school principals have shown to exhibit characteristics that positively impact student achievement. Characteristics such as reciprocal communication, shared decision making, intensive support, and quality professional learning opportunities are repeated in literature. Therefore, this qualitative case study examined whether there are differences in collaborative relationships between district leaders and school principals in high-performing and low-performing schools within a single school district based on those common characteristics. The following research questions guided the current study: (a) What are the differences, if any, in communication between district leaders and principals of high- and low-performing …

A Qualitative Study Identifying Perspectives, Experiences, And Needs Of School Principals And Teachers To Lead A Culture Of Differentiated Teaching And Learning, Natalie Gray Pope

Doctoral Dissertations

Differentiated instruction is defined as providing all students access to the same set of curricula while at the same time providing tasks and instruction tailored to a student’s specific learning style. This expectation has led researchers to study and understand differentiated instruction for embedded applications across all classroom and district experiences, public perceptions, and effective implementation of future trends. However, there is a gap in literature addressed by this study relating to the leadership of differentiated instruction in school settings.

Data for this study were collected from school principals and classroom teachers using both virtual and face-to-face interviews, documented field …

Science Instructional Leadership Knowledge: A Qualitative Case Study, Mary Ann Chapman

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative case study aimed to investigate instructional leaders’ depths of science content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge and how their depths of that knowledge supports effective instructional leadership. Implementation efforts around the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have highlighted the need for science instructional leaders to have in-depth content and pedagogical knowledge to function as effective instructional leaders in secondary science classrooms across the United States. Semi-structured interviews with 19 teachers and instructional leaders in a public high school in the southern United States informed the study. The findings revealed that teachers expect instructional leaders to have higher levels …

Cultures Of Assessment In Educator Preparation: A Study Of Assessment Leaders, Whitney Sivils-Sawyer

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to create a Culture of Assessment Instrument (Appendix F) that will allow education program provider (EPP) assessment leaders to measure the assessment culture within their program. General Systems Theory was the theoretical framework as the foundation of this research. Using a modified Delphi panel of assessment leaders, the researcher developed a valid Culture of Assessment Instrument (Appendix F). A key finding is that the instrument accurately reflects the culture of assessment, as evidenced in a pilot study. Leaders can use this instrument to measure the culture of assessment within an EPP undergoing change to …

Novice Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Most Effective Instructional Leadership Practices, Schbrett Lewis Myers

Doctoral Dissertations

This quantitative study examined novice teachers’ perceptions of their principals’ most effective instructional leadership practices to ensure a positive school climate. Principals’ perceptions were examined to assess their understandings of novice teachers’ needs and whether principals have the knowledge to support novice teachers’ pedagogical needs. Novice teacher experts (n=11) and principals (n=8) participated in a modified Delphi study of three rounds. A three-part instrument, comprised of a survey, Likert scale (Compass Louisiana Leader Performance Evaluation Rubric), and suggestions were used to assess principals’ and novice teachers’ perceptions. Lawshe’s Content Validity Ratio (CVR) measured validity. Novice teacher experts and principals validated …

Effective Leadership Of Institutional Effectiveness Accreditation Initiaties: A Qualitative Case Study, Mallory Marie Herlevic

Doctoral Dissertations

A qualitative case study of a two-year institution of higher education which had recently completed a successful institutional effectiveness initiative explored the factors that faculty and administrators believe encourage the support of institutional effectiveness initiatives and how certain factors encourage faculty and administrative support for institutional effectiveness activities that lead to their success. Participants included faculty and administrators at institutions of higher education and experts in the field of institutional effectiveness. There were four basic findings of the study. First, leaders of institutional effectiveness initiatives should ensure that the motivation of the topic of a project is perceived to be …

Feminist Catholic Organizational Identity: A Phenomenological Study Of Charism In The Lay Educator Of A Notre Dame De Namur Learning Community, Kathleen Barrera Quiazon

Doctoral Dissertations

The Catholic schools of women’s religious congregations in the United States possess a distinctive Catholic identity, owed in great part to the charism of their founders and the feminist worldview that emerged in the sisters’ mission, communal narratives, and ministries. With the decline of women religious across the country, schools and congregations ask questions for the future of that identity in the hands of lay educators. As with many religiously sponsored schools, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and their lay partners in education are engaged in these critical questions for their own learning communities across the country.

This …

Leadership Aspirations Of Preservice Teachers In Louisiana: Does Certification Pathway Matter?, Anthony Thorn Lacaze

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine dispositions of teacher candidates, explore differences in leadership aspirations between traditional and alternative certification groups, and develop an unbiased predictive model for identifying future education leaders. Literature suggests that dispositions can be assessed, taught, and developed, but little is known about the link between the dispositions of teacher candidates and aspirations to seek leadership positions. Fourteen dispositions were identified through a Delphi method to correlate with educational leadership standards. They were then combined through factor analysis to develop four leadership constructs: collaborative, professional, inclusive, and modernistic.

This study found that an existing …

An Evaluation Of The Process Used To Develop And Administer An Employee Culture Survey In A Public Research University, Danielle B. Allen

Doctoral Dissertations

In October of 2015, AROS, a faculty-supervised, student-led consulting group affiliated with the Louisiana Tech Industrial-Organizational Psychology doctoral program (arosconsulting.org), was contracted by the President and Vice President of a public research university to develop and administer a survey to gauge the climate, operations, and alignment of proceedings with the University’s strategic objectives (Valadez, Allen, Lovell, & Toaddy, 2015). AROS conducted interviews with key stakeholders and focus groups with University members (faculty, staff, and students), wrote and refined the list of survey items, programmed the survey into the online platform, and administered the survey to all faculty, staff, and students. …

A Qualitative Analysis Of The Effects Of Corequisite Developmental Educational Reform Upon Community College Finances, Casey L. Martin

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to investigate how a community college’s finances were affected by an organizational change. For this study, the organizational change was the implementation of corequisite developmental education reform. This study used a qualitative research method to collect and analyze data to answer the following research question: How were a community college’s finances impacted when a corequisite developmental, educational reform was implemented? The literature review presented an analysis of different states’ legislation requiring developmental education reform, which included an in-depth review of cases involving institutions from within those states that have implemented corequisite programs according …

An Instrumental Case Study For The Implementation Of Strategic Planning The College Of Education At A Select Southern University, Amber Burdge

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the implementation of the strategic plan in the College of Education at a select southern university. Among Higher Education Institutions (HEI), strategic planning has become one of the most fundamental factors of today’s education system as HEIs adjust to meet the calls of a knowledge-based global economy (Bakoğlu, Öncer, Yıldız, & Güllüoğlu, 2016). Raluca and Alecsandru (2012) claimed that HEIs should consistently find ways to remain applicable and competent in such a competitive market as the higher education system.

Failed or unfinished implementation of strategic plans in HEIs is prevalent (Fooladvand, Yarmohammadian, & Shahtalebi, 2015; Immordino, …

More Than A Feeling: The Role Of Self-Compassion On The Affective Response To Negative Events In The Workplace, Michael A. Knott

Doctoral Dissertations

Affective reactions and employee emotions have been studied since the days of the Hawthorne studies (Roethlisberger & Dickson, 1939). According to Affective Events Theory (Weiss & Cropanzano, 1996), people react affectively to events in the workplace, and these reactions have consequences for the individual, the team, and the organization. For instance, negative events may lead to negative affect, which may mean decreased job attitudes for the individual (Judge & Larsen, 2001). These reactions may also be moderated by dispositional characteristics such as personality (Weiss & Kurek, 2003) and self-esteem (Ilies, De Pater, & Judge, 2007). The following dissertation focused on …

The Equitable Leadership Practices Of Teacher Leaders In Secondary Science Instruction, Latanya T. Brandon

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this case study is to investigate science teacher leadership for educational equity at the secondary school level during a period of reform. The current reform in science education acknowledges inequity and calls for significant changes in instruction (NRC, 2012). This study is designed to address two research questions: (1) ‘How do participants describe science teacher leaders’ educational practices for equity?’ and (2) ‘How are science teacher leaders’ equitable practices related to organizational structures and social norms within secondary schools?’. Three data sources: interviews, field observations, and artifacts, were collected and analyzed qualitatively. A social justice leadership framework …