Digital Commons Network^™

Managing Values-Based Purchasing In School Nutrition Programs, Laura Lee Benavidez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School nutrition managers face the challenge of balancing values-based purchasing (VBP) with maintaining student participation and budgetary stability. While VBP integrates sustainability, environmental impact, and animal safety, these priorities may sometimes compete with traditional goals, such as cost efficiency and meal accessibility. Grounded in program evaluation theory, the purpose of this mixed methods explanatory sequential study was to examine how school food service managers implement VPB, integrating procurement and nutrition transparency while managing participation and costs. The quantitative phase focused on participation trends, cost structures, and procurement metrics across diverse school districts to establish a foundation for understanding VBP’s measurable …

Mooc For Sustainability: Cultivating Sustainability Leadership In Campus Management Through Open Online Education, Pilvi Posio, Emmanuel D. Delocado

Journal of Management for Global Sustainability

Higher education institutions (HEIs) serve as key hubs of education and research while also acting as influential societal agents in advancing sustainability. As HEIs increasingly integrate sustainability into their education, research, and operations, their role as sustainability leaders continues to evolve. This article explores how HEIs can cultivate sustainability leadership and institutional agency through open, digital education formats within the integrative framework of campus sustainability. Drawing from a case study on the development of the MOOC for Sustainability: Empowering Global Campuses course coordinated by the Finnish University Network for Asian Studies (Asianet), it examines how sustainability leadership education can be …

A Design Based, Mixed Method Study On Evaluating Traditional Grading Practices And The Implications For Mastery Learning And Educational Equity In A Midwestern School District, Christina Kirchner

Dissertations

“Grades are an essential currency of our schools. Schools, colleges and employers use grades to determine many important, and in some cases, life-altering decisions-college admission, financial aid and scholarships, athletic eligibility, promotion, retention, awards, and supports” (Feldman, 2018, p. 3). Grading is not addressed in teacher preparation programs, or within professional development during teachers’ careers; teachers have chosen their own way to grade guided by their own personal experiences, uninformed of research or best practice. Using a human centric, design-based approach, the researcher identified multiple discrepancies with grading practices among the K-12 school organization. Within the discrepancies, other issues were …

Educational Change Through Bureaucratic Effectiveness: The Role Of Mid-Level Networks, Jose Eos R. Trinidad

Interdisciplinary Studies Faculty Publications

Studies of networks for educational change often focus on webs of teachers, school leaders, policymakers, and philanthropists, with little attention to staff at the middle level, who arguably have immense potential to effect change. This article explores an initiative for educational change through mid-level staff using the case of a nonprofit that places its members in large, public education bureaucracies in a developing country. I explore a mechanism for how the strategic patchwork of staff can support change through improved bureaucracy. First, staff are intentionally placed, reputationally distinct, and purposely connected. Second, these individuals influence bureaucratic effectiveness through coordinated policies, …

Governing Global Gig Platforms In The Age Of Ai: When The Manager Is An Algorithm, David S. Lee, Felicia F. Chen Prosecution Development Fellow

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Gig workers are vulnerable to discrimination from the sharing economy platforms on which they work. This challenge is worsened by these platforms’ dependence on algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) systems, which are used to control and direct gig workers. These platforms also often operate globally, and discrimination embedded within their algorithms can be magnified when exported into new cultural contexts.

These platforms exercise significant influence over gig workers, but their for-profit nature means that their boards and directors often prioritize shareholder value over gig worker protection. This tension has led to intense debates, as platforms attempt to minimize the rights …

Improving Student Outcomes, Brenda Burton

Education Theses and Dissertations

This improvement science dissertation in practice was conducted to make an improvement in education practice to positively affect student outcomes. Plan -> Do -> Study -> Act cycles (Bryk et al., 2015) were employed to identify a specific problem of practice, determine root cause(s), advance change theory, and define potential solutions. Many stakeholders were consulted and the initial phase evaluated the existing condition. Results informed the design of an intervention which was then implemented and evaluated in a second phase. Findings showed that a novel way of communication, the introduction of video technology, was correlated with improved student perceptions, self-regulation, …

From Idea To Action: Defining And Measuring Voice Implementation, Ann E. Schlotzhauer, Mark G. Ehrhart

Psychological Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Despite increasing interest in the topic, research on managerial responses to voice is underdeveloped. In this article, we differentiate voice implementation from voice appreciation to add much-needed nuance to our understanding of how voice targets respond to voice behavior. We define voice implementation as the extent to which a voice target undertakes voluntary effort with the goal of enacting a suggestion from a voicer, including attempting to put a suggestion into action and/or advocating for the idea to those with the power to enact the suggestion. A 5-item scale based on this definition demonstrated strong content validity, construct validity, and …

June 2025, Pacific Alumni Association

Alumni News & Events

No abstract provided.

Steering The Future, Shai Ganu

Asian Management Insights

Embracing the emergence of corporate stewardship.

Uncovering Best Practices For Professional Learning: A Focus On Dialogic Discourse, Belinda Jaquez

Dissertations

The education system rests in a paradox with an ever-changing world and classrooms frozen in time. Though technological advancements, societal changes, and policy reforms are continuously reshaping the world, classrooms have remained anchored in traditional teaching and learning practices. This study examined the relationship between professional learning programs and the quality of classroom instruction with a focus on implementing more collaborative and dialogic approaches to both student and professional learning. This research involved a multifaceted program evaluation of the learning environment centered on the learning experiences of both students and teachers. A utilization-focused evaluation approach was implemented to ensure the …

Outgoing President Dr. Todd Christy Address To The Hod: “I’Ve Been Humbled And Honored To Serve”, Todd Christy D.D.S.

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Executive Summary: In his farewell address to the MDA House of Delegates, Dr. Todd Christy reflected on his year as the 161st president of the Michigan Dental Association, describing it as a humbling and honoring experience. He extended heartfelt thanks to his wife, the MDA staff, Executive Director John Tramontana, and the Board of Trustees for their support and hard work. Dr. Christy characterized the past year by the word "Change," outlining key Board activities such as an orientation with the new executive director, discussions on change management, approval of a Member Conduct Policy, and strategic planning for the House …

The Burden Of Burnout: Understanding Its Prevalence And Organizational Drivers In Medical Physics, Deborah Schofield, C Lynn Chevalier, Laurence Court, William Harmsen, Akiva Turner

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Burnout is a work-related syndrome characterized by increased levels of emotional exhaustion (EE) and depersonalization (DP) along with decreased levels of personal achievement. In the healthcare setting, higher burnout levels have been associated with negative impacts on personnel, an increased risk of errors, and a decrease in the quality of delivered care.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of burnout among medical physicists working in the United States. Additionally, the impact of personal and organizational features on burnout risk was examined.

Methods: The anonymous survey was distributed to 1962 full members of the American …

Weight Recidivism Post-Bariatric Surgery: A Lifestyle Modifications Educational Intervention, Kimeshia N. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Weight recidivism after bariatric surgery is a frustrating phenomenon for bariatric surgery patients and healthcare professionals. A 90-day lifestyle modification intervention for patients at least 18 months postsurgery was performed in the primary care setting to determine if a structured program could promote or maintain weight loss. The intervention aimed to investigate if participation in a structured lifestyle modification program would impact the body mass index of bariatric patients at least 18 months postsurgical intervention. In coordination with a nutritionist specializing in addiction and obesity education, a booklet detailing the guidelines for a 12-week program was provided to 41 bariatric …

A Comparative Case Study On Special Education Administrator’S Education And Experience: Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of The Support Provided To Probationary Special Education Teachers, Diane Smith Glover

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to explore the education and experience of special education administrators (SEAs) and their perceptions of the effectiveness of the support they provide to probationary special education teachers (SETs), particularly in relation to the teachers' professional growth and job satisfaction. This qualitative study employed an interpretive approach, focusing on the perspectives of SEAs regarding their knowledge in special education, the workplace supports they provide, and the impact of these supports on SETs' professional development and career decisions. Data was collected from interviews with 11 SEAs who had experience supervising probationary SETs.

The findings revealed …

Leadership Case Studies, Jayme Renfro, Anne Marie Gruber

Faculty Book Gallery

This volume is a collection of case studies by University of Northern Iowa's Master of Public Policy (MPP) graduate students, as well as undergraduate students studying leadership and management in public service. It is our hope that these case studies can be used as teaching and learning tools, as a deep-dive into leadership theory and practice.

Some details within the case studies, which are a combination of fiction and non-fiction, have been changed to protect privacy. Some student authors have chosen to remain anonymous or publish under a pseudonym.

Editor: Dr. Jayme Renfro, Associate Professor of Political Science, with support …

The Impact Of Emotions On Informal Learning Experiences In The Workplace, Jennifer L. Walavalkar

University Honors Theses

This study investigates the role of emotion--specifically valence and arousal--on informal learning experiences in the workplace. As remote and flexible work environments grow, informal learning has become the dominant method through which employees acquire new skills. Drawing on theories such as Cognitive Load Theory and Ego Depletion Theory, this research explores how emotions influence cognitive processes critical to learning, such as attention, memory, and self-regulation. Prior literature suggests that both positive and negative affect (valence) impact learning outcomes, but the specific influence of emotional intensity (arousal) in informal learning remains underexplored. Using a longitudinal survey method, ten employees at Portland …

Creating Family Flow By Participating In The Reflective Practice Of Exercise With Family Members, Julianne M. Sylva

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This synthesis project explores how families can use shared exercise and reflective practice to cultivate lifelong learning habits and deepen family connection. Anchored in the fields of critical and creative thinking, the work integrates concepts of metacognition, flow, and personal mastery to examine how structured, intentional routines can foster both individual growth and relational attunement. The author documents a series of weekly exercise sessions undertaken with her co-parent and child at a local training facility. Drawing from theories of action research, reflective practice (Schön, Brookfield), and flow (Csikszentmihalyi), the project combines personal observation, scholarly frameworks, and course-based learning to construct …

Curiouser And Curiouser: Cultivating A Love Of Learning Within Elementary-Aged Children Through An Activity-Based Curiosity Program, Rayne Rickards

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This synthesis paper explores how a curiosity-centered educational design can promote lifelong learning (LLL) in elementary-aged children by actively engaging caregivers as co-learners. Grounded in the author’s personal and professional experience, the project responds to the underutilization of natural curiosity in traditional education. Drawing from metacognition, Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Lev Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), and Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory, the author develops an activity-based curiosity program that integrates caregiver involvement into reflective, autonomy-supportive learning experiences. The program design applies principles such as collaboration, relationship-building, creative problem-solving, and metacognitive scaffolding, all explored through coursework in the Critical and …

Building A Sustainable System: Reimagining Nonprofit Leadership Through Critical And Creative Thinking, Darius Tafadzwa Shenje Peyton

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This synthesis introduces the Critical and Creative Thinking Leadership Toolbox (CCTLT), a practitioner-oriented framework designed to support nonprofit leaders navigating staff engagement, organizational complexity, and long-term sustainability. Drawing on lived experience, scholarly literature, and graduate coursework in the Critical and Creative Thinking (CCT) program, the project challenges traditional leadership models that treat employee buy-in as a binary status or compliance metric. Instead, it reframes buy-in as a dynamic spectrum shaped by trust, clarity, psychological safety, and reciprocal accountability. The work critiques unsustainable leadership practices common in mission-driven organizations and offers an actionable alternative grounded in reflection, systems awareness, and dialogic …

Becoming A Bridge Of Collaboration: How Being Supports Doing Within The Help Model Of Leadership, Andrea Burgess

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This synthesis project introduces the HELP Model—Humility, Emotional Intelligence, Leadership Service, and Psychological Safety—as a developmental framework for sustainable leadership rooted in character formation and relational trust. It asserts that credible and effective leadership begins with inner orientation before it can be embodied as consistent, ethical action in the world. Through integration of leadership theory, developmental psychology, and theology, the project critiques conventional, strategy-driven paradigms of organizational well-being. HELP extends Robert Kegan’s framework to include relational and spiritual dimensions of the leader’s individual growth as necessary conditions for fostering organizational collaboration. Drawing on reflective inquiry and practice-based insight, the project …

The Risk Of Marginal Inclusion In The Fortune 500: A Quasi-Replication Of Lewis & Carlos (2023), W. Chad Carlos, Yasir Dewan, Ben W. Lewis, Brian P. Reschke, S. Isaac St. Clair

Faculty Publications

Conventional wisdom suggests that being included in an exclusive ranking leads to positive external evaluations. However, Lewis and Carlos (2023) found that firms situated near the threshold for inclusion on the 100 Best Corporate Citizen ranking were devalued by investors. To assess the generalizability of this surprising finding, we quasi-replicate and extend this finding by applying the same regression discontinuity design to the Fortune 500 ranking. We find corroborating evidence: firms near the bottom of the Fortune 500 receive lower external evaluations, not only from investors but also from industry peers. Our findings therefore quasi-replicate and extend Lewis and Carlos’ …

#Protestpolicing: Intersecting Race And Social Media Activism In The Mile High City, Nancy Rios-Contreras

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Demonstrations addressing police use of force stress the importance of revisiting the organization strategies of social movements. Fatal use of force against individuals of color continues to tarnish police-community relations. Social media helps elevate the political movement addressing police use of force, but understanding social media as an activist resource remains underdeveloped. Resource mobilization theory is applied to the conceptualization of protest activities to describe how activists use social media as a resource to initiate and create local community change. This exploratory study consists of 20 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with activists over 18 years old and fieldwork observation. While social …

Testing Mediating And Moderating Roles Of Inter-Organizational Collaboration In The Entrepreneurial Orientation Context, Rafal Kusa

European Management Studies

Purpose: Numerous studies have shown that a competitive approach can strengthen organizational entrepreneurship and its impact on a firm’s performance. However, there is emerging evidence that collaborative approach can also play a positive role. This study examines mediating and moderating roles of inter-organizational collaboration in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and performance. In particular, two dimensions of collaboration are tested, that is, collaborative orientation and entrepreneurial collaboration, in the context of two dimensions of performance, that is, firm growth and competitiveness.

Design/methodology/approach: This study tests the sample comprising 364 micro, small and medium enterprises in Poland. Data is …

Emotional Intelligence In Higher Education: The Importance Of Recruiting Emotionally Intelligent Leaders, Baker H. Alfarajat

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

This study investigates the presence and importance of emotional intelligence (EI) competencies in higher education leadership by analyzing executive job descriptions in higher education institutions. Using qualitative discourse analysis guided by Goleman et al.'s Emotional Intelligence model, the research investigates whether and how EI is framed as a leadership requirement. The researcher analyzed 20 job descriptions for executive higher education leaders that were selected from The Chronicle of Higher Education’s online job website. The analysis focused on identifying both explicit and implicit language related to EI competencies. Findings reveal that EI competencies primarily appeared as embedded elements within broader leadership …

Recentering Family-Teacher Partnerships Through The Lens Of Unconditional Positive Regard, Lindsay Stoetzel, Jennifer Vanderground, Karen Abraham

Michigan Reading Journal

This paper examines the complexities of building family-teacher partnerships in the literacy classroom. While research continues to support the need for family engagement in literacy learning, a number of contextual factors pose barriers to building such relationships, negatively impacting children, families, and teachers alike. While organizational approaches are needed to fully address this long-standing issue, we offer the lens of unconditional positive regard as an approach individual teachers might adopt in their own work. Unconditional positive regard supports educators to partner with families by focusing on emotional regulation, acknowledging agency over ideologies, and prioritizing shared goal setting. Recommendations illustrate how …

Full Issue: Volume 57, No. 3

Michigan Reading Journal

No abstract provided.

Implementation Outcomes And Associated Constructs From The Consolidated Framework For Implementation Research Among Churches Trained Online To Implement Faith, Activity, And Nutrition In A National Implementation Study, Sara Wilcox Phd, Ruth P. Saunders Phd, Andrew T. Kaczynski Ph.D., Caroline Rudisill Ph.D., Msc, Ye Sil Kim Phd, Jasmin Parker-Brown, Kelsey R. Day

Faculty Publications

Churches hold promise for reaching populations with high rates of chronic disease, yet few faith-based large-scale implementation studies exist. The study purpose was to examine 12-month implementation outcomes and associated Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) constructs after converting in-person training to online for an evidence-based intervention designed to improve church organizational practices related to physical activity (PA) and healthy eating (HE). US churches recruited from 2020 to 2022 participated in eight online lessons prior to implementation. Each church’s coordinator completed an online baseline and 12-month survey assessing church practices for PA/HE components targeted in the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition …

The Impact Of Transformational Leadership In Job Quality In Manufacturing Sector: A Mediating Role Of Job Attitude, Joel Mark Rodriguez, John Jarold M. Flores, Lourdes Q. Palallos

Journal of Global Awareness

This research explores the impact of transformational leadership on the attitude and quality of jobs in the manufacturing sector, increasing understanding of employee performance and organizational outcomes due to the gap found in the explanation of how the inputs of leadership translate into the outcomes of organizations. The present study found a weakness in the few studies relating transformational leadership to job quality, especially within the manufacturing setting. The objective of the present study was to examine the relationship of transformational leadership with job attitude and job quality while exploring if the relation between transformational leadership and job quality is …

Enhancing Nurse Retention In Acute Care Hospitals By Creating An Environment Supportive Of Evidence-Based Practice, Vanessa Roxana Funes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High nurse turnover rates in acute care hospitals negatively impact operations, increase turnover-related costs, and worsen organizational performance. Developing solutions for healthcare administrators to create environments supportive of evidence-based practice (EBP) can yield positive nurse outcomes, including reducing nurse turnover and increasing retention. This integrative review includes strategies to execute a system-wide environment supportive of EBP as an efficient strategy to reduce nurse turnover and increase retention in acute care hospitals. Using the advancing research and clinical practice through close collaboration (ARCC) model as a guiding framework and the Johns Hopkins evidence-based model as a tool to evaluate evidence, empirical …

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 …