Digital Commons Network^™

The Merit Of Intensive Leadership Development Programs On Building-Level Administrators' Sustainability, Sonja Jean Robertson

Dissertations

With recent research identifying the propensity and ability of principals to lead as a key culprit of school and district failure, it would seem that one of the most reasonable steps should be to better determine how effective specially designed leadership development programs in the area of educational leadership are at not only equipping principals and school-based leaders, but at creating a foundation and a prevailing culture for longevity or sustainability in those positions. If the development of principals and other school-based leaders is vital to the improvement of schools, the effectiveness of the measures implemented to bring about that …

The Relationship Between Situational Leadership And Student Achievement, Hope Owens Beaver

Dissertations

The study of leadership has been one of great interest for many years and many leadership theories have since surfaced. Bolman and Deal’s (1991) situational leadership theory places leadership styles into four unique frames and suggests that the most effective leaders are able to utilize the most appropriate leadership frame that a situation might require. This study investigates these situational leadership frames which are structural, political, human resource, and symbolic and the relationship they may have with student achievement based on school performance labels given by the Mississippi State Department of Education.

The study was conducted in two months and …

Learning On Other People’S Kids: Becoming A Teach For America Teacher, Randall Lahann

Democracy & Education

A review of the book Learning to Teach on Other People’s Kids: Becoming a Teach for America Teacher, by Barbara Torre Veltri (Information Age Publishing, 2010).

Sustaining Knowledge Building As A Principle-Based Innovation At An Elementary School, Jianwei Zhang, Huang-Yao Hong, Marlene Scardamalia, Elizabeth A. Morley, Chew Teo

Educational Theory and Practice Faculty Scholarship

This study explores Knowledge Building as a principle-based innovation at an elementary school and makes a case for a principle- versus procedure-based approach to educational innovation, supported by new knowledge media. Thirty-nine Knowledge Building initiatives, each focused on a curriculum theme and facilitated by nine teachers over eight years, were analyzed using measures of student discourse in a Knowledge Building environment--Knowledge Forum. Results were analyzed from the perspective of student, teacher, and principal engagement to identify conditions for Knowledge Building as a school-wide innovation. Analyses of student discourse showed interactive and complementary contributions to a community knowledge space, conceptual content …

Presidential Transition: One Woman's First 120 Days, Margaret Holzel Davis

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is a phenomenological study of the presidential transition of a woman who is beginning her first presidency of an independent college. The focus of the study is on the pre-transition period, from the time she accepted the position, through her first 120 days in office. Research for this study took place during the first 120 days of the new presidency. Semi-structured interviews, the president's calendar, as well as archival data and meeting minutes are used to construct the story of how a new woman president makes meaning of her transition. Transition preparation and the first 120 days of the …

An Analysis Of Appreciative Inquiry As Organizational Development For An Alternative School, Michael Young

Doctoral Dissertations

Schools and youth development programs are continually under pressure to reform and improve. Recent scholarship in the organizational development field suggests that a post modern approach to such efforts may yield new and generative results. Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an Action Research methodology used for organizational development that is based on a number of post modern assumptions. Because AI has seen a rapid increase in use, including implementations in educational settings, and because of its potential to offer new insights into organizational development, a further understanding of how it works is warranted.

This interpretive case study, grounded in a social …

Faculty Perceptions About Attributes And Barriers Impacting The Diffusion Of Onlineeducation In Two Saudi Universities, Mohammed Mfarij Alhawiti

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recognizing that faculty are an essential part of the success of any distanceEducation program, this study sought to examine faculty perceptions of attributes and barriers impacting diffusion of onlineEducation at two Saudi universities: Taif University and Tabuk University. More specifically, the study intended to (a) give an overview of faculty members' current stage in the innovation-decision process in regards to onlineEducation, (b) examine faculty perceptions about attributes (motivating factors) and barriers (inhibiting factors) impacting diffusion of onlineEducation, (c) investigate the relationship between faculty members' selected personal characteristics (including age, years of teaching, DE experience, gender, academic rank, nationality, and level …

Comparison Of Distance Education Leadership Styles And Future Investment In Two-Year Colleges, Ryan R. Schrenk

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This foundational descriptive quantitative study examined leadership styles, traits of distance education leaders (e.g. VPs, Deans, Directors and Coordinators) and distance education program characteristics as well as funding priorities at the post-secondary level. Participants were subjected to Bass and Avolio's Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5X), which identified leadership characteristics as transformational, transactional or passive-avoidant as manifest by nine scales as follows: Individualized Influence Attributes, Individualized Influence Behavior, Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual Stimulation, Individualized Consideration, Contingent Reward, Active Management-by-Exception, Passive Management-by-Exception and Laissez-Faire. In addition, the questionnaire further assessed leadership outcomes scaled as Extra Effort, Effectiveness and Satisfaction.

There were 55 respondents from …

Everyone Wants To Be Like Harvard- Or Do They: Cherishing All Missions Equally, Ellen Hazelkorn

Conference Papers

This paper aims to review the drivers of institutional diversity, and traditional higher education system frameworks which mirrored a simplistic understanding of knowledge creation and skill/labour market requirements. It then proposes a more differentiated approach of diversity appropriate for the 21st century and reflecting the complexity of knowledge production and concepts of research and scholarship, and the trend for universal higher education. On this basis, one may observe new models of higher education institutions emerging. The paper asks how these developments might help expand our understanding of diversity, and propose policy and institutional responses, looking at various examples internationally.

Circles Of Culture And Cognition : A Sociocognitive Study Of Collaboration Within And Among Academic Groups Of Teachers In A Rural School District, Linda L. Baker

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This ethnographic case study examined the roles of district and school macro-culture and teacher sub-group micro-culture in influencing the nature and extent of teachers' professional collaboration. Informed by the sociocognitive theory that learning is rooted in social relationships and develops through interpersonal discourse and activity, the study focused on educators in a middle and high school in one small, rural district. The 41 educators who participated in the study included three administrators, 24 high school faculty members, and 17 middle school teachers. Data collection methods incorporated a general questionnaire, field notes, observations of meetings and gatherings, and extensive interviews. Most …

Exploring The Applicability Of A Lean Six Sigma Framework For Performance Excellence To K--12 Education In New York State : A Soft Systems Approach, Thomas Daniel Buccino

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Based on current legislation, existing accountability systems, and organizational practice reflected by present data trends, the level of academic proficiency mandated for all students enrolled in New York State public schools by 2014 will not be achieved. Coincident with demands for higher performance, schools are experiencing unprecedented financial pressures. There is an urgent need for breakthrough change in performance associated with the public educational system. This requires a change in thinking, a change in culture, and a change in practice. As a proven transformational strategy, Six Sigma combined with Lean methods have demonstrated sustained success in achieving high levels of …

Digital Curation Education In Practice: Catching Up With Two Former Fellows, Samantha Guss, Lisa Gregory

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

From 2008-2010, as part of the grant: ‘DigCCurr I: Preserving Access to Our Digital Future: Building an International Digital Curation Curriculum’ (DigCCurr I) funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a number of fellows at the School of Information and Library Science (SILS) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) were comprehensively trained by library and archive professionals in digital curation theory and practice. This paper examines the curriculum skill areas matrix of the DigCCurr I program from the perspective of two former fellows, now employed in professional positions that utilize digital curation principles. Each …

Citizen Journalism And Digital Voices: Instituting A Collaborative Process Between Global Youth, Technology And Media For Positive Social Change, Robin Worley

Theses and Dissertations

Millions of youths in developing countries are described by UNICEF as "invisible and excluded." They live at the margins of society, facing challenges to their daily existence, powerless to make positive changes. But the emergence of citizen journalism and digital storytelling may offer these youths a chance to share their voices and positively impact their lives. The Internet and mobile devices have allowed ordinary citizens to become citizen journalists by sharing news when and where it happens with a global audience. Digital storytelling is also growing as a means of sharing one's personal story with a larger audience than ever …

Longevity In The Superintendency: A Case Study Of New Jersey District Factor Group Cd Superintendents, Annette C. Giaquinto

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Farmer, Agent, And Specialist Perspectives On Preferences For Learning Among Today's Farmers, Nancy K. Franz, Fred Piercy, Joseph Donaldson, Johnnie Westbrook

Journal of Extension

Few studies have examined the types of educational delivery methods preferred by farmers (Eckert & Bell, 2005; Eckert & Bell, 2006). The research project reported here explored the preferred learning methods of farmers in Louisiana, Tennessee, and Virginia. Data on learning methods collected directly from farmers were compared with preferred teaching methods of Extension agents and specialists. The findings should shape agent and specialist perspectives on appropriate educational delivery methods when educating farmers and working towards farmer adoption of new practices.

Factors Affecting Retention In Online Courses, Victoria L. Berling

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to expand what is known regarding the factors that relate to successful completion of online, undergraduate college courses. It addressed 13 student factors available through archival data at Northern Kentucky University based on 1,493 students enrolled in fully online courses in fall 2008. It included programmatic membership as the fourteenth variable. The study employed both logistic regression analysis and multiple regression analysis. The dependent variable for the logistic regression analysis was dichotomous based on completion of all online courses with a grade of D” or better (yes or no). The dependent variable for the …

Influences Concerning Faculty Use Of Technology To Teach Distance Education, Helena Joyce Johnson

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to examine pedagogical and professional beliefs that might illuminate influences to higher education faculty decisions to teach distance education using technology.

Intra-Sectoral Diversity : A Political Economy Of Thai Private Higher Education, Prachayani Praphamontripong

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Private higher education (PHE) worldwide has been a rapid development in the last several decades. The private sector will continue to grow, diversify and undoubtedly play a significant role in the political economy of higher education. Nevertheless, systematically empirical studies on the trio relationships among PHE, institutional diversity and political economy are still miniscule, especially outside the U.S. In Thailand, studies on even public higher education utilizing international literature are rare, as is research with a macro-level empirical analysis of private-public comparison. Thus, this study focuses on the fundamental differences among Thai private higher education institutions (PHEIs) and between private …

A Qualitative Study Of Tribal Colleges And Universities That Have Transitioned: From Two-Year Associate Degree Granting Institutions To Targeted Four-Year Bachelor Degree Granting Institutions, Lynette Kay Chandler

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to analyze how tribal colleges and Universities have transitioned from two-year associate degree granting institutions to offering four-year bachelor degree granting institutions. This case study includes three tribal colleges: Sitting Bull College, Salish Kootenai College and Turtle Mountain Community College. These colleges were selected to provide a solid cross section of the ten TCUs that have developed four-year degree programs while keeping the research bounded by the Northwest boundary of the United States. This research was framed by the central question: What is the process that selected two year associate degree offering …

Leadership Responsibilities Associated With Student Academic Achievement: A Study Of The Perspectives Of National Distinguished Elementary School Principals In An Era Of High Stakes Accountability, Michael Valenti

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Pennsylvania Superintendent-Preparation: How Has It Changed?, Sue A. King

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose for this study was to add to the research on school administrator preparation programs by examining and describing the content, structure, and overall design of university preparation programs in Pennsylvania for school superintendents to determine the degree to which the programs of the 26 state-approved providers of superintendent certification are reflective of the current research and theory regarding effective school district leadership, particularly instructional leadership. At a time when public education is under fire from political leaders and the general public, school administrators are expected to design and manage education systems that meet the needs of all learners …

Principals' Perceptions Of Strategies For Offsetting The Barriers To Technology Integration In Elementary Schools In New Jersey, Stephen Wisniewski

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Evolution Of Eastern Michigan University: The Politics Of Change And Persistence, Dawn Malone Gaymer

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Background: Eastern Michigan University (EMU) is a regional comprehensive university established as a teacher training school in 1849. This case study analyzed the politics of change and persistence as the organization evolved from a normal schools that trained teachers to a regional comprehensive university.

Purpose: This study was pursued to inform higher education leadership; satisfy the personal interests of the researcher and to contribute knowledge to comprehensive university organizational studies.

Research Design: An interpretive longitudal historical case study design was pursed for this research. This case study reviewed the political cultural environment that occurred prior to the organization’s formation and …

Ninth-Grade Interventions And The Impact On High School Graduation Rates, Shannon Mcbrady

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

There is a need to become economically sensible when deciding on new school initiatives and reforms. This is partly due to increasing accountability and tightening school budgets. Hertzog & Morgan (1999) found the freshman year sets the tone for a student‟s entire high school career. Yet, frequently, ninth-graders struggle to feel connected to school and therefore experience failure. Often times this period of failure is related to the developmental process the ninth-grader experiences. Many ninth-graders struggle in various areas including behavioral growth, social pressures, and adjusting to the rigidity of high school (Mizelle & Irvin, 2000). Researchers have found that …

College At Risk: A Case Study Of Institutional Renewal Of A Catholic Liberal Arts Institution, Maureen V. Egan

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to explore the social, cultural, and political factors that contributed to the transformation and renewal of one small, private, Catholic liberal arts institution in the Midwest in its time of financial crisis. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 participants who are constituents (i.e., past and former president, alumni, faculty, staff, and trustees) of Midwest College and whose knowledge by virtue of having experienced the transformation and renewal process was essential to this case study. Investigation of how the transformation and renewal process ultimately attained success indicated three themes in the results: structure (i.e., …

The Effect Of A School-Year-Long In-Service Leadership Development Grow-Your-Own Program On New And Veteran Assistant Principals’ Perceived Leadership Effectiveness, Luann M. Richardson

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a required school-year-long in-service leadership development grow-your-own program on new and veteran assistant principals' perceived leadership effectiveness compared to supervising principal and central office administrator ratings. The study analyzed perceived leadership effectiveness as measured by the school district's Principal/Assistant Principal Evaluation Form in six domains: (a) shared vision, (b) the culture of learning, (c) management, (d) family and community, (e) ethics, and (f) societal context after participation in a required school-year-long in-service leadership development grow-your-own program. Overall, pretest-posttest results indicated that new assistant principals' ( n = 8) and …

The Incorporation Of The Norms Set Forth In Ex Corde Ecclesiae Into The Administrative Practices At Mid-Atlantic Catholic University - A Case Study, Margaret L. Smolin

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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A Study Of Seton Hall University And The Attributes Of Organizational Adaptation Employed In Fashioning Its Catholic Identity And Mission In The Post-Vatican Ii Era (1966-2006), Nicholas F. Mazza

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This thesis is the first fully developed and published study of Seton Hall University. It specifically examines the organizational structures of Seton Hall University over a forty year period in light of the tumultuous changes in the Catholic Church and Catholic academia post-Vatican 11. Of particular importance is change that influenced the Catholic identity and mission of the university. The author examines the central problems arising from the changes influenced by the actions of the Vatican Council as well as the concerns expressed by Catholic academic, namely, academic freedom and the issues of higher education governance. These two factors spearheaded …

Father Theodore M. Hesburgh And The University Of Notre Dame's Change In Governance To A Predominantly Lay Board Of Trustees, Mary Patience Hogan

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Transition Programs In Freshman Centers: Best Practice When Addressing The Transition From Middle School To High School, Timothy W. Smith

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Establishing effective transition programs for students entering high school is an ongoing process. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore best practices transition programs employ to aid student's success. The participants in this study were six administrators chosen from a population of administrators at 60 central Indiana high schools. The administrators in this study were interviewed to determine what their schools were currently doing to ensure successful student transition from the middle school to high school. Each face-to-face interview was tape recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed to determine practices that influenced their perceived success. Grounded theory, with the …