Digital Commons Network^™

Mapping The Learning Organization: Exploring A Model Of Organizational Learning., Sandra Grin Mae Kaiser

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

A field study examined the effects of Learning Organization variables on organizational learning and on performance drivers. Four hundred and thirty-nine employees of a nuclear power-production facility completed inventories asking about perceptions of the organization. Variables measured through a learning lens included leadership, culture, mission and strategy, management practices, organizational structure, organizational systems, climate, motivation, learning, innovation, and external alignment Hierarchial regression analyses were employed to examine the role of organizational variables in explaining variance in learning, innovation, and external alignment. Variables were entered into regression models based on the Byrke-Litwin Model of organizations. The study also examined the role …

A Descriptive Case Study Of A Single Innovation’S Effect On Multiple Literacy Initiatives In Arkansas, Deborah N. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

When schools implement high quality classroom instruction, research-based interventions, networks of support at multiple levels, and a strategic plan for monitoring change elements, students are provided a range of opportunities that promote successful learning. This descriptive case study examined Reading Recovery's effect on the acceleration of the change process in selected elementary schools in Arkansas. Two purposeful samplings were used to investigate, discover, understand, and gain insight. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to develop the description. Data-driven decisions toward the building of a comprehensive early literacy school reform model for accelerating change were also examined in relation to reading …

The History Of Our Lady Of The Lake College, 1923--2000: A Study Of Organizational Change., Linda Carol Rakestraw Pendergast

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This qualitative research study investigated the history of Our Lady of the Lake College from 1923 through 2000. It endeavored to determine the influence of the times, the events, the people, and the traditions that have contributed to its development and progress in the seventy-seven years that have passed since it was established. The study also sought to document the important institutional events that transpired during this time period and establish a continuity of the College's progress through the years from a hospital-based diploma program in nursing to a free standing degree granting institution. In addition to the evolutionary development …

Education Policy Analysis Archives 07/13 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

Contextualizing homeschooling data:a response to Rudner / Kariane Mari Welner [and] Kevin G. Welner.

A Comparison Of Self-Perceived Leadership Behaviors Between Ipla And Non-Ipla Trained Principals And The Relationship Between Those Self -Perceived Behaviors And Student Achievement, Alice Ann Neal

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose of the study . The purposes of this study were to (1) investigate if there were differences in self-perceived scores on selected leadership behaviors between IPLA and non-IPLA trained principals. and (2) investigate the relationship between student achievement scores and self-perceived leadership behaviors after controlling for IPLA training. Procedures . A sample of 200 Indiana principals was drawn from data acquired from the Director of the Indiana Principal Leadership Academy and the Indiana Department ofEducation. The sample reflected approximately equal numbers of (1) principals who had or had not completed IPLA prior to 1995, (2) males and females, (3) …

Alternative Teacher Compensation Systems: Practices And Perceptions As Reported By New Hampshire Principals, Bradford Wilson Craven

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine New Hampshire principal's perceptions regarding alternative compensation plans for teachers. Alternative compensation plans, unlike traditional teacher pay plans, are not based exclusively on years of experience and formal educational attainment. Forms of alternative compensation plans include individually-based merit pay, career ladders, skill-and-knowledge-based pay, and group performance awards.

This research was intended to provide a better understanding of how principals view the various alternatives to traditional salary schedules. An assumption of this study was that principals in the state play the primary role in formal teacher evaluations, and any new compensation plans that …

Convergent And Divergent Validity Of The Learning Transfer Questionnaire., Annette Irving Bookter

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The Learning Transfer Questionnaire (LTQ) was developed as a comprehensive instrument to identify potential factors in the work environment that influence learning transfer (Holton & Bates, 1996). The purpose of the study was to examine the construct validity of the LTQ by focusing on convergent and divergent validity. Specific objectives included: to identify a set of theoretically-based, psychometrically-valid measures which could be used the examine the convergent and divergent validity; and, utilizing correlation analysis, to examine the associations between the 16 LTQ factors and the identified measures. Scales from seventeen measurement instruments were utilized as comparison measures to correlate with …

A Qualitative Study Of Four University Teaching And Learning Centers: Activities, Funding, And Evaluation Of Professional Development For Faculty, Melba L. Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the activities, funding, accountability, and evaluation of selected teaching and learning centers relative to the professional development of faculty in four-year public institutions of higher education. Using a qualitative research design, in-depth interviews were conducted with directors of four teaching and learning centers. In accordance with the concept of purposeful sampling, the centers chosen for study were located in Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. The following research questions were investigated: (1) What is the primary mission or purpose of teaching and learning centers relative to faculty development? (2) What types of activities …

Perceptions Of New Hampshire Teachers And Supervisors Regarding Teacher Supervision, Pamela L. Clark

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the perceptions of New Hampshire teachers and supervisors regarding teacher present and ideal systems for teacher supervision. Teacher supervision was defined as being inclusive of district practices which promote teacher growth and development and those which are used to make evaluative judgments about teachers' performance. The study sample included 73 supervisors and 305 teachers randomly selected from 45 school districts. The sample districts were selected using a stratified random sampling process in which the stratification variables were district wealth as reflected in the district's equalized valuation per pupil and geographic region.

Data were collected through the use …

Teacher Selection Practices In Effective Elementary Schools Which Differ By Community Type And Socioeconomic Status Context., Amy Barham Westbrook

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The current study investigated teacher selection in elementary schools which differ by school type, community type, and socioeconomic status (SES). The qualities sought, procedures utilized, and problems encountered by principals during teacher selection were examined. Statistical analyses were used to determine whether school types differ significantly on variables regarding teacher selection. The present study involved collecting both qualitative and quantitative data, and was conducted in four phases. In Phase I, all elementary schools in the state were classified by community type, student body SES, and "effective" and "typical" status. Phase II consisted of 12 site visits to "effective" schools which …

Education Policy Analysis Archives 05/19 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

Comprehensive study of factors impacting perceived quality in school organizations : findings from resesarch on quality assessment in Iowa school districts / William K. Poston.

An Exploratory Multiple Case Study: Total Quality And Strategic Planning In Education, Susan J. Hallstrom Evanich

Student Work

This study explored the benefits and limitations of combining Total Quality Education (TQE) and strategic planning in public school districts and the degree to which quality is clarified by the district. This was an exploratory multiple-case study and was conducted because (a) little research exists on either of these practices and even less on the combined approach, (b) the combined approach has not been studied in K-12 public schooling, (c) the combined approach can provide a systemic model which has implications for achieving significant changes in education, and (d) school districts need quality improvement models that are suitable in meeting …

Assessing Professional Development Needs Of Elementary Teachers Implementing Inclusion Of Children With Disabilities In General Education Classrooms, Patricia D. Burgess

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A descriptive study was conducted to identify authentic professional development needs of elementary teachers preparing, implementing, and maintaining inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classrooms in Northeast Tennessee. The purpose of this study was to contribute information of identified professional development needs of elementary teachers to current research on responsible inclusive education. Data were collected from 325 elementary teachers randomly assigned to the sample using a 65-item survey designed for this study. Three subsections of the survey, Assessing Professional Development Needs of Teachers Implementing Inclusion in Grades PreK-8, assessed the perceived needs of conditions, areas, and foundations …

A Methodological Examination Of Naturally Occurring School Improvement In Louisiana Schools., John Albert Freeman

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The study was conducted as an exploratory investigation of naturally occurring school improvement, which refers to improvement in a school's effectiveness status that is achieved without external change forces. The research design for the study used mixed methodologies divided into three phases to identify and examine schools that improved longitudinally in a "natural" environment. Phase I utilized regression (ordinary least squares) methods to create a database containing all elementary schools in Louisiana, categorized by their level of change. As a result, some 20% of the schools in Louisiana were identified as having improved over a three-year period. This approximated an …

Technical Training Program Evaluation: Present Practices In United States' Business And Industry., Skip Twitchell

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

There is a lack of information on training evaluation. For those studies addressing the amount of evaluation that occurs and in which samples can be identified, the samples are non-random. There have been very few reports on the methods used for evaluation or the reasons why there is so little evaluation. This study used a random sample selected from members of the ASTD professional practice area titled, Technical and Skills Trainers. It can be argued that this is an informed sample involved in a training area that produces objective outcomes and should produce a favorable picture of training evaluation. Questions …

The Youth Empowerment Project: Strengthening Ngo Management, Research And Service Delivery Capabilities In Botswana, Mercy Rapelesega, Naomi Rutenberg

Reproductive Health

In an expansion of its efforts to fight a growing HIV epidemic and high teenage pregnancy rates, the Government of Botswana is encouraging nongovernmental organizations (NG0s) to be more active in providing reproductive health (RH) services, and especially HIV/AIDS education and care, to adolescents. NG0s have the potential to assume a larger role as health and education providers as well as implement pilot projects that the public health sector could learn from to increase the availability and quality of RH services for youth. The Africa OR/TA Project II designed and implemented the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) to assist youth-oriented NG0s …

Personal And Organizational Structure Correlates Of Receptivity And Resistance To Change And Effectiveness In Institutions Of Higher Education., James Sutherland Clarke

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this exploratory study was three-fold. First, a conceptual framework was developed to link innovation and organizational effectiveness in higher education settings through the mediating variables of faculty decision-making deprivation, self-efficacy, organizational efficacy, receptivity to change and resistance to change. Second, original instrumentation was developed to measure faculty receptivity and resistance to change and academic unit head perspectives of their unit's effectiveness. Third, linkages between the variables were examined through the collection and analysis of data using structure equation modeling and appropriate variable comparisons. The sample consisted of all faculty from five traditional academic units at all 59 …

Institutional Climate And Institutional Effectiveness At Three Community Colleges, Connie S. Buckner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to explore the impact of employee morale, as manifested in institutional climate data, upon institutional effectiveness; and (2) to determine the extent to which information generated by climate survey data was used in developing and implementing change initiatives at each of the institutions studied. Three institutions were selected for this multiple site case study. Four sources of data from each institution were used to provide a "picture" of institutional climate. These sources of data were (a) the Personal Assessment of the College Environment (PACE) climate survey, (b) institutional self-study reports, (c) reaffirmation …

Implementing Total Quality Management In Business And Academe: A Case Study, Nancy O. Bartell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total quality management (TQM) is a philosophy and process that has been successfully implemented in many business firms. Other organizations, including institutions of higher education, have become increasingly interested in adopting it. It is likely that facilitators need to be cognizant of organizational differences and adjust facilitation methods and strategies accordingly. This dissertation is an exploratory study designed to examine the role of the TQM facilitator in diverse settings. Specifically, the study is an in-depth two-case research study of TQM implementation in an international manufacturing firm and a regional institution of higher education. The primary foci of this dissertation are …

Perceptions And Hiring Practices Of Tennessee Superintendents And Directors Of Schools Relating To The Desired Technological Skills Of High School Principals, J. M. Reed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to reveal what technological skills are inquired about by superintendents/directors of schools in the state of Tennessee when hiring high school principals. The study further reveals perceptions that superintendents/directors of schools have for the desirability of high school principals to possess technological skills and their perceptions of how capable current high school principals are for possessing those skills. The study was based on a total population of 139 school superintendents in the state of Tennessee. Surveys were mailed in early Nov, 1995. One hundred-two surveys were completed and returned. Findings were divided into two …

Performance Management Within Cooperative Extension: Perceptions Of Extension Educators In The Northeast Region, John Edward Pike

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine Cooperative Extension educator perceptions regarding performance management. Performance management is defined as a system comprised of an ongoing process of planning and appraising which includes the establishment of goals and expectations through performance planning; continuing year round performance feedback and coaching; and a formal performance appraisal at the end of the performance period.

This research was intended to provide a better understanding of how extension educators perceived the performance management process within their respective state Cooperative Extension organization. An assumption of this study was that extension educator attitudes toward performance management are …

Restructuring In Louisiana Schools., Sharon Lee Pol

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study employs both quantitative and qualitative techniques to study the restructuring processes at the district, school, and teacher levels. The quantitative procedures include surveys used to distinguish between teachers's perceptions of highly and moderately restructured schools. Qualitative research techniques included interviews, observations, and document analysis to describe the restructuring. A new instrument, the Attributes of School Restructuring Scale (ASRS), was developed to measure teachers' knowledge about restructuring efforts and their involvement in the restructuring projects. The final version of the ASRS, included 48-items spread across three subscales: Budget/Finance, Governance/Decision-Making, and Curriculum/Instruction. The quantitative results from the statewide study indicated …

Reflections On The Limitations Of Rational Discourse, Empirical Data, And Legal Mandates As Tools For The Achievement Of Gender Equity In American Higher Education, Susan J. Scollay, Carolyn S. Bratt

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Scholars and academicians implicitly accept and subscribe to the notion that reasoned discourse supported by empirical data is at the core of the academic enterprise. Theoretically, then, organizational change within the academy ought to be attainable through the use of rational processes based upon the systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data to define the scope of the problem and to identify logical solutions. However, the centuries-long attempt to achieve gender equity for women in institutions of higher education belies the truth of that belief in the power of reason as a catalyst for reforming American higher education.

Beginning with …

The Quality School In Postsecondary Education, Raymond E Harris

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

In the past, Reality Therapy seminars and workshops were presented by professionals who were skilled in their field, but had only limited training in adult education, including curriculum and instruction. By utilizing materials and information received in the U.N.L.V. graduate Post Secondary Education program in conjunction with Dr. William Glasser's Quality School concepts, the Reality Therapy training can be redesigned to deliver more effective education. There will be an extensive review of information from the graduate program, Dr. Glasser's books and articles, plus the resources of the U.N.L.V. library. New materials developed will be class activities and lesson plans that …

Development And Evaluation Of An Instrument For Assessing Transfer Of Learning To The Workplace., John H. Reed

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to develop a simple, low-cost, easy to administer and score post-course participant survey that examined perceptions of the influence of certain factors identified as affecting the transfer of learning to the workplace. These factors were in the areas of course design, delivery and relevance as well as personal, organizational and workplace influences on learning transfer. The instrument also used participant perceptions to estimate the level of application of the course learnings before and after the course, their impact on work product and any significant individual or organizational changes resulting from them. Finally, the …

Education Policy Analysis Archives 03/05 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

Diversifying finance of higher education systems in the third world : the cases of Kenya and Mongolia / John C. Weidman.

Total Quality Management Versus Business Process Reengineering : Are Academics Teaching What Businesses Are Practicing?, Cindy Krieter

Honors Capstones

This paper examined the differences between Total Quality Management (TQM) and Business Process Reengineering (BPR) as seen through the eyes of both practitioners and academics. The main purpose of this research project was to determine what practitioners and academics defined TQM and BPR as and how they felt the two quality movements differed. I performed a literature review to determine what the definitions and differences actually were. I then prepared a questionnaire which would draw out the opinions of the respondents on each of those aspects. After I prepared this, I sent out 400 questionnaires to practitioners and 300 questionnaires …

The Effects Of Teacher Efficacy, School Climate, And Stages Of Concern On The Implementation Of A Physical Science Program., Jennifer B. Baird

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the implementation of a physical science education innovation in a large, urban school system. The program began in the summer of 1993 with the selection of two teachers from each of seventeen elementary schools. Participants were selected by program staff from among a pool of applicants with an interest in science education. The goals of the program included retraining teachers to implement hands-on, inquiry-based physical science and performance-based assessments. Teachers were provided with instructional materials, including science kits, and on-going support and assistance from science and assessment specialists. Specifically, the study examined the relationship between the independent …

Instructional Planning And Teaching: Perceptions Of Practice And Department Expectations Of Principal Preparation Program Faculties, David L. Deweese

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study of principal preparation programs composing the Danforth Foundation Program for the Preparation of School Principals (DPPSP) was conducted to identify and compare the perceptions of program faculty and program coordinators of their respective instructional planning and teaching practices, and their like perceptions of department expectations of faculty regarding these same roles. Variables were constructed using a pilot survey with selected faculty who were members of the Southern Region Council for Education Administration. There were three major findings. Faculty and program coordinators ranked their perceptions of their own practice highly. Faculty and program coordinators ranked their perceptions of their …

Inclusion: Educating Students With And Without Disabilities, Bill Henderson

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article presents an overview of inclusion, a practice that is being utilized increasingly in schools across the country. In inclusive schools, students who have disabilities learn together with their nondisabled peers. Teachers and support staff collaborate to serve all students in integrated classes. After reviewing the social and legal background of inclusion, Henderson describes specific strategies for designing and implementing successful programs. He outlines organizational change, curriculum and instruction modification, and school culture transformation.