Digital Commons Network^™

How Communication And Leadership Affect Collaboration In A Partnership: An Exploratory Study, Joseph Carrasco

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Homelessness is a persistent and pervasive issue in the United States. The complexity of the problem has produced federal policies that make collaboration a requirement for homeless advocacy organizations to receive federal funding. In turn, cities, towns, and other entities have created partnerships in order to receive funding as well as combine resources and share information to help reduce if not remedy the homeless problem in their areas. This thesis explores how communication and leadership affect collaboration in a partnership. The study is grounded in the theories of dialogical ethics and transformational leadership to examine two collaborative partnerships serving the …

Authentic Leadership In Sports Teams, Greg Houchin

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Authentic leadership includes a positive moral perspective characterized by high ethical standards that guide decision making and behavior. The measurement of authentic leadership is aimed at a leader’s ability to be genuine. This study identified and analyzed authentic leaders on sports teams. Group cohesion was also assessed. The purpose was to determine whether authentic leadership would lead to performance when mediated by team cohesion and trust. Survey analyses were used to assess several teams. Results indicated that sports teams may benefit from training in authentic leadership. Authentic leadership predicts higher levels of trust, team cohesion, and group performance.

“A Place Of Becoming” Leadership Educators’ Experience Teaching Leadership: A Phenomenological Approach, Heath E. Harding

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This phenomenological study describes the experiences of twelve leadership educators who were teaching leadership in undergraduate leadership development programs in the Midwest.  The central research question was: What are the experiences of educators who are teaching leadership to undergraduate students at academic institutions?  Teaching leadership was defined as providing developmental opportunities (e.g. formal education, in class instruction, one-on-one, coaching, service learning, individual reflection) to increase both leader and leadership capacity.  Educators were defined as individuals who provide developmental opportunities for undergraduates.  Participants had at least three years teaching leadership at the undergraduate level and were currently teaching a course with …

The Leadership Experience Of Female Chief Admissions Officers: A Phenomenological Research Study, Krista Timney

All Dissertations

College admissions is a highly-competitive, business-oriented, and collaborative profession where women continue to be underrepresented in leadership positions. A study is needed of the barriers that have the potential to hinder the advancement of women in this unique and challenging field, as well as the opportunities and approaches to leadership that may lead to their success. The southeast region of the U.S. was chosen for this study because it is an area where women have been successful in advancing into leadership roles in admissions. The primary research question was: How do female chief admissions officers describe their lived leadership experiences? …

Understanding How Institutional Leadership Affects Civic Engagement On University Campuses, Prairie Leigh Burgess

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Higher education in America has a long tradition of civic engagement education. Although there is theoretical and rhetorical support, many institutions still struggle with implementing effective civic engagement on their campuses. The aim of this study was to provide an understanding of factors that contribute to successful civic engagement, specifically focusing on the affect of presidential leadership. The study used a limited sample of two groups to provide comparative analysis and offer much needed statistical research for civic engagement. Institutions were identified through the organization Campus Compact and the Carnegie Foundation's elective Community Engagement classification. Institutions that had joined Campus …

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 …

Relational Leadership: A Study Of Organizational Health And Clergy Within The Wesleyan Church, Brian Voyght Bradford

ATS Dissertations

In many large churches (over one thousand in weekend worship attendance) today, a vast relational disconnect exists between senior pastors and pastoral staff team members. As a result, many staff pastors feel unsatisfied in their team roles and relationships as well as feeling devalued as leader. This relational deficiency frequently results in a lack of communication, trust, and belief in and with the senior leader. The staff pastor’s productivity decreases and the church ceases to be what God designed it to be—a place of relational and social connection.

The purpose of this study was to determine characteristics of relational leadership …

A Relational Study Of Elementary Principals' Leadership Traits, Teacher Morale, And School Performance, Carla Jean Raines Evers

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine if a significant relationship existed between elementary principals' leadership traits and teacher morale. The study sought to identify the impact of the principal-teacher relationship on school achievement as it relates to student performance on state standards as outlined in the Mississippi state academic frameworks and as measured using the Quality of the Distribution Index (QDI) on the Mississippi state end-of-grade test, Mississippi Curriculum Test, Second Edition (MCT2). The end-of-year assessments, collectively known as MCT2: Reading-Language Arts and Mathematics, administered to students in grades 3 through 8 in the spring of each school …

Ethics Instruction In Community College Leadership Programs: Southern Perspectives, Nikisha Green Ware

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to discover which southern universities have graduate preparatory programs in community college leadership and how, if at all, ethics is addressed in their curricula and in instruction. Surveys were mailed to 38 southern universities located in the Southern Regional Education Board member states. Of the 21 responses received, there were 16 usable responses from universities in these states. Through an examination of databases of Council for the Study of Community Colleges Graduate Studies and the American Association of Community Colleges Leadership Programs for Community College Professionals databases, 38 senior universities were found to have …

Teacher Leaders+ Reflective Teaching = A Collaborative Leadership Approach To Establishing Public School And University Partnerships, Madeline M. Landes

Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Media Technology

No abstract provided.

The Perspectives Of Practicing African American Female Superintendents In The Commonwealth Of Virginia Regarding The Impact Of Spirituality On Their Leadership Practices, Shannon Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study utilized a phenomenological approach to discover how African American female superintendents in Virginia integrated spirituality into their leadership practices. The struggles and experiences of these women as a population have been uniquely marginalized by both race and gender. These distinct influences have resulted in the development of generations of women who freely proclaim to be grounded in the spiritual. To investigate this topic, data were collected in face-to-face interviews conducted on site in the school division where each superintendent was employed. The data were analyzed using a modified version of Moustakas as proposed by Creswell (2007). Once …

Leading Innovation: Creating A Culture Of Sustainability Workshop Presentation, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Faculty and Staff Publications

A workshop designed to lead sustainable innovation with a focus on Dr. Connie's "5 Rays" of Innovation

Leading Innovation: Creating A Culture Of Sustainability Workbook, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Faculty and Staff Publications

A workbook designed to compliment the workshop, "Leading Innovation:  Creating a Culture of Sustainability" and focused on teaching Dr. Connie's 5 Rays of Innovation

Leading Innovation: Creating A Culture Of Sustainability For Communities, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Presentations and White Papers

Innovation is as essential to communities as it is to businesses and other organizations.  This innovation workshop focused on core elements of leading innovation in communities.

Building Organizational Capacity For Enrollment Performance Measurement: A Mixed Methods Investigation, Lynda Ruth Wallace-Hulecki

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The use of enrollment performance measurement systems can enable the provision of intelligence information to inform strategic decision-making and the effective management of enrollment. A review of the literature indicated that the development of enrollment intelligence systems was a nascent area in which only a select few institutions had successfully developed applications. In addition, no published models or guidelines were found for assessing an organization’s capacity for success in developing advanced enrollment performance measurement capabilities linked to enrollment performance improvement.

The purposes of this study were twofold: (a) to identify the culture value orientations and organizational capacity conditions that existed …

The Effect Of Leadership Orientations On Student Achievement, Rhonda Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between and impact of principals' leadership styles on student achievement as determined by school performance scores (SPS). Bolman and Deal's (1984; 2003) four leadership frames model (structural, human, political, and symbolic) were utilized to identify principals' leadership styles. The sample for this study consisted of 15 principals from low socioeconomic status (SES) schools and 17 principals from high SES schools located in north and middle Louisiana.

Schools were chosen by searching the Louisiana School Directory, which is based on grade configuration, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. All schools in selected parishes …

The “Glass-Ceiling” In The Church Organization: Can E-Mentoring Be A Panacea To Women Desiring Leadership Positions?, John Ekukndayo

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

In leadership studies, mentoring has been in practice for a long time be it in local and national governance, organizational development (especially as part of a systematic leadership succession plan) or even for personal/professional development of individuals or groups. It seems that in organizations today many desire to be mentored but unfortunately not all are finding appropriate mentors that will cater for their personal and professional needs especially in meeting with their psychosocial needs (Kram, 1983). This is the case with many women in many male-dominated workplaces known for the preserving of “male prejudices, male values and creations” (Woodd, 1997), …

Looking Back: Tracing The Trajectory Of Four Dominican Women Who Learned 'To Do' School, Maria Montalvo-Balbed

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

This study examines the educational trajectories, critical life events, variations and commonalities of four Dominican educators in the U.S. South who, despite being non- English speakers and immigrants, were successful in attending college and obtaining degrees in education beyond a Master’s degree. This study explores their life journeys in order to understand and account for various factors which allowed and propelled them to be successful in school and rise to leadership positions in education. The themes which emerge are directly related to the various types of capital and social assets that are embodied within the Community Cultural Wealth framework, e.g. …

A Cultural Approach To Understanding Professional Experiences Of Foreign-Born Faculty In U.S. Educational Leadership Preparation Programs, Iryna M. Khrabrova

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate professional experiences of foreign-born faculty members serving in U.S. educational leadership preparation programs utilizing a cultural approach to discern their lived experiences related to professional life. Cultural values reflected in professional life experiences were explored. The information gathered through phenomenological approach was used to analyze the influence of national background on the professional experiences of foreign-born faculty in educational leadership preparation programs.

Instructor Technology Use: A Mixed Methods Investigation, Suzanne K. Becking

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This mixed methods concurrent triangulation study was designed to examine instructional leaders’ descriptions of their experience with integrating technology into their teaching.  Seminal studies from the 1990s were found to remain true today—that teachers are not ready to incorporate technology into their teaching (Becker, 1999; Ertmer, 1999).  In the decade since Becker’s and Ertmer’s findings, changes have been seen in select pockets of the university community.  I was interested in exploring one of these “pockets” that has been identified through my work with online instruction and in consultations with faculty who are either beginning or are veterans at integrating technology …

Contributory Factors To Teachers' Sense Of Community In Public Urban Elementary Schools, Debra K. Kirkhus

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

CONTRIBUTORY FACTORS TO TEACHERS' SENSE OF COMMUNITY IN PUBLIC URBAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that contribute to teachers' sense of community within public, urban, elementary schools. Becauseprevious research has touted the benefits of teacher communities within schools(Kruse, 2001; Leana & Pil, 2006; Ware & Kitsantas, 2007) educational leadersare challenged with creating school environments that foster a sense ofcommitment and cohesiveness among staff within our current accountability climate in schools. Research that focuses on best practices of successful school principals in cultivating such things as teacher communities is scarce at the elementary level (Crum …

Shared Leadership As A Function Of Role Assignment And Task Difficulty In A Distributed Computer Game, Alexandra Proaps

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The use of computer game based architectures may help provide a safe, controlled environment in which geographically dispersed military units can develop leadership skills while rehearsing a specific task such as search and rescue. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among task difficulty, team task performance, role assignment and emergent leadership within a shared leadership model using a modified version of the popular video game, Half Life 2 ™. The researcher assessed leadership emergence through verbal content analysis methods that have only been employed in email and message boards media formats. Across levels of task difficulty …

The Leadership Practice Of Museum Educators, Tina R. Nolan

Dissertations

This grounded theory study is an examination of the culture, context, conditions and competencies of a set of six museum educators from a large city in the United States. Participants were education department leaders from a variety of museum types, including: A science museum, an ethnic arts museum, a settlement house museum, a children‘s museum, an aquarium, and a zoo. An analysis of data points to an emerging framework that codifies particular leadership settings and domains of practice for leaders of museum educators. An array of data collections were employed in the study, including: Semi-structured interviews, unstructured observations, written reflections …

Success Lives Here: The Impact Of The Residential Experience On Student Success, Ana Hernández

Student Affairs Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

The Positive Impact Of Negative Feedback, Mark B. Richey

Theses and Dissertations

While feedback is an essential element of performance, there is little theory explaining the effects of negative feedback. Disagreement exists as to whether negative feedback is good or bad and this impacts its use. Fortunately, control theory provides scholars with an opportunity to better understand negative feedback and the conditions necessary to support its intended function. This study examined the relationship between negative feedback and task performance in a leadership development environment. This work asserts that performance is contingent on perceived feedback usefulness, such that the relationship is stronger when feedback usefulness is high and weaker when it is low. …

Leading Innovation: Creating A Culture Of Sustainability, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Presentations and White Papers

Objectives of the Leading Innovation Session taught by Dr. Connie:

1) Introduce Concepts of Innovation

2) Understand Interrelatedness between Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation

3) Generate New Ideas for Your Business, Organization or Community!

Revisiting The Behavioral Matrix For Leadership And Team Development, Kathleen Kane

Organization Management Journal

The Behavioral Matrix functions on a variety of levels, as: an introduction to self-awareness; a team building exercise; an ice breaker; an introduction to individual differences; or an opening exercise to a course or leadership development program. This exercise can be adapted for a variety of participants in college courses: undergraduate and graduate, as well as for executive and corporate training. Behavioral styles are categorized on a matrix with two axis. The four quadrants created by the intersection of the axis yield four different categories: Controller (formal/dominant), Supporter (informal/flow-with), Analyzer (formal/flow-with), and Promoter (informal/dominant). Specific guidelines for using the exercise …

Thinking About Leadership By Nanerl Keohane (Featured Publication & Author Interview), Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Our guest interviewer this month is Susan R. Madsen. Susan is an associate professor of management at Utah Valley University and an independent leadership and change consultant. She has been heavily involved for many years in researching the lifetime development of prominent women leaders. During the course of her work, she has personally interviewed numerous women university presidents, governors, and international leaders. Her books include On Becoming a Woman Leader: Learning from the Experiences of University Presidents (2008) and Developing Leadership: Learning from the Experiences of Women Governors (2009).

Female Leaders: Injurious Or Inspiring Role Models For Women?, Crystal L. Hoyt, Stefanie Simon

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

The impact of female role models on women’s leadership aspirations and self-perceptions after a leadership task were assessed across two laboratory studies. These studies tested the prediction that upward social comparisons to high-level female leaders will have a relatively detrimental impact on women’s self-perceptions and leadership aspirations compared to male and less elite female leaders. In Study 1 (N = 60), women were presented with both female and male leaders before serving as leaders of ostensible three-person groups in an immersive virtual environment. This study established the relatively deflating impact of high-level female leaders, compared to high-level male leaders and …

Modern Leadership Compared To Historical Leadership Shown Biblically, Forrest Jones

Master's Theses

Modern Leadership Compared to Historical Leadership Shown Biblically

Forrest Jones

This thesis is a comparison between modern leadership and historical leadership.  Modern leadership has been differentiated from management since the early 1980’s.  Historical leadership is shown by Jesus Christ through the Bible, used as a historical text.  Historical leadership was found to have two separate tools used by Jesus Christ which would be useful additions to what leadership today is.  The first tool is submission to authority.  Most people in positions that would be considered leadership positions do not feel that they need to follow anyone else.  Often times they …