Education Commons^™

Examining Teacher Leadership: Phenomenology Of The Perceived Challenges Of Being A Teacher Leader, Noelle H. Green

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Today’s school leaders recognize that one person, mainly the principal, cannot adequately address the needs of all members of the school community. Many principals rely on teacher leaders to lead alongside them to further school improvement, knowing that the traditional way of thinking of school leadership as being the sole role of the principal is no longer effective or efficient. While K-12 teachers typically have a strong background in child development, psychology, and pedagogy, many lack experience in leading and facilitating adults and have little background in adult learning theory.

The purpose of this research is to determine how K-12 …

Designing Effective Online Courses: Exploring The Relationships Amongst Online Teaching Self-Efficacy, Professional Development, Online Teaching Experience, And Reported Implementation Of Effective Higher Education Online Course Design Practices, Elizabeth Mcmahon

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

How best to prepare and support higher education faculty to design and teach effective online courses is a topic of great significance to higher education institutional leaders and faculty developers. This study explored how hours of professional development along with online teaching and learning experiences were related to online teaching self-efficacy and the extent to which participants reported implementation of effective online course design practices. Using a non-experimental quantitative correlational explanatory research study design, data were collected using a questionnaire. Participants included 104 online faculty from a large public higher education system located in the upper Midwest that includes both …

Core Self-Evaluation Theory In Qualitative Research: Extending A Quantitative Theory Into A Qualitative Framework To Study Community College Faculty., Patria Lawton

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

The use of qualitative research in higher education has long been underutilized, specifically when examining community colleges. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the need for more qualitative research focusing on the lives and work of community college faculty and to introduce the reader to Judge et al. (1997) Core Self-Evaluation Theory (CSE). The article describes the rationale and process of utilizing CSE as a viable theoretical framework in qualitative research. The author discusses the way in which CSE was extended from a traditional quantitative measure to a qualitative framework by walking the reader through a study which …

Self-Evaluation Of Educational Leadership Practices During Covid-19, Mike Coquyt

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, school districts, and specifically, superintendents, are under increased pressure to lead. Irregularity and ambiguity are now the mantras of those tasked with leading in our schools. Many current research studies aim to evaluate the possible effects of COVID-19 on the system of education (Azorín, 2020; Hargreaves & Fullan, 2020), and advice on how to lead during a crisis (Harris & Jones, 2020; Leithwood et al., 2020, Netolicky, 2020). There are no standards or benchmarks to follow that could potentially aid school leaders as they navigate, lead, and make important decisions that affect how quality instruction …

Identifying Key Success Indicators In Student Letters For Reinstatement From Suspension, Angela Bowlus, Jamaica Delmar

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Retaining and graduating students continues to be an issue that higher education institutions are longing to solve, especially for the growing non-traditional student body whose list of competing priorities continues to grow. As academic suspension hinders persistence, this article examines a key aspect of the reinstatement from suspension process for students: the letter of appeal. The narrative provided is impacted by how the writer expresses their acknowledgment of what went wrong and what changes will be made to ensure administrators of future success, it too is impacted by the interpretation of the institutional decision maker. By reviewing a sample of …

Positive Influences On Why They Stay: A Qualitative Study On The Contributing Factors To Teacher Retention In Rural North Dakota, Jennifer A. Jung

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

An alarming number of educators are leaving the field within the first five years of employment. Midwestern rural schools experience a slightly higher percentage of turnover than do their urban counterparts. Due to this shortage of teachers, many districts across the nation have employed strategies to recruit and retain competent teachers. This qualitative study employs a phenomenological approach seeking to identify common themes among teachers who are long-staying teachers in a rural district (those with 1000 or fewer students). Both the social constructivism and teacher career cycle theoretical frameworks have been utilized to support the researcher’s understanding of rural teachers' …

The Effects Of A Shared Vision Of Teacher Leadership On Classroom Teachers’ Instruction, Tiffany L. Bockelmann

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Many models of instructional teacher leadership exist in schools with various outcomes for teachers. The aim of this illustrative case study was to understand systemic alignment in a formal teacher leadership system and how this alignment impacted instructional change. This dissertation was framed by three research questions: 1) How do the rationales of teachers, teacher leaders, and administrators regarding teacher leadership in their school align? 2) How does the coherence of a system of leadership impact classroom teachers’ abilities to engage with formal teacher leaders? 3) How does the coherence of a system of leadership impact classroom teachers’ abilities to …

Narrative Inquiry In Practice: A Study Identifying Themes Of Persistence And Barriers In The Educational Journeys Of American Indian Students In Higher Education, Kristina Cirks

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Increasing in popularity, the use of narrative inquiry in qualitative research study offers a unique perspective and context in sharing lived experiences. This article utilizes a narrative inquiry study to improve the knowledge of why American Indian students have the lowest college graduation rates in the United States. These narratives helped define the barriers that have discouraged American Indian students from persisting in higher education. Predominantly, participants identified the lack of financial support, lack of cultural competency, emotional distress, time poverty, afraid to ask for help, afraid to succeed, and navigating through the college processes as barriers to their educational …

The Effects Of A Shared Vision Of Teacher Leadership On Classroom Teachers’ Instruction, Tiffany Bockelmann

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Many models of instructional teacher leadership exist in schools with various outcomes for teachers. The aim of this case study was to understand systemic alignment in a formal teacher leadership system and how this alignment impacted instructional change. This dissertation was framed by three research questions: 1) How do the rationales of teachers, teacher leaders, and administrators regarding teacher leadership in their school align? 2) How does the coherence of a system of leadership impact classroom teachers’ abilities to engage with formal teacher leaders? 3) How does the coherence of a system of leadership impact classroom teachers’ abilities to implement …

Assessing The Influence Of Mentorship On Faculty Job Satisfaction In Higher Education, Rachelle Hunt

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This research study aimed to explore the influence of mentorship on faculty job satisfaction in higher education. The study followed a quantitative correlational study under the paradigm of post-positivism. Higher education faculty members require careful attention to components associated with workplace satisfaction or dissatisfaction, such as the presence of mentoring. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors play an integral role in job satisfaction, such as the induction experience and personal interactions. Out of 144 faculty members from a Midwest institution of higher education, 38 completed the questionnaires, and five participated in the focus group discussion. Men and women participants were equal in …

Impacts Of Concurrent Enrollment Offerings On Minnesota High School Programming: A Qualitative Exploration Of High School Administrator Perceptions., Erica Johnson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Concurrent enrollment plays an increasingly important role in dual credit program options throughout Minnesota public schools. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to discern any shared phenomenon among public high school administrators in schools where concurrent enrollment is offered. This dissertation was framed by two research questions: 1) Share your rationale for why your school is offering concurrent enrollment courses. 2) From your perspective, how does concurrent enrollment participation impact your student body?

A qualitative, constructivist, phenomenological study was conducted using semi-structured interviews across a mix of seven rural and urban Minnesota school districts. The participants included seven …

Examining Teacher Leadership: The Perceived Challenges Of Being A Teacher Leader, Noelle Hiedeman Green

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Today’s school leaders recognize that one person, mainly the principal, cannot adequately address the needs of all members of the school community. Many principals rely on teacher leaders to lead alongside them to further school improvement, knowing that the traditional way of thinking of school leadership as being the sole role of the principal is no longer effective or efficient. While K-12 teachers typically have a strong background in child development, psychology, and pedagogy, many lack experience in leading and facilitating adults and have little background in adult learning theory.

The purpose of this research is to determine how K-12 …

The Impact Of Teacher Leadership In Public Schools, Christopher Larson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

ABSTRACT

The system of education in the United States needs support. Schools are at a constant struggle to maintain a positive climate and culture and retain quality educators. We now live in a world where the grades and performance measures are highly scrutinized. Schools are measured against each other and society wants to see outstanding achievement data from their school systems.

Working within Moustakas’s phenomenological approach, this qualitative phenomenological study will investigate the extent to which teacher leadership advances school climate and culture. The study will be conducted in four public schools in North Dakota: Two that have teacher leadership …

Designing Effective Online Courses: Exploring The Relationships Amongst Teaching Self-Efficacy, Professional Development, Faculty Experience, And Implementation Of Effective Online Course Design Practices, Elizabeth Mcmahon

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

How best to prepare and support faculty to design and teach effective online courses is a topic of great significance to higher education institutional leaders and faculty developers. This research project was motivated by several research questions that were formulated to explore how specific demographic characteristics including online teaching experience, hours of professional development completed, gender, institution type, whether or not the participant has participated in a Quality Matters official course review, and whether or not the participant had experience as an online student were related to online teaching self-efficacy and the extent to which participants reported implementation of effective …

Exploring The Pathways Of Females Who Achieved The Highest Administrative Positions In Education, Amy Rawson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

There has been an historically ongoing problem of the underrepresentation of females in the highest administrative positions in education in the United States of America and globally. The participants of this research study included a small mixed-race sample of 37 female university and college presidents and superintendents of school districts across the state. The study utilized a mixed-methods concurrent triangulation design.

Based on an extensive literature review, a questionnaire was developed and sent to female presidents and superintendents in a Midwestern state that assessed their perceptions of the role played by factors identified in the current literature as having contributed …

Preceptorship Within Accredited Nutrition And Dietetics Programs: A Pragmatic Mixed Methods Study, Angela K. Brekken

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this pragmatic mixed-methods study was to identify the factors that impact a nutrition professional’s preceptorship decision and potential solutions to combat preceptor shortages within accredited nutrition and dietetics programs. Homan’s social exchange theory provided the theoretical framework that if perceived costs of preceptorship outweigh the perceived benefits, then the activity will cease.

Phase one of the study included an online mixed-methods questionnaire. Phase two included a qualitative focus group and interview with self-identified volunteers from phase one. Quantitative analysis through SPSS included descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (one-way ANOVA). Qualitative data for both …