Education Commons^™

Leadership Strategies That Support The Reduction Of Student Discipline Problems, Aaron J. Rose, Sr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe problem addressed in this study is that, in a rural Title I public school in the Northeastern United States, administrators have struggled to implement leadership strategies to support the reduction of student discipline issues in the classroom. The purpose of the study was to investigate how administrators implement leadership strategies that are intended to reduce student discipline issues in the classroom. The conceptual framework was developed from DeMatthews’s leadership theory and Wachtel’s restorative justice theory, which describe systems intended to build and restore relationships in schools and thereby reduce conflicts. The research question explored how administrators implement leadership strategies …

Administrators’ Perceptions Of Their Roles And Challenges In Building A Positive School Culture In Title I Schools, Yvonne Terry Browder

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Elementary school principals in this study struggled to implement and maintain a positive school culture. School culture plays an essential role in schools, and school principals play a significant part in developing that culture. Positive school culture is vital in all schools, especially in high-poverty and low-performing Title I schools. This basic qualitative study involved understanding school principals' challenges in developing and maintaining a positive school culture in high-poverty and low-performing Title I schools. The transformational leadership theory was the framework for this study. Research questions were developed to understand what elementary principals of high-poverty and low-performing Title I schools …

High School Administrators’ Perspectives Of Leadership Practices Influencing Teacher Leadership And Culture, Andrea H. Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a southeastern state in the United States, a gap in practice exists regarding the consistent implementation of instructional leadership practices to promote teacher leadership and culture in schools. The purpose of this study was to explore administrators’ perspectives of their implementation of instructional leadership practices to influence teacher leadership and culture. The conceptual framework for this qualitative approach was Bass and Avolio’s transformational leadership theory. The research question focused on high school administrators’ perceptions of the instructional leadership practices they are using to influence teacher leadership and school culture. Purposive sampling was used, and six high school administrators participated …

Leadership Strategies That Support The Reduction Of Student Discipline Problems, Aaron J. Rose, Sr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe problem addressed in this study is that, in a rural Title I public school in the Northeastern United States, administrators have struggled to implement leadership strategies to support the reduction of student discipline issues in the classroom. The purpose of the study was to investigate how administrators implement leadership strategies that are intended to reduce student discipline issues in the classroom. The conceptual framework was developed from DeMatthews’s leadership theory and Wachtel’s restorative justice theory, which describe systems intended to build and restore relationships in schools and thereby reduce conflicts. The research question explored how administrators implement leadership strategies …

Small And Medium-Sized Enterprise Beauty Salon Employer Strategies Used To Improve Employee Retention, Angela Lynette Loyd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Retention strategies are important to beauty salon leaders as they directly affect retaining a reliable workforce. Grounded in self-determination theory, the purpose of this generic qualitative case study was to explore retention strategies used by some SME beauty salon leaders in the United States to improve employee retention. The participants were five SME beauty salon leaders who retained at least two employees for 2 consecutive years. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and company documents. The four themes from the thematic analysis were leadership, psychological needs satisfaction, motivation, and engagement. A key recommendation is to have SME beauty salon leaders …

Strategies Hotel Leaders Use To Improve Employee Engagement, O'Neil Orlando Dacres

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee engagement is a significant factor that drives performance and productivity in many organizations. Hotel leaders are typically concerned with the negative impact of disengaged employees, which reduces profitability. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies hotel leaders use to improve employee engagement. The participants were five hotel leaders in Jamaica who have successfully implemented strategies to improve employee engagement. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and a review of organizational documents. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, and five themes emerged: staff engagement, communication, rewards and recognition, employee training and …

Strategies Used By Small Traditional Retail Business Owners For Sustainability, Linda Ogbah Faas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses fail at an alarming rate, negatively affecting job creation because small business owners create a major portion of jobs in the United States. In March of 2020, 274,000 businesses failed in the United States, resulting in 76,000 lost jobs. Owners of small traditional retail stores are significantly challenged to avoid financial failure. Grounded in Schumpeter’s entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies owners of small traditional retail stores used to survive beyond the first 5 years of operations. Participants included five owners of small traditional retail stores in Missouri whose businesses survived …

Differences In High School Student Athlete Perceptions Of Coach Leadership Behaviors, Clarissa Adams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The dynamics between athletic coaches and their players have been widely studied with leadership as the focus. The problem was that there is limited literature on the differences in perceptions of high school student athletes regarding their coach’s leadership behaviors. The purpose of this group comparison study was to examine the differences in student athletes’ perceptions of their coach’s leadership behavior as measured by the Revised Leadership Scale for Sports scores between freshman, junior varsity, and varsity high school student athletes. Chelladurai’s multidimensional model of leadership was the theoretical foundation for this study. The invitation to the study with a …

How Elementary School Principals Manage Their Workload, Cynthia Ann Mccabe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Elementary school principals in a suburban, Mid-Atlantic public school system may face challenges when balancing their workload. This problem is significant as an elementary school principal’s workload could contribute to ineffective leadership. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore how these principals balance their workload and obtain their perceptions of the administrative support required to meet the daily challenges of their job. The conceptual framework is Gronn’s distributed leadership model which is based on the purposeful sharing and disseminating of leadership responsibilities. The research questions explored how elementary school principals describe the challenges they have in balancing …

Leadership Skill Development In Master’S-Level Counselor Education, Charity A. Godfrey, Richard J. Cicchetti, Craig R. Blum, Gary Michael Szirony, Tamara Harris

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Student leadership identity is fast becoming one of the most critical challenges educational institutions face today. However, mental health counselors may be limited in the amount of education and training received as they become leaders in the field. There is currently no known mandate at the master’s level for leadership embedded within the counseling curriculum in the educational environment, although research suggests otherwise. The purpose of this correlational predictive empirical study was to investigate leadership identity characteristics as measured by the Socially Responsible Leadership Scale, Revision 2 (SLRS-R2), moderated by demographic factors. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine outcome …

Psychological Capital And The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership And Employee Well-Being, Bianca Cardenas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It is not known whether authentic leadership predicts employee well-being, and whether psychological capital moderates the relationship between authentic leadership and employee well-being. The purpose of this correlational study was to determine the extent that authentic leadership predicted employee well-being and whether psychological capital had a moderating effect on the relationship between authentic leadership and employee well-being. The two theoretical frameworks that supported this study included the authentic leadership theory and social exchange theory. The research design consisted of a quantitative, correlational study using multiple and hierarchical regression analysis. The two research questions that guided this study examined whether perceived …

Professional Dispositions And Perceptions Of Principals About Inclusion In Senior Secondary Schools, Desmond Prince, George Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractProviding inclusive education for children with special educational needs and disabilities entails educating these students in general education classrooms. There are no consistent practices or regulations for administering programs for such students in general education classrooms in Sierra Leone. This problem is supported by the lack of literature about administrative inclusive education practices. This basic qualitative study was conducted to explore the professional dispositions, perceptions, and rules or regulations that school principals hold for administering programs for students with special educational needs and disabilities in general education classrooms. The conceptual framework of the study was based on moral leadership and …

Perceptions Of K-12 School Principals Regarding The Use Of Exclusionary Discipline Practices, Shalonda W. Adams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Exclusionary discipline practices (EDPs), including suspensions and expulsions, are used in public schools, from kindergarten to 12th grade (K–12). Excessive use of EDP can have a negative impact as students face delays in completion of their academic work. The problem of increasing use of EDPs at a suburban public school district located in a southern state was addressed in this study. Hallinger and Murphy’s instructional leadership model was used to examine the perceptions of K–12 school principals regarding their use of instructional leadership practices to reduce the use of EDPs. Purposeful sampling was used in this basic qualitative study to …

Women Superintendents’ Mentoring Experiences And Attainment Of The Superintendency, Araceli Chavarín

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The underrepresentation of women in the school superintendency in the United States may be attributed to a lack of role models, mentoring, and educational networking. The problem that this study addressed is the lack of insight into how mentoring influences women’s attainment of the superintendency. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the mentoring experiences women superintendents identified as important in their lives and work. The conceptual framework of this study was based on Higgins and Kram’s developmental network. The research questions in the study explored how women superintendents describe mentorship experiences in their careers and describe …

Leadership Experiences With Organizational Infrastructure In Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Programs, Latia Greer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of buy-in is a critical factor when initiating organizational change. Although changes are necessary for growth and sustainability, leadership can be met with resistance. Early childhood mental health consultation is a solution-focused intervention to support early childcare providers and educators to improve child outcomes. The implementation of the program requires a well-defined operational model to have greater effectiveness and efficiency. The present case study explored the leadership experience of buy-in to change during the implementation of an early childhood mental health consultation school-based program in a nonprofit organization in the Midwest region of the United States. The Baldrige Excellence …

Identifying What Transformational Leadership Elements Principals Are Utilizing To Retain Kindergarten To High School Teachers, Johnny Ray Vahalik

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher turnover in a large urban school district exceeded the state average annually from 2016 to 2020. Previous studies and local evidence indicate a gap in practice might currently exist, consisting of principals not making the best use of the most effective transformational leadership elements to consolidate and increase teacher retention. While many researchers agree that principal leadership has had the most significant influence on teachers’ decisions to stay in or leave their schools, there is a gap in the literature on what principal leadership practices influence teachers’ decisions to stay or leave. The research question that guided this study …

Educators’ Perception Of Their Psychosocial Support Of Elementary Students In Gabon, Africa, Michel Ikamba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although educators internationally have often provided care to vulnerable students who struggle to meet the needs of nutrition, health, protection, and access to essential social services, no formal social systems exist in Gabon to aid educators who work with these students. In the absence of relevant local research and drawing on Dewey’s theory of progressive education as a conceptual model, this basic qualitative study asked about educators’ perceptions in limited resource elementary schools in Gabon of the social needs and strategies employed with students who demonstrated signs of disengagement and alienation. Qualitative data collection included semi-structured recorded interviews with 12 …

Phenomenological Exploration Of Followers’ Lived Experiences And Their Perception Of Ethical Leadership, Saad R. Maklad

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of followers under unethical leadership in private and public organizations in the United States. Data collection involved interviewing 20 participants from private or public U.S. organizations with open-ended interview question. Participant selection was limited to followers and frontline employees who directly contact stakeholders. Utilitarianism, Adams’s equity theory, social learning theory, stakeholder theory, and Eudaimonia were the conceptual frameworks used to guide this study. The data analysis process in this phenomenological study consisted of using the two-cycle analysis and the modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method. The findings demonstrated eight overarching …

Principals’ And Coaches’ Perspectives On Leadership Practices And Instructional Coaching, Shona Sandlin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Education reform is the driver for changes in principal leadership practices. Instructional coaching is a common lever used to meet reform mandates but has had inconsistent results. The problem in practice is little is known about how principals use leadership practices to establish effective instructional coaching in their school building. The conceptual framework used in this study was the distributive leadership framework, which was used to analyze how leadership skills are distributed throughout an organization to meet overall goals. In this study, the principals and the instructional coaches were asked to perceive and describe the principal’s leadership practices that influence …

Challenges Child Life Specialist Faculty Face In Supporting Child Life Specialist Candidates Seeking Internships, Deborah Sue Fingerhut

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University

College of Education

This is to certify that the doctoral study by

Deborah Fingerhut

has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made.

Review Committee Dr. Joanna Karet, Committee Chairperson, Education Faculty Dr. Sydney Parent, Committee Member, Education Faculty Dr. Leslie VanGelder, University Reviewer, Education Faculty

Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D.

Walden University2022

Abstract Challenges Child Life Specialist Faculty Face in Supporting Child Life Specialist Candidates Seeking Internships by Deborah Fingerhut

MA, Mills College, 1983BS, California State University, Sacramento, …

Motivational Communication Strategies For Virtual Teams, Monica Metri

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational leaders may not communicate effectively to motivate their virtual teammembers to achieve goals. Leaders who lack communication strategies to motivate virtual team members can lead to dissatisfied employees and increased timelines to achieve project goals for their organization. This may adversely impact the accurate and timely achievement of goals, reducing profits and thereby, shareholder returns. Grounded in Herzberg's two-factor theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore leaders' communication strategies to motivate virtual team members to achieve project goals. The participants consisted of eight virtual team leaders in the northeastern United States who successfully implemented communication …

Barriers To The Hiring Of Women For The Independent School Headship, Kelley King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite over a century of activism to increase gender equality, inequalities persist across U.S. employment sectors, including in independent K-12 schools, which are predominately staffed by women yet led by men. The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory case study was to understand the perceptions of six female heads of school and six female search consultants regarding the barriers that women face in being hired for the head of school position in independent K-12 schools. Most researchers studying gender equality have focused solely on the perspectives of female leaders, although executive search consultants are important arbiters in the search and hiring …

Instructional Leadership Practices Of Middle School Principals Regarding Students With Learning Disabilities, Sharon Dixson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractA problem existed among middle school principals in that they appeared to inconsistently apply instructional leadership practices while supporting their teachers teaching students with learning disabilities. How the principals perceived these inconsistencies and the possible effects on practice was not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of middle school principals regarding their instructional leadership practices to consistently support teachers who teach students with learning disabilities. The conceptual framework comprised the instructional leadership theory of Murphy, Hallinger, Weil, and Mitman. The research question addressed the perceptions of middle school principals regarding their instructional leadership practices …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Leadership Development Experiences Of Black Women, Oresha Sharlene Greenidge Foster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The leadership pathway for Black women has unique challenges and obstacles due to the double jeopardy of their race and gender. The lack of critical empirical work on the leadership development of Black women has left a gap in the understanding of how racial and gendered identities influence their development as successful leaders. This research was conducted to examine how Black women developed as leaders and how they made meaning of their leadership development experiences. A qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was conducted framed by concepts of intersectionality and gendered racism to produce a comprehensive description of the phenomenon of the …

Strategies To Resolve Toxic Leadership Styles Which Impede Employee Innovation, Lilly Abdulrohman Mohamed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Toxic leaders micromanage, threaten, and discourage employees from sharing their ideas,causing a decline in innovation. Export-based company executives need to understand how to resolve toxic leadership to enhance their companies’ performance. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies export-based company leaders use to resolve toxic leadership styles. The participants were four senior and frontline leaders from export-based companies in Ethiopia. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and document reviews and were analyzed with thematic data analysis. Four themes emerged: open and transparent communication, sustained counseling and training, teamwork and joint …

School Leaders’ Perspectives Of The Uva Model For Instructional Leadership Competency, Shelley Anne Halverson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research shows supportive partnerships between school districts and universities can enhance school district performance. Such a relationship was used to address the problem of lacking quality instructional leadership capacity of school leaders placed in target turnaround school settings to improve teacher efficacy and student achievement. The purpose of this study was to create deep understanding of the perceptions of target turnaround school leaders that participated in the target district’s partnership with the University of Virginia Partnership for Leadership in Education (UVA-PLE), to improve their instructional leadership competency. Guided by a leadership competency framework developed by McClelland and applied by UVA-PLE, …

Principals' Leadership Style As A Predictor Of School Climate In Urban High Schools In Baltimore, Kelly Alicia Watson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

To improve student achievement in urban public schools with high poverty, it is important to address specific leadership styles (i.e., transformational, transactional, and passive-avoidant leadership styles) in relationship to their school climate. The purpose of this multivariate correlational study, framed by leadership theory, was to investigate the relationship between principals' leadership and school climate as perceived by high school teachers in an urban school district. The relationship between three predictor variables (average class size, years of experience of the teacher, and leadership style) and one criterion variable (school climate) was examined. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire was used to measure leadership …

Factors Influencing K–12 Female Educators’ Decisions Not To Apply For The Superintendency, Tiawana Giles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractDespite holding 75% of certified positions in K–12 schools in the United States, women hold just 24% of public school superintendent positions. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain an understanding of why female principals and central office personnel attained superintendent credentials and have not yet applied for a superintendent position. The conceptual framework for the study was feminist standpoint theory, which is often used to guide research regarding the knowledge and understanding of marginalized groups. Two research questions were used to explore why female K–12 principals attained their superintendent license and why they decided not to …

Leader-To-Leader: Reflexive Leadership In The Midst Of Covid-19 And Social Unrest, Ward Ulmer

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

A leader is only one person in one position, and one person’s ideas are not a panacea for all social ills. But effective leadership can shift the outcome of an organization to manifest its mission of positive social change considering changes in society. Most people have been exposed to leaders who tinker around the edges and others who call for revolution. Leaders are leaders only because they have capable followers. The truth is that some things are just too big for one individual. And when we happen upon those things, we must stand together, hold each other accountable, and encourage …

Expatriate-Teacher Turnover In The International School Industry Of China, Richard Ik Ihejieto

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Expatriate-teacher turnover disrupts the social and academic lives of students in the international school industry of China. The human resource budgets of these schools are unsustainable and expatriate-teacher turnover significantly affects globalization and international businesses. The rate of expatriate-teacher turnover in the international school industry of China, which results in financial losses and creates anxiety for the students, necessitated an examination of expatriate-teacher turnover in the international school industry of China. This qualitative descriptive phenomenological study of expatriate-teacher turnover in the international school industry of China, was framed by the concepts of the internationalized schools in China and teacher turnover …