Education Commons^™

The Experiences Of Formerly Incarcerated Black Male Students At A Northeast Community College, Ashtian C. Holmes

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological inquiry is to understand the experiences of formerly incarcerated Black male students who attend a Northeast urban community college and the unique barriers they encounter while navigating the institution. The United States imprisons more people than any country in the world, and Black men are disproportionately overrepresented in the United States criminal legal system. At the same time, Black men, are severely underrepresented in higher education and lag behind their White and female counterparts in nearly all indicators of collegiate success, including enrollment, retention, and graduation rates. Formerly incarcerated individuals face unique and substantial barriers …

Examining Alignment Of Leadership Education And Observed Practices: A Study Of Leadership Studies Department Chairs, Sara Zare

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how leadership studies academic department chairs’ leadership is influenced by their discipline and their professional identities as leadership educators. This study is an exploration of the alignment between leadership theories and practice. Two conceptual frameworks informed this study: (a) the leadership educator professional identity development (LEPID) model (Seemiller & Priest, 2015) and (b) the four frames model (Bolman & Deal, 2017). Using the LEPID model, this study investigated the intersection of leadership education professional identity dimensions and the leadership role of the leadership studies academic department chairs. Bolman and Deal’s (2017) four frames model was used …

Examining K-12 School Leadership Through A Complexity Theory Lens, Mandi Lehnherr

Theses and Dissertations

Observing the connection between complexity theory and the K-12 education field, I conducted an extensive literature review to discover much research had already been undertaken. However, given the pervasive, wicked problems that still exist, there may be gaps in the operationalization of the findings. The purpose of this research is to determine how school leaders understand the complexity of their school system and if examining school leadership from a complexity lens may uncover practices that could create more effective school operations in dynamic environments. Ten school principals and leaders were interviewed. Five major themes were derived from the data: a) …

The Meta-Leadership Inventory: Developing A Valid And Reliable Instrument For International School Leaders, Matthew D. Wilkens

Theses and Dissertations

International school leaders must be prepared to steer their schools through ongoing crises and changes, regardless of the factors creating the crises and the need for swift change. To achieve the best possible outcomes from these dynamic situations, international school leaders must strategically deploy skills and abilities delineated by the Meta-leadership framework developed by Marcus et al.(2015). This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable instrument that measures the Meta-leadership competencies of international school leaders: the Meta-leadership Inventory for International School Leaders (MLI-ISL). This instrument development study involved a three-phase design. An initial set of items based on a …

Examining The Workplace Well-Being Of Elementary School Teachers Whose Students Participated In A Social Emotional Learning Program, Yorri Berry

Theses and Dissertations

In the past few decades, public school teachers have faced many challenges, including differentiated instruction to diverse students, increased classroom management, and standardized testing. The accumulation of these challenges has created high teacher attrition rates leading to teaching shortages. Understanding the barriers and useful supports to address the challenges teachers face can help lower attrition rates and enhance teaching quality. This study examines the workplace well-being of elementary school teachers whose students participated in a social and emotional learning program. The study included 16 elementary school teachers in schools with a large population of students who are particularly vulnerable to …

Faculty Leadership Practices In Graduate Hybrid Education, Weina Li Chen

Theses and Dissertations

Hybrid education is an instructional delivery format that includes both online learning and traditional classroom learning and is often seen as the best of two worlds. It is one of the fastest-growing trends in higher education because of its countless educational benefits. Studies reviewed about hybrid learning focused on various areas, including student engagement, student attitudes, faculty experiences, learning effectiveness, and supporting technology tools. However, a review of the literature revealed scant studies focused on faculty leadership, especially graduate-level education faculty's leadership strategies and their influence on teaching. Faculty leadership is a critical component that is directly related to effective …

Middle School Leaders' Perceptions Of Self-Efficacy In An Urban School District Along The Texas-Mexico Border, Rachel R. Ayala

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the case study was to comprehend the relationship between the accountability movement as characterized by the Texas A-F Accountability System and ESSA on a middle school principal’s sense of self-efficacy in an urban school district located at the southeastern-most point of the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border. The case study employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design and allowed for the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data in two consecutive phases within one study to investigate the research questions in depth. The quantitative portion of this mixed methods case study relied on …

The Experiences Of Minority Female Leaders In Educational Leadership: A Generic Qualitative Study, Gale Denise Beasley

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the underrepresentation of female minority leaders in the field of educational leadership, the scientific literature lacked evidence in understanding the experiences of those who, despite adversity, successfully secured administrative roles. The experiences of minority women who pursued and secured principal and/or assistant principalship appointments were examined using a generic qualitative approach.

The analysis of the data presented the challenges, barriers, and constraints that minority women were confronted with during the development and establishment of their careers as educational leaders. As a result of the complex intersectionality of race and gender, these leaders found themselves as the subjects of …

Best Teaching Practices To Increase Student Interest In Stem Subjects, Talar Gullapyan

Theses and Dissertations

More than ever, jobs at all levels, not just for scientists, are requiring STEM knowledge and specific abilities that are associated with a STEM education (Lacey & Wright, 2009; Rothwell, 2013). Additionally, The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (Vilorio, 2014) reports that STEM occupations will continue to grow faster than other occupations. While the demand for jobs in STEM fields continues to grow, many of these positions remained unfilled due to an unskilled labor force. Students in the U.S. also pursue far fewer degrees in STEM subjects compared to other competitive countries (National Science Board, 2012). The results from the …

Improving Educational Experiences Of Students With Disabilities At A Private Postsecondary University, Levenle Jean-Joseph

Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed in this research study was that students with disabilities were experiencing challenges at a private postsecondary university in the United States that were impacting their educational experience. The purpose of this research study was to discover the challenges individuals with disabilities experience at a private postsecondary university and to find possible resolutions to those challenges. It was anticipated that this research study may improve the education experiences of students with disabilities at a private postsecondary university in the United States. It was equally important to discover (a) challenges experienced by students with a disability in a private …

Taking Heed: Principals Who Identify As African American Or Black Working In Predominantly White Schools, Elizabeth Ann Erenberger

Theses and Dissertations

This is a narrative study of the lived experiences of school leaders who identify as African American or Black and are working in predominately White school settings. The study sought to understand the lived experiences of these school leaders by exploring how these leaders make sense of their work in a predominantly White setting. This included the opportunities and challenges they encountered and the leadership beliefs, practices, and strategies they employed to navigate the predominantly White school setting. A critical race methodology was used throughout the study that centered race and racism in all aspects of the research (Solórzano & …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Use Of Graphic Novels To Teach Reluctant Readers, Bret Ginsberg

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of teachers in a suburban private school in Florida serving prekindergarten through Grade 8 regarding the use of graphic novels to increase student motivation to read. The problem was teachers were concerned with students’ inability to complete the required novels, demonstrate comprehension of deep meaning from the text, read silently, and read outside of school. Teachers raised serious concerns about the reading achievement of middle school students. Teachers also noted a frequent mismatch between the preference of the middle school reader and the instructional opportunities provided. The study was …

Effect Of Relational Support On Educational Outcomes In An At-Risk Charter School In Florida, Eunice Casey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this applied dissertation was to explore how effectively a one-on-one mentoring relational support program would influence outcomes in attendance, academic achievement, and behavioral issues at an at-risk charter school in Florida. The majority of the students at the selected charter school are at-risk students, defined as such because their present level of academic achievement is significantly below that of their peers. At the selected charter school, students struggle with low attendance, low academic achievement, and a high number of behavioral infractions. More specifically, low attendance at this school is associated with low academic achievement. This includes failure …

The Black Male's Perception Of Academic Success In The Black Belt Region, Lisa M. Morenzoni

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this applied dissertation was to explore the perceptions of academic success of Black males in the Black Belt in an effort for educators and community members to better understand and meet the needs of young Black men. In this study, the researcher conducted one 60-minute interview followed by one confirming interview with nine former students (Appendix D) who graduated from the local area high school. Interview questions (Appendix B) were developed by the researcher based on the research questions in the study. These use of these questions assisted in understanding the perceptions of academic success of these …

Understanding Author Academic Disciplinary Background To Direct A More Effective Use Of Standardized Testing Within The School Community, Joseph Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

Since the days of Horace Mann, standardized testing has been used as a control mechanism by policy makers to determine who makes decisions about what will happen in public schools. A dynamic struggle for educational control and governance has continued since that time between the local, state, and federal levels. This struggle for control puts school principals in a unique organizational position where they are expected to use standardized tests within the school community with teachers, students, and parents to improve education but at the same time manage external accountability mandates from district, state and federal levels of governance. To …

The Unique Skills And Traits Of One-Way And Two-Way Dual Immersion Principals, Ryan K. Rocque

Theses and Dissertations

The principal is an important key to school success and student achievement (Anderson & Togneri, 2003; Met & Lorenz, 1997). Considering the role of principals of dual immersion schools, few studies have considered factors leading to their success (Nicholson, Harris-Johhn, & Schimmel, 2005; Simmons et al., 2007). With current advancements in skill mapping and meta-analyses, the understanding of skill and trait theory has improved, greatly enhancing the researcher's ability to effectively identify a leader's skills and traits (Derue, Nahrgang, Wellman, & Humphrey, 2011; Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005; Scouller, 2011; Zaccaro, 2007). A clearer understanding of the skills and traits …

Evaluating The Spacing Effect Theory On The Instructional Effectiveness Of Semester-Length Versus Quarter-Length Introductory Computer Literacy Courses In Institutions Of Higher Learning, Emelda S. Ntinglet

Theses and Dissertations

Evaluating the Spacing Effect Theory on the Instructional Effectiveness of Semester-Length versus Quarter-Length Introductory Computer Literacy Courses in Institutions of Higher Learning. Emelda S. Ntinglet-Davis 2013: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler School of Education and Human Services. ERIC Descriptors: Community College, Spacing effect, Retention, Scheduling, Education, Instructional effectiveness, Intensive format, Quarter-length format, Semester format.

This mixed research study evaluated the spacing effect theory on the academic performances of students enrolled in introductory level Computer Literacy courses by comparing course grades and mock IC3 certification exam scores in semester-length and quarter-length courses at Prince Georges Community College. The …

Relationship Between Principal Change And Influence Styles: Is There An Impact On Teacher Retention?, Leslie J. Howder

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between principal leadership styles, specifically change and influence styles, and teacher retention in the Low-Country region of South Carolina. Utilizing the Change Style Indicator and Influence Style Indicator, the researcher surveyed 25 principals from Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester 2 School Districts. The results were analyzed and compared to teacher retention rates from South Carolina State School Report Cards. Three relationships were analyzed: 1) correlation between change styles and influence styles, 2) correlation between change styles and teacher retention and 3) correlation between influence styles and teacher retention. …

School Leader Use Of Social Media For Professional Discourse, Candice Barkley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to explore how a group of principals from diverse backgrounds and different locations create and perpetuate a virtual community of practice. This investigation is a case study of Connected Principals, a group that has come together to create a regular blog on significant issues within education and the principalship. In addition, this group regularly disseminates pertinent information on Twitter via a hash tag. The study includes a content analysis of the blogs posted by Connected Principals as well as social network analysis of the group’s Twitter network and of the key players within …

Identifying Patterns In The Crucial Educational Leadership Constructs Used By The Most Cited Authors And Published Works Of 1990-2010, Sitalaiti Lotulelei

Theses and Dissertations

This study conducted a bibliometric analysis for the purpose of identifying the crucial leadership constructs that best explain and/or define effective educational leadership in two decades (1990-2000 and 2001-2010). The study reviewed top authors in educational leadership and analyzed their top cited works to identify leadership constructs which were (a) unique to leadership works within the 1990-2000 decade, (b) unique to the 2001-2010 decade, and c) similar or different between the two decades. The study found that the leadership constructs did evolve and shift during the study period and addressed the changing demands of individuals, educational organizations, and the external …

Evaluation Of An Adult Education Technology Program, Iwasan D. Kejawa

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adult education technology program at a chartered alternative adult education center in Florida. The adult education center had a low rate of students passing the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). This study examined the impact of the use of computer technology in an effort to improve student learning in mathematics, reading, and science. Computers at the institution were used by all students for tutorials to prepare them for the FCAT and to obtain a high school diploma. The research questions for this study were as follows:

1. Is the education technology program …

The Appointment Of Untenured Department Chairs In Two- And Four-Year Colleges In A Western State: Problems And Potentials, Forrest G. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This research study explored the appointment of untenured faculty as department chairs in three two- and four-year colleges in one Western state's system of higher education. Eleven untenured faculty serving as untenured department chairs were interviewed using the qualitative methodology of grounded theory to analyze the data collected in the form of interview transcripts. At the two- and four-year colleges studied, an untenured faculty member's potential of achieving tenure does not appear to be negatively affected by serving as department chair before receiving tenure. A central finding in this research study is the presentation of an explanatory model that provides …