Education Commons^™

Examining The Systemic Effects Of Relational Trust And Network Trustworthiness On School Community: A Multi-Site Case Study Of Three Independent Schools, Stephanie Barnes Ogden

Doctoral Dissertations

Within the broader context of accountability imposed from beyond our schools, this mixed methods, multi-site case study investigated the development of relational trust and trustworthy relationships as internal accountability structures within three independent schools replicating responsible independence on the scale of the school as trustworthy freedom on the scale of the individual. Interviews, observations, artifacts, sociograms, and surveys were analyzed to identify teacher and administrator perceptions of structures supporting relational trust, accountability to community standards, and sustainable trust-based cultures. Survey data were also analyzed for corresponding evidence of organizational conditions associated with school improvement: teacher orientation to innovation, teacher commitment …

Exploring The Phenomenon Of Severing Goverance Ties With The State Baptist Convention At Mississippi College And Georgetown College, Alan Glen Medders

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the factors that influenced the board of trustees at Mississippi College and Georgetown College, KY to sever governance ties with their respective state Baptist Conventions and to describe the impact of the decision on the college administration, academic operations, lay governance structure and denominational relationship on the two institutions. The research questions guiding this study were:

1. What were the factors that influenced the decision-making process to make a change in governance relationship between the institution and the state Baptist convention?

2. What has been the impact of the decision to sever …

The Effect Of Mentoring On Beginning Teacher Retention In Bossier Parish (Louisiana) School System, Frederick O. Ogunyemi

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the effect of mentoring on beginning teacher retention in the Bossier Parish Schools, a northwest Louisiana parish school system. The sample consisted of complete responses from 161 participants out of a population of 499 Pre-K through 12th grade teachers who had participated in the Louisiana Teacher Assistance and Assessment Program (LaTAAP) between August 1998 and May 2007. Participants completed a 28-item questionnaire that was posted on the internet via SurveyMonkey. The questionnaire was divided into three sections: (a) general information, (b) appraisal of mentoring and professional development activities, and (c) background information.

Statistical analyses were performed according …

Asian American Women Leaders In The Pacific Coast: Their Pathway To Presidency In Two-Year Institutions, Joan Torne

Doctoral Dissertations

The field of education continues to see an underrepresentation of women as presidents of colleges and universities especially Asian Americans in general. In comparison with other racial and ethnic groups, Asian Americans are the only group not equally represented in high executive positions such as the presidential. In addition, women, including Asian American women, continue to hold, disproportionately to men, fewer leadership positions in the workplace of today.

It was the intent of this qualitative study to gain an understanding the reasons for the slow progress of Asian Americans in obtaining presidential positions in higher education with the focus on …

Perceptions Of The Catholic Secondary School Presidents And Principals Of Six Dioceses In Northern California Regarding Their Faith Leadership Practices And Preparations, Michael Daniels

Doctoral Dissertations

The responsibilities of Catholic secondary school leaders are multifaceted, and their roles demand essential skills and preparation to ensure success. In addition to performing a myriad of administrative duties, Catholic secondary school presidents and principals are called to exercise "faith leadership" within their schools. Faith leadership is a distinctive aspect of Catholic school administration and one that the Catholic Church has historically acknowledged as paramount to its mission. Faith leadership in this study is defined as exercising the competencies and practices related to faith development, community building, moral formation, and mission advancement.

The importance of faith leadership to the mission …

Starting A Dialogue With Mexican Born Students: Appropriating A New Understanding In A Public High School, Vicne Leeburn

Doctoral Dissertations

Research Topic

This study uses the narratives of conversation participants to gain a new understanding of the issues faced by Mexican born students at Prospect High School, in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Research Theory and Protocol

Through critical hermeneutic theory formulated by Paul Ricoeur (1992) and the inquiry protocol developed by Ellen Herda (1999), I applied the interpretive categories of narrative identity, imagination and communicative action to this study.

Research Categories

The narratives describe the stories of the participants' experiences of coming to a new country and the difficulties and successes of assimilating into a new culture while still …

Being A Project Manager In A Multinational Corporation: An Interpretive Perspective On Working Practices And Experiences, Waleed Afndy

Doctoral Dissertations

Inspired by the lack of research regarding the firsthand practices and everyday lived experiences of project managers, informed by an ontological orientation, this study looked into what it means to be a project manager in a multinational corporation. It provides an interpretive perspective on these practices and experiences, which includes perspectives of self in relation to an organization and the people, incorporating imagination into work, and organizing for an action.

Including Exceptional Children In A Christian Learning Community: New Narratives In Special Education, Jennifer Camota Luebke Ed.D., Mba

Doctoral Dissertations

Research Topic

The majority of Christian schools in the United States exclude children who have disabilities from their learning communities. This study examines the practices of 11 Christian schools throughout the United States, through conversations with a top leader in each school, that provide access to and/or inclusion in their schools.

Theory and Protocol

This research is grounded in critical hermeneutic theory and follows an interpretive approach to field research and data analysis (Herda 1999; 2010). Research conversations are conducted with the participants, which are then transcribed into a written text, which serves as the data to be analyzed.

Research …

The Theological Literacy, Beliefs, Attitudes, And Practices Of Lay Catholic Administrators Of The Catholic Secondary Schools In The Awka Diocese Of Nigeria, James Okafor

Doctoral Dissertations

Christ's call to evangelization is a mission the Catholic Church has perpetuated throughout history with its reliance upon its schools. In the 19th century, Catholic missionaries evangelized and catechized the Nigerian Igbo people through the schools they built. In 1970, the Nigerian government confiscated these schools, and converted them to secular institutions. It also closed Catholic Teacher Training Colleges.

In response to this, the Nigerian Conference of Catholic Bishops built diocesan Catholic schools, and those who ministered within them were charged with knowing and integrating the six tasks of catechesis--knowledge of the faith, liturgical life, moral formation, prayer, communal life, …

An Investigation Of First-Year Teacher Induction Programs In Jesuit Secondary Schools Within The California Province, Justin James Dixon Christensen

Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed methods study invited principals (n=5) and first-year teachers (n=25) in five Jesuit secondary schools in the California Province to participate. Online surveys and follow-up online interviews were designed to assess the degree to which the schools met 11 standards that constituted the conceptual framework for the study: (a)Program vision, goals, and institutional commitment, (b)Formation of the Ignatian educator, (c)Program administration and communication, (d)Principal engagement, (e)Program assessment, evaluation, and accountability, (f)Assessing first-year teacher practice, (g)First-year teacher professional development and learning communities, (h)Mentor role and responsibilities, selection, assignment, and assessment, (i)Mentor professional development and learning communities, (j)Focus on instructional practice, …