Education Commons^™

An Analysis Of The Values And Spirituality Profiles Of College And University Presidents By Carnegie Classification, Harold Wayne Ballard

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether there are significant differences in the spirituality and value profiles of the presidents of institutions with differing Carnegie Classification: Associates Institutions, Arts & Sciences Plus Professions four year colleges and universities, and Research universities. This study extends the scope of the growing, but limited research conducted in the past twenty years on spirituality and leadership.

This study employed the use of three survey instruments, the Rokeach Value Survey, the Ballard & Bogue Spirituality Assessment, and a demographic questionnaire in an online survey. Three hundred and seventy seven presidents of American colleges …

Opting Out: Non-Participation In An Educational Assistance Program, Mary Elizabeth Lucal

Doctoral Dissertations

Educational assistance programs have existed in the United States since as early as 1952. These programs, in which employers pay for employees to complete post-secondary coursework, are popular among employers as recruitment and retention tools (Babcock, 2009; Buddin & Kapur, 2002; Cappelli, 2004; Manchester, 2008; Meisler, 2004; SHRM, 2009). They are viewed by employees as a means to accomplish personal goals (Jacobs, Skillings, & Yu, 2001). Yet, at last count, only 8% to 9% of eligible employees participated in classes through educational assistance (General Accounting Office, 1996). Little is known about why employees choose not to participate in educational assistance …

The Role Of Faculty In Institutional Decision Making, Marisa Ann Galick Moazen

Doctoral Dissertations

Faculty participation in the governance of institutions of higher education is a critical element in the founding structure for American universities. This expectation and willingness to participate has been affected by contemporary factors such as accountability, shifting priorities among teaching, service, and research, corporatization, and retrenchment. Comparing faculty perceptions between Dykes 1968 landmark study and faculty today is important for determining if there has been a change in faculty’s view of their role. The purpose of this study was to explore faculty perceptions of their ideal and actual governance role within higher education and their satisfaction in those roles. The …

The Principal's Role In Developing The Classroom Management Skills Of The Novice Elementary Teacher, Nicole L. Wilson

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative, multi-site case study was to investigate the principal’s role in facilitating the development of classroom management skills of novice teachers. Classroom management is a leading factor affecting the quality of instruction provided to students in public schools. The role of the administrator in supporting the novice teacher’s development as a classroom manager has limited research available, therefore, creating a gap. The rationale of investigating the principal’s role in new teacher classroom management effectiveness was achieved by using the conceptual framework of the principal as an instructional leader. An Instructional Leadership Checklist was utilized to identify …

Everyone’S Doing It. Or Are They? Understanding Student Affairs Assessment Practices At Small Private Colleges, Jonita Denise Ashley-Pauley

Doctoral Dissertations

Reports from national organizations and student affairs organizations have strongly suggested student affairs professionals engage in ongoing, comprehensive assessment of how their programs affect student learning (ACPA, 1996; ACPA & NASPA, 1997; Keeling, 2004). In terms of assessment and how it should be conducted, scholars have provided clear guidelines for the conduct of such assessment. However, to date, only one study has looked at assessment practices in student affairs programs; and that study was of three large public institutions whose student affairs programs were determined to have exemplary practices (Green, Jones, & Aloi, 2008). To date, no studies have focused …

The Relationship Between Self-Directed Learning And Information Literacy Among Adult Learners In Higher Education, Tiffani Reneau Conner

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-directed learning and information literacy. Participants completed the Personal Orientation in Self-Directed Learning Scale ([PRO-SDLS], Stockdale, 2003) and the Information Literacy Test ([ILT], James Madison University, 2003). The PRO-SDLS is a self-report scale consisting of 25 statements about self-directed learning preferences in college classrooms. The ILT is a 60-item multiple-choice test that assesses the information literacy skills of college students. Correlation, ANOVA, and multiple regressions were used to test relationships and differences between self-directed learning and information literacy. Despite claims that teaching information literacy creates self-directed learners, composite scores …

Principals' Concerns Regarding The Implementation Of Change, Theresa Diana Pelfrey

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the Stages of Concern (SoC) that school principals have toward change and then report participants' behavior relevant to their Level of Use (LoU) of an innovation. An understanding of principals' concerns regarding change suggested a variety of factors that impede educational leaders' implementation of innovations and change within the school environment.

The researcher studied principals' perspectives regarding change implementation in the course of their daily administrative activities. Although many principals are aware and knowledgeable of the current standards for school leadership, difficulties arise when innovations and change are implemented. This study was …

Job Satisfaction, Organizational Health, And Accountability In Selected Tennessee Middle Schools, James Lon Fox

Doctoral Dissertations

This quantitative study explored teacher perceptions of job satisfaction and school organizational health and whether significant differences existed between these perceptions and school performance. Empirical data were gathered by surveying a stratified, purposive, cluster sample of 177 teachers in selected middle schools across Tennessee; instruments used included the Organizational Health Index-Middle ([OHI-M]; Hoy, 2003) and the Job Satisfaction Survey ([JSS]; Spector, 1997). Secondary data on school performance—school achievement based on standardized test scores and valueadded scores derived from Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS)—were extracted from the Tennessee Department of Education Report Card (2010). These were used to create the accountability …

Tennessee Public High School Principals’ Leadership Behaviors And Teachers’ Job Satisfaction, Amie Broughton Rumph

Doctoral Dissertations

The attrition rate of teachers is alarming (Darling-Hammond, 2002; Keigher, 2010; Marvel, Lyter, Peltola, Strizek, & Morton, 2006). Factor of the attrition include teachers leaving the profession due to lack of job satisfaction or lack of administrative support (Angelle, 2002; Littrell, 1994; Schlichte, Yssel, & Merbler, 2005). Frameworked by Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory (Herzberg, Mausner, & Snyderman, 1959), this web-based, quantitative, descriptive study explored the connections between job satisfaction and perceived leadership behaviors. Participants included 302 teachers from public secondary schools in Central and East Tennessee. Instruments used were the Job Satisfaction Survey ([JSS], Spector, 1994), the Study of School Leadership …

The Principal's Role In Developing And Sustaining Professional Learning Communities: A Mixed Methods Case Study, Ginger Mink Teague

Doctoral Dissertations

With research supporting the benefits of professional learning communities in transforming schools, school leaders need insight and understanding into how to lead the organization toward successful implementation. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the principal in developing and sustaining professional learning communities in elementary school settings. The exploratory, sequential, mixed method case study was conducted using Hord’s (1997, 1998, 2008) Five Dimensions of a Professional Learning Community as the theoretical framework. The research design was a quan→QUAL sequential approach, with priority or dominance given to the qualitative phase (Greene, 2008; Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004). Triangulation …

Career Development And Employment Concerns Of Employment-Seeking Students With Psychiatric Disabilities, Sarah Charlotte Helm

Doctoral Dissertations

Although some literature chronicles the career development of college students with other types of disabilities, students with psychiatric disabilities have been practically invisible in research focused on this topic. Yet evidence suggests that the number of students with documented psychiatric disabilities attending institutions of higher education is on the rise. Thus, the purpose of the study was to describe the career development and employment concerns of employment-seeking students with psychiatric disabilities.

A qualitative research design was used to gain in-depth information from the perspective of students with psychiatric disabilities, specifically case study. The participants were seven undergraduate students from three …

Prescription Stimulant Use By Graduate Students, Matthew Donald Varga

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure graduate student prescription stimulant use by assessing the extent of use, reasons for use, and poly-substance use. Graduate students (n = 1,015) enrolled at a large Southeastern university completed the Student Life Survey. The data were analyzed using a variety of analytical techniques including descriptive statistics, frequencies, and a stepwise logistic regression in order to answer the research questions guiding this study:

1. What is the extent of prescription stimulant abuse among graduate students on college campuses?
2. What are the reasons for graduate students’ illicit use of prescription stimulants?
3. Are graduate students …

Sailing Blue Oceans In Search Of Blue Ribbons: A Case Study Of The Application Of Reconstructionist Strategy In Collegiate Business Schools, Shay Denton Scott

Doctoral Dissertations

Business schools are facing an increasingly competitive marketplace driven by the globalization of management education and the many new entrants providing educational and research services within this space. School rankings have become a substitute for independent assessments of quality by constituencies, often driving schools toward isomorphism in bids to climb higher in the rankings. Business school leaders need to fully understand their strategic options as they lead their schools during this challenging time. The purpose of this case study was to explore the pursuit, implementation, and potential performance effects of a type of reconstructionist strategy, Blue Ocean Strategy, within the …

The Relationship Between Teacher Absenteeism And Fourth-Grade Student Mathematical Achievement, Charles Michael Brouillette

Doctoral Dissertations

Within public schools throughout the United States, an emphasis has been placed on improving education for all students. In turn, this has resulted in legislators and policymakers placing an emphasis on assessing student learning and holding the education community accountable. In this study, the researcher examined one variable in the accountability effort: teacher absenteeism. The major purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher absenteeism and fourth-grade student mathematical achievement.

Data for this study were generated from nine school districts located in northern Louisiana. Data consisted of attendance records of fourth-grade teachers and student performance on the …

Exploring The Leadership Practices Of Social Justice Leaders At Urban Charter Schools, Kandle Fraser

Doctoral Dissertations

While by and large urban public schools continue to not serve the needs of all of the students in their communities, there are some school principals who are creating educational equity for all of their students and deserve to be called social justice leaders. This study aimed to expand the field of school leadership studies and focus on social justice leaders in charter schools using a phenomenological interview methodology. Each of four participants was interviewed in three 90-minute sessions. The first interview focused on the person's life history before becoming school leaders, the second was on their leadership practices, and …