Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

Organizational Orientations Of K-12 School Leaders In The Columbia Union Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Rose Tooley Gamblin

Dissertations

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study was to examine the organizational orientations--structure ,human resource, political, and symbolic --of the K-12 school leaders in the Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and the relationship, if any, to their personal variables of age, gender, experience, and their professional variables of grade levels served, educational attainment, enrollment, support, feelings of success, and job satisfaction.

Method

A self-administered Organizational Orientations survey instrument, based on the multiple orientation framework of Bolman and Deal, was used to gather information about the school leaders. The population surveyed provided 56 usable responses, which were analyzed …

Institutional Effectiveness : The Integration Of Program Review, Strategic Planning, And Budgeting Processes In Two California Community Colleges, Eileen Knight White

Dissertations

Problem. Effective institutional planning is vital to the ability of community colleges to deliberately respond to external and internal pressures to increase accountability and demonstrate institutional effectiveness. A significant indicator for assessing the effectiveness of a program review process is the use of the outcomes for other institutional purposes such as research, planning, and resource allocation—in other words, informed decision making. In the past, program review, planning, and budgeting processes for the most part have been independent functions or limited in their integration within an institution. The literature provides theories of integration, but little has been written about how …

Factors Which Impact The Conduct Of Fifth Grade African-American Males, Derricka Bashetta Thomas

Dissertations

This study examines the factors that impact the conduct of fifth grade African- American male students who participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten (ECLS-K). The participants in this study are located throughout the United States of America. These students attend private and public schools. The data for this study were provided by the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES), a division of the U.S. Department of Education. The researcher utilized ECLS-K’s Public Use Data File and Electronic Codebook to create an SPSS syntax file in order to measure the factors that impact the conduct of fifth grade African- American …

An Examination Of Perception Toward Merit Pay In A Southern School District, Carol Lynn White Payne

Dissertations

The use of merit pay systems has been a part of educational history for one hundred years. States across the country have utilized different forms o f merit pay systems to increase student achievement. Career ladder merit pay systems may base teacher salary on the attainment of additional degrees, additional responsibilities and an increase in student achievement. School-based performance awards may reward all staff members of a school based on achievement of goals set by the school board. Individual teacher financial awards may be based on administrative evaluations, student achievement, attainment of additional degrees, and participation in professional development sessions. …

Crossing The Bridge From Eighth To Tenth Grade: Can Ninth Grade Schools Make It Better?, Eddie James Peasant Ii

Dissertations

Ninth grade is a complicated time period in the school years of young adolescents, They face many social, emotional, physical, and academic issues during the transition from eighth grade to the freshman year. In some cases, these problems in ninth grade lead to increased dropout rate. This matter is addressed in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). School districts across the country are establishing programs to deal with this dilemma of students transitioning from the middle grades to high school. One such program is the ninth grade school or academy. The general purpose of this study was to investigate …

Factors Contributing To Career Success: Perceptions From African American Male School Administrators, Oliver Wilson

Dissertations

In this qualitative study, interviews were conducted with seven Black male school administrators in the Michigan school district who held the position of assistant principal or principal. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of Black male school administrators in Michigan school districts. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. Using a phenomenological approach the participant responses were codified, grouped, and analyzed for emergent themes. Five themes emerged as a result of the data analysis: (1) Colleague support is a key mechanism in the success of Black male school administrators. (2) Parental involvement is important in the success …

Impact Of Enrollment Management, Marketing And Strategic Planning On Adult Higher Education Enrollment Patterns, Kinfu Adisu

Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the impact of enrollment management, marketing and strategic planning practices (or lack thereof) on enrollment trends in two graduate programs across five Grand Rapids, Michigan-based institutions of higher education. Deans, department heads or program directors associated with the Master's of Business and Master's of Education degrees in each institution were interviewed, as were regional administrators and marketing personnel for a total of 15 participants. In addition, the challenges faced by these graduate programs and how such challenges impacted enrollment patterns were analyzed.

Findings indicate that to a large degree the concepts of enrollment management, marketing and …

How Teacher Attitudes And Administrator Behaviors Affect Levels Of Technology Integration In The Classroom, Sheri Leigh Bradshaw

Dissertations

Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to evaluate how well teachers’ attitudes predict levels of technology integration into the classroom. This study also investigated whether perceived support from the administrator as the instructional leader was related to teachers’ levels of technology integration into the classroom. The population for this study included identified school districts in rural North Georgia. Utilizing the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for the 2002-2003 school year, the researcher identified 5 peer districts: Franklin County, Gilmer County, Stephens County, Union County, and White County. All middle and high school teachers within a district were invited to …

Superintendents ’ Perceptions Of Clinical Supervision Practices In A District-Wide Implementation Program, Myrna Rae Ladner Bourgeois

Dissertations

In 1990 a new idea swept through the educational industry. Forty-nine school districts in Pennsylvania instituted a new form of organizational management called clinical supervision. In effect, this was a change in the relationship between administration and teachers concerning instructional behaviors. Formerly, when teachers were supervised and evaluated by administrators, they felt intimidated. They also felt their privacy was being invaded. Clinical supervision is an attempt to organize the methodology of teacher supervision while improving instruction. The purpose of this study was to provide data to the participating school districts for use in developing supervision, evaluation, and involvement training modification …

Afterschool Intervention Programs’ Impact Upon Select Variables Among 10th Grade Students In The Education Longitudinal Stu D Y (Els) 2002 Dataset, Diane Jackson-Chapman

Dissertations

This researcher analyzed data from the database of the National Center for Educational Statistics: Education Longitudinal Studies (ELS) 2002. The study included responses from 743 principals in 752 schools and from 15,362 10th grade students from public, Catholic, and other private schools. The dissertation investigated if the percentage of school participation in afterschool/summer outreach programs could predict students’ perceptions of teachers, drug availability on campus, student misbehaviors and punishments, and attitudes toward school and grades. The independent variable was the percentage of students in afterschool/summer outreach programs as reported by principals. The dependent variables related to students’ responses to attitudes …

School Web Sites And Teacher Employment Interest, David Theodore Freeman

Dissertations

The Internet has changed the way many organizations, including public and private schools, recruit and select employees. It has also changed the way many people research and pursue employment opportunities, including those seeking positions in education. The school Web site is often the medium of first contact between a school or school district and a potential employee. That first contact can influence the potential employee’s decision to actively pursue employment with a school or a school district.

This research measured the reactions o f preservice teachers who visited three grade-level appropriate school Web sites of “poor,” “average,” and “best” distinction. …

Sources Of Stress, Levels Of Stress, And Coping Strategies Of Faculty And Staff At Northern Caribbean University, Gloria Davis-Roberts

Dissertations

Statement of the problem. Northern Caribbean University, formerly West Indies College, attained university status in June 1999. The purpose of this study was to describe the levels and sources of stress and coping strategies of faculty and staff at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) and to determine if these (levels, sources, and coping strategies) are related to selected demographic characteristics (such as gender, age, marital status, years of employment, and employment status---faculty or staff).

Method. A descriptive survey research design was used to conduct this study in which the Occupational Stress Inventory (OSI) was administered to the facultyand staff of NCU. …

Spiritual Well-Being And Quality Of Life As Correlates Of Job Stress Among Academic Chairpersons In Selected Seventh-Day Adventist Tertiary Institutions, Russell Mark Aldridge

Dissertations

Problem . Stress, like pain, begins at birth and remains common to the human condition throughout life, and it is a factor in the experience of every human being who ever lived. It is not merely universal but it is also endemic and omnipresent. Chairpersons, due to the bi-directional demands of administration and students are in a stressful environment. This study was undertaken to identify whether quality of life and spiritual well-being play an important role in occupational stress levels in chairpersons of Seventh-day Adventist Tertiary Institutions.

Method. Three questionnaires were used to get responses from 137 chairpersons in …

Increasing Organization Capacity: A Systems Approach Utilizing Transformational And Distributed Leadership Practices, Patricia L. Reeves

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test a transformational, systemic change framework designed by the researcher to assist school leaders who are attempting to incorporate the major elements of transformational leadership theory, systems theory, and organizational development theory into their school or school district operations. The study involved both the distillation and organization of the major theoretical elements from the literature into an operational framework for planning, conducting, and monitoring the systemic change process in K-12 school systems. This framework was, then, tested by the researcher for its descriptive power in a case study analysis of an actual school …

How Instructional Leadership Is Addressed In Educational Administration/Leadership Programs, Lolethia Jones Kibble

Dissertations

Problem

Instructional leadership is a major factor in school effectiveness and student achievement, yet it is not widely practiced by school principals. One of the contributing factors, identified in the literature, is a lack of skills and knowledge. Although there is a great deal of information about principal preparation programs, there is very little information on the preparation of school leaders in the practice of instructional leadership behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine how instructional leadership is addressed in both traditional and restructured educational administration/leadership programs and to what extent this is related to institutional and demographic …

Administrator Perceptions Of Internet-Based Distance Education In Adventist Colleges And Universities : A Mixed-Method Study, Pamela K. Cress

Dissertations

Problem . The quality of Internet-based distance education (IBDE) will increasingly become the standard by which students choose a program as higher educational options multiply due to the dramatic growth in distance education. A system-wide examination of perceptions of IBDE in Adventist highereducation is important to administrators for future institutional strategic planning purposes, systemic adoption of policies and practices that promote excellence, and identifying collaborative efforts.

Method . This was a sequential exploratory mixed-method study of the perceptions of administrators on IBDE. It was conducted collaboratively with Susan Smith who examined teacher perceptions. Data were collected for both studies from …

Job Satisfaction And Organizational Commitment Among Teachers In Norway : A Comparative Study Of Selected Schools From Public And Private Educational Systems, Styrkår A. Dramstad

Dissertations

Problem. Recruiting teachers and motivating them to stay in their jobs represents a major educational challenge in Norway. Growing demands and greater expectations on teachers are factors that have resulted in higher turnover and problems of filling vacancies.

Based on this background, the primary purpose of this study was to determine if job satisfaction is associated with organizational commitment among public and Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) teachers in Norway. The secondary purpose was to compare job satisfaction and organizational commitment between public and SDA teachers in Norway, and to establish linear combination based on the factors of job satisfaction that …

Faculty Perceptions Of Institutional Commitment To The Scholarship Of Engagement, Mackenzi Anne Huyser

Dissertations

Problem. Institutions of higher education are in an important position in relation to fulfillment of their institutional mission. Boyer (1996) introduced to the higher education community an alternative approach to scholarship to address this shift from original mission. While Boyer (1990) examined institutions of higher education as a whole, the distinctive worldview, mission, and philosophy of reformed Christian institutions have not been examined to determine to what extent they are fulfilling their calling to transform creation and redeem culture. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine social perceptions that full-time faculty, serving in reformed institutions, hold about their …

Perceptions Of Board Effectiveness In Selected Institutions Of Higher Education In Zimbabwe, Bonginkosi Zvandasara

Dissertations

Problem

The purpose of this study was to identify the level of board effectiveness in selected private and public universities in Zimbabwe as perceived by board members. Also, the study sought to determine the influence of such demographic variables as age, education level, and years of service on the seven factors of university functioning: institutional mission, institutional planning, physical plant, financial management, board membership, board organization and performance, and board/vice chancellor relations.

Method

The survey method was used to collect data. Respondents were asked to complete a 47-item questionnaire and indicate their level of agreement on each of the questions …

Examination Of The Skills And Dispositions Needed For Assistant Principals To Be Effective Disciplinarians, Sherie Lynn Williams

Dissertations

The main purpose of this study was to identify the set of key skills and dispositions needed by secondary school assistant principals to function as effective disciplinarians. A secondary purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of males and females concerning this topic. This was accomplished by exploring the perceptions of experts and practitioners, both male and female, concerning their ideas on the skills and dispositions needed by assistant principals at the secondary level to be successful disciplinarians.

This study used two methods of data collection, the Delphi Method of collecting information and focus groups. A panel of …

The Extent To Which Teachers And Principals Perceive High Schools As Learning Organizations, Scott Kemple

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to conduct an assessment of the culture and leadership of a sample of Michigan high schools as perceived by their teaching staff and principals.

The variables of culture and leadership are primary indicators of whether a school is viewed as a learning organization by the faculty, staff and administration of the school (Leithwood et al., 2001). Five primary questions were examined: (1) To what extent are high schools perceived as learning organizations by their principals? (2) To what extent are high schools perceived as learning organizations by their teachers? (3) Is there a difference …

Role That Professional Positioning And Professional Socialization Play In The Career Path Of African American Women Superintendents, Cheryl Celestin

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the professional positioning and professional socialization of African American women school superintendents in the Mid-West area of the United States. Numerous studies revealed that there are very few African American women superintendents (Glass, 2000; Alston, 2000; Brunner, 1999; Ortiz, 1998; and Jackson, 1995). Women educators in general and African American women educators more specifically were not placed in professional paths that normally lead to the superintendency (Alston, 2000; Gardiner, Enomoto and Grogan, 2000; and Shakeshaft, 1987). The ladder to the school superintendency had historically included male dominated line positions such as athletic coaching and band directing with …

The Contribution Of Education, Experience, And Personal Characteristics On The Reflective Judgment Of Students Preparing For School Administration, Margaret Rae Macdonald

Dissertations

Problem. School administrators must use high levels of reasoning to deal with the complexities of today's educational system. Reflective thinking has proven to be an effective administrative tool in problem solving, staff supervision, and school improvement, yet preparation programs for school administrators have limited knowledge about what contributes to reflective judgment in their students, thus making it difficult to develop curriculum and pedagogy to enhance reflection.

Method. The Reflective Judgment Model provides the theoretical framework for this mixed methods research design that explores contributory variables that contribute to the reflective judgment of educational leadership students. The Reasoning about Current …

The Relationship Of Academic Workload Typologies And Other Selected Demographic Variables To Burnout Levels Among Full-Time Faculty In Seventh-Day Adventist Colleges And Universities In North America, Sylvia Gonzalez

Dissertations

Problem statement. Research has shown that burnout is a widespread phenomenon among teachers, and that workload could be a possible predictor. No study had been done to date in Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities in North America to determine the levels of burnout in full-time faculty. Research was necessary, therefore, to determine the possible impact of academic workload typologies, gender, age, years of service in education, rank of professorship, teacher perception of academic workload intensity, and teacher perception of academic workload on burnout levels in this population.

Methodology. A non-experimental, exploratory, correlational, field-based, and cross-sectional study was conducted. …

Factors Affecting Superintendent Longevity In Michigan, Sally Hipp

Dissertations

Theory and research surrounding the issue o f longevity of superintendents seemed contradictory in the literature. On the one hand, the average length of time a superintendent serves in his/her position has not changed noticeably over the last few decades. Yet many researchers were reporting a crises in this field because the applicant pool seemed to be shrinking and longevity of superintendents in large urban districts was reported to be lower than the average longevity rate of 5-6 years. In addition the perception of many of the superintendents in the field was that the turnover rate of superintendents was on …

A Study Of The Effects Of Goal Conflict On Job Satisfaction In Auxiliary Enterprise Units Within Higher Education, Stephen M. Keizer

Dissertations

The role of goal conflict on job satisfaction within auxiliary enterprise units at Western Michigan University was the focus of this study. The continuing decline in state appropriations has caused state-funded colleges and universities to change their operational model in order to become more fiscally responsible. This change in operational focus has led to a shift in the balance between the goal of educating students and the goal of generating revenue. This shift creates goal conflict among many of the employees whose role it is to bolster the sagging operational budget. Conflict within job goals impacts on job satisfaction and …

A Study Of Perceptions Held Toward Teacher Evaluation Policies And Practices By Teachers And Their Supervisors In Adventist Schools In Canada, Dave Densil Higgins

Dissertations

Problem. Most school administrators and teachers deem teacher evaluation systems to be extremely stressful, of little or no value, and a barrier to high staff morale. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current teacher evaluation policies and practices and the perceptions held toward these policies and practices by selected elementary and secondary' teachers and their supervisors in the Adventist schools in Canada.

Method. The population of this study consisted of selected elementary and secondary teachers and their supervisors in the Adventist schools in Canada. Two hundred and twenty-five teachers and 48 supervisors were surveyed. The survey …

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Theodore Hesburgh's Fund-Raising Speeches For The University Of Notre Dame, Peggie Mathaba Ncube

Dissertations

Problem Statement. Literature reveals that college or university presidents play a key role in raising funds for their institutions. These roles are well documented, and yet many presidents face challenges in raising adequate funds for their institutions. Success stories of some university presidents are recorded, but no research has studied their rhetoric in raising funds in an attempt to uncover their formula for success. One such president is Theodore Hesburgh of the University of Notre Dame.

Methodology. This study assumes a rhetorical design, specifically the Burkean dramatistic approach to analyze Theodore Hesburgh's fund-raising speeches to the alumni of the …

An Examination Of The Perceived Need And Recommended Competencies For A Secondary School Principal Internship Program In The Seventh-Day Adventist Educational System, Robert L. Caskey

Dissertations

Purpose. The of this study was to examine the perceived need for, the recommended competencies of, and the delivery systems suggested, for a secondary school principal internship program in the Seventh-day Adventist educational system.

This study evolved from the belief that the significant turnover of principals represents a challenge for Adventist education. Because of this, the supply of qualified and experienced candidates is not available in sufficient numbers to meet the current personnel needs for secondary school administrators.

The review of related literature traced the history of principal internship training in the public school system from the early 1800s to …

Can Principals’ Personality Traits Predict Their Risk-Taking: Uncertainty And Success Orientation As They Relate To Risk Propensity, Bruce A. Evans

Dissertations

This exploratory investigation compared the personality traits uncertainty orientation and success orientation of Michigan principals with their risk-taking propensities. The personality traits were correlated individually with the risk-taking of principals and both traits were combined to examine their additive effect. The principals' personality traits and their risk-taking were also compared by gender.

One-third o f the public school principals in Michigan were chosen and targeted as subjects for study. The study concluded a significant positive correlation between uncertainty orientation and success orientation existed. The Pearson coefficient was r = 0.39. However the alpha level was a = 0.003. The findings …