Educational Leadership Commons^™

How Do Parents Of Typically Developing Children Perceive And Interact With Children With Exceptionalities?, Zurisaday N. Decker

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to examine how parents with children displaying typical development, perceive and interact with children who have exceptionalities or disabilities and explore parents’ openness to having discussions about exceptional children in inclusive classrooms. Given that parents function as foundational sources of knowledge to children in their early childhood years, understanding parents’ perceptions of and interactions with children with disabilities may help to understand how these parents’ children will, in-turn, perceive and interact with classroom peers with disabilities. This line of inquiry is supported by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, which views microsystems such as the family, …

Building Resilience In Ctls: Reflections On Practice, Lisa J. Hatfield, Julie Maxson, Jennifer Marshall Shinaberger, Hanna E. Norton, Cynthia (Cia) H. Demartino, Annette Finley-Croswhite, Gigi Gokcek

History Faculty Publications

What are the qualities of the “now” that make teaching and learning an urgent, if not a moral, imperative? A group of faculty, administrators, and educational developers respond to this question with individual narratives bound together by a common theme of reflective practice in times of crises to help faculty become more resilient in preparing for ongoing upheavals and unexpected crises while pursuing more inclusive communities. Our personal narratives reflect on the subjects of flexibility in the face of crises, technology and ethics, study abroad exposure to ethical challenges, students’ growing anxiety and mental health, modeling metacognition with peers and …

Every Artist Is An Advocate: An Autoethnographic Analysis Of How Higher Education Imposes Artist Advocacy, Noah R B Durnell

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Increasing instability in higher education funding (Thomas, 2021) has directly impacted the University of Montana music program but has also indirectly changed the role of music students to such an extent that I now often say, “every artist is an advocate.” In 2018, the University of Montana School of Music experienced significant threats from budget cuts, and in the years following, attempts to earn legislative funding for capital development failed. Faced with these budget cuts and other lack of funding, music students had to advocate for themselves and employ community and institutional support to maintain the strength of their program. …

Teacher Perceptions Of Student Learning Environments As A Result Of Virtual Learning In Tennessee Rural High Schools, Kimberly Mcintyre

Ed.D. Dissertations

After the COVID‑19 pandemic came to the United States in March 2020, teachers and educational leaders looked to virtual learning as a way for students to overcome learning challenges and improve educational experiences for students. Stakeholders were met with conflicting claims about virtual learning. Proponents of virtual learning claimed virtual teaching and learning platforms strengthened education because they provided additional tools when traditional classroom settings were impossible. Opponents claimed virtual learning resulted in learning loss, therefore failing to improve student learning. In this qualitative interpretive study of a rural school system in Tennessee, using instrumental, semi‑structured interviews, I uncovered the …

Experiencing Intellectually Stimulating K-12 Principal Actions: A Phenomenological Study, John Parham

Ed.D. Dissertations

K-12 principals are held increasingly accountable for school success, yet their direct impact on students is negligible. Principals must thus work to positively impact their teachers in order to indirectly impact student achievement. Transformational leaders are able to utilize intellectual stimulation in order to impact those who work under them. The data for this study was collected through qualitative means, with eight K-12 teachers, representing two school districts in East Tennessee, participating. The findings in this study indicated that principals were able to provide intellectually stimulating experiences for teachers without having to bring in outside resources or even add extra …

Kentucky Public Charter Schools, Pamela Manning-Hamilton

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Kentucky public charter school law was introduced in 2017, the purpose of the new innovative schools were to close the achievement gap among the education system within the state. Charter schools are new-age schools that have a smaller class size, use differentiated instructional strategies that integrate technology to promote engagement, which in turn increases student growth and success. Advantages of charter schools within other states include differentiated environment, culture, and performance. Disadvantages of charter schools involve taking resources from traditional schools, higher resource costs, and demands. The study was approached using a basic qualitative research method. The purpose of the …

Moving From Harm Mitigation To Affirmative Discrimination Mitigation: The Untapped Potential Of Artificial Intelligence To Fight School Segregation And Other Forms Of Racial Discrimination, Andrew Gall

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Policy And Practice: Evaluating Workflows And Communication For Maternity Leave At The University Of Dayton, Christina A. Beis, Kayla Harris, Gabby Campana

Reports from the Gender Equity Research Fellowship

Maternity leave experiences and policy workflows at the University of Dayton have not been formally reviewed since the creation of an all benefit-eligible employee paid maternity leave policy in 2017. This study examines the lived experience of faculty and staff who have taken maternity leave since the implementation of the policy and faculty, staff, and supervisor perceptions of the current leave policies and workflows. Interviews and surveys found a need for clearer documentation in policies, an expansion of parental leave for the non-birth parent, and supervisory support. The report concludes with recommendations based on this research for implementing updates to …

A Path To Visibility And Leadership: How Mentoring Relationships Impact Career Advancement In Student Affairs For Asian American Women, Erica Alcantara Aros

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Asian American women who choose a career in student affairs within the field of higher education are severely underrepresented in both staff positions and top officer/administrator positions compared to White women and other women of color. As the Asian American college student population continues to rise and women make up the majority of undergraduate students in the United States, institutions of higher education must address the need for student affairs staff and administrators to proportionally represent their diverse student bodies. Unfortunately, with an average of 2% of the roles of higher education administrators filled by Asian Americans, few Asian American …

Student Affairs Professionals As Tempered Radicals: Lessons On Action And Advocacy, Devin A. De Both

Masters Theses

Modern universities are intricate organizations with many stakeholders each with their own goals and objectives. In a time of resource scarcity, student affairs professionals are tasked with advocating on behalf of their students, staffs, departments, and priorities against more solvent operations. Effective managers and administrators must align their priorities with other actors on campus and in accordance with institutional values. This study asked how professionals engage in the advocacy process, including the strategies that they use. Utilizing the tempered radicals perspective, this qualitative study was conducted through four interviews with experienced senior level student affairs professionals.

Leading Through Crisis: The Covid-19 Pandemic’S Impact On The School Principalship, A Delphi Study, Matthew J. Togna

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation study examined the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the K-12 School Principalship and attempted to forecast the future of the principalship post-Pandemic. Using a forecasting method known as the Delphi Technique, I solicited public K-12 principals working in the Commonwealth of Virginia with at least 3 years of administrative experience to serve as participants. In total, 26 practicing principals completed three questionnaires offering their expert opinions on pre-Pandemic roles and responsibilities of the school principal and how those roles were impacted throughout the Pandemic. Additionally, the participants made predictions about the future of the school principalship. Findings …

Help Wanted: The Call For Transformative Women Leaders In Higher Education, Lisa Emery

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This research considers the need for transformative change in higher education admissions policies and student success initiatives in the wake of significant impending changes in the demographics of the college-going population. The role of the chief enrollment management officer (CEMO) was examined for its potential to shape policies around access and equity within an institution. It is predicted that hundreds of CEMO positions may become available due to high turnover within the next few years, creating an opportunity for more women to step into this executive-level role. In this causal comparative quantitative study, data was collected from 211 current CEMOs …

The Implementation Of Restorative Justice Practices: An Exploration Into Administrators' Experiences, Sacha Starr Helling-Christy

Education Dissertations

In this paper, transformative learning theory and restorative justice practices, as well as the empirical research done to link theory to practice, are explored. As Mezirow (2018) stated, transformative learning is “the process by which we transform problematic frames of reference (mindsets, habits of mind, meaning perspectives)—sets of assumption and expectation—to make them more inclusive, . . . open, reflective and emotionally able to change” (p. 116). In other words, people’s life experiences help shape their opinions and worldviews, and most people are resistant to change these ideas the more solidly they are planted in one’s minds as being correct. …

Female Superintendents And Negotiations: A Phenomenological Study Of The Influence Of Gender In The Midwest, Kathryn R. Blaha

Dissertations and Theses

Negotiation is a process wherein decisions are made between parties with different points of view and possibly conflicting interests (Caputo, 2019). Little is known about how women experience negotiation for salary and compensation. Studies associated with gender and negotiations have focused on the process or outcomes of the negotiation. While studies have identified a gender-based earnings gap, how women negotiate for compensation packages at the school superintendent level has not been studied. This qualitative Hermeneutical phenomenological study attempted to understand how female educational superintendents experience negotiations through description and meaning drawn from their lived experiences. By understanding how female school …

A Quantitative Examination Of The Impostor Phenomenon In Community College And Technical College Presidents In The Upper Midwest, Jeffrey Pool

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to study the impostor phenomenon feelings in community and technical college presidents in the upper Midwest. This research is grounded in the previous works of Dr. P.R.Clance and uses her Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) to evaluate the strength of impostor phenomenon feelings. Previous research has examined business leadership, women in leadership roles, university faculty, and students, but there is currently no research that applies specifically to higher education leadership. The research specifically examines the strength of impostor feelings in correlation to the president’s race, gender, and length of time in a presidency.

The Importance Of Mentorship, Sponsorship, And Politics For Women Of Color Who Aspire To The Superintendency And Other School Leadership Roles, Cicily Mccrimmon

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if mentorship and sponsorship could help identify the potential political pitfalls or “hidden rules” of senior-level leadership to increase the identification, recruitment, and retention of minority women, specifically African American women in the role of superintendent or executive at the school and district level. This phenomenological study explored how leadership expectations for women of color have changed over time; however, the narratives illustrate that perceptions related to women of color in senior-level leadership have largely remained unchanged. The absence of the narrative for minority women in leadership, including the limited number serving …

Exploring White Racial Identity Development Within Christian Colleges, Glen Kinoshita

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

Racial identity development is a growth process in which many college students engage as they regularly interact with peers and instructors from diverse backgrounds. As compositional diversity, as well as diversity of thought, lags at Christian colleges, the purpose of this qualitative, narrative study was to understand how White students who have undergone significant progress in their racial identity development, describe their process while attending predominantly White, evangelical, Christian colleges. Three participants from three Christian colleges/universities were interviewed, a total of nine, White student participants. One college was located in the Pacific Northwest and two colleges were located in Southern …

Growth: 21 (2022) Full Issue

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

The full issue of the twenty-first edition of Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development.

Advising And Supporting College Students Experiencing Imposter Syndrome: A Christian Perspective, Jeannine Kranzow

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

For Christian student affairs educators, it is essential that the methods of advising and supporting students be in line with biblical directives for a whole and holy life. This paper will examine approaches for advising and supporting students experiencing imposter syndrome. Current research on impostor syndrome is presented as well as a discussion of ways that Christian insight can provide additional guidance and awareness for supporting struggling students. By connecting both biblical wisdom and the current scholarship, a Christian perspective of impostor syndrome, anchored in a discussion on spiritual warfare, is offered. Using this perspective, recommendations for practice are identified.

Living Life Together: A Qualatative Study Of Taylor University's Lifestyle Covenant, Jana Roste

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

Taylor University, a small, Christian, liberal arts institution in the Midwest, utilizes a lifestyle covenant which outlines expectations for campus life to promote character development and fulfill the university’s mission. In pursuit of exploring community members’ perceptions of the Life Together Covenant (LTC), the larger qualitative study, consisting of individual interviews with ten senior students, ten staff members, and ten faculty members, found that participants generally perceived the LTC as a guide or set of expectations to live cohesively at Taylor. This article focuses on the student findings and analyses. Students generally perceive and experience the LTC in a legalistic …

Nature Rx: Improving College-Student Mental Health, Christina Brandsma

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

Christina Brandsma reviews Nature Rx: Improving College-Student Mental Health by Donald A. Rakow and Gregory T. Eells, published by Cornell University Press, 2019.

Finding Jesus In The Storm: The Spiritual Lives Of Christians With Mental Health Challenges, Jeffrey Tabone

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

Jeffrey Tabone reviews Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges by John Swinton, published by Eerdmans, 2020.

Algorithms Of Opporession: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, Jazmin Dantzler

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

Jazmin "JD" Dantzler reviews Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism by Stafiya Umoja Noble, published by NYU Press, 2018.

Why So Few Women? A Case Study Of Female Superintendents In P-12 Public Education Systems, Alfreda M. Howard

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored the pathways, barriers, and advancement strategies of female superintendents in Georgia. The problem that the study addressed was examining the gender disparity in the superintendency. The purpose of this study was to explore the leadership journey of female superintendents who served in P-12 public education systems in Georgia for the 2021-2022 school year. The researcher created and pilot-tested a semi-structured interview protocol to collect data for the study. Study participants included five current female superintendents in Georgia.

Findings revealed that female leaders are grossly underrepresented in the superintendent role. Graduate degrees and terminal degrees in …

Student Experiences With University Accessibility Services: A Quantitative Inquiry, Charles Hilston

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of an accessibility services office on student achievement and cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA). This research was a quantitative exploratory study designed to investigate student experiences with using accessibility services and transitioning into a Major Southeastern University (MSU) in the United States. Participants in the study were actively enrolled undergraduate students with a learning exceptionality. The students that completed the questionnaire answered questions regarding their experiences with using the services provided by the office, along with their experiences with transitioning into the university. The results of this research are intended …

Engagement In Online Math Courses: An Exploration Into Success Rates Of Professors Who Use Engagement Tools In Online Learning, Shauna Rogan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

As more college courses transition to hybrid and fully online models due to Covid-19, the classroom environment for higher education has changed and will continue to do so (Bonk, 2020). As online learning continues to grow, a challenge of not connecting with the instructor can be a concern. Success in the online classroom is possible for students who may feel they are alone in online learning (Holbeck & Hartman, 2018). With the right combination of engagement tools, student interaction with the curriculum, class, and professor result in a meaningful learning experience (Holbeck & Hartman, 2018). The history of online education, …

An Investigation Of The Excess Credit Hour Surcharge Policy And Its Impact On First-Time-In-College Students At A Large Metropolitan University In The State Of Florida, Lynn Grabenhorst

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

An Excess Credit Hour policy "assesses a tuition surcharge for any credits taken beyond a predetermined threshold" (Smith, 2017, para. 1). In 2009, the State of Florida implemented legislation on excess credit hours at four-year public institutions, Fla. Stat. § 1009.286 (State of Florida, 2012). Legislation found under title forty-eight (XLVIII) of the K-20 Education Code, Fla. Stat. § 1009.286, relating to "Educational Scholarships, Fees, and Financial Assistance," discussed the "intent of the Legislature to encourage each undergraduate student who enrolls in a state university to complete the student's respective baccalaureate degree program in the most efficient way possible…" (State …

The Lived Experiences Of Faculty In The Covid-19 Pandemic Shift In Instruction, Alison Hammack

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This study sought to understand the lived experiences of mathematics faculty teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic's rapid shift from on-campus instruction to online education. Faculty are the primary influencers at a college. Their perspectives on the challenges and changes to teaching practices may determine a college's response to improving teaching and learning during a crisis. At the time of the COVID-19 transition, many faculty had no experience creating and teaching an online course, and some had previously been resistant to teaching online. Using a phenomenological approach, nine participants at a large state college were interviewed using the Teacher-Centered Systemic Reform …

Meeting Transfer Students Where They Are: A New Organizational Approach To Transfer Student Communication, Support, And Recruitment, Daniel Wright

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Transfer students have long played a significant role in the growth and diversity of colleges and universities. Recent research points to a continuous decline in enrollment over the coming decade (Kelderman, Gardner, & Conley, 2019), and as tuition costs continue to increase and enrollment numbers decrease, institutions of higher education have begun turning to transfer students to fill their lecture halls and football stadiums. A key variable in higher education’s transfer recruitment blind spot is a fundamental lack of understanding of the structural and organizational changes needed to both attract and retain these non-traditional students (Tobolowsky & Cox, 2012). For …

Housewives To Heroines: Continuing Education For Women At The University Of Kentucky, 1964-1988, Allison L. Elliott

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Beginning in the early 1960s, the movement for the continuing education for women (CEW) brought together a seemingly unlikely alliance of American activists, educators, philanthropists, and government agencies. Fueled by philanthropic funds, accelerated by the quest for “womanpower” to bolster national defense, and aligned with regional workforce needs as well as the personal goals of individual women, CEW programs pioneered new models of academic advising and student support that continue to influence higher education practitioners today. By studying the experiences of both administrators and students involved with CEW at the University of Kentucky, this study sheds light on how one …