Educational Leadership Commons^™

The Relativity Of Education: Student Perspectives On Artificial Intelligence In Community College, Ashley Greta Magana

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This hermeneutic phenomenological study examined how diverse community college students experience and make meaning of the integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) into their educational contexts. Although AI is quickly transforming higher education through automated grading, personalized learning systems, and new models of assessment, the discourse surrounding its implementation remains dominated by administrators, faculty, and institutional stakeholders, while the perspectives of students, specifically community college students who are often historically underrepresented and economically marginalized, are systematically excluded. Most existing research is quantitative and centered on universities, leaving a critical gap in qualitative understanding of the most diverse population in higher …

Exploring The Leadership Experiences Of Black Males At Four-Year Public Universities: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Demario Levon Preston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the school leadership experiences for Black male students at four-year public universities. At this stage in the research, leadership experiences were defined as the lived experiences of Black male students in universities' leadership roles, including the barriers they encountered and the strategies they employed to navigate these challenges. The theory guiding this study was Astin's (1984) theory of involvement, which posits that student engagement influences academic success and leadership development. The central research question asked: What are the lived experiences of Black males in four-year public universities who engage in …

Listening To Learn: Preservice Teachers’ Voice On What Matters Most In Their University Preparation Programs, David Wolff, Scott Klimek, Elizabeth Y. Dale

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This study explores the perspectives of preserviceteacher candidates on the topics in education they perceive as the most important and urgent as they prepare for their first year of teaching. Utilizing quantitative methodology, the study aims to identify and prioritize educational topics sixty (n = 60) preservice teacher candidates believed were critical to their professional development. Participants are asked to rate the topics based on two criteria: urgency and importance. Each topic is rated on a scale from 0 to 5, where 0 indicated unfamiliarly with the topic, 1 indicated low urgency or importance, and 5 indicates high urgency …

Collaborating With Our Ai Research Companion: Exploring The Use Of Microsoft Copilot To Conduct Inductive And Deductive Coding In Qualitative Research, David Wolff, Melissa Wolff, Mark Diacopoulos

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Higher Education faculty balance time in teaching, scholarship, and service, along with many other duties in their roles (Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, 2024). In our efforts to be stewards of our time and craft, faculty look for ways to be more efficient in these areas. With the increase of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in our personal and professional lives, this paper discusses the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI), Microsoft Copilot, as an analytic tool in the qualitative data analysis process. Qualitative data was collected from transcripts of recorded meetings and an online journal that included text and …

Exploring Stress And Mindfulness In Central Asia: Perspectives Of English Language Students In Uzbekistan, Laurie A. Wolfe, Rakhmatullo Akhmedov

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Stress is a growing concern among university students worldwide, yet little is known about how stress is conceptualized and experienced within Central Asia, particularly Uzbekistan. This study explores how Uzbek university students understand and experience stress, identifies the primary sources of stress in their daily lives, and examines their perceptions of mindfulness as a potential stress‑reduction strategy. Participants were 60 students, primarily Muslim women, at a large public university in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Open‑ended questions on a post‑intervention survey were analyzed using a combination of deductive and inductive coding. Students most frequently described stress in emotional terms, including irritability, sadness, and …

Embedding Evaluation For Continuous Improvement In A Cohort-Based Doctoral Residency Model: Evidence From An Ed.D. Program, Monica J. Weir

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership Program at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) includes two required summer residency weeks that serve as signature components of the doctoral experience. Given their central role in supporting academic milestones and scholarly community, program faculty have embedded systematic evaluation into residency design to support continuous improvement. This article describes a multi-phase, utilization-focused evaluation framework examining residency preparation, implementation, and participant experience. The evaluation designer collaborated with program faculty to design pre- and post-residency week instruments that elevate doctoral student voice and support faculty-led reflection. Preliminary findings indicated strong value placed on peer …

Preparing Teachers To Read The Data: Strengthening Data Literacy For Early Literacy Decision-Making, Tevia Q. Strand

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Teachers are increasingly expected to use literacy screening and benchmark data to guide instruction, identify student needs, and participate in multi-tiered systems of support. However, pre-service and early-career teachers may enter the profession without sufficient preparation to interpret assessment data or connect benchmark patterns to instructional action. This white paper examines the gap between teacher preparation and the realities of K-12 data use, with particular attention to early literacy decision-making. Drawing from Bradbury’s discussion of teacher preparation and the changing realities of education, this paper argues that data literacy is an essential part of preparing teachers for equitable classroom practice. …

Building Minnesota's Teacher Workforce From Within: Policy Recommendations To Expand Grow Your Own Teacher Pathways In Minnesota, Jennifer Maras

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Minnesota faces persistent teacher shortages driven by declining enrollment in teacher preparation programs, high early-career attrition, retirements, demographic shifts, and barriers to entering the profession. Traditional recruitment efforts alone are insufficient to meet the state's long-term workforce needs. This white paper proposes Grow Your Own (GYO) teacher pathways as a sustainable workforce development strategy that cultivates future educators from within Minnesota's own schools and communities. Rather than relying primarily on external recruitment, GYO initiatives intentionally develop local talent by creating accessible pathways for high school students, paraprofessionals, career changers, and community members to become licensed teachers.

Grounded in current workforce …

Re-Reading The World: Why Critical Literacy Must Accompany The “Back To Basics” Movement, Carl Bryan

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Recent literacy reforms in the United States have prioritized systematic phonics as part of the “science of reading,” backed by extensive evidence on the importance of phonemic awareness and decoding for early reading development. While these skills are essential, narrowing literacy to mechanics alone overlooks its broader cultural and civic purposes. Drawing on Freire’s (1970/2000) conception of literacy as both “reading the word and the world,” this paper argues for a balanced framework that integrates foundational instruction with comprehension, knowledge building, and critical literacy. Building on the work of Luke (2000) and Vasquez (2014), it positions literacy as both a …

Emotional Sobriety As Liberation: A Critical Pedagogy Of Resilience, Carl Bryan

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This white paper extends the Reclaiming Model of trauma recovery by examining what follows critical consciousness when trauma persists and systems remain largely unchanged. Building on Reclaiming My Story, which framed healing as a Freirean act of reclaiming authorship through naming harm, dialogue, and praxis (Bryan, 2026), this paper addresses how reclaimed consciousness is sustained under ongoing emotional, relational, and structural strain. Drawing on critical pedagogy, trauma scholarship, and a first-person case narrative, it reframes post-trauma survival not as incomplete recovery but as ongoing praxis. The analysis challenges resolution-based and individualizing models of healing by conceptualizing emotional sobriety, relational regulation, …

The Role Of Perceived Academic And Peer Support In Mitigating Imposter Syndrome Among Adhd Students, Eden Morley Dr

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Background: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in higher education is associated with significant executive functioning deficits and performance inconsistencies. These challenges, alongside heightened rejection sensitivity, may predispose students to the Imposter Phenomenon (IP)—the persistent belief that one’s success is undeserved. While social and academic supports are known to buffer psychological distress, their specific role in mitigating IP within the ADHD student population remains under-researched.

Objectives: This study investigated the severity of IP among undergraduate students with ADHD and examined the protective roles of Perceived Social Support (PSS) and Perceived Academic Support (PAS), while exploring gender as a potential moderator.

Methodology: A cross-sectional …

Values-Based Leadership In Public Discourse: How University Leaders Frame Character And Commitment, Heather Carroll, Jeff Fritz, Sarah Williams, Cheryl A. Maurana

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

Public leadership speech is a consequential site of ethical positioning where institutional values are named, contested, and interpreted under pressure, and where the choice of virtue language shapes where attention is directed. Analyzing published quotations from university leaders during the first 100 days of the second Trump administration, we examine how virtue language functioned as a public act of values-based leadership through a socio-ecological framework for flourishing that treats character as dynamic and relational. We find that leaders constructed ethical stances by anchoring commitment to moral virtues that named goods, intellectual virtues that narrated deliberative process, and occasionally pairing both …

Building Adaptive Leaders: Examining The Relationship Between Undergraduate Co-Curricular Leadership Roles, Change Readiness, And Leadership Self-Efficacy, Reneldo N. Randall

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The contemporary workforce is characterized by ongoing organizational change, requiring individuals to demonstrate adaptability and the capacity to lead within evolving conditions. Institutions of higher education increasingly emphasize leadership development as a mechanism for preparing students for these demands; however, limited empirical research has examined how participation in formal co-curricular undergraduate leadership roles relates to students’ readiness to engage with organizational change. This study addresses the gap by examining the relationship between leadership self-efficacy and resistance to change among undergraduate student leaders.

Guided by the Leadership Identity Development (LID) model, this quantitative study employed a non-experimental, correlational design. Data were …

July 2026 Bulldog Alumni & Friends News, Kari Jones, Garrett King

Bulldog Alumni & Friends News

July 30 SWOSU Near You: Eischen’s

July 27 - August 7 Online SWOSU Athletic Auction

August 7 SWOSU Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet

August 8 SWOSU Athletic Auction and Dinner

October 30-31 SWOSU Homecoming

Toward A Metric For Disciplinary Learning In The Age Of Ai: The Unblooms™ Metacognitive Awareness Scale And Discernment Rate In Ai-Mediated Learning, Tina R. Austin

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

Telling students to “reflect on their own thinking” has become insufficient in AI-mediated learning environments. When students are rewarded for polished outputs, cognitive offloading to AI tools becomes rational, and traditional snapshot assessments (single-moment evaluations of task completion) produce false signals about whether durable learning has occurred. This problem is sharpened by the broader shift in AI learning tools toward Socratic tutors, study modes, Khan Academy's Khanmigo, and agentic systems that can shape the learner’s process over time. Lodge and Loble (2026) distinguish beneficial cognitive offloading, which frees working memory for intrinsic learning, from detrimental outsourcing, which bypasses the cognitive …

Beyond The Prompt: Coding The Magis In The Age Of Ai, Vanessa Rotondo

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

As a scholar-practitioner in Jesuit higher education, I’ve witnessed how generative AI is not merely a tool students use—it’s a formative force that shapes how they reflect, imagine, and even pray. Drawing on the Catholic imagination, Ignatian pedagogy, and sociological frameworks like liquid modernity, I argue that Jesuit institutions must respond not just technologically and reactively, but actively anticipate methods of integrating AI both theologically and pedagogically. I introduce the concept of Imaginative Intelligence as a formative goal—an embodied, sacramental way of knowing that invites depth, wonder, and resistance to automation. This is not a call to reject AI, but …

Called To Accuracy, Brick By Brick: Recordkeeping And Reporting Amid Cultural Pressures And Training Gaps, Amber L. Wilson, Sarah J. Boettger, Janet K. Brown, Kjell Fenn, Jessica E. Kuehne, David L. Ream

Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This research investigates how faculty at Christian higher education interpret the impact of expected recordkeeping and reporting. The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions and expectations of recordkeeping and reporting that impact job satisfaction. By examining recordkeeping and reporting and the influence of culture as key factors affecting job satisfaction in Christian higher education, insights were gathered through six faculty member interviews. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, journals, and discussion board posts. This transcendental phenomenological study sought to explore the lived experiences of six faculty members at a large private Christian university in the southeastern …

2026-06-03 Revisal To Uar 907.03, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Proposed revisal to UAR 907.03 submitted to the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate on June 3, 2026.

June 2026 Bulldog Alumni & Friends News, Kari Jones, Garrett King

Bulldog Alumni & Friends News

June 5-6 SWOSU Football Championship Weekend

June 18 SWOSU Near You: OKC

July 30 SWOSU Near You: Eischen’s

July 27 - August 7 Online SWOSU Athletic Auction

August 7 SWOSU Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet

August 8 SWOSU Athletic Auction and Dinner

The Perception Of Students Toward Post-Pandemic Online Graduate Programs At A Historically Black College & University (Hbcu) In The South, April Ivery

Dissertations

This study examined the perceptions of online graduate students regarding the accessibility and usefulness of support services (Online Academic Advising, Online Technical Support, Online Counseling Services, Online Library Resources, and Online Career Services) at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the southern United States. The study aimed to examine the attitudes of online students towards these support systems and to determine whether these attitudes played a role in their learning process. The primary research question was: What is the relationship between the accessibility of support systems and students' perceptions of those support systems in online graduate programs at …

Dissertatin' While Black, T. Gertrude Jenkins

Black Educology Mixtape "Journal"

Dissertatin’ While Black (DWB) is a racial affinity space that employs a community-engaged approach to completing dissertation elements. More than a writing retreat, DWB centers holistic care, creating a site for mentorship, celebration, and the exchange of ideas. Rooted in BlackCrit (Dumas & ross, 2016) and Black Liberatory Educational Subversion (Jenkins, 2024), DWB emphasizes that participation in Black institutional third spaces can counter the isolation often experienced by Black doctoral students, especially at predominantly white institutions. Ultimately, DWB operates as a “homeplace” where Black doctoral students can feel seen, valued, and supported in their research (hooks, 1994). We believe that …

Strength In Numbers: Six Nursing Faculty Embark On A Shared Journey To Doctorate Success, Melissa P. Arthur, Leigh Moore

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

Pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a demanding and transformative experience, one that can be both daunting and profoundly rewarding. This article chronicles the journey of six dedicated nursing faculty and administrators from Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC) who undertook this challenge together, turning an academic endeavor into a shared mission of growth, resilience, and collaboration. Originating from a spontaneous suggestion, this collective pursuit of doctoral education evolved into a powerful example of professional solidarity.

As seasoned educators and leaders, the group had previously collaborated on pivotal institutional milestones such as ACEN accreditation, Board of Nursing improvement initiatives, …

Layers Of Representation: A Multidimensional Book Analysis, Mariah Pfundheller, Nikki Logan, Amy E. Lein, Sydney Bueno

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

This study evaluates how educators interpret the Multidimensional Framework for Inclusive Literature (MDFIL), a tool for evaluating and selecting multicultural literature for their classrooms. Participants self-identified as current, former/retired, or student teachers, or as undergraduates pursuing a teaching license at the time of the survey. Incorporating multicultural literature into educational settings has a positive impact on children's development. Multicultural literature fosters feelings of acceptance, cultural awareness, and empathy among students. By exposing children to diverse cultural perspectives, multicultural literature not only enhances their understanding of their own identities but also cultivates a greater appreciation of others' experiences. The benefits of …

Examining The Use Of Digital Journal Entries In A Special Education Course To Build Understanding Of Global Competence, Lema Kabashi, Leslie Rogers

Journal of Global Awareness

Teacher education programs increasingly emphasize the development of global competence (GC), particularly within experience-based learning contexts such as study abroad. This mixed-methods study examined teacher candidates’ (TCs) development of GC during a four-week study abroad experience by analyzing evidence from digital reflective journal entries and changes in self-reported perceptions across three time points. Data were collected from teacher candidates across two four-week summer sessions using digital journals and a Global Competence Self-Evaluation Survey. Qualitative content analysis was employed to identify the frequency with which three global competency areas were evidenced in the journal entries, while quantitative analyses examined changes in …

Embodied Leadership And Conditional Legitimacy: Critically Conscious Male Leaders Navigating Systems Of Power, Luis A. Legaspi

Dissertations

Leadership is not a neutral concept; it is shaped by overlapping systems of power, including empire, whiteness, neoliberal capitalism, and cisheteropatriarchy. These interlocking systems influence how leadership is defined, recognized, and legitimized, often privileging particular identities and forms of authority. The persistent underrepresentation of people of color, women, and queer individuals in positions of leadership reflects how dominant conceptions of leadership remain closely aligned with historically entrenched structures of power.

This critical narrative inquiry study examines how men, who disproportionately occupy positions of social and institutional authority, make meaning of masculinity, power, and leadership within these systems. Drawing on relational …

A Praxis Of Transformative Care: Centering Historically Resilient Students At A Pwi, Tanaisha Coleman

Dissertations

Campus cultural centers frequently treat student resilience as an individual struggle rather than a collective responsibility, obscuring systemic failures. At a predominantly white institution (PWI), historically resilient students, those from diverse backgrounds who have historically endured the structural load of institutional exclusion, carry the compounded weight of navigating systemic barriers while driving institutional change. This qualitative study disrupts traditional narratives of surviving and thriving to examine how undergraduate students constituting a student advisory committee (SAC) coconstructed critical resilience rooted in transformative and collective care.

Using community-based participatory research (CBPR), this study positions students as coarchitects of their institutional experiences. Over …

Can We Digitize A Soul? A Study Of Ai And Ethics, Spirituality, And Humanity, Debra S. Espinor, W. Scot Headley, Linda Samek

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

The rapid advancement of computing technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally reshaping both society and the educational landscape. This study examines faculty experiences and attitudes toward the role of AI in teaching and research within the distinct context of Christian higher education. While recognizing the potential of AI to drive educational innovation, this research also addresses significant faculty concerns regarding the implications for academic integrity, critical thinking, and intellectual property. Specifically, the study investigates faculty perspectives on data security and privacy, the reproduction of creative expression in art and music, and the broader impact of AI on the liberal …

An Editorial: If I Should Fall, Patrick Otto, David Weir

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Abstract

The future of Christian higher education will be determined by whether today’s leaders can identify and train successors who are called to the mission and vision of each institution. The task of transitioning to a new generation of leaders has become more complicated as research shows that the church in America is in decline. The increased use of adjuncts adds to the dilemma because it takes time and a single-minded focus to prepare high-level leaders.

We are at a critical time finding the right people to replace the Baby Boomer generation, which has led well past retirement age. As …

Who Gets To Be Taken Seriously? Three Atypical Scholars Navigate Doctoral Education At The Intersections Of Race, Neurodivergence, And Veteran Identity, Sr. Richard De La Garza

Dissertations

As a first-generation, neurodivergent, Mexican American/Chicano veteran, I entered the University of San Diego's doctoral program having had experiences that most institutional intake processes would label as risk factors. The Findings chapter of this dissertation begins by describing those experiences—not as a confession, but as the foundation for a systematic inquiry into how doctoral legitimacy is produced, withheld, and defended. The description of my life experiences is followed by a discussion of the doctoral journeys of two other study participants who also were atypical doctoral candidates.

The central argument being advanced is this: What higher education calls "fit," "rigor," and …

Perceptions Of Novice Career And Technical Education Teachers Regarding Teacher Evaluations, Felix Quayson, Chris Zirkle

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

As states expand funding for alternative teacher-licensure pathways, this qualitative descriptive case study examined how 38 novice Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers in a Midwestern research university’s alternative licensure program perceived teacher evaluation during their first years in the profession. Analyses yielded ten major themes with three subthemes each, which were synthesized into the DEEPS conceptual evaluation framework: Development, Evaluation, Engagement, Partnerships, and Skills. We arranged the acronym DEEPS based on data analysis for conceptual coherence rather than order of occurrence. Participants described evaluation as misaligned with the specialized demands of CTE instruction and called for tools that better …