Educational Leadership Commons^™

The Effect Of Campus Configuration On Ninth-Grade Achievement, James M. Finch, James L. Pate, Lantry L. Brockmeier, Michael J. Bochenko, Dianne C. Dees

International Journal of Leadership and Change

The purpose of this mixed-methods sequential explanatory research study was to determine whether there were significant differences between high schools having no freshman facility, a freshman wing, or a freshman campus on eight student performance measures. A second purpose was to examine principals’ perceptions of how their schools transition freshmen and how these transition strategies and arrangements worked. Of the eight ANOVAs conducted, only one analysis was statistically significant between the school configurations. In facilities using a freshman campus, high school students with disabilities earned significantly more core credit units than their counterparts in schools using no freshman facility. During …

Chinese Higher Educator Perceptions Toward Leadership Effectiveness In Regard To Gender, Kanglei Meng, John Baker

International Journal of Leadership and Change

This article discusses Chinese educator perceptions of effective leadership behaviors in order to determine how these teachers define effectiveness and whether a correlation exists between their perception and leaders’ gender. Factors include conscious and unconscious gender bias, Chinese culture, historical background, and identity. As a male-dominated country, China has been deeply influenced by Confucianism; hence, limited attention has been on female leadership. The article identifies and reviews three Women’s Revolutions in China and their effects in the past century in order to predict the status of female leadership. The researcher used the Chinese version of the LPI survey and conducted …

Azucena Villaflor, The Mothers Of The Plaza De Mayo, And Struggle To End Disappearances, Sam Mcfarland

International Journal of Leadership and Change

Azucena Villaflor, a poor Argentine woman with little education did more than any other person to place the problem of “disappearances” on the world’s agenda. In 1977, Villaflor led in creating the Mother of the Plaza de Mayo to protest the Argentine’s dictators disappearing of thousands of its own citizens. A person is “disappeared” when a government or its agents kills that person, hides their remains, and denies any knowledge of their whereabouts. Thousands were disappeared by Argentina’s dictatorship between 1977 and 1983; thousands of others have been disappeared around this world. The work Villaflor stated led to the creations …

Analytics: Potential In Higher Education, Brian Brausch, Joseph Cangemi, Keith Moody

International Journal of Leadership and Change

Analytics is altering the world of business and leadership as companies take advantage of its descriptive and predictive capabilities. Industries incorporating analytics into their daily operations are outperforming their competitors, generating greater profits and reducing expenditures. Following industry’s lead, higher education is beginning to make sure of big data to induce academic success by means of increased enrollment, retention, and graduation rates. Incorporating analytics into the decision-making process and overarching operations of an organization may yield considerable outcomes in corporate and academic environments. Integrating analytics into corporate culture requires collaborative partnerships focused on mutual interest and leadership expertise. This article …

African-American College And University Presidents Perceptions Of Effective Leadership Attributes, Sidney Glenn Carthell

Dissertations

This study examined how socio-demographic factors of gender, age, institution location, institutional Carnegie Classification, degree of residential students, and size of enrollment relate to the perceptions that African-American college and university presidents had relative to effective leadership attributes. The research was a quantitative study that employed a descriptive survey with correlational design. No statistically significant differences were found between the perceptions of successful leadership attributes in the study based on gender, education, position prior to the presidency, years of experience, school type, or location. Leadership attributes of Energetic with Stamina and Ideological Beliefs were found to be statistically significant at …

Do Faculty In-Class Incivility Behaviors Predict Type Of Out-Of-Class Interactions Between Faculty And Students?, Trudy-Ann Crossbourne

Dissertations

The present study explored relationships between two larger streams of research—faculty-student interactions and destructive leadership embodied in faculty incivility towards students. While interactions with faculty outside of class offer tremendous benefits for students’ intellectual and socio-emotional development, avoidance is one of the demonstrated outcomes of destructive leadership on followers and of faculty incivility on students. The theoretical basis for this study was the premise that faculty incivility displayed in class, as perceived by students, could predict the frequency and type of interactions in which students engage with professors outside of the classroom. To test this conjecture, a sample of 785 …

Joint-Admissions Explored: Determining The Existence Of A Transfer-Affirming Culture Between Owensboro Community And Technical College And Western Kentucky University-Owensboro, Angela Loretta Higdon

Dissertations

A growing number of postsecondary students transfer from a two-year to a four-year institution. The joint admissions program between Owensboro Community and Technical College (OCTC) and Western Kentucky University-Owensboro (WKU-O) is a unique example of such a transfer relationship. Research is needed to understand the nature of the joint admissions relationship. The purpose of this case study was to explore the joint admissions relationship between OCTC and WKU-O, in order to determine the existence of a transfer-affirming culture, in accordance with Handel’s (2011) transfer-affirming conceptual framework.

The case study was bounded by time, including the previous three academic years (2014-2015, …

Winning On And Off The Court: An Interpretive Case Study Of A Leader’S Effectual Power And Influence, Eugene Smith

Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to study the leadership profile of a leader’s effectual power and influence. A qualitative research design is preferred to capture rich, thick personal responses from the interview participants. Semi-structured interviews were utilized with open-ended questions, which enabled the respondents to provide unique insights and reflections of their direct and indirect experiences with the research subject. Additionally, document inquiry and direct observations were used and, as an outcome, triangulation was achieved.

Effective use of power is studied in the context of a leader’s ability to influence others to induce a desired outcome. The subject’s influence …

A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Higher Education Leaders As Portrayed In The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Colette Anderson Chelf

Dissertations

Leadership represents an abstraction of human thought. While functionalist theories propose leader-centric models, contemporary leadership theories embrace a postmodern paradigm acknowledging ontological and epistemological assumptions of qualitative study. This ideology suggests a multi-dimensional model of leadership that reflects the complexity and fluidity of leadership in practice. Emergent theories explore the social construction of leadership, rather than an individual leader’s traits or behaviors. Our collective understanding of leadership is manifest in the (re)creation of leadership as exemplified in social discourse such as newspaper reporting.

The purpose of the study is to reveal socially accepted archetypes assigned to higher education leaders, as …

Social Work Faculty Perceptions Of The Leadership Qualities Of Their Academic Leaders, Larry W. Owens, Christine R. Call, Neil J. Vincent

International Journal of Leadership and Change

Leadership within the social work academic setting is unique and complex. Understanding the way in which faculty members experience the leadership qualities of their academic leaders is a necessary precursor to effective leadership development. This article reports on the quantitative data from a mixed-methods, nationwide survey exploring social work faculty perceptions of the leadership qualities of their academic programs' leaders.

Leadership Theory And Behavior: America Takes A Selfie, R. Wilburn Clouse, Joseph Aniello, Noel Mcdowell, Terry Goodin

International Journal of Leadership and Change

This paper explores the changing nature of the United States, and to some extent the world at large, and identifies major issues likely to influence and impact leadership theory and behavior in the next 50 years. The paper investigates issues related to world security, population shifts, values and morality changes, technology impact, and other social and political issues. The article emphasizes the role of the millennial generation in securing and carrying out the current or new principles defining leadership theory and behavior. The paper is an idea-generating process and connects its content to the field of problem-based learning. No solutions …

To Our Readers, Joseph Cangemi, Tony Norman

International Journal of Leadership and Change

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Between African-American Superintendents And School Board Members On Leadership Attributes That Contribute To Superintendent Longevity, Cynthia Wilson, Cash J. Kowalski

International Journal of Leadership and Change

The purpose of this study was to explore whether the ratings of leadership attributes by African-American superintendents and their respective school board members are comparable and whether the superintendents’ self-ratings are related to their longevity as superintendents. The rating instrument was designed to address several important leadership qualities gleaned from the literature on leadership styles and a range of other theories and studies on effective leadership. These qualities were then consolidated into four attribute categories (skills, qualities, knowledge, and emotional intelligence/EQ) that capture the essential contextual work of school district superintendents. The results of this conceptual study provide valuable information …

Martin Luther King Jr. And Leadership: Building The Beloved Communities Within The Academy, Michael Hillis, Frank Kline

International Journal of Leadership and Change

Leaders seek to build communities to further the work of universities, but vibrant communities embracing our differences and, at times, animosities remain elusive. However, King’s (Smith & Zepp, 1974) concept of the Beloved Community provides an image about how this might be possible. While abstract, King’s idea offers compelling linkages to servant leadership (Greenleaf, 1977) and how to counter the destructive, rivalistic behaviors (Kirwan, 2005) prevalent in higher education. King (1991) outlines three principles: 1) the sacredness of humans, 2) the need for freedom, and 3) the recognition of interdependence. Each principle is described and applied to the higher education …

Leadership In Higher Education: A View From Below, Wilma King

International Journal of Leadership and Change

From a mountaintop, we can easily see how the little parts of the world fit perfectly and harmoniously in the total view. Much like a complex puzzle with many pieces, unless we know what the final picture should look like, we scramble, guess, and make many mistakes; until we can finally envision what we are building. Higher education, and its leadership is transitory and involves many complex parts. This paper offers some stakeholder perspectives for academic leaders to ponder, and some possibilities for them to consider.

The Perception Of Chinese Higher Educators Toward Leadership Effectiveness In Regard To Gender, Kanglei Meng

Dissertations

This study examines Chinese educators’ perceptions of effective leadership behaviors in order to determine how teachers in Chinese higher education define effectiveness and whether there is a correlation between this perception and leaders’ gender. Factors considered included conscious and unconscious gender bias, Chinese culture, historical background, and identity. As a male-dominated country, China has been deeply influenced by Confucianism; hence, limited attention has been drawn to female leadership. The author identified and reviewed three women’s revolutions and their positive and negative effects in the past century in order to predict the status of female leadership. The researcher modified the Chinese …

A Brief History Of An Unsung Hero And Leader – Jean Henry Dunant And The Founding Of The Red Cross At The Geneva Convention, Sam Mcfarland

International Journal of Leadership and Change

When Jean Henry Dunant received the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1900, he was praised for “the supreme humanitarian achievement of the nineteenth century.” This praise was merited, for Dunant had led the creation of both the international Red Cross and the First Geneva Convention. The Red Cross has since saved countless lives and relieved human suffering around the world. The Geneva Convention established that those treating war wounded, wearing a red cross, would not be attacked. With this Convention, Dunant began the creation of international humanitarian law to reduce the suffering caused by war. Despite Dunant’s vital contributions, he …

Best Practices In Parent And Family Engagement: Implications For Student Success, Christy Spurlock

Dissertations

This exploratory study aims to answer questions related to highly recognized parent/family engagement programs and the ways in which they are organized, operated, and resourced; undertake innovative events and services; use and learn from assessment; and face challenges. Directors of 34 specifically selected highly recognized parent/family engagement programs were given the opportunity to complete a questionnaire concerning their programs. Twenty-seven directors completed the questionnaire. Ten were interviewed to gain further insight into the specific workings of and challenges for highly recognized parent/family programs. Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative means, the researcher provides an initial exploratory look into how …

Dropped In Without A Parachute: Library Managers’ Supervision Experiences, Simon Funge, Audrey Robinson-Nkongola, Laura Delancey, Austin G. Griffiths

Social Work Faculty Publications

A survey of U.S. library managers explored the relationship between their social identities, experiences supervising others, support from others, and their overall satisfaction in their professional role. The literature provides evidence that demographic differences give rise to challenges in the workplace. Though no statistically significant differences were found between minority and nonminority managers related to supervisees' microaggressive behaviors, written commentary provided evidence of these and other supervision challenges. A regression analysis found that supervisees' behaviors, along with a manager's age, were significant predictors of their satisfaction as a supervisor. Recommendations for further research and implications for libraries emerge from these …

Overcoming Failure: Characteristics Of Leaders Who Have Successfully Recovered From A Significant Setback, Richard Leo Hunt

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to study the characteristics of leaders who have experienced a setback or failure and have bounced back to success. A qualitative research design employing an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) methodology was used. Semi-structured interviews with open ended questions allowed the respondents to share valuable insights into the thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of their individual experiences. The results suggest that after experiencing a setback, a process develops where feelings and thoughts are experienced immediately following the event that is followed by a period of coping and adapting, a transition to a resilient state, and behavioral …

Nonprofit Board Of Director Training: The Experiences Of Chief Executive Officers In Western Kentucky, Matthew L. Hunt

Dissertations

This reality-oriented inquiry investigates chief executive officers’ experiences of board training within 501(c)(3) nonprofit acute care hospitals. This study provides an insight into the practices, barriers, and drivers of board training. Katz’s (1955) skillsbased leadership model serves as the theoretical framework for this study. The model suggests leadership skills are not innate but can be developed through training. This qualitative study includes nine in-depth interviews with chief executive officers to acquire a rich description of the phenomenon of interest throughout nine 501(c)(3) nonprofit acute care hospitals.

A constant-comparative analysis and inductive analysis are employed to develop six themes related to …

The Goal-Driven, Resilient, And Influential Teens Program In Kentucky High Schools: The Impact On Social And Emotional Learning And Influencing Factors, Brant Von Goble

Dissertations

In order to assess the effects of the Goal-driven, Resilient, and Influential Teens (GRIT) program on social and emotional learning and academic performance in high schools throughout Kentucky, data from several sources were compiled and analyzed. These sources included results from the Student Engagement and Performance (STEP) survey, an instrument developed by the Rock Solid Evaluation Team at Western Kentucky University and administered yearly to high school students and teachers, and school-level academic and socioeconomic data from the Kentucky Department of Education. Additional data on fidelity of GRIT program implementation were obtained from FranklinCovey, the GRIT program’s developer and publisher. …

To Our Readers From The Editors, Joseph Cangemi, Tony Norman

International Journal of Leadership and Change

To Our Readers From the Editors

Two Models Of Health Sciences Center Leadership During Turbulent Times, Howard F. Stein, Seth Allcorn

International Journal of Leadership and Change

Leadership and change in health sciences centers are explored through contrasting two models of leadership: commonly practiced leadership and what has been referred to as “good enough leadership” (GEL). Several common cases or scenarios are presented through the lens of each model, with the conclusion that good enough leadership is more functional, creative, and healing than more widespread conventional models.

Shared Leadership: A Unique But Beneficial Arrangement Within A University Department, W. Pitt Derryberry, Steven R. Wininger

International Journal of Leadership and Change

Universities often lose some of their best teachers and researchers to transitions to administration. Conversely, the ability of universities to persuade some faculty to assume administrative duties is undermined due to faculty members’ reluctance to give up teaching or research. In this article, two faculty members who currently serve as co-department heads discuss (a) their motivation for pursuing such an arrangement, (b) the way in which their duties are divided and shared, (c) challenges in pursuing the co-head arrangement, (d) challenges in implementing the co-head arrangement, (e) their perceptions of the success of the arrangement, and (f) significant considerations for …

Crisis Leadership During The Great Recession Of 2008, Steven M. Walker, Matthew P. Earnhardt, Jason M. Newcomer, James W. Marion, Jr., Jon C. Tomlinson

International Journal of Leadership and Change

Understanding leadership characteristics, frameworks, components, and contexts that are beneficial to the guidance of organizational policy is useful for understanding the way in which leaders should act during a crisis. Recessions are common throughout economies; yet, many see recessions as crises. Due to the chaotic nature of economic recessions, leaders must work in conditions of uncertainty, complexity, and volatility. Therefore, using a qualitative phenomenological approach, an examination was conducted on leaders’ lived experiences of the Great Recession of 2008 to further understand the concept of crisis leadership. A discussion is included on the way in which leaders internalize and analyze …

Language Diversity And Leadership Effectiveness, Deborah Oliverio-Olivieri

International Journal of Leadership and Change

This article addresses whether language diversity is relevant in leadership effectiveness. The research employed mixed methodology in a two-phase study examining language diversity and leadership effectiveness in the U.S. labor market using the language-as-resource (LAR) conceptual framework (Ruiz, 1984). The first phase analyzed 2010 General Social Survey data using proxy variables describing the relationship between languages other than English (LOTE) and occupational achievement. The second phase explored the role of LOTE in the leadership function with a focus group discussion. Insight about language diversity and leadership effectiveness was captured, with five themes emerging from the focus group discussion. This research …

A Framework For Conceptualizing Models Of Mentoring In Educational Settings, Andrew West

International Journal of Leadership and Change

Although general conceptions regarding the nature of mentoring tend to coalesce around the idea that mentoring involves a more experienced and more knowledgeable individual providing some form of support to a novice, great variance exists in the way in which these goals are realized in mentoring programs. In order to bring greater clarity to various perspectives on mentoring, a framework of mentoring models was developed based on a review of the literature. The framework allows users to position models in one of four zones corresponding to the program’s views of teaching and learning and the number of aspects of teaching …

Higher Education In Israel: An Overview, Ami Rokach

International Journal of Leadership and Change

The Global Village is changing and, with it, the higher education landscape. In the present article, the changes that have happened globally are reviewed, and particularly in Israel. In general, due to privatization and global competition, higher education is becoming more accessible; thus, there is a concern that quantity may come at the price of quality education. The article ends with an attempt to foresee what lies ahead for higher education in Israel.

Community Literacy, Community College, And Community Leadership In The Rural South: A Tenuous Triangle, Denise Kay Perdue

Dissertations

This study explores a small, southern, rural community’s interrelational domains engaged in literacy development and the choices made by community leaders related to their understanding of literacy. Community domains affected by community members’ literacy deficiencies is ascertained by acknowledged sentience to the problem; however, the response to the challenges of inequitable access and denied liberties to all its members (i.e., education, employment, social strata, and governance) serves to articulate disparities in leadership for social justice and equity.

Within the context of ontological and epistemological assumptions, the transformative leadership conceptual framework by Brown (2006) of adult learning theory, transformative learning theory, …