Educational Leadership Commons^™

Abrasive Teachers And Principal Response ; A Mixed-Methods Exploration Of Administrative Decisions Regarding Teachers Who Bully Students, James Clayton Weller

Dissertations

Problem and Purpose. The American K-12 school principal is responsible for providing a learning environment that is physically and emotionally safe. An abrasive teacher who displays bullying behaviors towards students is a threat to that environment, impeding student academic progress and decreasing student perceptions of safety. Principals intervene, with risk to themselves. This study sought to understand principal intervention by: (a) estimating the prevalence of abrasive teachers, (b) asking how principals identify abrasive teachers, (c) classifying situational elements that enhance or inhibit the principal’s motivation to intervene, (d) exploring the interventions principals used, (e) examining the effects those interventions had …

Paramedic Professional And Leadership Development Using High-Fidelity Healthcare Simulation And Audiovisual Feedback : One Michigan Community College Case Study, Chester L. Dalski

Dissertations

Problem: Paramedic educators have a short time frame (840 didactic/laboratory plus 500 clinical/internship hours) and limited resources to prepare their students to have competent clinical skills, safe medical practice, and appropriate leadership and teamwork skills. New learning approaches including simulation, audiovisual feedback, and structured debriefing have been suggested as a way to meet this challenge within paramedic education. While some individual components have been studied, no study has examined these three technologies together in paramedic training programs. The overarching research question that guided this study was: What and how do paramedic students learn in a high-fidelity healthcare simulation program that …

A Quantitative Case Study Of Transformational Leadership Characteristics Of Valley View University In Ghana, Isaac Boateng

Dissertations

Problem. Finding transformational leaders for private higher education institutions in Ghanais a major problem facing the governing boards of such institutions. There is tremendous growth at Valley View University. Finding transformational leaders could help support the growth of Valley View University (VVU). The task of university leaders has become very complex, ranging from communication, interaction, collaboration, shared leadership, policy interpretation, meeting the needs of foundations, boards, parents, students, alumni, faculty, staff, accreditation boards and the government. Therefore, finding transformational leaders for Valley View University to meet the above leadership challenges is a major problem.

Purpose. The purpose of this study …

Technological Literacy Courses In Pre-Service Teacher Education, Roger Skophammer, Philip A. Reed

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The goal of this study was to determine to what extent technological literacy courses were required in K-12 teacher education. A documents review of the appropriate course catalogs for initial teacher preparation was conducted. The documents review identified general education requirements and options for technological literacy courses, as well as requirements and options for these courses for English, social studies, mathematics, and science education majors. For this study, technological literacy was defined as "the ability to use, manage, assess, and understand technology" (ITEA, 2000/2002/2007, p. 9). This definition of literacy is broader than technology literacy associated with computer use and …

Teacher Perceptions On Teacher Leadership And Shared Vision In Nc Schools: A Correlational Study Using The Nc Teacher Working Conditions Survey, Mary M. Hemphill

Dissertations

As the landscape of public education continues to evolve, so does the leadership and vision required to meet the needs of this ever-changing academic platform. No longer is academic research focusing solely on school leadership required to lead 21st century students and educators toward success, but rather it is focused on the plethora of factors that inform the development of thriving learning communities across our nation. While much of the educational discourse on leadership and vision speaks to the development of strategies, pedagogies, and leadership preparation for school leaders, there are deficiencies in the literature on teacher leadership and shared …

Academic Or Functional Life Skills? Using Behaviors Associated With Happiness To Guide Instruction For Students With Profound/Multiple Disabilities, Jonna L. Bobzien

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

The field of special education has begun to concentrate its efforts on developing objectives and procedural strategies that promote a positive quality of life for students with profound multiple disabilities, while determining which educational strategies are the most appropriate. A multielement design was used to compare the effects of two educational conditions, academic skills instruction and functional life skills instruction, on the quality of life indicators of four students with profound multiple disabilities. Results indicated that all four students demonstrated a greater number of behaviors associated with happiness while receiving academic skills instruction. Implications for current educational practices are addressed …

Teachers’ Perception Of Characteristics Of Effective Female School Leaders Of Elementary Schools In Abu Dhabi Emirate, Zahra Saif Malek Alshehaimi

Theses

This study aimed at identifying the characteristics of effective female school leaders’ from teachers’ perspectives. The objectives of this study are three as follows: a) surveying the literature on the characteristics of effective school leaders, b) examining the reality of what extend the school leaders are effective, and c) finding other characteristics in which school leaders in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi schools can develop their effectiveness at schools. The research employed a quantitative analysis to answer the research questions. The results of this study indicated that teachers’ perception towards their principal is positive. Teachers in the Abu Dhabi and …

Collaborative School Culture In Al Ain Secondary Schools: A Qualitative Study Of One Female And One Male School., Rania Mohamad Alqarqaz

Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of collaborative school culture in two of Al Ain Cycle Three schools. The first school was a female school and the second one was a male school. These two schools are under the supervision of Abu Dhabi Educational Council (ADEC) in United Arab Emirates. They were part of 11 secondary schools studied by Falouqa (2013). She studied the collaborative school culture in these 11 schools using a questionnaire for data collection. The questionnaire was used to measure the six components of collaborative school culture (CSC) as conceptualized by Gruenert (2005). …

More Than Just A Number: Student And Educator Perceptions About The Transition To Ninth Grade, Jody K. Sloat

Theses and Dissertations

The transition to ninth grade can be a difficult time for adolescents. New students confront the unknown on the first day, and their anxieties combine with new surroundings, teachers, and older students, to make for a stressful experience (Benner & Graham, 2009). Some students enter high school more prepared to meet academic and social challenges, while others have not matured enough to realize success (Graber & Brooks-Gunn, 1996; Steinberg, 2011). This lacking in maturity leads to high numbers of behavior problems and failures in ninth grade (Alspaugh, 1998; Frey, Ruchkin, Martin & Schwab-Stone, 2009). According to stage-environment fit theory, these …

Sex And Gender Identity: A New Perspective For College Student Development, Steven Ray Wise

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

One of the goals of college student development professionals is to help undergraduate students develop a meaningful sense of personal identity. Early in the history of the profession, practitioners borrowed freely from related fields such as sociology and psychology to guide their practice, but beginning around the 1960s, scholars began in earnest to develop their own unique body of literature. In this work I examine the development of that scholarly work as it relates to identity development—specifically the evolution of understanding around the issues of sex and gender identity development.

Beginning with William Perry, whose work has impacted so many …

Communication Culture In Law Enforcement: Perceptions From Officers And Supervisors, Katherine Gerspacher

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This study assessed the perceived differences in organizational culture between patrol officers and their supervisors, specifically testing role ambiguity, trust in supervision, organizational culture and communication, and transformational leadership behaviors. A sample of supervisors and their subordinate officers were surveyed to assess these variables. The data was analyzed using independent sample t-tests and bi-variate correlations to determine: (1) if there is a perceived division of culture between patrol officers and supervisors, (2) the factors that contributed to the perceived cultural division, (3) the role the leader plays in balancing communication culture, and (4) the relationship between perceived communication culture from …

Improving The Selection Of Public School Principals In Al-Ain Education Office, Hana Ali Alhelali

Theses

This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of principals, vice principals, and teachers on selection criteria and recruitment procedures for AI Ain public school principals. The study was guided by three research questions and used the quantitative research method. Data for this study were collected through a questionnaire divided into three sections. The first section included demographic information of participants. The second part included 48 items about recruitment and selection, which measure agreement or disagreement of participants over the items in the five components. These components were application requirements, selection responsibility, selection methods, selection criteria, and recruiting procedures. The third …

The Impact Of First Year Seminar Courses Career Development Component On The Career Decision Making Process Of Undecided College Students, Rashica Lenice Ward

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of a career development component in a first year seminar course on the dysfunctional career thoughts of undecided first year college students, as measured by the Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI). The intent was to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in students exposed to the career development component in First Year Seminar courses as compared to students who were not by comparing the means of their CTI total scores. Also, for those students who were exposed to career development in a first year seminar course the study aimed …

Disentangling Disadvantage: Can We Distinguish Good Teaching From Classroom Composition?, Gema Zamarro, John Engberg, Juan Esteban Saavedra, Jennifer Steele

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

This paper focuses on the use of teacher value-added estimates to assess the distribution of effective teaching across students of varying socioeconomic disadvantage. We use simulation methods to examine the extent to which different commonly used teacher-value added estimators accurately capture both the rank correlation between true and estimated teacher effects and the distribution of effective teaching across student characteristics in the presence of classroom composition effects. Varying the amount of teacher sorting by student characteristics, the withinteacher variability in classroom composition, and the amount of student learning decay, we compare aggregated residuals, teacher random effects, and teacher fixed effects …

Braceros, Mexicans, Americans, And Schools: (Re) Imagining Teaching And Learning In Mexican America, Francisco Guajardo, Stephanie Alvarez, Miguel Guajardo, Samuel García Jr., José Ángel Guajardo, Jocabed Márquez

Organization and School Leadership Faculty Publications

This article examines the stories of Braceros, Mexican contract workers who participated in an international labor agreement between the United States and México between 1942 and 1964. The stories Braceros tell challenge some conventional historiographical notions that they were powerless agents and victims of exploitative labor practices. The stories shed new light regarding the kinds of agency and power Braceros actually displayed in negotiating certain circumstances specific to their work.

An Examination Of The Correlation Between The Seven Critical Leadership Functions And Middle School African-American And Hispanic Student Achievement, Shannon A. Flounnory

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This quantitative study examined possible correlations between each of the seven critical leadership functions and achievement in the areas of mathematics for eighth grade African-American and Hispanic students. The 117 participants included school leaders and students from 12 of the 19 middle schools in a metropolitan school district in the southeastern region of the United States. Principals from the middle schools in the district distributed the Critical Leadership Functions Questionnaire to members of their leadership team (e.g., assistant principals, school counselors, department chairs, etc.). CRCT scores measured student achievement. The researcher conducted a correlation study, using Pearson’s multivariable correlation data …

An Exploration Of Communication Perceptions Between Elementary School Staff And The Parents Of The Children They Serve, Cynthia Gardner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative research study was to explore the perceived school communication between elementary school staff and the parents of the children they serve. Staff members and parents, from a central Florida public school district, in both Title I and Non-Title I schools completed an online survey regarding (1) timely school communication, (2) school's website being informative and easy to use, and (3) staff members knowing what is going on in schools. Researchers have long explored the importance of family involvement in children's academic success, communication between home and school is an important link in the process. The …

Additional Support Or Extravagant Cost? : Student-Athletes' Perceptions On Athletic Academic Centers., Matthew R. Huml, Meg G. Hancock, Matthew J. Bergman

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The purpose of this study was to investigate student-athlete perceptions of the academic resources and support staff within stand-alone athletic academic centers. An online survey was completed by 196 NCAA Division-I student-athletes at two private institutions in the Northeast and one public institution in the Midwest. Results showed both public and private institution student-athletes preferred receiving advising related to their academics from either an academic or faculty advisor instead of their athletic advisor. Additional results show senior student-athletes questioning the career planning resources available to them, private student-athletes perceiving a lack of resources, and public student-athletes perceiving greater hindrances by …

"Preventive Leadership Program" At The Salesian University: An Exploratory Case Study, Alejandro Rodriguez

Doctoral Dissertations

Leadership is a key factor in the quality of personal life, organizational culture, and social projection of each member in any organization. Bringing out the best of each person involved in any decision is a must for a Preventive Leader. This kind of leadership opens the possibility to develop, adapt, change and modify the theoretical construct of the definition of a leader from the Preventive horizon, the practical implications of Preventive Leadership development, and the learning and practice of Preventive leadership in a contextualized environment, creating interactions and interdependencies in a net-like pattern of relationships situated in one specific context: …

The Perceived Importance And Impact Of Instructor Actions In Online Graduate, Education Students' Satisfaction, Rochelle Franklin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the impact of online instructor actions on student satisfaction in online, graduate education courses. Students at an online institution that offers graduate degrees in Educational Leadership, Curriculum and Instruction, and Educational Technology completed the Priority Survey of Online Learners, which included questions about various aspects of their online learning experience, specifically focusing on timeliness, responsiveness and frequency of online instructor actions. This causal-comparative, quantitative research study employed survey strategy of inquiry. The sample consisted of 256 graduate, education students at an online, private institution. Paired t-tests were employed in data analysis. The results of this study revealed …

The Difference In Act College Readiness Benchmarks Between Avid And Non-Avid Students, Stephany Eley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study examined the difference in college readiness (as measured by the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks) between high school students who were enrolled in AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) for three or more years and students who were never enrolled in AVID. A causal comparative research design was employed to compare high school students from a Central Florida school district containing both AVID high schools and non-AVID high schools. AVID students were demographically matched to non-AVID students for race, gender, socio-economic status (as measured by free and reduced lunch status), Title 1 status, and grade level. Independent t tests …

Grade Retention Rates: Impact Of Standards-Based Grading As Compared To A Traditional Grading System In 3rd And 5th Grades, Mishea Dean

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Student retention is a contentious issue that has spawned considerable debate among school leaders and policymakers. NCLB's accountability requirement has led to the development of a standards-based grading system to ensure students master content and so schools can meet AYP goals. This causal comparative study examined whether a change from a traditional grading system to a standards-based system affected the student retention frequency rate. Convenience sampling was used to collect retention data on third and fifth grade students who attended four Title 1 schools in northeast Georgia during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years when the grading system changed. A …

Frequent Father Miles: A Phenomenological Study Of Divorced Fathers' Perceived Roles In Their Child's Education, Rebecca Bowman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how divorced fathers perceive their role in the education of their middle or high school child. The central focus of this study was: How do divorced fathers describe the roles they play in their child's education? The following questions guided the study: (a) How do divorced fathers describe the role they play in their child's education? (b) What are the factors that influence a divorced father's role in his child's education? (c) What can schools do to facilitate involvement of divorced fathers in their child's education throughout secondary schools? The co-researchers …

Affective Domain Applications In Standards-Based Education, Wayne Rumbaugh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research examined the attitudes of teachers toward the affective domain in high versus low levels of standards-based instruction. Teachers from a school district in the suburbs of the greater Seattle, Washington, metropolitan area completed a self-report instrument to determine the level of standards-based instruction they use in the classroom. Confirmation of the level of standards-based instruction was ascertained through expert evaluation of classroom learning activities and a student report assessment. Data from these three sources were triangulated and participating teachers were ranked from high to low standards-based instruction level. Teachers in the lowest and highest levels of standards-based instruction …

Articulation Agreements: Academic Success, Persistence And Graduation From Online And Face-To-Face Degree Completion Programs, Darnette Hall

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this causal-comparative study is to examine whether differences exist in the retention and persistence of articulation participants based on face-to-face or online degree completion. The study will determine the rate of completion of articulation participants who transfer from a North Carolina Community College to a state university in North Carolina and enroll in traditional face-to-face classes versus articulation participants who enroll in online degree completion. There is considerable literature on articulation from the perspective of student satisfaction and an administrator's perception. Substantial research on policies and procedures as well as comparison to native and transfer students. There …

Development Of An Instrument To Measure The Attitudes Of Christian School Leaders Towards Factors That May Influence Their Decisions To Implement Special Education Programs, Julia Elliott

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to develop and field-test the School Leader's Special Education Decision-Making Scale and to determine its validity and reliability for use with Christian school leaders. This 11-item scale, derived from the literature, measures the attitudes of Christian school leaders towards decisions to implement a special education program based on four factors: shared vision, parental considerations, teacher input, and religious concerns. This study was exploratory in nature and sought to extend a previous qualitative study by determining a way to quantify six intangible factors identified in that study. Three panels of experts in the fields of …

Efficacy Of Hybrid Coursework On Retention Rate In Online Higher Education, Kevin Struble

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Recent developments and technological advances in online education have provided the adult learner with new opportunities to obtain a college education. However, online coursework offers new challenges particularly for online student retention, as these rates are lower than traditional students on a college or university campus. The following research outlines a quantitative study for the perceived effect of social learning for adult online learners through hybrid coursework on undergraduate retention rates through two research questions using a causal-comparative design for research question one and a correlational design for research question two. This study examined retention theory in regards to social …

Solution-Oriented Teacher Understanding Of School Accountability And How It Influences Perceived Self-Efficacy: A Case Study, Yolonda Bankston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how accountability requirements influenced teacher understanding self-efficacy at one high school located in Southern Mississippi. Research questions focused on teacher understanding of how accountability requirements influenced their self-efficacy, the strategies that teachers reported they used to develop solutions to improve self-efficacy, and how teachers reported that administrative support, student discipline, and workload influence their self-efficacy as well. The researcher used field notes, interviews, and an online focus group to collect data from a purposive sample of 10 teachers. Survey results indicated teachers possessed high levels of self-efficacy. Six themes emerged …

The Impact Of Computer-Assisted Instruction On Ninth- And Tenth-Grade Students, Melanie Mcneely

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With over 60 years of education reform, including the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) in 1958, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1975, and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2002, the achievement gap still existed at the beginning of the 21st century, and the effectiveness of the U. S. public school system continued to be questioned. This study was conducted to examine the effect of the use of a computer-assisted instruction curriculum, Achieve 3000, among select secondary reading students in a central Florida school district and their implications for student achievement. This study showed significant difference existed in …

The Role Of Invitational Theory On Minority Student Enrollment In Advanced Placement Courses, Jason Mcdonald

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The number of students enrolling in Advanced Placement (AP) classes has been increasing in Florida and across the nation over the last decade. However, this trend is not happening for traditionally underserved groups of students such as African Americans, Hispanics, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. These minority groups are underrepresented in AP classes, while Asian and White students are overrepresented. This trend is alarming because there are qualified minority students who have a great chance of being successful in AP classes according to AP Potential data. For some reason though, these qualified minority and low income students are nevertheless …