Educational Leadership Commons^™

Work-Life Balance: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study On Female Assistant Principals' Approaches, Felicia Daniels-Colbert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the work-life balance approaches for female assistant principals at Middleburg School District (pseudonym). Two theories were used to answer the central research question: What are the lived experiences of female assistant principals in connection with their role and approach to balance work and life responsibilities? Work/family border theory by Clark (2000) guided the study as it explains how people manage and make decisions on how to spend their time between work and family obligations. Additionally, the role theory by Biddle (1986) expounded on how an individual’s role influences decisions for finding …

The Relationship Between Physical Fitness And Academic Performance In College Club Sports Students, Jonathan Chung

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Pursuing innovative strategies to improve academic performance is an ongoing priority for many higher education institutions. One area that evidence has shown to further enhance cognitive ability, memory, and focus, but also, enhance the emotional and social well-being of students is through regular physical fitness. The importance of this study was to explore whether the benefits of physical fitness would have a similar impact on academic performance in college club sports students as it does on children as literature is limited concerning this relationship surrounding the college-aged population. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a …

A Phenomenological Study Of Instructors’ Experiences With Receiving And Utilizing Student Feedback In Online Course, Stanley T. Triplett

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore how community college online course instructors at a large community college in the Deep South experience students’ feedback to reevaluate course quality and instruction. The central question of the study regarded how community college online instructors experience receiving and engaging with student evaluations. The theory guiding this study was Knowles’s theory of andragogy as it provides a framework for understanding adult learning, including those of adult learners in community college contexts as well as those instructors receiving and responding to student evaluations of teaching. A total of 11 instructors …

Sergeants Major Course Instructor Self-Efficacy Across The Departments At The United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, Anson Cordell Jordan Sr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research has highlighted teacher self-efficacy as an influential variable in many educational studies. Teacher self-efficacy not only impacts and influences educational outcomes such as teachers’ persistence, enthusiasm, commitment, and instructional behavior, but also affects student outcomes such as motivation, student achievement, and the students’ own sense of self-efficacy. The current study utilized a causal-comparative research design and one-way between-subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare the self-efficacy of instructors across the five departments of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy’s (USASMA) Sergeants Major Resident Course. This study also used an independent samples t test to observe differences between sample …

The Effects Of Technology Integration On Avid Students Compared To Other Middle School Students, Kathy Veronica Hardy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Student disengagement in the learning process is problematic, especially in the middle grades. Studies show that technology infusion in classroom instruction promotes student learning and behavior when effectively integrated. Employing the theory of constructivism, this study explored technology infusion in a college and career readiness program based on the assumption that integration aids in the construction of knowledge. The purpose of this study was to analyze the difference between the performance scores of AVID and non-AVID groups in middle schools. Archived test results for the Preliminary Scholastic Achievement Test (PSAT) were compared on a sample of non-AVID and AVID middle …

Examining Emergency Safety Preparedness Training In Baptist Churches In North Carolina Against An Active Shooter Threat, Kim Mark Auten

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As the threat of human-made hazards intensifies, church leadership will need to examine their church safety preparedness policies to keep congregations safe while on the property. This research's primary objective was to determine if there are current safety protocols in which address potential threats and if church leadership has procedures in place that cover the various disasters that churches are exposed to in the state of North Carolina. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to examine the churches serving North Carolina in a rural, suburban, and inner-city setting to determine if there is any correlation in leadership's perception …

An Applied Study For The Retention Of Varsity Assistant Football Coaches That Serve On The Faculty At City High School In Northern Virginia, Jerry Lynn Sarchet Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this applied study was to solve the central research question of how the problem of lack of assistant football coach retention that also teach in the faculty at City High School (a pseudonym) located in Northern Virginia be solved. The results of the research were intended to provide data to administrators and coaches to allow decisions concerning the issue of assistant football coach retention that also teach. This applied research study focused on one high school with the data collection including interviews with the principal, the athletic director, the former head football coach, three former coaches on …

An Analysis Of Opinions About Special Education Inclusion Among Virginia Elementary And Middle School Administrators, Pattye Keeling Leslie

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Past research has shown a relationship between individuals’ attitudes and their intentions to act. The attitudes of principals and assistant principals can impact the implementation of inclusion in the public school setting. This predictive correlational study used multiple regression to analyze the linear relationship between the opinions about inclusion and the factors of administrative assignment, school level, administrative experience, special education endorsement, gender, percentage of minority students served, percentage of students served identified as economically disadvantaged, and percentage of students served identified with a disability. The sample included 104 elementary and middle school principals and assistant principals representing 26 Virginia …

Correlation Between Reading Motivation And Engagement And Student Reading Outcomes In Title One Elementary Schools, Tashenna Renee Wiggins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The following research described a correlational study to examine whether there was correlation between reading motivation and reading engagement on students’ outcomes on the HMH Reading Inventory® in Title I schools for students reading below grade level in grades three through five. Additionally, the research indicated the importance of utilizing motivation and engagement to increase reading achievement. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between reading motivation and reading engagement to reading outcomes in grades three through five for students who are not reading on grade level in Title I elementary schools in the Southeast section …

A Phenomenological Study On Novice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Instructional Coaching Support, Shameka J. Brown

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Experiencing instructional supportive structures that help teachers to overcome barriers to meeting the diverse needs of their students is vital to the success of novice teachers (Kraft et al., 2018). The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions novice teachers developed while experiencing instructional coaching support. Five novice teachers in elementary Title I schools participated in the study. Two themes emerged from the data analysis and indicated that novice teachers perceived first year success as a result of the instructional coaching support they received. Novice teachers perceived that a collaborative work environment with instructional coaches and …

A Qualitative Study Of Teacher Retention In Project-Based Learning Schools, Elizabeth C. Bielling

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this study was to determine factors influencing teacher retention in project-based learning (PBL) schools. Ascertaining these factors and devising a list of best practices could aid both PBL and non-PBL schools in bolstering their schools’ teacher retention rates. School administrators could examine the research to extrapolate specific practices that would benefit the unique culture of their schools. This mixed-methods study utilized a survey and interviews to address the two research questions. Themes that emerged from interviews with current PBL teachers were colleague interactions, administrative support, student interactions, autonomy, and motivation. Themes emerging from interviews with PBL school …

A Case Study Of Pedagogical Practices That Boost Chinese Students’ Oral English Self-Confidence, Michael D. Knapp

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Practice is necessary for developing oral English proficiency, but many Chinese learners of English lack the self-confidence to practice oral English; furthermore, students’ self-confidence deficiency is perpetuated by insufficient oral English proficiency. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to discover pedagogical practices that break the cycle of the reciprocal effect of deficiencies in oral English and in self-confidence in Chinese adult PhD non-English major students. Six participants who raised their oral English proficiency and self-confidence during their PhD studies described their English learning journeys by responding to interview questions. Analyzation of data from interview responses developed into two …

Readiness Of The Administrative Team To Respond To An Active Shooter On A Campus, Erin K. Newberry

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Philanthropic efforts and community responses to mass school shootings have generated an evolutionary change to the legislation surrounding school safety. An in-depth review of major school-related active-shooter incidents indicated a prioritized need for change across school campuses. Recent laws in the state of Florida created the eminent responsibility of site-based administrative teams in collaboration with the local sheriff’s office, to effectively implement and participate in synergistic crisis planning. While school safety has been at the pinnacle of community leaders’ political platforms for over 20 years, researchers have almost exclusively concentrated on identifying the role of the School Resource Officer (SRO) …

Evaluation Of The Alignment Of Student Perceptions Of Parental Expectations Regarding Academic Success In Private College-Prep High Schools, Ryan C. Dupee

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The stresses of high school students, and the variables that add to their stress, have been researched for decades in numerous formats, but many of these studies do not survey the students’ perceptions on various levels. The purpose of this study was to gain data that would give further insight into the stressors and variables about perceptions of academic success from the context of a private high school student. Eighty-two juniors and seniors in private, college-prep high schools were surveyed concerning their perceptions of parents’ views of academic success. The researcher created a quantitative survey that was completed digitally by …

Second Language Learning In Elementary Years: Cognitive And Social-Emotional Benefits, Brooke Elenbaas

Masters Projects

All through the world bilingualism is a normal part of school, work, and culture creating cognitive and social-emotional benefits (Fan, 2016; Marian & Shook, 2012). The United States is a unique educational system, distinctly geared towards monolinguals, specifically English, especially in the elementary schools. The absence of second language learning at the elementary grades is a gap districts should seek to fill as research shows brain development positively effecting cognitive and social-emotional learning during this early stage of development (Abutalebi et al., 2011). This project is an in-service designed for elementary school districts pursuing a better understanding of why second …

The Benefits And Barriers To Arts Integration: Arts Accessibility In Public Montessori, Heather Teems

All Theses And Dissertations

This mixed-method exploratory case study investigates the research question: To what extent do pre-K through eighth-grade public Montessori school teachers perceive that their professional knowledge and abilities, experiences, and resources impact their capacity to integrate arts into their general classroom curriculum? Public Montessori teachers from five public-choice Montessori schools in a school district of the suburban and urban areas of southeastern South Carolina were invited to participate. The teachers in these public Montessori schools have varied levels of education and professional development experience with the arts in education. Some participants were general education teachers prior to becoming Montessori teachers due …

Measuring Faculty Motivation And Engagement Through An Institutionally Supported Faculty Development Program At An Academic Healthcare Center, Elizabeth S. Rose

All Theses And Dissertations

Trends in the literature suggest that institutional support, defined as provisions for balancing work demands, schedule, and protected time, is a critical factor consistent with institutional academic success and an increase in faculty satisfaction. Competing factors including societal scrutiny, cost containment the safety and effectiveness of academic healthcare institutions, faculty recruitment and retention, increasing expectations for faculty, and pressures for high-functioning productivity can lead to feelings of ineffectiveness for faculty.

This summative program evaluation focused on the success of the Scholars Program, an institutionally supported faculty development program. The researcher sought to identify and describe faculty perceptions of the program’s …

People Manager Mindset Perceptional Influence On Culture At A Large Technology Company, Robert Patterson

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of a growth mindset, meaning an innate desire to learn, persist in the face of setbacks, value failure as essential to learning and regularly seeks feedback to improve by eight people managers in a large technology company (e.g., Microsoft, Alphabet’s Google, Facebook, and Amazon). Utilizing LinkedIn.com, eight people managers were identified and asked to describe their roles in communicating their organization’s culture to their direct reports and the tools supplied by their respective Company to influence their process (e.g., trainings, internal communications, etc.). Additionally, the study documented examples of how …

Rural Elementary Teachers And The Impact Of Professional Development On Mathematics Instruction, Heather Rockwell

All Theses And Dissertations

Rural elementary math teachers often lack a background in mathematics and even those with a strong mathematics background can sometimes struggle to model elementary math concepts (Holm & Kajander, 2019). Professional development (PD) provides teachers with an opportunity to increase their knowledge and skills while in the field. Although there are clear guidelines of what constitutes high-quality PD, not all PD achieves the same outcomes for teachers and students. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to understand PD experiences from the viewpoint of the rural elementary teachers, specifically the ways the PD experiences impact teacher efficacy and …

Computer-Mediated Communication Of History Museums In The Midwestern United States: A Web Content Analysis, Heather Lynn Dialfredi

All Theses And Dissertations

Adult museumgoers have come to expect increased access to museum information and resources through computer-mediated communication (CMC). Current research suggests that museum websites can increase the desire to visit the museum physically. The purpose of this study is to investigate how small, medium, and large history museums in the midwestern United States communicate the value of digital experiences to adult museumgoers. This qualitative content analysis follows Pauwels’ (2012) Multimodal Framework for Analyzing Websites as Cultural Expressions. The data was collected from 16 history museum websites, then analyzed using MAXQDA. The data collected provides insight into the methods and language museums …

2021-04-01 Faculty Senate Regent Report, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Report made by the Faculty Regent to the Faculty Senate on April 1, 2021.

2021-04-01 Faculty Senate Newsletter, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate newsletter from April 1, 2021.

2021-04-01 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate meeting minutes from April 1, 2021.

The Pursuit Of Equitable Virtual Learning: District Leaders’ Understanding Of The Influences On Designing 100% Virtual Learning Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kathleen Wolfe Maxlow

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam required all schools to close their doors from March 13, 2020, through the remainder of the school year, causing districts in the Commonwealth to create distance learning plans for PreK-12 education within a matter of weeks. The continued fluctuation of COVID-19 positive case numbers throughout the spring and summer led to several school districts choosing to open the 2020-2021 school year using a 100% virtual model for all students. This qualitative, grounded theory study sought to determine how superintendents understood the influences on the design of their district’s 100% virtual learning plans. …

A Case Study Of One Small Christian College Overcoming Decline And Implementing An Institutional Turnaround, Richard H. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Numerous studies and national data show a growing number of small, private, Christian colleges face extreme difficulties, which often result in decline, followed by closure or merging with larger, higher education institutions. Attempting to overcome the loss of student revenue from a declining enrollment, many small colleges raise tuition prices, spend endowment funds, and overextend themselves with high debt payments. Countering the increased tuition prices, these colleges often increase scholarships and financial aid, which reduces available funds for other institutional needs. Other challenging issues include meeting accreditation standards, raising money for operational and capital needs, and the general public losing …

Culturally Diverse Student Engagement And Professional Development Needs Of Undergraduate Faculty: A Qualitative Case Study, Christina R. Luther

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

This qualitative single-site case study explored how undergraduate faculty members engaged culturally diverse students and determined the professional development needs of those faculty members to engage culturally diverse student populations. Exploring culturally sensitive practices will enable faculty members of institutions of higher education (IHEs) to engage diverse student populations. Determining the professional development needs of IHEs faculty members will assist IHEs’professional developers to implement training that will enhance the engagement of culturally diverse student populations. Qualitative data were collected through interviews from five undergraduate education faculty members at an institution of higher education (IHE) in the southeastern region of the …

An Evaluation Of Student Perceptions Of Classroom Environment Factors In Faccs Schools, Pamela J. Piorkowski

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of the study was to evaluate Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (FACCS) high school student perceptions of the relationship between ideal and real classroom environments. The quantitative, non-experimental research design with a survey was used to understand students' overall perceptions of attending five Christian schools and how they perceived the classroom environments. Student perceptions of their classroom environment are a topic of essential importance to the Christian school. The data provided vital insight using nine dimensions measured using a standardized tool, the Classroom Environment Scale (CES), developed by Edison Trickett and Rudolf Moos. Dimensions in the …

Examining Factors Of K-12 Christian School Growth: A Case Study, Jared B. Johnston

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The Christian education movement has suffered in recent decades, as hundreds of schools have closed. Many more schools are losing students and are not experiencing growth. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how three mid-size Christian schools were showing positive student enrollment growth. The collective case study methodology was used to examine the phenomenon in three private Christian schools. During the course of the study, three administrators and 15 parents from three private Christian schools were interviewed regarding the topic of Christian school growth. The results of the study showed that schools who had a biblical worldview, …

The Role Of Social Support In Mitigating Parental Burnout For Mothers Of Children With Medical Complexity, Jaymi Yamoah

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Parental burnout is a complex syndrome resulting from chronic parenting stress. The components of parental burnout include overwhelming exhaustion, emotional distancing, and a sense of ineffectiveness in the parenting role. Parents of children with medical complexity (CMC) face a wide range of parenting stressors related to their child’s diagnosis. The purpose of this case study was to explore the role of social support in mitigating parental burnout in mothers of CMC. Five mothers participated in semi-structured interviews using Zoom video conferencing. Results of the study revealed three salient themes: types of social support, isolation, and helping others. Types of social …

Perceptions Of Cardiac Screening Of High School Athletes Among Athletic Trainers And High School Coaches, Vanessa C. Smith

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Regular participation in competitive exercise is associated with cardiac anomalies that can exist in a high school athletes’ heart. The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to determine the perceptions of athletic trainers and high school coaches on cardiac screening high school athletes prior to athletic participation. The study also examined seven barriers that are present with the implementation of cardiac screening. The current study was carried out with 104 participants composed of two categories: athletic trainers, and high school coaches. Study participants perceptions were assessed using a 5-point Likert scale survey consisting of 12 questions. Although studies have …