Educational Leadership Commons^™

A Causal Comparative Study Of Principal Perceptions Of Instructional Leadership Practices In One Central Florida School District, Tracy Shenuski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this causal comparative quantitative study was to examine relationships between types of crises, perceptions of instructional leadership practices, and length of service as principal. Data from a purposive sampling using the Instructional Leadership, Job Satisfaction, and Retention Survey (ILJSRS) were collected from principals in one district and analyzed to assess the impact crises played on their perceptions of instructional leadership practices and their retention. Independent variables included demographics, type of crisis (weather, violence, health), and principal retention. The dependent variable was perception scores on the ILJSRS. Statistical analyses included the General Linear Model with Robust Standard Errors …

A Qualitative Inquiry Into Scholarly Publishing Between Librarians And Subject Faculty, Michael Furlong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This is a phenomenological exploration of academic librarians collaboratively publishing with subject faculty. The explorative study investigates academic librarians and subject faculty who conduct research outside of librarianship. The purpose of this qualitative inquiry is an exploration of barriers subject faculty members and academic librarians encounter when conducting collaborative research. The study was performed because of an identifiable research gap and a paucity of qualitative studies related to librarian and faculty research partnerships. Much of the existing scholarship focuses on quantitative data exploring librarians' publishing outcomes. Data collection was performed by interviewing five academic librarians and five subject faculty pairs. …

Exploring Quality Of Life Perception Among Pre-Clinical And Clinical Phases Of Medical School Students In One Medical School Program In The Southeastern United States, Carley Blades Myszkowski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Medical education is a complex, intense, and demanding process. Research showed that medical school students experienced significant changes and navigated intense and fluctuating stressors during their four years of medical school (Compton et al. ,2008; Hojat et al., 2004; McKerrow et al., 2020; Pagnin & De Querioz, 2015). Research has shown medical school students were impacted by substantially reduced physical, mental, and emotional health (Rajapuram, Langness, Marshall, & Sammann, 2020). Both internationally and nationally there was a growing interest in researching the health and wellness of medical school students, particularly focusing on quality of life (QOL) (Heidari et al., 2014; …

Making Connections To Address Mathematics Anxiety: A Case Study Of The Instructional Triangle And Remedial College Instructors, Njeri M. Pringle, Jamie L. Workman, Meagan C. Arrastia-Chisholm

Georgia Educational Researcher

Mathematics anxiety is a reality for many students as a number of community college and four-year university students feel disconnected from math and struggle to pass mathematics courses. Using a case study and grounded theory approach, six remedial mathematics instructors were interviewed and observed to examine their instructional strategies and practices. During the interviews, participants expounded upon the changes in strategies and practices implemented when aiding students struggling with anxiety. The Instructional Triangle was applied across participants to compare and contrast their experiences. The analysis focused on environmental factors that could increase or exacerbate mathematics anxiety. In particular, a theme …

Reading By Ear: Music Teachers' Roles In And Attitudes About Identifying Students With Dyslexia In Kentucky's Public School System, Alison Ward Brown

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Identifying students with literacy disabilities, such as dyslexia, efficiently in public schools is crucial for early intervention. Literacy and musical skills share common neurological pathways, so music educators possess a skill set that could be advantageous in screening students. This study utilized a descriptive research design to identify music educators’ roles in the identification of students with dyslexia/reading disabilities in Kentucky’s public schools, and their attitudes about those roles. Data was collected through a survey completed by Kentucky public school music teachers. Results indicated that 92% of respondents had not participated in the screening process for children with literacy disorders/dyslexia …

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

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

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

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

History Faculty Publications

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

“Si No Yo, ¿Entonces Quién?”: Testimonios Of Latino/A Catholic School Teachers In Under-Resourced Urban Catholic Schools, Antonio Felix

LMU Theses and Dissertations

There has been a significant increase in the number of Students of Color attending Catholic schools in the United States in the last forty years. However, only 17% of the professional staff in Catholic schools nationally are Teachers of Color (with about 9.6% identifying as Latino/a) (McDonald & Schultz, 2020). The racial gap between Students and Teachers of Color is a social justice issue (Berrios, 2016), and yet, research on why Teachers of Color are choosing to teach in Catholic urban schools and the motivating factors that sustain their work in hard-to-staff Catholic schools is limited.

This qualitative research study …

Exploring The Relationship Between Reported Instructional Leadership Behaviors And High-Quality Professional Development Factors, Shelby Lea Daeschner

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

With the reauthorization of the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a focus has been placed on the principal as an instructional leader to improve school culture and student achievement. Professional Development (PD) can improve teacher capacity and student outcomes through long-term, job-embedded, coherent, collaborative, and focused activities. This correlational study explored the relationship between principals’ reported behaviors and rankings of the importance of high-quality PD factors. Through a self-reported survey, elementary school principals across the United States were asked to report the frequency of instructional leader behaviors as measured via the Principal Instructional Management Scale (PIMRS) and rank the …

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

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

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

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

Ed.D. Dissertations

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

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

Ed.D. Dissertations

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

Leadership In Physical Therapist Education: Instructional Strategies And Assessment Methods Used Among U.S. Capte Accredited Programs, Gretchen R. Prather

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The physical therapy profession has recently placed greater significance on leadership education and research at all levels of professional development. Excellence and innovation in physical therapy practice must address leadership development beginning in professional education. This call for reform has been adopted broadly, including from an accreditation standpoint. The challenge now becomes to determine the most effective ways for preparing student physical therapists to lead in today’s fluid healthcare environment. This study examined leadership content among U.S. CAPTE accredited physical therapist education programs and, specifically, the instructional strategies and assessment methods frequently used to develop emerging leaders. An online survey …

The Differences Between The Instructional Leadership Practices Of Georgia Reward Highest Performing, Georgia Reward Highest Progress, And Georgia Needs Improvement Elementary Schools, Allen M. Price

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate principals’ self-perceptions of their instructional leadership practices in Georgia Reward Highest Performing, Georgia Reward Highest Progress, and Georgia Needs Improvement elementary schools. As such, this causal-comparative study was conducted to determine if differences existed between the instructional leadership practices of principals and school success in the designations of schools as perceived by the principals implementing them in high poverty schools. The sample of this study consisted of Georgia elementary school principals in Title I elementary schools, specifically in the categories of Georgia Reward Highest Performing, Georgia Reward Highest Progress, and Georgia …

Leadership Self-Efficacy Of Students Participating In On-Campus Leadership Programming, Benjamin S. Phillips

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Colleges and universities across the United States are facing continued pressure to meet enrollment and retention goals, as budgets continue to become more important, specifically, being performance-based. On-campus involvement has shown to have a positive influence on a student’s decision to stay at their particular institution and thus being retained. One area of on-campus involvement that has been identified is undergraduate leadership development programs. Students participating in an undergraduate leadership development program, such as assuming an on-campus leadership position often results in higher rates of student success. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study utilizing a correlational design via survey …

Educational Transformational Leadership And Teacher Organizational Citizenship Behavior Motives, Jeremy T. Davis

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

A principal’s leadership is a key part to the success of a school as their leadership guides both instructional and organizational leadership. Teachers often work beyond their formal duties to see that all of their students have their needs met including academic, social, and physical. The performance of such behaviors is referred to as Organizational Citizenship Behavior, which is when followers display behaviors that benefit the organization or its members beyond their current job requirements. This study investigated the relationship between principal’s transformational leadership and teachers’ Organizational Citizenship Behaviors and related motivating factors. Participants from a single suburban school district …

Perceived Student Gains Associated With Peer Tutor And Supplemental Instruction Leader Experiences, Rebecca Cofer

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the peer tutor and Supplemental Instruction (SI) Leader experiences in the campus learning center, as seen through the perceived gains in three subcategories: 1) academic performance and learning, 2) non-academic skillsets, and 3) self-confidence and fulfillment. The peer tutor and SI Leaders surveyed in this study had experience in either one or both of these peer educator roles and came from institutions across the nation. In this quantitative study, participants completed a three-part, researcher-created survey that allowed for Likert-scaled responses along with open-ended responses and concluded with demographic items. The major findings from this study showed a …

Using Systems Perspectives To Develop Underlying Principles For Educational Reform, John Daniel Kenny, Connie Cirkony

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

One of the enduring problems in the education system is the gap between theory and practice, where the research to improve teaching and learning is not fully realised in the classroom. This has impacted the effectiveness of education reform. We take a systems thinking approach to better understand the complexity of an education system, which involves multiple stakeholders, each with different levels of power, purposes, and perspectives about what is important. Drawing on an extensive body of research we propose a set of six foundational and five enabling principles that support systemic educational reform. These 11 principles are put forward …

Kentucky Public Charter Schools, Pamela Manning-Hamilton

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

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

A Bonded Case Study Of Missouri Secondary Criminal Justice Program Curricula, James Barnes, James Oren Barnes

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory case study measured the Missouri Secondary Criminal Justice Program instructors' perception on the impact of Missouri technical standards, the Industry Recognized Credential/Technical Skills Assessment (IRC/TSA), Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs), individual cumulative career experience, and advisory boards on their curricula. As a local autonomy state, Missouri has no statutorily mandated curricula to guide instructors. Six secondary criminal justice instructors agreed to be interviewed on their perspectives regarding the factors that impact curricula. The research found that instructor experience had the most substantial impact on curricula. The instructors used the technical standards as a scope and sequence for …

Career Readiness Of Recent Graduates, Bobby Stewart

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Formal education in the United States starts at five or six years old. Once formal education begins, it guides children into their working life as an adult. P through 20’s (P-20) process of starting educational structure early in the life of a child and guiding the skill development for young adults is critical when considering the skill gap current employees are facing. Skill development is a cost to many organizations and there are many opportunities for skill development in K-12 or post-secondary education. Learning how to better prepare the next generation of workers will provide higher skilled workers. Organizations are …

Addressing The Preparedness To Implement The Illinois Culturally Responsive Teaching And Leading Standards, Michelle Mohr

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This is a quantitative study designed to assess the beliefs of in-service teachers as well as those in urban and rural areas as it relates to the preparedness levels of educators to successfully implement culturally responsive pedagogy. With a new mandate for Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards in Illinois, educators and district leaders must now prepare for state-wide implementation by October 2025. At present, education program faculties in Illinois’s higher education institutions are integrating instruction on culturally responsive pedagogy. As a result, many pre-service teachers are currently receiving training in this area. In-service teachers, however, may lack learning experiences …

A Phenomenological Study On Increasing The Number Of Student Veterans In Graduate And Postgraduate Degree Programs At A Comprehensive Mid-Sized Regional University, Scott R. Allen

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined how a comprehensive mid-sized regional university can attract, retain and graduate more graduate and postgraduate student veterans. This study was framed by a grand tour question, three research questions, and several sub-tiered questions. Data collected from interviews with student veterans pursuing graduate and postgraduate degrees after receiving a baccalaureate are examined. The experiences noted and documented in this study show that the motivation for student veterans to pursue graduate and doctoral degrees is based primarily on data gleaned from personal interviews and data collected from those interviews. The participants stated that the availability of veteran educational …

The Effect Of District Level Strategic Planning On College Readiness As Measured By Act Achievement, Carrie Ballinger

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate if there is a statistically significant difference between the ACT scores of students who were enrolled in Kentucky public school districts that completed a district wide strategic planning process during the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018- 2019 or 2019-2020 school years and the ACT scores of students who were enrolled Kentucky public school districts that did not complete a district wide strategic planning process over the same time period. A survey was given to determine which school districts had implemented a strategic plan during the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019 or 2019-2020-time frame. For each …

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

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

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

Reports from the Gender Equity Research Fellowship

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

The Sadie Alexander Project: A Professional Development Mandate For Student Affairs Professionals, Lauren Sealy

West Chester University Master’s Theses

In this thesis, I address the lack of professional development and the absence of resources provided for student affairs professionals. By utilizing critical action research, I propose an intervention of creating a professional development mandate for all student affairs professionals called the Sadie Alexander Project. The Sadie Alexander Project uses holistic and collaborative division efforts with a focus on supporting and advocating for student affairs professionals. The proposed intervention also promotes continuous education initiatives for student affairs professionals and ensuring that institutions have up-to-date resources for students in need. I emphasize the importance of evaluating employee satisfaction and highlight the …

The State Of Teacher Evaluations In California K-12 Public Schools During Covid-19, Irene Preciado

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Three key aspects were revealed through the literature review of teacher evaluations. First, teacher evaluations have been controversial nationwide and revised from the outset. Second, the COVID-19 pandemic added a layer of complexity. Third, research on the state of teacher evaluations was minimal, particularly for California K-12 public schools. This mixed methods non-experimental case study employed a grounded theory research approach to gain an understanding of teacher evaluations during the COVID-19 pandemic. To conduct the study, human resource administrators in public school districts serving K-12 students across all 58 counties in California were invited to participate in an online survey. …

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

CGU Theses & Dissertations

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

Revisión Sistemática De Competencias De Liderazgo En Formación Inicial Docente [Systematic Review Of Leadership Skills In Initial Teacher Training], Maria M. Martinez-Mena

Theses and Dissertations

La presente investigación se enfocó en analizar el desarrollo de competencias de liderazgo más relevantes para la formación inicial docente de futuros profesionales de la educación mediante una revisión sistemática. El liderazgo es un factor importante en el éxito o el fracaso tanto individual, de grupo u organizacional. El desarrollo, formación y las competencias de liderazgo en la educación es un tema relevante el cual debe ser investigado. Siendo el rol de los docentes fundamental para los procesos formativos de los estudiantes se debe desarrollar las competencias de liderazgo en su formación inicial. Los procesos formativos incluyen tanto en el …