Educational Leadership Commons^™

Impacts Of Cellphone Usage On Adolescent Social And Emotional Development, Chelsea N. Hammer

Masters Projects

Adolescent cellphone use has a negative impact on the school environment. This project explores how cellphones effect youth social and emotional development. The literature is reviewed as it relates to cellphone usage and emotional well-being, mental health, intrapersonal skill development and interpersonal growth. Cellphone addiction amongst teenagers is discussed as well protective factors to mitigate the damage cellphone use inflicts on student social and emotional development. This project advocates for making school stakeholders aware of these harmful effects so as to consider a re-examination of school cellphone policy. Incorporating periods of unplugging during the school day as well as using …

Serving Gender-Expansive Students In Catholic High Schools: Understanding The Perspectives Of Catholic School Leaders, Cassandra Elyse Gonzales

LMU Theses and Dissertations

While there are many calls to maintain Catholic values in National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) and (arch)diocesan standards for Catholic school leaders, there is still a lack of guidance on operationalized support for gender-expansive students. This lack of clarity hinders the ability of leaders of Catholic schools to support and accompany gender-expansive students in their schools. This lack of guidance results in unclear leadership, which can adversely affect the well-being of gender-expansive students in Catholic schools. This qualitative study explored the experiences of principals and presidents of Catholic high schools in the United States as they work with gender-expansive students …

Teachings From The Hogan Floor: Preserving Culture And Language Through Museum Collections, Nonabah B. Sam

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

In 2021, we faced the unexpected impacts of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, especially on the Navajo Nation. There were many things to realize, but one that hits hardest is the loss we suffered with many traditional practitioners passing from this illness. The purpose of this study was to examine linguistic and cultural contributions that Knowledge Keepers might consider making for the future of our Navajo Nation and Diné College. Drawing on my cultural teachings and knowledge, I conducted semi-structured interviews in Navajo and English with 10 participants, including leaders, alumni, staff, and traditional practitioners; I also utilized a circling back …

Effects Of Educational Leadership Behaviors And Additional Factors On Teacher Morale, Brittany S. Samaniego

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study investigated the impact of leadership behaviors and additional factors on teacher morale across seven schools from three Arkansas school districts. The study utilized the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) and Purdue Teacher Opinionaire (PTO) as measurement tools to explore various leadership practices and factors that contributed to or hindered teacher morale. Among the leadership practices assessed by the LPI, Enable Others to Act emerged as the majority of positively influential across the four elementary and middle schools, while Model the Way was favored among the three high schools. These practices underscored their potential to empower teachers and revealed …

Early Childhood Education Leaders’ Challenges To Assist K-3 Teachers With Transitioning To Online Teaching Due To Covid-19 Pandemic, Lewisetta Monii Perkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early childhood education leaders were challenged to assist K-3 teachers with transitioning to online teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore early childhood education leaders’ challenges to assist K-3 teachers with transitioning to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. The conceptual framework was based on Kolb’s experiential learning theory which is focused on the learning process and on making adaptations. The research questions focused on challenges K-3 early childhood education leaders encountered when assisting teachers transitioning to online teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic and what early childhood education leaders believe …

A Comparative Study Of Preferences Of Anglo And American Indian Children For Particular Visual Qualities, Frank Anton Alhelm

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

The problem was to, seek the nature of differences, if any, between American Jndian and Anglo preferences for the same visual qualities by comparing children of grades 1, 3 and 6 of each gorup.

Method

Participants gave like and dislike responses to each of five particular visual qualities: linearity, angularity, curvilinearity, texture pattern and contrast. Each visual quality was arrayed as least amount, medium amount and most amount. The non-verbal survey instrument was judged to have high content validity by forty judges asked to match a primary and alternate form and to match the name to the visual quality. Coefficient …

Elementary Principals’ Instructional Support To Teach Science, Alfred Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Principals serve as the instructional leader of their schools and teaching staff, a critical role in leading science achievement. In a racially diverse K-8 public school district in New Jersey, elementary principals are challenged to provide instructional support to teachers who are struggling to teach science to elementary students performing below proficiency on the state’s standardized assessment for science. The research questions focused on principals’ perceived challenges to support elementary science teachers, as well as recommendations for improved training and resources to support teachers. A basic qualitative study consisted of semistructured interviews with 12 elementary principals and assistant principals. The …

Exploring Educators' Experiences With School Ecosystems: A Qualitative Inquiry, Jane Mcintosh Cooper, Sheila Baker, John Decman, Leslie Gauna

School Leadership Review

This exploratory inquiry offers a glimpse into educators’ perceptions that connect their professional values and goals to their lived experiences in classrooms. Through the use of an open-ended survey, participants gave positive and negative experiences and ideal scenarios. Findings suggest that visibility and validity, professional advancement, and voice and agency were key gauges of alignment or dissimilitude for participants. Implications for administrators and leadership are discussed.

Pedagogical Disruptive Innovations And Positive Deviance During Covid-19 Mandatory School Closures: A Case Study Of Public-School Teachers In San Juan County, New Mexico, David R. Mcgee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to discover and describe the types of positive deviance and disruptive innovation during the non-voluntary transition to remote learning for teachers from San Juan County, New Mexico. This study investigated how classroom teachers altered their pedagogical practices from their face-to-face classroom juxtaposed to their non-voluntary transition to the remote classroom. Positive deviance is defined as any outcome is unique, non-normative, extraordinary, uncommon, and honorable and is perceived as positive to the organization. Disruptive innovation is a business theory that explains how a good enough innovation can be pushed through as a …

Non-Black Students' Perceptions Of Diversity And Inclusion At Historically Black Colleges And Universities: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Gary Aaron Tyler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand diversity and inclusion through the experiences of non-Black students attending a historically Black college and university (HBCU). Diversity referred to the integration of various racial and ethnic groups, and inclusion referred to conditions on campus that reflect practices and relationships that produce a feeling of being valued, respected, and supported by the institution and peers. The theory used in this study was Tinto's theory of integration, as it examined the existential experiences of students who integrate into an HBCU campus. This study's central research question asked: What are the integration experiences …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of College Graduates With Chronic Illnesses Who Faced Health Threats And Interruptions In Their Daily Activities, Paula J. Uzuka

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of individuals with chronic illnesses who graduated from college while facing health threats that often interrupted their daily activities. The theory that guided this study was Bandura's self-efficacy theory. Bandura defined self-efficacy as what a person understands about their ability to accomplish specific goals. In addition, Leventhal's construct, the common-sense model of self-regulation, provided the substructure of Bandura's theory, illustrating that with the right guidance, individuals can make decisions and manage their own health. An individual can use the theory and model to determine the necessary actions to …

White Corn Boy Yellow Corn Girl Find Success On Their Educational Journeys, Sarah Curley

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This study aimed to provide a narrative analysis of the storied Diné beliefs and values of three Yellow Corn Girls and one White Corn Boy. My research questions were: How do Diné language and culture influence high school students’ success in high school? What cultural beliefs and values contribute to the success of high school students transitioning into their first year of community college? Utilizing the theoretical framework of The Beauty Way of Life (BWOL) model and its philosophies, I gathered narrative data using individual interviews. I examined the impact of the Diné language, cultural beliefs, and values on their …

School Culture, Teacher Experience, And Commitment: A Phenomenological Study Of High School Teachers At A Cyber Charter School, Sarah Cole Brodish

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to describe the influence of school culture and leadership on the experiences and levels of commitment of high school teachers at a cyber charter academy in the northeastern United States. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Dansereau, Graen, and Haga's Leadership-Member Exchange Theory, which examined the impact of leadership relationships on school culture and teacher experience. This study sought to answer the primary research question: How does school culture influence teacher experience? A phenomenological approach was chosen to gain a deeper understanding of these experiences specifically, a hermeneutic phenomenological …

Embracing Social-Emotional Learning And Nurturing Character: A Systematic Review Of Intersectional-Eq Strategies For Educational Leaders, Leticia G. Candelaria-Archuleta

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

The COVID-19 pandemic expanded education beyond traditional academics, highlighting the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL) and character education (CE) for positive youth outcomes. This study examined the role of educational leadership in implementing SEL and CE in schools through a term coined Intersectional-EQ. This study centered on a cutting-edge approach using grey literature, specifically doctoral dissertations, to capture current trends in unprecedented times. A systematic review through Covidence, guided by PRISMA and PICO frameworks, was conducted. Findings highlight the impact of leadership on SEL and CE through an intersectional lens. Future work is aimed to support holistic student growth by …

Department Of Defense Project Management Team Leaders: Team Dynamics And Teamwork Strategies During Complex Construction Projects, Shane Frey

Dissertations

Purpose: This qualitative multi-case study explored the challenges, strategies, and recommendations that DOD project management team leaders experienced as they made complex decisions leading successful construction projects based on Parker’s (2008) model.

Methodology: A qualitative multi-case study research design described the challenges, strategies, and recommendations Department of Defense project management team leaders used as they made complex decisions leading successful construction projects.

Findings: Close examination of data collected from interviews and artifacts yielded 117 frequencies for DOD project management team leader's team characteristics, and six themes regarding the lived experiences, challenges, strategies, and recommendations. Five key findings and one unexpected …

Faculty’S Role In Creating A (Remote) Sense Of Community Among Faculty And Facilitating Contexts Of Care For Students, Jesus R. Nunez, Jesus Cisneros, Isela Pena

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: This qualitative study employed a sensemaking approach to understand faculty members’ sensemaking of their roles during the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergency transition to remote teaching and learning.

Methods: An email invitation to participate in the study was sent to faculty who taught in an MBA program during both the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 academic school years. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 14 faculty members who self-selected to participate in the study.

Results: Two salient themes emerged from the research: creating a (remote) sense of community among faculty and facilitating contexts of care for students. These …

Adopting Oer Course Materials: Instructor Experiences, Jenny Ceciliano

Dissertations and Theses

Traditional commercial textbooks used in postsecondary courses are often problematic due to their rigidity, tendency to mirror the dominant culture, and the substantial cost imposed upon students. Although replacing these texts with open educational resources (OER) can facilitate more equitable and inclusive pedagogical practices while removing a significant expense, there has been insufficient research surrounding instructors' experience of transitioning from a commercial textbook to OER course materials. Through semi-structured interviews with nine postsecondary instructors who teach with OER course materials, this basic qualitative study explores the experience of that transition. The findings indicate that adopting OER is a challenging and …

A Critically Self-Reflexive Model For Leader Professional Development: Centering Intersectionality, Aubrey H. Wang, Margaret Grogan

Education Faculty Books and Book Chapters

This concluding chapter describes one way to think about leadership development for a new generation of educational leaders with intersectional identities. Leaders who are committed to Critical Leadership Praxis (CLP) (Pak & Ravitch, 2021) need ongoing professional learning to remain true to their transformative mission. Wang and Grogan point out the limitations of traditional models of professional learning in education leadership and outline why it is imperative that leaders are encouraged to author their own professional identity anchored in their personal identities. They propose storytelling as a critically reflective leadership development tool and describe their process and concept. By combining …

Introduction: Leading Social Change From The Lived Experience Of Intersectionality, Margaret Grogan, Aubrey H. Wang

Education Faculty Books and Book Chapters

This introductory chapter explains why education leadership for social change is an urgent priority and how principals, superintendents and other leaders who identify as anti-racist, inclusive, and activist can conceptualize their work. To frame the examples of Critical Leadership Praxis (CLP), (Pak & Ravitch, 2021) that the seven practitioner-scholars write about, Grogan and Wang describe the current context of leadership expectations and review the development of leadership theories alternative to the mainstream discourse. They outline current theories of intersectionality, and consider how storytelling and counter stories can illuminate the value of lived experiences of multiple marginality. This introduction also describes …

Teacher Perceptions Of Teaching Practices, Experiences, And Preparation Of Struggling Adolescent Readers In High-Poverty Schools, Viola Perry

Student Theses and Dissertations

After exiting elementary school, a considerable number of struggling adolescent readers who are not reading on grade level exists, especially in high-poverty schools. For secondary teachers to develop proficient readers, their instructional methods need to prepare students to master skills, such as their ability to read accurately and with fluency, and their ability to understand and gain knowledge from grade-level text. However, secondary teachers are not prepared to handle these instructional tasks. This study focuses on examining the challenges of insufficient college preparation and professional development opportunities in foundational reading skills for middle/junior high school teachers in high-poverty districts. A …

Effective Leadership And Its Impact On The Educational Community, Betti Shahin, Susan Rowan, Toleen Mazloum, Nadia Kawar

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Background: In the contemporary era characterized by globalization and rapid technological advancement, education is a paramount force driving human progress, with academic performance as an essential metric for its efficacy. Researchers have diligently investigated various factors affecting academic performance, encompassing environmental and student-centered variables. Objective: This paper undertakes a distinctive exploration, directing attention to the nuanced impact of the principal's leadership on the overall performance of the educational community, including educators and students. Delving into factors beyond conventional metrics, such as the principal's leadership style, classroom size, teacher's salary, and faculty development and mentoring, the study unravels the complex dynamics …

Decriminalizing Academia: Black First-Generation Community College Students In Unsatisfactory Academic Standing, Gerome Maurice Bell, Jr.

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Community colleges serve as critical access points to higher education for Black students. However, current outcomes suggest that Black students are not being properly served in America’s community colleges. Although well-meaning institutional leaders often create policies and programs aimed at improving success rates for students from marginalized backgrounds, too often, the voices of those directly impacted by the policy are not considered. Consequently, little is known about the lived experiences of Black first-generation community college students, especially those in unsatisfactory academic standing. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Black first-generation students on …

A Comparison Of Specialized And General Orientation Courses For Community College Students, Heather R. Sorrell

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effect of specialized orientation courses on community college student academic achievement and retention. The study utilized a quantitative design and compared the outcomes of specialized orientation courses to a more generalized orientation course. Due to the lack of previous research, there was little to suggest either a positive or a negative influence on student success measures for a targeted, specialized version of orientation courses. The study found that achievement outcomes did not differ between specialized orientation courses and general orientation courses. The study did find retention differences based on the type of orientation course completed. Students …

School Leadership: The Conflict Between Instructional Leadership And Organizational Management Dissertation, Kevin K. Rupprecht

Education Dissertations

School leaders face a time conflict with the enormity of responsibilities in their trust. Principals and assistant principals grapple with the conflict between the instructional leadership and the organizational management requirements of operating a school. Examination of literature regarding school leaders and their instructional and organizational requirements has found an absence of consistent quantitative data on how much time a school leader is spending on instructional leadership tasks and organizational management tasks and an absence of understanding within qualitative studies of the significant matters within a school day and how those align to instructional leadership and organizational management.

The Association …

The Greenbook, Faculty Handbook, 2024-2025, Marshall University Academic Affairs

The Greenbook

This book has been published for the faculty of Marshall University for the specified period of time. This book was created by Academic Affairs and is for the period of 2024-2025.

Analysis Of Policy Implementation: Improving Reading Proficiency Outcomes For All Students, Mariela Magro-Malo

Education Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the implementation and impact of reading improvement initiatives mandated by Texas House Bill 3 (2019) within a Texas school district. By applying improvement science principles, the study employs a mixed-methods embedded research design to evaluate the alignment of district practices with the Science of Reading and assess the effectiveness of systemic approaches in enhancing student reading outcomes. The research identifies statistically significant improvements in reading achievement, particularly in kindergarten, following the adoption of a phonics curriculum and mandated reading assessment tools. However, the findings also reveal challenges, notably the disconnect between policy understanding and practical implementation among …

July 2024 Bulldog Alumni & Friends News, Kari Jones, Garrett King

Bulldog Alumni & Friends News

July 29- August 9th

Online Auction- 18th Annual SWOSU Athletic Auction

August 1

SWOSU Near You: Eischen’s in Okarche, OK

August 9

SWOSU Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet

August 10

18th Annual SWOSU Athletic Auction

September 13

SWOSU Charitable Hunt

October 26

SWOSU Homecoming

Why Researchers Need To Hear Practitioners’ Voices: A Call To Action, Donna Zerr, David Wolff, Carissa Gober

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

This article encourages educators to embrace their role as researchers and contribute to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. It highlights how everyday classroom experiences can lead to meaningful inquiry, and it urges practitioners to share their findings through self-study and scholarly writing. By making their work public, educators not only validate their experiences but also help expand collective knowledge and improve practice across the field. The article serves as both a guide and an inspirational call for educators to let their voices be heard.

The Refractive Thinker®: Artificial Intelligence: The New Frontier Of The Digital Age: Ch 7: Navigating The Integration Of Ai In Higher Education: Opportunities, Challenges, And Ethical Considerations, Cheryl Lentz, Dr. Karen Balcanoff

Publications

As educators in higher education continue to learn the effects and influence of artificial intelligence (AI), there are questions regarding the role of educators. According to Bearman et al. (2023), more research has been conducted about AI technology rather than how AI will affect higher education institutes (HEI). The goal of this chapter was to begin to fill this gap regarding the how by offering discourse through a refractive thinking approach and review of the literature with practical application of this how, particularly in the areas of (a) ethics and cheating, (b) use of administrative repetitive tasks easily delegated, and …

Effective Elementary School Leadership: Does Teacher Perception Of Leadership Effectiveness Matter To The Academic Performance Of Elementary School Students?, Goldy Brown Iii, Tina Salzman

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This study investigated one research question regarding the potential school leaders have in increasing student outcomes in low socio economic elementary schools. Based on teacher perception, are certain aspects of effective leadership more vital to the success of low socio economic elementary schools than others? The findings show that a school leader’s ability to build a productive school climate may have a more exigent connection to student outcomes in low-socioeconomic elementary schools than in elementary schools with a majority of affluent students.