Educational Leadership Commons^™

2024-04-18 Registration Advisory Committee Mission Revised, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

A proposed revisal to the Registration Advisory Committee mission submitted to the Faculty Senate on April 18, 2024.

2024-04-18 General Education Council Mission Revised, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

A proposed revisal of the General Education Council mission submitted to the Faculty Senate on April 18, 2024.

Nice For What? The Contradictions And Tensions Of An Urban District’S Racial Equity Transformation, Patricia Virella, Román Liera

Department of Educational Leadership Scholarship and Creative Works

Diversity, equity, and inclusion training has exploded over the last decade. While many districts invest considerable resources in developing their leaders’ knowledge and skills on equity issues, “niceness” can perpetuate whiteness and present formidable obstacles to meaningful progress. Investigating a large urban-emergent district as a case study, we examine the efforts to eliminate the racial barriers perpetuated by its leaders and explore the contradictions that arise after a year of professional learning geared towards antiracist district transformation. We employ a theory of racialized organizations, seeking to understand how whiteness as niceness impeded school leaders’ efforts to engage in antiracist change …

Caracterización De Necesidades Académicas En Educación Superior En Siete Provincias De Cundinamarca, Claudia Urazán Penagos, William Enrique Parra Forero, Yeimer Farid Bohórquez Cortés, Luis David Barón Hernández, Yuli Alejandra Gutiérrez Villegas, Adrián Gualdrón Quintana, Cristian Camilo Barbosa Pineda, Deibyd Alejandro Ramírez Linares

Institucional

Este estudio tiene como objetivo realizar una evaluación de la factibilidad de programas en el contexto de la educación superior, centrando su enfoque en el análisis de las tendencias actuales a nivel mundial, nacional y local, y cómo estas podrían afectar e influir en las decisiones de política educativa y estrategia de oferta de programas académicos en el departamento de Cundinamarca.

Confronting Whiteness: When Critical Whites Studies And Racial Trauma Collide: An Autoethnography, Tracy Barron

Dissertations

This autoethnographic dissertation research explores Critical White Studies (CWS) and racial trauma and their impact on Students of Color in a higher education setting. This study aims to challenge the deficit thinking of white educators who perpetuate racism in higher education. The relationship is examined to dismantle the white ideology of white educators who believe they have the same experiences of their Students of Color regardless of their own similar experiences. Through personal narratives the author will share the complexity of CWS and Racial Trauma. The findings suggest white educators need to examine their white identity and become culturally responsive …

"There Is Power In Being Out": A Three Article Approach Celebrating The Experiences Of Queer University Leaders, Andrew R. E. Lorenzana

Dissertations

Institutions of higher education were historically built to serve a wealthy, White, straight male student population and the leaders of these institutions still largely reflect these demographics. This project specifically aims to celebrate and amplify the life and career of university administrators who identify within the LGBTQ community. Mainly through the use of a portraiture methodology, this three-article study attempts to examine the ways in which LGBTQ identity and career influence one another.

Worldmaking and narrative will be used as a theoretical frame to help analyze the ways in which the telling of a queer individual’s story makes the world …

The Experience Of Military Families Accessing Early Childhood Education And Care: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Kristine Clothier

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand accessing early childhood education and care (ECEC) opportunities by military families using government and private programs. The study focused on 12 families who have children ages three to five years old enrolled in an ECEC program. The philosophical foundation used in this study is Heidegger’s hermeneutic phenomenology. The theory provided an underlying construct and structure to understand the interconnectedness of ECEC stakeholders and the impact of government policies on ECEC access. The study explored the lived experiences of military families who seek access to high-quality equitable early childhood education opportunities. The …

Mentorship Experiences Of College Level Educators: A Phenomenological Study, Rebecca M. Arsenault

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the impact that mentorship had on the retention of ten participating educators working at various post-secondary educational institutions. The theory guiding this study was Dansereau’s leader-member theory guided as it pertained to the interactions between a dyadic relationship such as the one represented by one-on-one mentorship. The central research question for this study asked about the mentorship experiences of educators in higher education who have been in the field of education for five years or more. This study used transcendental phenomenological to study the essence of the experiences of 10 educators …

A Mixed-Method Approach Identifying Antecedents Of Employee Engagement In A Nondenominational Church: Perspective From Volunteers And Employees, Gregory A. Rodriguez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Employee engagement is a crucial factor that affects organizational success, productivity, and overall well-being. Extensive research has been conducted on factors contributing to employee engagement in secular organizations. However, additional study on the volunteer workforce is needed, particularly on the factors influencing engagement within the Christian community. This study explored the antecedents of employee engagement from a comparative perspective, examining volunteers and employees to shed light on the factors that drive engagement across different work commitments. Drawing upon a mixed-methods research approach, data was collected from a diverse sample of Christian church volunteers and employees. The research used an adapted …

Burnout Prevention In Christian Public And Private Middle School Leaders: A Qualitative Study, Rhonda Grider Purchase

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a momentous problem in academic settings today regarding stress and burnout among academic school leaders (Francis et al., 2017). The focus of this study was to examine the prevention of professional stress in the lives of middle school academic leaders. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of what the selected participants believed was the prevention of stress and burnout in middle school leaders in Newton County, Georgia. For this study, school leaders were defined as certified principals who hold a bachelor’s level or above degree and contribute to the academic environment …

The Role Of Emotions In Qualitative Analysis: Researchers’ Perspectives, Hilary Lustick, Xiaoye Yang, Abeer Hakouz

The Qualitative Report

Qualitative research is an inherently social and relational endeavor that relies on and engages our emotions. Yet, researchers receive little guidance on how to engage emotions without being swayed by personal biases. Lustick (2021) developed a framework called “emotion coding” for systematically engaging thoughts and emotions in qualitative data analysis by asking what a chunk of data can teach us about ourselves, our participants, and our study. In this study, we interviewed 15 researchers who had tried using the emotion coding technique, about their impressions of this technique and the role of emotion in qualitative research overall. Framed by Goffman …

Perception Of Emotional Intelligence And Self Efficacy For School Business Officials At K-12 Districts, Agha Mirza

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy in Chief Business Officials (CBOs) working in School Districts in the state of California.

Methodology: The primary objective of this study was to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy characteristics, employing a quantitative, correlational research design. The study involved a non-experimental approach to establish correlations between the identified variables and an explanatory design to elucidate the relationship between variables. Correlational research has been established as the most effective approach for examining correlations between phenomena and distinct population samples, which made …

Connecting Culturally Relevant And Sustaining Education Competencies In Teacher Preparation Programs To The Experiences Of Mixed-Race Learners In K-12 Settings: A Mixed Methods Study, Marissa Wallace

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Mixed-race individuals are increasing in number within the United States population. There is limited research on mixed-race learners in K-12 school settings. This study delves into the unique educational experiences of this group of learners and provides implications for future teachers. With a focus on the Pennsylvania Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Education (CR-SE) competencies, the researcher incorporates the competencies into course work and field experiences for pre-service teachers taking a course focused on literacy instruction and intervention. Quantitative, pre- and post- surveys, and qualitative data, open-ended responses, observations, and end of semester reflections were collected from pre-service teachers. Qualitative data, …

2024-04-16 Review Of Pg-55 Update Draft, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

A draft of the Review of PG-55 Update submitted to the Faculty Senate on April 16, 2024.

2024-04-16 Pg-55 Update - Faculty Feedback, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty feedback on PG-55 Update submitted to the Faculty Senate on April 16, 2024.

Experiences Of Early Childhood Leaders In U.S. Nature-Based Learning Programs, Dr. Kristina Henrika Atler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are several benefits of nature-based learning (NBL), and participation in NBL supports developmental outcomes, especially in early childhood education; however, there was little research on how to successfully implement NBL. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences of early childhood NBL leaders as they initiated and maintained NBL programs in the United States. The conceptual framework comprised elements of experiential learning theory, Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, and place-based learning theory. Data were captured through interviews with 14 early childhood leaders (ECLs), observations of six learning spaces, and site-based document analysis. Data were transcribed, coded, …

2024-04-15 Faculty Senate Constitution Revised, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

A revised proposal for the Faculty Senate Constitution submitted to the Faculty Senate on April 15, 2024.

Closing The Gap: The Relationship Between School Climate And Student Achievement In The Middle School Sector, Brad Boykin, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Summer Pannell, Richard E. Cleveland, Suzanne B. Miller, Mary Josephine Carney

School Leadership Review

School leaders must make decisions and implement strategies to improve a school climate and student achievement, and it benefits them to understand which areas of school climate have the greatest impact on student achievement. The State of Georgia measures school climate and student achievement with its school accountability measure, the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI). This study employed a quantitative research design using archival data that was publicly available from CCRPI data for a two year span to examine the relationship between school climate and student achievement statewide in the middle grade sector. Findings revealed that all four …

Comparison Of Dual Enrollment Student Grades In Introductory Biology College Dual-Enrollment Courses Taken In Texas High Schools Or Colleges For School Leaders, Cynthia A. Gallardo

School Leadership Review

Dual Enrollment (DE) or Dual Credit (DC) programs have become increasingly prevalent at both the high school and college settings. These programs enable students to earn both high school and college credit and get a head start on their college education. Additionally, students in these programs must take university core curriculum courses to fulfill their college education requirements. A course that several students take is Introductory to Biology, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) course. This course is an introductory science course and may present a challenge for students in that there is a large quantity of material discussed. …

Igniting Resilience During Critical Times: Reflections Of Women Superintendents, Janice L. Taylor, Sharon Ross, Kathryn Washington, Kelly A. Brown

School Leadership Review

This qualitative study sought to explore the perceptions of women school superintendents in K -12 public schools in Texas about the challenges they face as leaders and how they endure these impactful challenges, particularly during critical times such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Polidore’s Resilience Theory (2004) as the theoretical framework, the study sought to determine which of the nine resilience qualities, either innately possessed or through acquisition over time, helped to sustain the women superintendents during adverse situations associated with the highest level of leadership in a school district. The nine qualities of resilience include: religion, flexible locus of …

Assessing Higher Order Thinking In The New Jersey Social Studies Standards For Grades K-8 By Using Artificial Intelligence (Ai), Connie Sanchez

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

New Jersey consistently ranks as one of the top-performing states in the country when it comes to education. Most recently, it was ranked third in the nation. A look at the state standards in any subject shows the state works diligently to vertically align standards while also challenging students in order to better prepare them for the future and to be able to live in a global society. It is evident in looking at the New Jersey Department of Education’s standards that the planning they do is performed with an eye toward the future. The social studies standards are no …

Exploring Entrepreneurial Intention And Subjective Beliefs: A Comparative Analysis Of General Education Schools And Commercial Schools, Julia Riess, Bettina Fuhrmann, Gerhard Geissler

International Journal for Business Education

This study examines the entrepreneurial intentions of Austrian secondary school students, specifically comparing students from commercial schools with those from general education schools. We analyzed 2,329 data sets and found that subjective beliefs, primarily behavioral and control beliefs, significantly influence entrepreneurial intentions. In addition, demographic factors such as gender, language, acquaintance with entrepreneurs, and school type play a significant role in explaining the variance in entrepreneurial intentions.

Our detailed analysis shows that students from commercial schools have stronger entrepreneurial intentions and subjective beliefs. Particularly notable are the differences in behavioral beliefs, where students from commercial schools find all aspects of …

2024-04-12 Institutional Animal Care And Use Committee Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate., Institutional Animal Care And Use Committee.

Faculty Senate Records

The meeting minutes of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee for April 12, 2024.

Who Cares?! Fostering Inclusive And Empowering Environments For Black Students In Predominantly White Institutions: Strategies For Retention And Cultural Engagement, Joel Mandell Stancer, Danielle Allen, Angela Haywood-Gaskin, Kelly Atkins, Rhonda Lingard, Kuriston White-Dunlap

Dissertations

This research focuses on the critical components of caring relationships and how they relate to first-generation Black students’ achievement in higher education. It will reveal how staff-led collegiate programming could benefit first-generation Black college students by allowing them to establish caring relationships and mentorships that allow them to construct a solid support system that is easily accessible to them from the moment they begin college until graduation.

Using data collected from interviews with current college students enrolled in a retention program at a PWI (Predominately White Institution) and in connection with a conceptual framework informed by theorists Nel Noddings, Vincent …

2024-04-11 Faculty Welfare & Concerns Committee Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate., Faculty Welfare & Concerns Committee.

Faculty Senate Records

Meeting minutes from the Faculty Welfare & Concerns Committee for April 11, 2024.

New Faculty Integration: A Organizational Socialization Approach, Catherine L. Tackett

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education at Morehead State University by Catherine L. Tackett on April 10, 2024.

District-Level Instructional Leaders’ Perceptions Of Obstacles When Implementing District-Wide Change Initiatives—A Delphi Study, Ashley Fulmer

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify what expert district-level administrative instructional leaders perceive as obstacles when implementing district-wide change initiatives to improve student achievement and well-being through a shared leadership approach, to rate the degree of importance of the identified obstacles, and to describe the most effective strategies to overcome the highest rated obstacles identified.

Methodology: This study used the Delphi methodology to collect data from expert district-level administrative instructional leaders through three rounds of survey questionnaires. The expert panel was selected through purposive, convenience, and expert nomination sampling methods. In Round 1, the expert panel …

My Story Is In The Structure: An Autoethnographic Study By An Instructional Designer Working In A Centralized Academic Reporting Line, Pamela Williams

Dissertations

Although not officially named in the shared governance of an institution, instructional designers play an important role as they collaborate with administrators and faculty to create high quality, regulatory-compliant courses for enrolled students. Instructional designers working in centralized, academic reporting units may be well-positioned to advance the work of institutions to maintain good standing with the industry and regulatory bodies. To illustrate the challenges, opportunities, and strategies employed by an instructional designer working in such a position, an autoethnographic study was conducted to elucidate how shared governance influences, empowers, and disempowers an instructional designer’s ability to lead and collaborate on …

From Mandated Reporter To Community Supporter: Reimagining Schools And The Nexus To Address Intersectional Social Justice, Charity Chandler-Cole

LMU Theses and Dissertations

From Mandated Reporter to Community Supporter: Reimagining Schools and the Nexus to Address Intersectional Social Justice, explores the transition from mandated reporting to community support within schools, focusing on the implications for Black families and the broader goal of addressing intersectional social justice. The study critically examines the role of schools beyond their educational mandate, highlighting their potential as pivotal hubs for supporting vulnerable populations and addressing systemic issues such as racism, bias, and poverty. Through a mixed-methods approach, incorporating both quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews, the research delves into the impact of mandated reporting on Black families, the understanding …

Supporting Students Where They Are: Exploring First-Generation, Low-Income Students’ Metacognitive Development Post-First Year Seminar, Jessica R. Washak

JWU Dissertations & Theses

First-year seminar (FYS) courses are designed to assist students through the transition into new academic communities, offering opportunities for students to develop the skills they need to persist through future coursework (Culver & Bowman, 2020). Despite the goal of retaining and empowering students—particularly student populations who have been historically underserved in higher education, such as first-generation, low-income (FGLI) students—observation of the many models of postsecondary FYS has revealed mixed success in terms of student outcomes (Jairam, 2022). It has been suggested in recent literature that metacognition, or “knowledge and cognition about cognitive phenomenon” (Flavell, 1979, p. 906), contributes to skill …