Educational Leadership Commons^™

Newark To Navajo: An Autoethnography Of A Cultural Outsider, Vincent Lloyd Mays

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This study aims to explore the experiences of an African American Male leader in the Bureau of Indian Education. The focus of the study is to understand how I experienced inequitable workplace opportunities that may prohibit me from attaining and advancing into executive leadership roles. A qualitative Autoethnographic approach explores how my lived experiences may help the human resources division recruit and retain “Cultural Outsiders.” It denoted the career trajectory for an African American Male in the Bureau of Indian Education sector to capture the essence of their experiences navigating inequities along the leadership pipeline. To examine my experiences, adaptative …

The Organizational Socialization Of K–12 Classified Employees, Steven Dunlap

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study was to identify to what extent newly employed classified staff in K–12 school districts in Southern California experienced organizational tactics (content, context, and social) to support their socialization process during the 1st year of employment (G. R. Jones, 1986). In addition, it was the purpose of this study to identify and describe the degree to which newly employed classified staff saw these tactics as effective in supporting their socialization to their new role (role clarity, social acceptance, and task mastery).

Methodology: This study used a sequential explanatory mixed methods design to engage …

The Perceptions Of Elementary Principals Regarding Their Role In Increasing Teacher Capacity, Erin Perkins

Educational Studies Dissertations

The Perceptions of Elementary Principals Regarding Their Role in Building Teacher Capacity is a sequential explanatory mixed methods study and includes quantitative and qualitative elements. In public schools throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the responsibility for building increased teacher capacity falls primarily on elementary school principals. This study collected the experiences and behaviors of elementary principals in Massachusetts to gain insight into their understanding of their role in building teacher capacity. This study was guided by three research questions: 1. To what extent do elementary principals consider the capacity of teachers to be a principal leadership priority? 2. In what …

More Than Just Checking A Box: Teachers' Experiences Of Transformation In Equity-Focused Professional Learning, Melissa E. Moxley

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Pennsylvania has the largest disparity between student and faculty demographics. In fact, over half of Pennsylvania schools employ zero teachers of color. As student demographics change and teacher demographics remain the same, there is an ever-increasing need to train in-service teachers on diversity, equity, and inclusion tenets. Training teachers to be culturally competent requires them to alter their understandings in a transformational way. Often, cash-strapped districts attempt to produce training sessions in-house, developed by administrators who may have little training in the area themselves. This leads to professional learning that is left in the conference room once teachers leave. Research …

2024-03-28 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 March 28, 2024.

Casar Public Lecture: "Women & Stem Education In Egypt & The Us: Stepping Into A Man's World Of Science & Technology", The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar, Yasmeen El Ghazaly, Mark W. Deets

Performances, Events, and Presentations

In celebration of International Women's Day this Month, we held a public lecture titled: "Women & STEM Education in Egypt & the US : Stepping into a Man's World of Science & Technology " on Thursday March 28th, 2024 from 12:15 pm to 1:15 pm (assembly hour) – Conference and Visitor Center, Mary Cross Hall AUC New Cairo Despite a plethora of advances made by women in the world we live in today, they are still woefully underrepresented in the realm of STEM education and the associated career paths. At this event, we uncovered the history, reasons & challenges women …

Her Seat At The Table: A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Black Women Education Policymakers, Vickey R. Silas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This transcendental phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Black women leaders as education policymakers to understand the essence of their journey to leadership positions and the impetus behind their decision-making. Despite progress, Black women remain marginalized and underrepresented in policymaking leadership roles and decision-making spaces (Griffin et. al, 2013). They face challenges that are intersectional like gender and race. My research question was what are the lived experiences of Black women education policymakers and how do these experiences impact their decision-making? While employing a transcendental phenomenological approach, I acknowledged my biases through reflexivity and bracketed them while also …

The American View On Global Education In Curriculum And Its Necessity For Entering The Workforce, Alison Taylor

Student Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed in this study is the lack of globalization terminology and geography standards included in the United States’ public education system leading to a workforce that is missing key 21st century skill competency. According to social efficiency theory, it is important for education to teach the necessary employability skills in the school curriculum. Geography standards align with employability skills, but the subject is disappearing from United States classrooms. This quantitative regression study evaluates the predictive relationships between exposure to geography curriculum in the United States, American perception of the importance of geography, and recent high school graduate’s self-assessed …

Enhancing Students' Motivational Capacities In Music Classrooms Through Gamification Of Curriculum, Nikita Mamedov

Student Theses and Dissertations

The study examined the influence of gamification on students’ motivation in the music theory curriculum in eighth through twelfth grades. The study measured students’ motivation by applying a gamified assessment method in the high school music coursework covering music theory in the curriculum. Through educational gamification, self-regulated motivation, interest and enjoyment, competence, and autonomy were assessed within the student motivation. The study employed an experimental research design with 57 participants in the control group and 59 participants in the experimental group enrolled in music courses at the North America International School in Shanghai, China. The control group completed the traditional …

Teacher Perceptions Of The Boundless Learning Professional Development On Instruction In A Co-Taught Class, Debbie Fleming

Student Theses and Dissertations

The concept of serving students with disabilities in their least restrictive environment is a fundamental principle of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This mandate emphasizes that students with disabilities should receive their education alongside their non-disabled peers to the greatest extent possible. This is often achieved in a co-taught class led by a general education and a special education co-teacher. Frequently, these educators feel unprepared to provide instruction that is adequate to meet the diverse needs of their students. General educators do not feel they have the skills necessary to teach students with disabilities, and special educators question if …

2024-03-24 Forum With Instructors Presentation Powerpoint, Morehead State University. Office Of The President., Morehead State University. Office Of The Provost.

Faculty Senate Records

A PowerPoint presentation given by the President and Provost of Morehead State University to faculty instructors on March 27, 2024.

At-Risk Freshmen Student Retention After Stem Intervention, Edna Orozco, George Padilla

Organization and School Leadership Faculty Publications

Background: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) areas are one of the fastest-growing majors in the nation. Engineering is projected to add the second largest number of new jobs from 2016 to 2026 with 140,000 new jobs (Torpey, 2018).According to the National Center for Education Statistics despite all the research done throughout decades to improve the issue of retention in STEM areas about half of the students who pursue a degree in STEM will either leave or change majors.

Purpose: This study aimed to sample at-risk college freshmen students from the College of Engineering & Computer Science, to describe and …

An Examination Of The Relational Aspect Of Cohesive Co-Teaching Relationships, Debra L. Byers

Student Theses and Dissertations

Co-teaching has developed as a successful instructional strategy to support various learning requirements and differentiation, especially as more students with disabilities are integrated into general education classrooms. To establish efficacious co-teaching partnerships, it is important to surmount some interpersonal barriers and apply relational skills. To better understand the dynamics of meaningful co-teaching relationships, this phenomenological study interviewed seven co-teaching pairs who had participated in the Arkansas Co-Teaching Project's year-long professional development program. Additionally, to understand how to foster equality and synergy, both individual and group interviews were conducted. Findings highlighted the need for more intensive training and support systems to …

Do Blended Learning Systems Improve Student Engagement? A Closer Look At The Role Of On-Site Leadership And Teacher Professional Development, Lou Jackson

Student Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the effectiveness of blended learning systems in a selected group of five elementary schools in one school district. It analyzed the influence of on-site leadership and teacher professional development on the implementation of blended learning and its influence on student engagement. Although blended learning integrates different teaching methods based on multiple theories, such as Cognitivism, Constructivism, and Behaviorism, this study adopted a guiding theory based primarily on Cognitivism. A qualitative approach with a multiple-case study design was employed. The qualitative data was collected through a semi-structured interview protocol, and individual interviews took place via Zoom with …

The Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Mental Health Of School-Age Children And Adolescents With The Loss Of In-Person Learning And Socialization, Sheri Harber

Student Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study highlighted the perceived mental health effects on school-age children and adolescents because of the COVI-19 pandemic. The people directly impacted by this problem were the students, with parents and educators being indirectly impacted. The study examined the perceptions of teachers who witnessed perceived mental health issues in their students. The guiding theoretical framework used for this dissertation included the social psychological theories for loneliness and interdependence. The sample of participants included elementary, middle and high school teachers who met the requirements for the study. Each teacher selected participated in an interview, which the researcher transcribed and coded …

An Examination Of Credit Accrual And Graduation Rates Through The Modalities Of Instruction In An Online Learning Environment, Jennifer L. Wilkinson

Student Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed in this study was the high dropout rate and the resulting low graduation rate in alternative virtual school settings. This quantitative correlational case study examined the influence of three instructional modalities on students’ credit accrual and graduation rates in one alternative education virtual high school. The three modalities of instruction included a synchronous pathway, an asynchronous pathway, and a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instructional delivery. The lens of connectivism learning theory served as the theoretical framework that supports understanding the relationships between different modalities of instruction and students’ learning outcomes (e.g., accrual rates and graduation rates) …

Influence Of Professional Learning Communities On Teachers’ Stress: A Case Study, Jason Young

Student Theses and Dissertations

Teachers are opting to exit the profession at an unprecedented rate. This trend has led to hiring shortages and the state department lowering licensure standards in the State of Arkansas. The increase in job demands placed on teachers has led to elevated stress levels among educators, ultimately driving them to abandon the field altogether. The current qualitative case study was to explore teachers’ perspectives on the influence professional learning communities (PLCs) can have in reducing job-related stress. The job-demands resource (JD-R) model, which explains how the job-demands cause teacher stress and make it possible to understand teachers’ perceptions of PLCs …

Changing The Culture Of Secondary School Mathematics: What Are The Effects Of Interventions On Student Attitudes, Beliefs, And Motivation?, Meagan Coronado

Student Theses and Dissertations

In this study, 80 ninth-grade students enrolled in Algebra I from a high school in south Texas completed the Implicit Theories of Intelligence Scale for Children (ITIS) Survey and the Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) Survey, before and after a set of interventions. The students were divided into one of four groups, three with applied intervention and one control group: intelligence theory, utility value theory, both intelligence theory and utility value theory, and no interventions (control group). Analyses were conducted to determine the impact of the interventions on the overall scores on the ITIS and ATMI surveys. The results showed …

Examining The Influence Of Teacher And Student Variables On Teachers’ Levels Of Self-Efficacy, Rachel Pugh

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive correlational quantitative study was to examine contributing factors of students and teachers affecting teacher self-efficacy and students' reading achievement in rural Oklahoma elementary schools in grades first through fifth. The contributing factors of students being analyzed included (a) poverty and (b) race or ethnic backgrounds. The teachers’ contributing factors include their self-efficacy levels on students' reading achievement, instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement levels. The proposed theory was that student and teacher variables beyond their control influenced teachers' self-efficacy levels in poverty-stricken classrooms. The study employed a quantitative approach, which used an online questionnaire …

Leading Horses To Water During A Pandemic: Assuring Communication Learning For "Quants", Thomas Hall

International Journal for Business Education

Students who are attracted to quantitative disciplines of study can be reluctant to devote much attention to the important task of communicating, and previous research (Hostager, 2018) has identified statistically significant differences in learning approaches by major among undergraduate business students. This paper presents results of learning assurance for writing skills (direct measures) even when the content of the course relates to the highly quantitative topics of data analytics and finance. The approach combines various pedagogical methods in an undergraduate, writing-intensive setting: traditional testing but in an iterative framework, “flipped classroom” intensive work using spreadsheet software, repeated submission of brief …

Interactional Leadership And Its Impact On Achieving The Standards Of The Learning Organization In Secondary Schools In Gaza Governorate. القيادة التفاعلية وأثرها في تحقيق معايير المنظمة المتعلمة في المدارس الثانوية بمحافظة غزة, Ahmed Meghari, Naji Rajab Sukkar

Association of Arab Universities Journal for Education and Psychology

This study aimed to examine the impact of the application of secondary school directors in Gaza Governorate to the dimensions of interactive leadership in achieving the standards of the learning organization in the light of the following variables (gender, qualification, years of experience, and the directorate). The study followed the descriptive approach. The study was conducted using two questionnaires: interactive leadership, learning organization, on a sample of (308) male and female teachers: (145) males, (163) females in the academic year 2019/2020. The study found that school principals applied the dimensions of interactive leadership at an average level. However, the standards …

Adaptive Leadership During Times Of Great Change And Opportunity: Building Adaptive Capacity As Perceived By Community Emergency Response Team Program Managers, Ramona Gresham

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe the strategies used by Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program managers to build an adaptive capacity based on the five key characteristics of adaptive leadership identified by Heifetz et al. (2009).

Methodology: This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of 1` to build an adaptive capacity. The purposeful, convenience sampling frame was used to identify 10 participants who met the study’s criteria. The semistructured, open-ended interview protocol was developed by a thematic research team of nine peers and three faculty advisors. The data collected from interviews and artifacts …

Overcoming The Achievement Gap: Arkansas' Utilization Of Weighted Student Funding To Support Students Of Poverty, Michael G. Mcfetridge

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

With over 63% of its students living in poverty, the state of Arkansas has a challenge when it comes to equitable funding and opportunities for its students. One funding mechanism that has been in place in Arkansas for over 20 years now is a categorical funding allocation known as Enhanced Student Achievement Funds (ESA). School districts receive these funds based on their percentage of students in poverty. While this weighted student funding model of allocating more funds to identified characteristics has been in place in Arkansas for over two decades, little research exists to gauge whether these allocation mechanisms successfully …

Understanding Masculinity: Exploring The Personal And Professional Lives Of Male Middle School Directors Of Private, All-Boys’ Middle Schools, Jason Larocque

Educational Studies Dissertations

There is a gap in research about the gender identity and gender experience of men leading all boys' middle-schools. In addition, there has been little work done exploring the link between the inner lives of male school leaders, their level of burnout or satisfaction, and the impacts on their school leadership. The purpose of this study was to explore how male middle school directors of all-boys’ middle schools make sense of, engage with, and are impacted by their masculinity. The study employed narrative research with a social constructivist and post structural feminist lens. Four participants completed digital participatory journals, written …

The Effect Of Teacher Identity On The Level Of Cultural Inclusion In The Classroom, Jennifer Jones

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenographical study was to investigate high school teachers’ perceptions of cultural inclusion and the impact of teacher identity on the level of cultural inclusion in the classroom. This research study utilized semi-structured one-on-one interviews as the primary source of data and participant surveys and researcher notes taken during the interviews as the secondary sources. This study sought to address two research questions: (1) What can we learn from teachers' experiences at a southeastern suburban high school regarding the post-COVID perceptions of cultural inclusion in the classroom? (2) How does teacher identity affect cultural inclusion in …

The Clinical Placement Process Through The Lens Of The Director Of Clinical Education: A Qualitative Multiple Case Analysis, Jamie L. Greco, Katherine Myers

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The placement process is a key contributor to current challenges in health science clinical education. The Director of Clinical Education (DCE) is the central figure in coordinating the placement process in physical therapist education. Despite their central role, there is no research exploring the DCE perspective during this process. The purpose of this study was to explore the DCE’s experience in navigating the placement process to further understand how the DCE role is impacted by barriers and facilitators encountered during this process. Methods: Fourteen DCEs representing private and public institutions from across the country participated in the …

Community College Professors' Experiences With Dual Credit High School Students: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Aldo Enrrique Guzman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This proposed hermeneutic phenomenological study aimed to explore the experiences of community college professors working with dual-credit high school students in northern Texas. Vygotsky's sociocultural theory guided the study to delve into the professors' experiences working with dual-credit high school students. The central research question of this study was what are community college professors’ experiences working with dual credit high school students? The study included 11 community college professors with at least one year of experience teaching dual credit. Data was collected through individual interviews, focus groups, and letter-writing prompts. Data analysis involved transcribing the individual and focus group interviews, …

The Culture Of Innovation In Seminaries And Institutes Of Religion: A Phenomenological Study, Griffin Dean Sorenson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of seminary principals in Seminaries and Institutes of Religion (S&I) as they have been called to innovate within an environment that may not support it. The central research question is What are the beliefs, attitudes, and desires of instructional leaders (seminary principals) in released-time seminary programs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regarding a call to innovate in a culture that may not support it? The theory guiding this study is Christensen’s disruptive innovation theory, as it outlines what is required to support innovation …

Physician Assistant Students' Attitudes Toward Satisfaction And Self-Confidence In Learning Of Summative Standardized Patient Simulations In Relationship To Their Prior Healthcare Experience Hours And The Number Of Formative Assessments: A Quantitative Predictive Correlational Study, Juanita W. Skillman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative, non-experimental, predictive correlational study aimed to determine if there is a relationship between the criterion variable of physician assistant students' attitudes of satisfaction and self-confidence in learning among the linear combination of the predictor variables of prior healthcare experience hours and the number of formative assessments before the summative assessment. The experiential learning theory guided this study and is valuable to physician assistant programs because the data obtained on students' perceived attitudes is crucial to improving future student simulation experiences in which competencies are measured and compared against outcomes standards set by accreditation bodies. The study included 136 …

Exploring Workplace Relationships And Retention Among Generation Z Teachers: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Kimberly Lawhorn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe Generation Z (Gen Z) teachers’ experiences with workplace relationships within K-12 schools in the United States and how they affect retention. The theory guiding this study was Donaldson and Dunfee’s theory on integrative social contracts as it relates to relationships in the workplace and retention of teachers born between 1997 and 2012. Moustakas’ transcendental phenomenological approach was used to examine 12 Gen Z teachers’ shared experiences with workplace relationships. Data were collected through individual interviews, journal entries, and a focus group. Data analysis was conducted to answer the question: “What …