Educational Leadership Commons^™

Florida’S Principals’ Perceptions Of Their Principal Preparation Program: A Study Of How Preparation Programs Impact Efficacy As A School Principal, Justin Reid Faulkner

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2020, the National Association of Secondary School Principals revealed that a staggering 42 percent of principals plan on leaving the profession and that compounds the already alarming rate of teachers leaving the field (National Association of Secondary School Principals, 2020). More locally in Florida, the landscape of educational leadership has changed quickly also adding to this problematic exodus of principals. In order to better understand the principal experience in Florida, particularly with principal preparation, this study seeks to understand how principal preparation, specifically Level II certification preparation, influences efficacy once at the helm of a school. This research uses …

How Performing Arts High School Students Experienced Involvement In A Black, Student-Created And Student-Led Organization Focused On Uplifting Black Art And Artists: A Critical Phenomenological Study With Implications For Culturally Responsive And Sustaining Educational Practices, Shaneka R. Ferrell

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This critical phenomenological study aims to understand the perspectives and experiences of members of Black Arts, a student-created, student-led organization focused on uplifting Black art and artists. The following research question guided this inquiry: What are the experiences of students involved in Black Arts, a student-created, student-led organization focused on uplifting Black art and artists? In addition, three sub-questions were explored: (a) How do students experience their involvement in Black Arts, a student-created, student-led organization focused on uplifting Black art and artists in ways that uplift and magnify their voices and agency? (b) How do student experiences in Black Arts, …

Case Study And Evaluation Of The Implementation Of Restorative Family Conferences In An Alternative Placement School, Linda Faye Mcghghy

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the lack of research supporting zero tolerance policies and practices, these exclusionary practices and policies have resulted in the doubling of the number of students suspended from school. They contribute to exclusionary consequences and, in effect, these practices create negative academic, social and emotional outcomes for students often resulting in students entering the criminal justice system (school-to-prison-pipeline), which disproportionately impact Black students, students with disabilities, and children living in poverty. These facts are especially troubling since there is ample research that discipline practices supporting student physical, mental and social well being such as Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Multi-Tiered System …

Triumph After Trauma: A Phenomenological Exploration Into Women Survivor’S Perceptions Of The Influence Of Trauma On Their Leadership, Natalya R. Bannister Roby

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Most research around trauma is focused on negative life consequences. Although limited, there is research that explores the influence of resilience and how some survivors may experience growth after trauma (Kirschman, 2004). Furthermore, research is limited on how trauma influences the leadership style and career trajectories of women who have overcome trauma. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used as the methodological framework to explore the perspectives of women leaders who identify as survivors or overcomers of trauma. The study participants are women leaders in middle management positions to senior-level executives in educational organizations serving middle and high school students.

In-depth …

Running The Gauntlet: Barriers For Black Women Academics In Higher Education Research Productivity, Crishana Dionne Benton

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Internationally, research productivity bears significance for an institution’s reputation and overall research ranking. Many previous efforts surrounding faculty issues have focused on individual faculty research productivity. This study reimagined the definition of productivity as an academic’s impact on scholarly research, evidenced by their h-index.

At the same time, the need for diversity of faculty populations is becoming more urgent, even in a time when the number of tenure-earning faculty positions is diminishing and those which remain are occupied mainly by white men. To add to the disparities, it is reported that only 4% of full-time faculty are Black women. Black …

Through The Looking Glass: An Autoethnography, Jennifer Pryor Halter

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an autoethnography studying my experiences as a female high school principal in the south. Autoethnography is qualitative research that analyzes personal experiences to understand a particular culture (Ellis et al., 2011). I share my lived experiences in fictionalized composite examples to protect myself and others possibly implicated in the research (Law & Fine, 2004). Through analysis, I use feminist theories and metaphors to understand the school and community and the presence of southern culture in this school’s context. Through research, I found glass metaphors describing women in leadership roles and their obstacles (Simpson & Kurma, 2015). I …

New Principals: Experiences That Influence The Role, Marianne P. Simon

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenology-informed study is to examine the lived experiences of new principals and to understand the experiences that have influenced their role as principal. Phenomenological research is “interested in an analytical and descriptive experience of phenomena by individuals in their everyday world” (Eddles-Hirsch, 2015). This framework is what drove the research study into the lived experiences of new principals and the experiences that have influenced their role. The study is qualitative in nature using three in-depth, semi-structured interviews with five new principals in a Northeast Florida school district for a total of 15 interviews. The research …

Perceptions Of Organizational Politics And Interpersonal Relationships In Black Women's Organizations And Sororities, Mitzi S. Willis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although much research has addressed the relationships between leaders and followers, none has focused on these relationships between Black women—specifically, in the context of Black women’s social service organizations and sororities—and the impact the leader’s chosen style of leadership has on the followers’ use of voice. Self silencing is a prominent response to the power dynamic in many leader–follower relationships. The purpose of this study was to describe the interactions between leaders and followers in Black women’s social service organizations and sororities and identify the influence leadership style has on follower engagement. This study extends the application of silencing the …

“I Can’T Do This Anymore, But I Have 1000 More Kids To Serve”: A Qualitative Study Of Full-Time Residential Summer Camp Staff Burnout, Sarah Cohen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Early pioneers of burnout defined it as “to fail, wear out, or become exhausted by making excessive demands on energy, strength, or resources'' (Freudenberger, 1974, p. 159; Freudenberger, 1977; Schaufeli & Enzmann, 1998). The traditional structures and activities of summer camps play a large role in creating experiences for staff and campers alike, but can lead to full-time staff working long hours with little time off and a culture of being overworked as a symbol of dedication to the program. While burnout research has become more popular over the past few decades, little is known about how burnout is experienced …

Teaching Without Walls: A Portraiture Study Of Nature-Based Educators In Duluth, Minnesota, Christina Wild

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation explores the lived experience of nature-based educators in Duluth, Minnesota. Portraiture served as the methodological framework for learning about how teachers in Duluth got into teaching and why they remain on the job. Teacher turnover and attrition is a national problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, teachers who perceive better working conditions are less likely to leave the profession. In addition, nature-based education has positive influences on students. Past research in nature-based education has looked at students rather than teachers. This study’s findings offer key lessons in the stories of educators who stay in teaching and experience …

The Critical Role Of Happiness In Education: Resilience, Retention, And What Happy Teachers Do Differently, Jill Marie Hayes White

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Teachers are unhappy, stressed, and leaving the field at an alarming rate. This paper analyzes how teacher happiness is related to resilience and retention. It also looks for patterns that identify what happy teachers do differently at work. To complete this investigation, current K-12 public school teachers throughout Iowa completed electronic surveys that assessed their happiness, resilience, and work life. These surveys included the Subjective Happiness Scale (Lyubomirsky & Lepper, 1999), the Brief Resilience Scale (Smith, et al., 2008), and 14 additional survey questions created by the researcher. Correlational, comparative, and descriptive analyses were completed to examine potential relationships and …

Responsive, Adaptive, And Future-Centred Leadership In Response To Crisis: Findings From Australia, Fiji, And New Zealand, Michelle Striepe, Pauline Thompson, Sylvia Robertson, Mohini Devi, David Gurr, Fiona Longmuir, Adam Taylor, Christine Cunningham

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruption to education and highlighted the importance of effective leadership during times of crisis. This paper considers the impact of the pandemic on school leaders in Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand. A secondary analysis of data from five interpretivist, qualitative studies was conducted. The aim of the study was to investigate the similarities and differences between the leaders’ experiences across school settings, states/provinces, and countries. Our findings place renewed importance on understanding the role of schools within the community and the vital role school leaders play in helping schools respond to volatile and dynamic …

Perspectives On Teacher Leadership: Implications For Practice And Teacher Leadership Development, Jennifer Thomason, Karen L. Sanzo, Jay Paredes Scribner

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Teacher leaders are valuable members of the school community. However, there is little existing research that explores how teacher leaders shape and enact their roles. In this article we explore how teacher leaders come to understand their role, as well as how principals and other school colleagues interact with teacher leaders and the ways in which those interactions support teacher leader role development. These findings have significant implications in helping us understand how to help teacher leaders develop in their role and the ways in which leaders can foster teacher leadership growth.

Teacher Perception Of K-5 Students' Social Emotional Health, Scott Self

Online Theses and Dissertations

Education has grown in complexity. Educational stakeholders are perpetually caught within the debate of what constitutes best practices. However, “the delicate fabric of the civilization into which successive generations are woven has unraveled, . . .” (Bloom, 1988, p. 57). Bereft of much of the traditional social and emotional family support, contemporary students have been yielding diminishing school engagement and waning school success. With students’ social-emotional health teetering toward the unhealthy, educators must accept, and therefore learn to thrive in the recursive nature of best practices, all while attempting to salvage their pupils’ social and emotional health (SEH). Thus, the …

Equitable Hiring Practices For Hr Directors: It Is All About The How, Jennifer B. Harlan

Education Dissertations

District Human Resource departments are tasked with developing rationale, policies, and a hiring process that prioritizes hiring high quality applicants that reflect diverse backgrounds with proven experience and success with district student populations. Staff must hire diverse candidates but to do so, they must examine the implications for equitable hiring practices and remove obstacles and barriers currently in place. The purpose of this paper is to research district action plans and system changes that are taking place in schools to hire a diverse staff. State laws, district policies, and action plans are a great step but how the steps are …

The Relationship Between Academic Advising And Students' Completion Of Corequisite Gateway Courses, Michael P. Moran

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This bivariate correlational quantitative study sought to determine how variables predicted students’ course outcomes in first-year English and mathematics courses within a corequisite learning support model. Course outcomes were defined dichotomously on a successful completion or unsuccessful completion basis. The participants of this study included those who initially attempted first-year English (n = 2,055) and mathematics (n = 2,843) course(s) in a corequisite learning support model for the first time between Fall 2018 and Spring 2022 and were assigned as advisees to the professional academic advisors in the centralized advising model. The examined predictors were students’ frequency of sessions, length …

Promoting The Positive: A Case Study Of The Influence Of School Climate On One Turnaround School From 2016-2022, Cynthia Gunner

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Schools across the country are finding various means to address the social realities that often exist in high poverty schools. School climate is one of those social realities. While there is research related to school climate in high poverty schools, there are limited case studies related to this subject. This qualitative case study examined how one elementary school was transformed by creating a positive school climate between 2016-2022. This study also explored the impact that the pandemic and subsequent school lockdown had on the newly established school climate. Findings from this study indicated that PF Elementary School established a positive …

The Transmission Of Saga At West Virginia University, James Froemel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Changes in the higher education landscape continue to bring new regulations which enforce standardization and similarities in organizational behavior. Because of these pressures, institutional identities and differentiations are more dependent on the unique way students experience an institution rather than the structure of the organization. Through focus groups and interviews, this phenomenological study seeks to understand the ways in which the traditional undergraduate experience impacts the transmission of organizational saga at West Virginia University. To do so, it examines stories told by students through thematic analysis to connect student experiences with symbols of the university. Focusing on these connections and …

Internship Experiences Of Pre-Service Teachers: A Case Study Of Efl Korean Students In The Philippines, Gina B. Ugalingan, Aileen Bautista, Rochelle Irene Lucas

Journal of English and Applied Linguistics

Various studies on the different experiences of pre-service teachers who are non-native speakers of English emerged to strengthen the teaching curriculum and empower them to be equipped as they take the role of classroom teachers. Some foreign students even study abroad to strengthen their proficiency in the English language; more so, other teacher education programs offer internships abroad. Studies support that teaching internship experiences impact shaping novice teachers’ identity (Borg, 2003; Kim & Cho, 2014; Ulla, 2016). This case study describes the teaching experiences of eight Korean pre-service teachers during their internship. The participants were students under the program of …

Schooling With Racial Equity At The Center: A Case Study Exploration Of One Elementary School-Based Leadership Team, Michael L. Baulier

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Pre-K–12 schooling in the United States has historically and systemically promoted ideas of Black inferiority while safeguarding the characteristics of white supremacy culture embedded in all aspects of the education system. The notion of white dominance is evident throughout studies, policies, and reports from district, state, and federal officials who have been tasked with closing the achievement gap but instead have assigned blame to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students and families. An analysis of the history of U.S. public education reveals not a single achievement gap but multiple opportunity gaps that perpetuate the subjugation of Black students …

The Impact Of Job Satisfaction On Retention And Motivation For Leadership Advancement Of The U. S. Citizenship And Immigration Services (Uscis) Millennial Supervisors, Kelvin Medlock

Dissertations

Purpose: This explanatory mixed-methods study aimed to identify the job satisfaction level of millennial supervisors at the five service centers of the U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Additionally, it identified the impact that job satisfaction levels have on their job retention and motivation for leadership advancement.

Methodology: An explanatory sequential design data collection method was used to identify and describe the level of job satisfaction of USCIS millennial supervisors. This Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) was completed by the participants and was followed by an open-ended interview designed to collect in-depth data on job satisfaction factors’ impact on retention …

Do Academic Supervisors Know What Their Employees Want From Work?, Emily Faulconer, John Griffith

Publications

This research has meaning to higher education learning institutions regarding faculty and staff motivation. Effectively motivating employees has captivated management theorists in search of higher morale and higher productivity. This study challenges the assumption by Hersey and Blanchard (1993) based on Lindahl’s (1949) study that supervisors do not know what their employees want from work.

Global South Research Collaboration: A Comparative Perspective, Abdoulaye Gueye, Edward Choi, Carolina Guzmán-Valenzuela, Gustavo Gregorutti

Faculty Publications

Research collaboration has become a major research topic in the social sciences. While this literature has mainly focused on collaborative dynamics in the Global North, more recent studies have examined these dynamics within the Global South. This article expands the scope of analysis by comparing the level of co-publications by Global South-based scholars with Global South-based colleagues and that between academics at Global South institutions and researchers in Global North universities. It shows that academic partnerships within the Global South are less common than instances of collaboration between the Global South and Global North. The relatively weak Global South collaborative …

My Muse Of Fire Is Ubuntu: My Black Lives Matter Re-Awakening Of Purpose, Gwendolyn C. Webb

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Poetry, as a genre, allows one to express emotion as a tool to stimulate thought and action. This piece shares the importance of culturally responsive leadership and teaching from the perspective of a university professor seeking to strengthen her critical consciousness. The muse of thought as a precursor to action was motivated by personal and professional development as it relates to truly embracing Black Lives Matter during the pandemic. This muse shares a transformation in the development of proactive and strength-based perspectives in leading and teaching African American learners.

A Phenomenological Study In Conflict And Conflict Resolution Methods Of Rural African American Pastors, Darrell W. Rowe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative, phenomenological by design research aimed to identify the conflict resolution methods utilized by African American pastors who serve in rural locations and shepherd a flock of one hundred or fewer congregants. The study also sought to understand the background, origin, and perceived effectiveness of resolving congregational conflict from the specified demographic. As the shepherd of the flock, the pastor has the inherent responsibility to resolve conflict within the church. The church experiences conflict from numerous external sources; however, this research sought to address conflict within the congregation. This study collected data through the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict MODE Instrument. 71.4% …

Pistol Packing Educators: A Phenomenological Study On Educators Desire To Carry A Concealed Weapon In School, Jaycia H. Jacobs

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand how educators described their desires and lived experiences of carrying a firearm in a K-12 school. A transcendental phenomenological design was used in this study to examine the essence of the participants’ experiences. The theory that guided this study was Crano’s (1995) vested interest theory which established an individual’s perceived significance and hedonic relevance of an attitude-implicated action’s outcome. Attitude-behavior consistency exists when there is a strong association between opinions and actions. The central research question guiding this case study asked: What were the lived experiences of educators who desired …

A Phenomenological Study Of Black Women In Leadership: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Women In The Healthcare Field, Janice Tabatha Hill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Black women in leadership positions in the healthcare field. The study used an intersectional lens to illustrate how gender, race, class, and spirituality contributed to the systemic structures of oppression, bias, and discrimination, limiting ascension to positions of power and authority. The theoretical framework guiding this inquiry was the great man leadership theory, which analyzed how socio-cultural identities influenced Black women’s perceptions and experiences of leadership within the organizational context. Adopting a phenomenological study research design conceptualized the experiences of Black women executives working in a …

Understanding Your Cultural Identities: A Self-Study Of The Impact Of One’S Cultural Identities On Interpreting Interactions, Shelby L.W. Sammartino

Education Doctorate Dissertations

There is a disproportionality of students of color receiving office referrals for disrespect and defiance because disrespect and defiance are subjective in interpretation by teachers in the classroom. This self-study aims for the researcher to identify and understand the construction of their cultural identities, so they can determine how their cultural identities impact their interpretation of interactions with students concerning disrespect and defiance, how their cultural identities impact their choice of behavior management technique in interactions concerning disrespect and defiance, and how their cultural identities impact their discipline decisions in interactions concerning disrespect and defiance. The data to determine the …

Leadership Skill Development In Master’S-Level Counselor Education, Charity A. Godfrey, Richard J. Cicchetti, Craig R. Blum, Gary Michael Szirony, Tamara Harris

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Student leadership identity is fast becoming one of the most critical challenges educational institutions face today. However, mental health counselors may be limited in the amount of education and training received as they become leaders in the field. There is currently no known mandate at the master’s level for leadership embedded within the counseling curriculum in the educational environment, although research suggests otherwise. The purpose of this correlational predictive empirical study was to investigate leadership identity characteristics as measured by the Socially Responsible Leadership Scale, Revision 2 (SLRS-R2), moderated by demographic factors. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine outcome …

An Assessment Of Improvement Challenges & Lessons Learned From Feeding Students Of A Large Urban School District During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jamar King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative dissertation study took place in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine the work of school food service professionals as this has implications for all school food service staff. Specifically, this study focused on the role of the cafeteria managers, through their practices, beliefs, the support needed, and challenges they faced during a complicated reality of meeting student needs, and to contribute to the improvement practices in school food service for future emergencies. The research questions, methods, and data analysis are framed using the first three principles of Improvement Science described …