Educational Leadership Commons^™

School Leadership That Impacts Student Achievement In Blue Ribbon Schools In The Rio Grande Valley Of Texas, Sonya Y. Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to determine the leadership actions, behaviors, and practices of effective school leaders in Blue Ribbon Schools in South Texas who resulted in the schools receiving the distinction by the U. S. Department of Education of being a Blue Ribbon School. Data were collected through a series of interviews with principals and teachers from the selected sample of Blue Ribbon Schools in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using inductive coding to determine themes.

Gen Z Students’ Experiences With College Choice, Heather Levesque

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore what influences Gen Z student college choice. Research on college choice has provided insight into whether or not a student will attend college; however, limited research exists on what impacts Gen Z students’ college choice and how marketing and communication influence what college a student will choose. College recruitment has always been challenging, given the high competition between colleges and universities. With the decrease in enrollment over the last decade and the unexpected impact of COVID-19, that challenge continues to grow. Enrollment and marketing administrators have difficulty expanding and diversifying their …

Using Art Education To Cultivate Self-Efficacy And Divergent Thinking, Julian Flores Rubalcaba

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of an art teacher implementing art education with creative learning principles to cultivate students’ creative self-efficacy and divergent thinking at one middle school in the Inland Empire located in Southern California. The research continues to focus on how self-efficacy and divergent thinking cultivate through the process of art creation through project-based learning (Puente-Díaz & Cavazos-Arroyo, 2017). An art education is not a requirement for students to receive throughout their PK-12 general education in low socioeconomic schools due to an emphasis on the general education curriculum to focus on high-stakes standardized …

Beyond The Hijab: Lived Experiences Of Female Hijabi Muslim International Students At A Southern California University, Suzy Abdelrahman Sharweed

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study explored the lived experiences of female Hijabi Muslim international students at a local Southern California university. A qualitative phenomenological design was implemented to explore from the students' perspective and in their voices; a reporting of what they encountered as they navigated the campus communities they must also learn to negotiate. Considering both the historical and current push for internationalization in higher education settings, coupled with the national climate of fear concerning Muslims within the United States, a Postcolonial framework was used to examine students' daily interactions, engagement, sense of belonging and inclusion, and campus "intellectual practices" with …

The Lived Experiences Of Introverts And Their Extracurricular Involvement In A Four-Year University Environment, Maigan Wipfli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative, phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of introverts who were involved in two or more passive or active extracurricular involvement opportunities during their undergraduate experience at a four-year college or university. Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom video conferencing with self-identified introverts who attended public, four-year universities in the South, West, and Midwest regions of the United States. Participants represented both medium and large institutions. The analysis of the data indicated common themes from the participants including personality traits and common misconceptions of introversion, cultural focus of extraversion, personal and professional development, opportunities granted, and individual preferences …

Beginning Teachers' Perceptions Of Administrator Involvement In The Beginning Teacher Induction Process: A Phenomenological Study, Rachel Shepherd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine how the involvement of the principal and assistant principal in the beginning teacher (BT) induction process influences both self-efficacy and retention from the perspective of beginning teachers in a rural district in northwestern North Carolina. While research exists that highlights the importance of an induction process for beginning teachers in their first year of teaching and the need for fostering self-efficacy among beginning teachers, little analysis has been conducted specifically on the role of the principal or assistant principal in building beginning teachers’ self-efficacy during that process. The underlying framework of this …

Examining Diversity And The Role And Influence Of Post-Secondary Faculty At A Predominantly White Institution In Tennessee: A Critical Race Case Analysis, Lanell Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative, critical race analysis study is to explore how White faculty conceptualize and apply critical race theory (CRT) and culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) to curricula within a college of education and how the perceptions of their students’ identities influence specific pedagogical decisions. The researcher sought to extend the research on CRT in education by analyzing specific, detailed cases and incorporating purposeful sampling by selecting participants who match specific study criteria, i.e. graduate-level White faculty located in Tennessee who teach in programs of education.

This study was limited to six faculty in a college of education (in …

The Contribution Of Early Postsecondary Opportunities To Retention And Graduation Rates At One Community College In Tennessee, Joe Wingate

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this non-experimental, quantitative, comparative study was to determine whether there were significant differences in fall-to-fall retention and graduation rates, between first-time, full-time students who engaged in at least one early post-secondary opportunity (EPSO) while in high school and those who did not. Archival data for this study were collected from the participating community college between 2015 and 2018. The sample for this study included 2,911 students enrolled in academic programs at the community college and included retention rates and graduation rates for students who participated in EPSOs (N = 622) and those who did not participate in …

Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Instructor Perceptions Of Instructional Delivery In A Virtual Environment, John Derek Faulconer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) instructors at the secondary level as they adapted to teaching in a virtual environment during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Although the literature indicated that the delivery method for the content and curriculum aligned to Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps was best suited for face-to-face instruction, no evidence existed to indicate cadet overall success based on the implementation by virtual delivery, using one or multiple online platforms. The objective of each JROTC Program is to ensure that cadets successfully complete the program with advanced …

Examining How Black Administrator Employment Decisions Are Impacted By The Behaviors Of Supervisors, Annie Wilson Whitaker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how Black, public school administrator employment decisions are impacted by the behaviors of supervisors in Virginia. Commonalities among the lived experiences of Black, public school administrators were examined in order to identify specific behaviors which impact employment decisions.

Transcendental phenomenological qualitative research design was utilized. Participants were identified through gatekeeper introductions and then narrowed through snow-ball sampling. Data was collected through open-ended face-to-face interviews with 12 Black, public school administrators in Virginia via a secure online platform. The data was analyzed in order to identify emergent themes which represent the lived …

Academic Performance Among First-Year College Freshmen Following Participation In A Summer Bridge Program, Gregory Anderson Cross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the differences in the academic outcomes of first-year academically underprepared TN Promise-eligible college freshmen who participated in a college bridge program. A comparative research design was applied to existing data, including first-semester GPA, first-semester credit completion rate, first college-level mathematics course GPA, first college-level English course GPA, and fall-to-fall persistence rates. A random sample of 412 first-time freshman college students from five cohorts was analyzed using descriptive statistics for eight research questions. These findings indicated that there were no significant differences among college bridge participants and non-bridge participants. Non-bridge program participants …

Improving The Beginning Teacher Induction Program Experience For African American Teachers Within The Green Pastures School District: An Applied Study, Uvonda Marie Willis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this applied study was to improve the BTI program for African American teachers in the Green Pastures School District by gathering information on the BTI program and formulating solutions. A multimethod design was used consisting of both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The first approach was semi-structured interviews with district and school site administrators. The second approach was conducting a focus group with African American beginning teachers. The third approach involved the development of a survey completed by district and school site administrators and African American beginning teachers. Based on the findings, this applied study identified several recommendations …

All Excellence Is God's Excellence: Examining The Fractal Nature Of Biblical Wisdom For Decision-Making In Complex Environments, Thomas Frank Mcallister

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study analyzed decision-making techniques in complex environments to discover and examine fractal patterns within biblical wisdom. Employing a constructivist grounded theory approach, interviews of organizational leaders from various occupational verticals such as business leaders, pastors, missionaries, politicians, coaches, teachers, military, and law enforcement were conducted to discern their decision-making principles and methods. The significance of this research is its immense application potential. From the broader context of one’s worldview, the search for meaning, purpose, and success in one’s life journey is fundamental to the human psyche. Within motivated leaders, there is consistently a desire to do well—ultimately, to be …

Participation In Collision, Contact, And Noncontact Sports And Academic Outcomes At A United States Service Academy, Benjamin Thomas Showman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The present study seeks to determine whether significant differences exist in the academic outcomes, specifically grade point averages (GPA), between college students who participate in collision, contact, or noncontact sports. Additionally, this study seeks to understand whether sport contact levels are predictive of a student’s GPA when sport competition levels and demographic variables are also taken into account. Current research suggests links between sports participation, aggression, brain injuries, and academic outcomes. Along these lines, a significant amount of research has investigated relationships between student aggression and academic outcomes, between aggression and sport contact levels, and between sports participation and academic …

The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction And Religiosity In Evangelical Christian Schools, Jairon Gabriel Jarrin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this non-experimental predictive-correlational study was to examine the relationship between job satisfaction and religiosity among teachers working in evangelical Christian schools. This study was grounded in two theories: Herzberg's two-factor theory of motivation and spiritual leadership theory. Herzberg's theory of motivation helps explain how teachers become satisfied or dissatisfied by distinguishing between motivational and hygiene factors. Spiritual leadership theory helps understand the importance of spirituality in the workplace and its relation to Christian religiosity in the workplace. This study is important because it added to the discussion about evangelical Christian schools that is very limited in the …

The Future Of Higher Education For Land-Grant Institutions: Considerations Beyond Short-Term Strategic Planning, Andrew Edmunds

All Dissertations

This research addresses future challenges for land-grant universities and calls on administrators to look beyond short-term strategic planning. Chapter One frames the research problem and presents a brief history of U.S. higher education defined by disruption and evolution. Statistical models provide a basis to identify future challenges for land-grant universities. I then propose to address those challenges by investigating University Industry Partnerships (UIP), increasing research productivity, and fostering sense of belonging for part-time graduate students. I use a systematic literature review of UIP structuring practices to reveal how UIPs are structured by time, personnel, and flexible horizontal organizational structures. I …

How Transformative Leaders Break Down Barriers To Increase Access To Arts Integration For Black And Hispanic Students: A Multiple Case Study, Julia Mcclanahan

All Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand how transformative leaders break down barriers to increase access to arts integration for Black and Hispanic students. To fulfill this purpose, I conducted a multiple case study of two school sites in two different school districts. I collected the data for the cases through interviews with the principal of each school, interviews with two teachers from each site, field notes from site visits, and documents and artifacts from each site. This study is significant because the data provides transformative leaders with an action plan in order to make arts-integrated programs more equitable …

Challenging Student Behaviors And Teacher Well-Being, Dannah Steele

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Classroom management is a necessary component of a teacher’s classroom in order for students to learn in a safe environment. When a teacher is unable to manage his or her classroom because of dangerous and disruptive behaviors, it can be physically dangerous and impede the learning of others. Teachers frequently exposed to challenging behaviors experience high levels of stress that transcends into their personal lives. The purpose of this study was to determine how administrators can better support teachers who experience high levels of stress incurred from working with students who exhibit challenging behaviors in the classroom. Data collected through …

Factors Contributing To Barriers To Equity In Gifted And Talented Identification, Adam Grant Lamparske

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the existing barriers to equity in the identification and servicing of gifted students in a small mid-western suburban school district. A mixed method approach guided by constructivist philosophy was used to conduct this research. An inductive Grounded Theory was the methodological approach. This study sought to gather the perception of school district stakeholders to identify potential barriers that exist for specific subgroups of students to being identified for gifted and talented services. The research questions for this Problem of Practice were as follows: (1) How do teachers and parents in School District …

Making Meaning Of The Shared Experience Of Participants In An Undergraduate Lgbtq+ Mentorship Program, Brendan Corbett Csaposs

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the ways in which LGBTQ+ students at the University of Miami make meaning of their shared experiences in the LGBTQ+ Mentorship Program that the university offers, in order to explore ways in which higher education institutions might consider better supporting this key group of students. This study draws upon a variety of theories of sexual identity development, building on the work of Rosario et al. (2011) in looking at the ways that students make meaning of their sexual identity based on self-identification, association with the larger community, and engagement in a …

A Quantitative Study To Examine The Relationship Between School Administrators’ Path-Goal Approach And Teachers’ Perceived Working Conditions, Tierra Stark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between school administrators' path-goal approach to leadership and their teachers' perceptions of working conditions. Findings from this research may help school administrators and leadership preparation programs to understand better the application of theories related to motivation, leveraging power, and goal attainment. The conceptual framework behind this study was the inherent inclinations of school administrators in approaching leadership decisions from four pathways; directive, supportive, participative, and/or achievement-oriented.

For use in statistical analysis through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), data were collected via a questionnaire to currently practicing …

Educators’ Perceptions Of Implementation And Outcomes Of Trauma-Informed Care Training In Three Appalachian Elementary Schools, Jeannie Guess

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to gain insight into the perceptions of the impact of trauma-informed care training in three Appalachian elementary schools. Childhood adversity can negatively affect a student’s experience in the classroom (van der Kolk, 2014; Ogata, 2019) with findings showing an estimate of one half to two-thirds of children experiencing at least one traumatic event before the age of 18 (CDC, 2016; Finkelhor, 2015; McInerney & McKlindon, 2021). Trauma, an event or occurrence that causes great distress by exposure to physical or psychological abuse, violence, crime, has been linked to academic failure, various illnesses, both physical …

The Impact Of Mentoring In Closing The Achievement Gap For Black Male Students At A Predominantly White University In Tennessee, Patricia Waire Harlan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study addressed the factors of an institutionalized peer to peer mentoring program that fostered academic success and persistence among Black male students graduating from a predominantly White four-year public university in Tennessee through the lens of the critical race theory. Data was gathered through face-to-face, open-ended, semi-structured interviews via Zoom with twelve participants that graduated between 2014 and 2022. Study participants were grouped into group 1 as those Black male students that were not impacted by the global pandemic and group 2 as those Black male students that were impacted by the global pandemic. Emerging themes and categories …

Servant Leadership And Teacher Stressors: A Qualitative Study, Stephanie Lynn Summerford

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Accountability practices increase teacher stress, restrict classroom autonomy, and force many teachers out of the field of education at alarming rates. Does a relationship exist between leaders who demonstrate perceived servant leadership characteristics and teachers’ stress levels when faced with change and increased accountability? For this study, servant leadership was defined using the seven key dimensions of servant leadership identified by Ehrhart (2004) and Liden, Wayne, Zhao, and Henderson (2008). Teacher stress was defined “as the experience by a teacher of unpleasant emotions resulting from aspects of their work as a teacher (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2016, as cited in Collie, …

The Sel Implementation Monkey: Identifying Factors That Serve As Barriers To The Successful Implementation Of Sel In The Classroom And School Setting, Aron Dody

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that served as barriers to the successful implementation of social and emotional learning in the classroom and school setting. This study utilized a reflective case study approach concerning USD 417’s social and emotional learning implementation journey.

The research questions for this study were: 1. What factors or conditions serve as barriers to the implementation of SEL in the classroom and school setting? 2. What resources or supports would lead to increased fidelity amongst teachers in the implementation of SEL in the classroom and school setting?

The reflections and data were used …

Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports Effectiveness In Southeastern Ohio, Kacey Ryan Cottrill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine how leadership implemented the positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) framework and what conclusions could be ascertained from implementing it. Leadership in southeastern Ohio districts was examined to understand how they used PBIS and if PBIS made significant differences before and after implementation. The comparison included demographically diverse areas (urban, suburban, rural) in southeastern Ohio. PBIS implementation was measured with the School-wide Evaluation Tool (SET) administered to district administrators. The resulting data from the SET and Ohio assessment scores showed no significant difference in PBIS implementation and fourth-grade reading scores of …

The Effect Of Tier 2 Intervention On Student Achievement & Student Self-Efficacy, Cheyenne Morgan Hill

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biology is a key course in a student's learning path. It provides important information about the living world and creates foundational knowledge that will be used in other science courses as the student progresses through his or her secondary and post-secondary education. However, there is a pattern of low student achievement in this required science course. The inability for students to understand and retain the curriculum in turn leads to low self-efficacy. Together, this creates a poor attitude toward science and a reluctance to pursue further science courses and in turn science careers. Response to Intervention (RTI), a common educational …

Improving Nurse Leaders’ Knowledge And Confidence In Transformational Leadership Skills In The Online Environment, Tanya Haight

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Leadership is critical to the success of most organizations, and the achievement of an organization's goals is largely dependent on the leaders' ability to engage, motivate, and influence their teams—often referred to as Transformational Leadership. This is especially true for healthcare organizations wherein the morbidity and mortality of patients may be affected by the quality of leadership. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person meetings transitioned to the online format without nurse leaders' formal training. Leaders cited this lack of orientation as impeding their ability to sustain an online-virtual transformational leadership presence with their teams. They reported varying degrees …

Teacher Retention And Turnover In Small, Remote, Rural Schools In Missouri, Jordan Dickey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-method study sought to find specific factors influencing teachers in small, remote, rural school districts to continue teaching or to leave their teaching position. Additionally, this study sought to identify specific things district-level administrators could do influence teacher retention rates in small, remote, rural school districts. The quantitative data revealed the top three most influential attributes contributing to teacher retention are supportive school administration, the size of the teacher’s class, and the teacher’s relationship with colleagues. The qualitative data provided narratives to support these rankings and to further identify factors of small, remote, rural schools and their influence on …

Experiential Learning Through Participatory Action Research In An Interdisciplinary Leadership Training Program, Jessica L. Franks, Stephanie D. Baumann, Marvin So, Angela M. Miles, Jorge M. Verlenden, Teal Benevides, Mark Crenshaw, Stephen Truscott, Daniel Crimmins

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Background: Experience in multidisciplinary collaboration among healthcare providers, leaders in public health, and educators is essential to effectively address the diverse needs of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families.

Purpose: We describe three participatory action research (PAR) projects from an interdisciplinary training program, which used experiential learning to enhance leadership competencies and promote inclusive services. Trainees report their leadership growth as providers and advocates for children with I/DD using experiential learning through PAR.

Approach: Trainees discuss their engagement with organizations serving children with I/DD and ways that experiential learning supported leadership skill development, …