Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Servant Leadership And The Non-Profit Sector, Bruce Kranig

Theses and Graduate Projects

Nonprofit enterprises have played a significant role in society, providing many services to meet a wide spectrum of human needs. Like for-profit and public sector organizations, nonprofit organizations are faced with increased scrutiny of their current way of doing business. Stakeholders are demanding better efficiency and effectiveness from nonprofit organizations. The means to reduce waste in the current ways of doing business, if not led well and done right, will undoubtedly produce a greater waste. At risk is the sustainability of the organizations and the role their programs play in society.

The struggle facing the nonprofit sector and the challenges …

Women Artists And Leadership, Vicki C. Macnabb

Theses and Graduate Projects

Art is a human endeavor with complex associations to the spiritual, social, economic and political realms of societies throughout the ages. From the cave painting of ancient cultures through the artworks housed and guarded within institutional walls, the products of artists mirror the evolution of human imagination and chronicle the assignment of value and importance as determined by hegemonic interests. For centuries, the patriarchal hegemony disallowed the contributions of women artists, normalizing the point of view that their contributions were inconsequential to the history of art and to the movements that heralded each new breakthrough in vision.

The civil rights …

Exploring The Leadership Of General Pervez Musharraf Of Pakistan, Mahmood Javaid Rana

Theses and Graduate Projects

This paper is a study of the leadership style and qualities of General Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan who took power on October 12,1999. The research is a historical study using data from archives, autobiography, government reports, mass media, and my own expertise as a native Pakistani. While the central theme is to analyze General Musharraf's leadership style, the four questions guiding this work are:

1) What are the demonstrated characteristics of General Pervez Musharraf's leadership?

2) can General Musharraf be described as an authentic leader?

3) What is General Pervez Musharraf's role in the global war on terror?

4) …

I Teach What I Do, I Do What I Teach: The Experiences And Impacts Of Teaching Artists, Patricia L. Saraniero Edd

Dissertations

Nationwide, many public school districts are struggling to keep arts education available for their students. California public school districts, in particular, are hard-pressed to provide arts instruction to their students. One response to dwindling arts instruction has been the use of teaching artists. A teaching artist is at once a practicing artist and an educator. Very little is known about teaching artists, and the formal empirical research on them is limited. This dissertation used a mixed-method design, incorporating both surveys of principals and teaching artists and interviews with teaching artists, to develop a better understanding of the experiences and impact …

The Effects Of Instructor Immediacy In Online Learning Environments, Maria Schutt Edd

Dissertations

The rising number of adult learners interested in online distance education, coupled with the increasing competition between educational institutions have forced universities to identify alternative options for course offerings, such as online or blended learning. Instructor immediacy (the measure of the psychological distance which an instructor puts between himself and his students) received significant attention in the communication literature and several studies reported that instructor verbal and nonverbal immediacy behaviors are associated with learning outcomes, satisfaction, and motivation. However, few researchers have examined instructor immediacy in distance learning settings. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of …

Congregational Care And Support Of Pastors In Parish Ministry: A Social Systems Approach To The Care Of Servant Leaders, Dawn M. Nelson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Congregational care and support of pastors in parish ministry is rarely considered. While there is literature regarding clergy stress, burnout, and satisfaction; studies were not located regarding the active role of congregations in the care and support of the parish pastor.

The church is a social system and can be studied as such. Information was obtained from church communities that are members of the Presbyterian Church USA, in Minnesota. The study will explore pastoral perceptions as well as congregational perceptions to determine understanding and involvement of the congregation in the provision of pastoral care and support. The results of the …

Perceptions Of Educators And Paraprofessionals In A Collaborative K-2 Team, Kristin L. Buckner

Theses and Graduate Projects

This phenomenological analysis investigates the experiences and perceptions of paraprofessionals, special educators, and general educators working in a collaborative K-2 team. The study was conducted by researching related literature published between the years of 1998 and 2006, conducting surveys and personal interviews with paraprofessionals, special and general educators, and by examining specific state, district, and building criteria for paraprofessionals. Three objectives of the study were to: (a) clarify educators' perceptions of paraprofessionals' roles, preparation, and performance, (b) compare those perceptions to self-reports of paraprofessionals, and (c) examine the nature and characteristics of educator-paraprofessional relationships. The analysis of data revealed three …

Adapted Physical Education Enrollment Issues And Exercise Mediators For Students With Disabilities In San Diego County Community Colleges, Toni M. Pfister Edd

Dissertations

Most community colleges in California offer adapted physical education (APE) courses specifically designed to assist people with disabilities and chronic diseases in adapting and maintaining exercise programs. However, little is known about those eligible to enroll in these courses as well as their participation profiles; as such, the primary purpose of this study was to determine why some eligible community college students with disabilities do not enroll in APE courses as well as to determine what relationship demographics and exercise participation profiles have on physical activity participation. Data for this study was gathered through a web-based survey of 163 college …

Investigation Of Gender And Upward Mobility Within Institutions, John Stadler

Theses and Graduate Projects

This thesis explores the impact of gender on upward mobility within both nonprofit and for-profit institutions selected from the Minnesota Book of Lists. The emphasis of the study is on women and leadership, and on the factors that influence upward mobility. The study seeks to identify ways in which institutions provide methods to promote upward mobility for women and to discover the ways in which women are limited in their ability to attain leadership positions. The research conducted within this study suggests that there is no adverse connection between gender and the ability to access leadership positions. Instead, the research …

Use Of Superleadership And Talent Management By Administrator Leaders In Institutions Of Higher Education, Kelly L. Anders

Theses and Graduate Projects

Employee turnover is costly to organizations. Leadership and career development opportunities can be instrumental in retaining employees. This exploratory, qualitative study uses content analysis to explore the practices and perceptions of administrator leaders who work in public, non-profit institutions of higher education in terms of the development of the self-leadership skills and talents of their employees, and whether the theory of SuperLeadership and the practice of talent management are used by the administrator leaders in this study. After interviewing eleven administrator leaders, the following three themes emerged about their practices and perceptions of developing and retaining their staff: 1) demonstrating …

Purposeful Mentoring And Healthcare, Joyce Schmidt Dehmer

Theses and Graduate Projects

Mentoring is not a new concept to leadership. It is as old as civilization. It is a transfer of wisdom through the mentoring relationship. Healthcare organizations have recognized and supported the need for mentoring relationships. Mentors possess a combination of attributes that others are compelled to want to follow or work with. Mentors have a keen interest in sharing, guiding and helping others develop. Mentoring may take place formally or informally. A structured useful type of mentoring is purposeful mentoring. Purposeful mentoring in healthcare has an agreed upon purpose between a mentor and mentee. The goal of the relationship is …

Employee Resource Groups: A Proposed Model For Employee And Employer Success, Anna Christine Ronovde

Theses and Graduate Projects

Many Fortune 100 companies have established employee resource groups in recent years as a diversity and human resources initiative. Because these groups are designed to provide support and mentoring opportunities for women and minority employees, they are often part of an organization's diversity program. Thus, workplace diversity and mentoring programs were a main focus of my research. A deeper understanding of these groups and what potential benefits they can offer are needed in order to ensure they are as effective and successful as possible. I found that employee resource groups can be a highly beneficial addition to an organization, positively …

The Positive Effect Of Team Management In An Inbound Call Center, Nancy Bernard

Theses and Graduate Projects

The research proposes to investigate if using team management and self-directed work teams or SDWTs in an Inbound Call Center can be implemented. Would a self-directed team work in the confines of an Inbound Call Center? Could converting to a SDWT environment also foster a positive work environment? The goal of this research project is to test the positive and direct correlation of creating a SDWT environment using team management theory within the structure of an Inbound Call Center that successfully meets all quality measures while maintaining a positive work environment. Using a self-directed work team in an Inbound Call …

An Empirical Study Of Employee Relations And Managerial Malpractice Risks In A Four-Year Public Higher Education System, Robert Lee Brown Edd

Dissertations

Over the last decade, the rapid rise in college tuitions and fees has become a national priority, with congressional committees and scholars interested in solving this persistently stubborn and often intractable problem. Although a number of reasons for this phenomenon have been discussed, one theoretically plausible but untested explanation involves the extent to which campus climate may be empirically linked to the costs of managing various legal claims against the university, including workers' compensation, employment practice, and stress claims. To test the empirical validity of this hypothesis, this study gathered campus climate and claims data from 23 campuses and 25 …

Examining Stage Theories And The Predisposition To Lead Within The Homosexual Community, David Robert Blair Edd

Dissertations

An application of homosexual stage-based self-integration theory suggests that until gay individuals have become fully self-integrated, their capacity for leadership within the community is diminished. Unfortunately, now more than ever before, leadership is needed in dealing with such pressing community issues as the disproportionately high suicide rate among gay teens, the ongoing struggle for gays to become fully self-integrated individuals, bringing equal rights to the gay population, and of course, developing a base of strong gay leaders to meet the ongoing challenges facing this population. To test the self-integration-leadership hypothesis, this study surveyed 150 men in gay Internet chat rooms …

Emerging Elements Of Leadership In A Complex System: A Cognitivist Approach, Kirsten Suzanne Hanson Edd

Dissertations

As our world grows increasingly complicated at an intensified pace, leaders must be facile managers of complexity if organizations and society are to productively and peacefully evolve. Today’s global corporations are microcosms of complexity and have the potential to affect life for almost all other species. However, many organizations have not yet become aware of themselves as “living” and still operate as industrial age institutions with rationalist thinking traditionally dominating management practice. Many factors impact an organization’s overall effectiveness. Yet, executive leaders are seen as having the ability to influence change and play a vital role in helping people navigate …

A Concerns-Based Adoption Model Study Of University Instructors Engaged In Faculty Development For Enhancing Learning With Technology, James W. Julius Edd

Dissertations

For over a decade, theorists have suggested that higher education institutions are in the midst of a shift from an emphasis on student access to instruction to student success in learning. Digital technologies are one “lever” increasingly touted as a means to improve teaching and learning in higher education. Because serious efforts at technology integration not only require competence with the technologies, but also often result in changes to instructional methods, colleges and universities are urged to consider faculty development needs. This study detailed how instructor change unfolded in response to a faculty development program intended to enhance the use …

An Investigation Of The Community-Based English Tutoring Program (Cbet), Barbara J. Pongsrikul Edd

Dissertations

Currently in the California K-12 public schools, approximately 25% (about 1.5 million) of the students know little or no English, and their numbers are increasing. Because of this diverse student population, a research study by the Gevirtz Research Center in 2005 reports that it is necessary to develop educational programs that help language-minority families understand and participate in the school system in ways that will support the academic success of their children. As a result of the Proposition 227 Initiative in California, statewide family literacy programs were established as Community-Based English Tutoring (CBET) programs to provide adult English language instruction …

Stakeholders’ Perspectives Of A Catholic K-8 School As A Caring Community, Marci-Anne Hanks Edd

Dissertations

Many educators and researchers have found that caring school communities positively affect students’ behavior, academic achievement, and socioemotional development. Students’ basic needs of feeling cared for must be met for them to realize their full potential. The purpose of this study was to investigate stakeholders’ perceptions of a Catholic K-8 school as a caring community. Stakeholders included parents, teachers, administrators, staff members, and sixth through eighth grade students. The following research questions were posed for this study: (1) What are the different stakeholders’ perceptions of the school as a caring community? (2) Are there significant differences in perceptions between the …

Validating The Experiences Of Male Mexican American Community College Transfer Students Studying At Catholic Universities, Eliazer Ayala-Austin Edd

Dissertations

California's community colleges and public and private universities must collaborate to address the Tidal Wave II student enrollment surge composed mostly of Hispanic/Latinos and Asian students in order to meet the educational needs of community college transfer students (CCTSs). Avoiding the issue will result in continued neglect of CCTS within public and private institutions; possible outcomes include delayed graduation and potential attrition of at-risk students. Using Rendón's (1994) theory of student validation as the theoretical framework, this qualitative study uncovered the validating and other university experiences of male Mexican American CCTSs. This qualitative study included individual interviews of six CCT …

Factors That Motivate Or Discourage Movement Into School Leadership Positions And The Implications For Recruitment Policy And Practice, Ginger Lee Blackmon Edd

Dissertations

Public schools in the United States are facing one of the most extensive transformations in school leadership. Districts face the difficult challenge of recruiting and training school leaders who have the capacity to deal with the growing demands and responsibilities placed on school site administrators. Despite a surplus of people certified for administration, the changing demands of the principal's job precipitated by national reform efforts have left a shortage not only of qualified applicants, but also in the total number of applicants (qualified and unqualified) willing to carry the burden of the job. This study investigated the factors that influence …

Integrating Total Disability Management In A Climate Of Change: A Case Study, Mary E. Jesko Edd

Dissertations

Integrated disability management (IDM) is a cost-containment strategy increasingly being employed by human resources and risk management departments to address occupational and non-occupational illness and injury in a consistent manner. The goal is to both reduce on-the-job injury and minimize the loss of work time due to injury or illness. Although a large number of organizations have embraced the IDM concept, implementing IDM often is difficult because of the complex array of contracts, policies, procedures, corporate cultures and structures. Although extensive research has examined leaders' influence on change in various types of businesses, to date, research has not specifically explored …

Building Management Bench Strength: A Qualitative Look At A Job Rotation Program, Paige Litton Creager Phd

Dissertations

Job rotation programs are known in the organizational development field as one of the primary components used in a successful employee development program. To date little research has gone beyond the quantifiable reporting of practices. The view of program participants has been unaccounted for, and consequently the organizational development field has lacked a holistic understanding of how employees succeed and fail in these programs. This research offers a current perspective on job rotation: A means of accelerating the development of high potential employees in order to build a strong management bench. A qualitative grounded theory approach was used to investigate …

A Mixed Methods Study On Cbam And The Adoption Of Thin Client Computers By Adolescents, Cynthia Sistek-Chandler Edd

Dissertations

Although stages of change and adoption of innovation dynamics have been examined for adult populations, comparable research for adolescents is limited. Applying a change instrument grounded in Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) to an adolescent population, this study investigates perceptions of 45 middle school students who used thin client portable computers in a one-to-one program at home and at school for 3 years. A mixed methodology design identified which of the 7 stages of concern students passed through and why some students adopted the innovation more readily than others. The Change Facilitator Stages of Concern Questionnaire, a modified version of CBAM, …

Communication And Leadership: Faculty Perceptions Of The Department Chair, Kathleen Czech Edd

Dissertations

With department chairs providing a critical link between faculty and administration, their leadership impacts universities on a broad level. However, chairs often report dissatisfaction with the position and experience rapid turnover. In an effort to help understand the role that communication plays in effective leadership for department chairs, this study provides an empirical test of Gibb's theory of defensive vs. supportive communication. As such, this project investigated the communication and leadership behaviors of university department chairs as evaluated by their faculty members. Specifically, 202 randomly selected faculty members from colleges and universities affiliated with the Council of Independent Colleges, Washington, …

Teachers' Perceptions Of A 360-Degree Feedback Process, Catriona Collins Moran Edd

Dissertations

In recent years, the 360° feedback process, which originated in the business world in the 1980s, has been increasingly used for the purpose of teacher evaluation. When this is done, feedback from peers, parents and students, as well as teacher self-reflection and student achievement data, are used in addition to more traditional evaluation strategies. Despite its growing popularity, however, there have been very few published studies about the impact of the 360° feedback process in the business world and even fewer in the field of education. The overarching purpose of this qualitative study was to discover teachers' perceptions of a …

Experiences Of Sacramental Marriage, James Patrick O'Brien Edd

Dissertations

This study interprets the stories told by eight couples about their experiences approaching marriage as a religious sacrament. The eight couples represented a purposeful sample selected using the following criteria: (a) They self-identified as having a sacramental marriage within the Roman Catholic tradition; (b) they appeared to be information rich sources who could provide an emic, i.e., an insider, view of the sacramental marriage experience; (c) they participated in the Catholic Cursillo movement; (d) they engaged in observable religious practices; and (e) they parented children. Research methods included guided conversation, participant observation, and a timeline activity that asked participants to …

Effect Of Computer-Aided Instruction On Grades In Middle School Algebra, Patricia A. Taepke Edd

Dissertations

Computers and targeted software are increasingly common in the middle school algebra classroom, but the efficacy of computer-aided instruction on classroom achievement in middle school algebra remains unclear. Participants were 1452 middle-school algebra students who were seldom, occasionally, or often exposed to the algebra modules of Destination Math, an interactive mathematics software designed to be appropriate for in-school use. Data were collected over three years (2002–04) and included the cooperation of the algebra teachers, who were subsequently interviewed. Data were analyzed with ANOVA, ANCOVA, and multiple regression. Statistically significant effects were localized using pairwise tests with Bonferroni correction for multiple …

What’S So Hard About Algebra? A Grounded Theory Study Of Adult Algebra Learners, Michael Steele Reese Edd

Dissertations

In California community colleges, fewer than half of students who enroll in basic algebra courses finish with a grade of C or better. Such a low success rate creates an intense demand on institutional resources, including faculty efforts, tutorial services, classroom availability, and financial aid. Furthermore, students who do poorly in algebra also tend to struggle in other quantitative courses. While research suggests that child algebra learners tend to exhibit specific misconceptions, not much is known about misconceptions held by adult algebra learners. Research does indicate, however, that certain general learning characteristics are common among adult learners. The present study …

An Analysis Of The Balance Of Management Technical And Leadership Progression Through The Three Usaf Officer Tiers, Matthew J. Heath Van Horn

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify the balance of management, technical and leadership responsibilities learned at each of the three USAF officer tiers. Specifically, this thesis sought to answer research questions addressing the essential learning elements for developing leadership, technical and management knowledge and skills as well as the proportional emphasis of the three areas in each of the three officer tiers. The questions were answered through a comprehensive literature review and a review of current professional military education (PME) syllabi and educational profiles of USAF officers. The research identified that management training does not grow with the …