Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Crisis Leadership And Management Of Superintendents During The 2017-18 California Wildfires, Dianna Kitamura

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods heuristic research study was to discover how school superintendents described their crisis leadership and management experiences during the 2017-2018 wildfires in California through the lens of the Five Critical Tasks of Strategic Crisis Leadership framework of sense making, meaning making, decision-making and coordination, learning, accounting (Boin, 't Hart, Stern, & Sundelius, 2017). Additionally, this study determined the extent to which school superintendents identify their use of the Five Critical Tasks of Strateby Dianna W. Kitamuragic Crisis Leadership framework.

Methodology: This explanatory, sequential mixed methods heuristic research study investigated a quantitative survey and qualitative …

An Investigation Of How Elementary School Teachers Make Data-Driven Instructional Decisions In Literacy, Cheryl Carangian Pham Edd

Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods phenomenological study was to explore the data-driven instructional decisions that elementary teachers make in literacy. Educators have moved towards a culture of being data-driven, and have declared data use in schools to be significant to school improvement and accountability. Yet, as school districts make great strides in creating a culture of data-driven decision making – collecting, analyzing and interpreting data – little is known about how individual teachers make sense of data and how they use the data to inform instruction. To explore the data-driven instructional decisions made by classroom teachers using literacy assessment …

The Nonprofit Ethics Survey: A Contextual Approach, Audrey Dawn Barrett Phd

Dissertations

Organizational ethics require the attention of nonprofit leaders as regulatory trends and accountability measures increase. In spite of this interest, little empirical research has been conducted on ethics assessment within the nonprofit sector and more importantly, no survey instrument currently exists exclusively designed for nonprofit organizations to assess the perceptions of ethics within their organization. This lack of tools and information prohibits comprehensive self-assessment, and forces a reactive, single-loop approach to ethical issues, rather than a feedback system based on actual data. To address this need, the Nonprofit Ethics Survey provides a practioner-friendly survey designed to assess the perceptions of …

Finding Meaning By Participating In Decisions Affecting Us, Our Work And Our Lives: Lessons Learned At Mondragón, David Herrera Edd

Dissertations

There has been a growing interest in exploring participatory organizational models for the last fifty years, accentuated by the recent corporate scandals that revealed the inadequacies of non-participatory organizational systems. Research studies have focused on organizational structures, policies and practices that make participation possible but it is persons who make participation happen. The purpose of this study was therefore to explore the significance of participation by examining the question: What does the experience of partaking in decision making mean to persons who engage in it. This research is a phenomenological-heuristic study. Phenomenology explores the lived experience of participating in decision …

Aircrew Adaptive Decision Making: A Cross-Case Analysis, Constance Ann Gillan Edd

Dissertations

Although the accident rate for military aviation has declined significantly from earlier decades, during the 1990's it reached a plateau. Human error in the cockpit still accounts for over 80% of the aircraft mishaps resulting in loss of life or over one million dollars in damage. Decision error has been a contributing factor for approximately 60% of these mishaps. The purpose of this research was to investigate aircrew process performance variables as predictors of decision-making outcomes. This study was modeled on elements of previous research in naturalistic decision making. Data were collected for cross-case analysis of the role experience plays …

School-Based Management In Alberta: Perceptions Of Public School Leaders, 1994–1997, Robert James Wilson Edd

Dissertations

In 1994, the Government of Alberta, Canada, instituted major fiscal measures designed to reduce operating costs and a large provincial debt. In tandem, Alberta Education restructured public education by: reducing the number of school districts, redefining the role of school boards, increasing the involvement of parents, initiating Charter schools, expanding student testing, downsizing Alberta Education, improving delivery of services to children, and mandating the implementation of school-based management in all public schools (Alberta Education News Release, January 18, 1994). The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of how the implementation of school-based management, through the first three …

The Role Of The Site Facilitator In The New Directions In Distance Learning Project, Isabel Ries Edd

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the roles and responsibilities of site facilitators in successful New Directions in Distance Learning (NDDL) project school sites, to learn with whom site facilitators communicate within and outside their working environments, and to discover with whom they build working relationships. E-mail questionnaires and two sets of telephone interviews generated the research data from six site facilitators and three teacher-mentors who worked at eight New Directions in Distance Learning (NDDL) school sites located throughout British Columbia. Indicators of success for an NDDL site included participation in the NDDL project with minimal technical difficulties …

Shared Governance In The British Columbia Post-Secondary Education System: The Boards' Role In Decision-Making, Edwin Deas Edd

Dissertations

In 1995, the membership of governing boards in colleges in British Columbia changed from lay persons appointed by the provincial government. The new boards consisted of fewer lay appointees with the addition of elected faculty, staff, and students, together with the college presidents and education council chairs as non-voting members. The presence of employees and students on boards was viewed by most observers as likely to enhance the quality of decision-making in general. However, that same presence could introduce an element of real or potential conflict of interest (Flanigan, 1994). The broadening of input and decision-making brought about in the …

Teammind: A Case Study Of Collective Synergism, Team Development, And Decision-Making Under Time Constraints, Norina E. Finley Edd

Dissertations

Advances in technology are challenging our concept of time and cognitive abilities to process and digest information in a dynamic environment. To develop a quality product that meets user's needs and to perform within budget and program milestones, requires the expertise and shared understandings of an intact multidisciplinary team in design decision making. Collaboratively team members need to communicate on solutions for integrated product development, from their different disciplinary perspectives. To survive in today's global competition, time-to-market gives research and development organizations the competitive edge in new product development, using emerging technologies. Therefore, there is a need for qualitative research …

The Role Of The Principal When Parents Are Increasingly Involved In Decision-Making, Inge Ellefson Edd

Dissertations

The role of the principal has been changing in relation to the increasing parent involvement in decision making and the educational restructuring in Alberta, Canada. The purpose of this study is to describe and examine a selected principal in her role in a school, during the 1994-1995 year, where parents from the school council and staff from the school share some of the decision making. The school chosen for this study had the principal working collaboratively with the parents and staff. A case study methodology is used to describe and examine interviews with the parents, teachers, superintendent's designate and the …

Spirituality And Leadership, Dana M. Walling Edd

Dissertations

The language of leadership is becoming increasingly spiritualized. Terms more often found in the sanctuary are now being applied to the leadership domain. Without a clear understanding of each, confusion results. This research explored the common boundaries between spirituality and leadership. Ten persons with leadership experiences were interviewed with regard to what relationships existed between their leadership and their spirituality. There were five women and five men in the study who also reflected diverse ethnic and spiritual perspectives. The researcher used a qualitative interview methodology. Each person was given the chance to review and edit the transcript of the interview. …

Understanding Individual Political Behaviors In Organizations: Instrument Development And Validation, Gloria E. Bader Edd

Dissertations

Organizational politics impacts decision making, leadership, policy implementation, change, and individual effectiveness. Although generally acknowledged as a reality of organizational life, political behavior is misunderstood, certainly a highly sensitive topic and furthermore, scholarly literature decries the paucity of empirical research on the topic. Consequently, the purpose of this research was to design and validate an instrument, in the in-basket simulation format, that measures an individual's political effectiveness. The instrument's proposed purpose was the exploration of an individual's political behavior for two reasons: (1) as a new research tool to facilitate quantitative and qualitative research; and (2) as a developmental activity …

An Analysis Of Perceptual Differences And Congruities Between California Community College Chancellors And Presidents In Multi-College Districts Regarding The Decision-Making Role Of The Presidents, Jeanne Davis Atherton Edd

Dissertations

Purpose This study was designed to provide foundational information concerning the perceptions of California community college chancellors and presidents in multi-college districts, regarding the presidents' decision-making role, at both the college and districtwide levels. Factors pertaining to the chancellors and presidents' professional background, and to district characteristics were reviewed for possible relationships to perceptual congruities and differences. Methodology Survey research methodology provided the basis for the design of the study. Eleven district chancellors and 28 presidents responded to a 24 item, two level Likert-type instrument and a professional background questionnaire. Demographic information on each of the participating districts was obtained …