Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 30 of 284
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
A Comparative Study Of Select Autism Advocacy And Research Organizations: Their Mission, Purpose And Focus Related To The Efficacy Of Service(S) Provided To Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Peter Joseph Sciabarra Phd
A Comparative Study Of Select Autism Advocacy And Research Organizations: Their Mission, Purpose And Focus Related To The Efficacy Of Service(S) Provided To Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Peter Joseph Sciabarra Phd
Dissertations
Autism has been prominently featured in the news headlines of the Western world for well over 30 years. A reported rise in the incidence of autism has sparked a corresponding increase of interest in research, treatment modalities, and political considerations related to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). The first autism organization in the United States, the National Society for Autistic Children, currently the Autism Society of America, was founded in 1965, devoted to autism research, resources, and services; the dissemination of information; and support and advocacy. Organizations devoted to autism research, resources and services, the dissemination of information, support and advocacy …
Educating The Whole Child: Evidence Of Health And Wellness Instruction In The Schools Serving Low-Income Students, Andria M. Shook Phd
Educating The Whole Child: Evidence Of Health And Wellness Instruction In The Schools Serving Low-Income Students, Andria M. Shook Phd
Dissertations
Educators in the United States are expressing concern about student physical and mental well-being. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in the past three decades, and today, one in five children experiences symptoms of mental illness. Low-income children are especially subject to these conditions. The long-term consequences for the country as a whole are significant. Schools are particularly well placed to address these problems by supporting the well-being of the whole child. Efforts have begun in select schools and districts to incorporate health and wellness instruction into the school day. This study identifies existing health and wellness components that three …
The Role Of Chief Diversity Officers In Institutionalizing Diversity And Inclusion: A Multiple Case Study Of Three Exemplar Universities, Cynthia D. Dávalos Phd
The Role Of Chief Diversity Officers In Institutionalizing Diversity And Inclusion: A Multiple Case Study Of Three Exemplar Universities, Cynthia D. Dávalos Phd
Dissertations
Due to demographic shifts and the changing political and economic landscape, universities are experiencing increased demands to produce a culturally competent and well-trained globally minded workforce. To address these demands in a systematic manner, several universities have created a new senior level administrative position to direct campus diversity and inclusion efforts. This position known universally in academia as the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) is responsible for institutionalizing diversity and inclusion so that diversity moves from the margins of the university to the center and becomes a standard way of thinking and doing business. Given this high-level executive leadership design, the …
Services For Parentally Placed Catholic School Students Under The Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act, Julie Cantillon Phd
Services For Parentally Placed Catholic School Students Under The Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act, Julie Cantillon Phd
Dissertations
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which Congress enacted in 1975 with subsequent revisions, states that school districts are to provide a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) to all students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. Public local education agencies (LEAs) including school districts have an obligation to identify, locate, and evaluate private school students suspected of having a disability—the "child find" process. Students enrolled by their parents in private schools are not entitled to a FAPE if they choose for their children to remain in private school after the children have been identified as having a …
"Parent Trigger" Legislation In The United States: A Key To Parent Empowerment In The Local Context, Julie A. Zoellin Cramer Phd
"Parent Trigger" Legislation In The United States: A Key To Parent Empowerment In The Local Context, Julie A. Zoellin Cramer Phd
Dissertations
Parent involvement in public education has changed over time in the United States. Recently it has taken on a more radical dimension aimed at shifting the role of parents. These efforts are identified by some as parent empowerment and arguably may be part of a larger policy movement to secure parent voice in equity-focused education reform. The policy innovation allows parents with students in persistently underperforming schools to force a change in school governance. Since the passage of the first parent trigger law in California in 2010, three parent petition campaigns have forced a turnaround in school governance. The purpose …
A Multi-Level Investigation Of Leadership Effectiveness And Systems Awareness In The Leadership Circle Profile, Crystal L. Dujowich Phd
A Multi-Level Investigation Of Leadership Effectiveness And Systems Awareness In The Leadership Circle Profile, Crystal L. Dujowich Phd
Dissertations
Leadership is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, with scholarly literature that documents the progression from leaders focused on inspiring transformation in others, to leaders who can engage entire systems towards more globally conscious and ethically focused actions. Such leadership involves increasingly complex relationships, perspectives and context. Empirical contributions to the study of leadership, however, have remained focused on the individual and thus limited to a single level of analysis. As researchers acknowledge the dynamic process of leadership, it is paramount that studies identify and investigate the multiple layers of analysis present. This study sought to uncover patterns in leadership effectiveness …
Comparing Factors Of Bachelor's Degree Attainment For First And Continuing Generation Students, Holly Gilbertson Hoffman Phd
Comparing Factors Of Bachelor's Degree Attainment For First And Continuing Generation Students, Holly Gilbertson Hoffman Phd
Dissertations
Colleges and universities have recently been under great pressure to increase institutional graduation rates, due to a surge in consumer demand for accountability and the use of graduation rates to deter nine effectiveness and funding. Many colleges may choose to achieve higher graduation rates by simply increasing selectivity. However, this strategy has the potential to exclude at-risk student populations, namely first generation students, who lack a family track record of college completion and have been shown to be less likely to graduate than continuing generation students. To allow for continued access for first generation students, institutions have the ability to …
Central And Secondary Struggles In Social Interventions: The Impact Of Group Relations Learning On Real Life Practices, Ole-Kristian Setnes Phd
Central And Secondary Struggles In Social Interventions: The Impact Of Group Relations Learning On Real Life Practices, Ole-Kristian Setnes Phd
Dissertations
Recently, there has been considerable research focusing on outcomes of Group Relations conferences as a unique form of adult experiential learning. Most of the focus has been on participants' learning during and immediately after conferences with less attention paid to applications of learning outside conferences in participants' professional and/or personal lives. The San Diego group relations/ case-in-point model is integrated into the University of San Diego's graduate leadership studies program. Participants in this study included 10 individuals who had participated in this model's experiential learning as teaching assistants. The methodology that was implemented, Relational Qualitative Research, synthesizes elements from several …
A Tale Of Two Schools: The Spiritual Development Of Leaders In Protestant Seminaries, Patricia A. Rhodes Phd
A Tale Of Two Schools: The Spiritual Development Of Leaders In Protestant Seminaries, Patricia A. Rhodes Phd
Dissertations
Scholars and practitioners increasingly consider the spiritual development of leaders to be essential, not only for individual well-being, but that of the culture at large. This is particularly important for clergy, a profession centered on spiritual leadership. While the institutions in which most Protestant ministers pursue training have historically privileged scholarship over spirituality, this has changed substantially since the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) added spiritual development of students to its accreditation standards in 1992. Since then, seminaries have sought to comply in various ways. This study explored two Protestant seminaries, addressing these questions: (a) what is the process seminaries …
We Are Not Mahogany An Exploration Of The Social Construction Of Masculinity In Ugandan Meaning-Making, Nathaniel P. Dunigan Phd
We Are Not Mahogany An Exploration Of The Social Construction Of Masculinity In Ugandan Meaning-Making, Nathaniel P. Dunigan Phd
Dissertations
In the study of both economic and human development, the men of the global South [sic] are often considered to be responsible for the lack of progress and for the lack of human flourishing. An abundance of literature exists exploring how women and children make meaning in the global South with many clear indicators that the choices made by men in their lives have led to an overall sense of need and a lack of wellness. Attempting to better understand how men of different cultures make sense of their world and navigate their life experiences can only enhance strategies in …
Study Abroad As A Multifaceted Approach To Supporting College Sophomores: Creating Optimal Environments To Promote Intercultural Maturity, Jessica Luchesi Phd
Study Abroad As A Multifaceted Approach To Supporting College Sophomores: Creating Optimal Environments To Promote Intercultural Maturity, Jessica Luchesi Phd
Dissertations
Leaders in higher education bear the responsibility of creating educational environments and programming that promote student development and help prepare graduates to work, live, and lead in today's interconnected and global society. Such institutional programming, which fosters intercultural maturity, defined as the cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal developmental capacities that enable students to act in ways that are aware and appropriate, should be available to all students. Scholarly work, however, demonstrates that sophomore students receive the least amount of institutional attention and thus have fewer programs directed at fostering their development. As a result, sophomores can find themselves negotiating developmental challenges …
Convergence Or Divergence Of Values? A Comparison Case Study Of Teacher Credentialing Programs, Rachel Homel Rice Phd
Convergence Or Divergence Of Values? A Comparison Case Study Of Teacher Credentialing Programs, Rachel Homel Rice Phd
Dissertations
Educational commentators have long debated whether or not public school teaching is a profession. The definition of a profession is commonly anchored in Andrew Abbott's criteria, which include knowledge (specialized and academic), jurisdiction (diagnosis, treatment, professional inference), and control (ethics, professional organizations, licensure). Teachers in most states need to complete credentialing programs to be licensed. The purpose of this study was to explore what teacher credentialing programs at three diverse universities are doing to build teaching as a profession. The guiding research questions were: (1) What is the relationship between teacher credentialing programs and the professionalization of teaching? (2) What …
Do New Buildings, Equipment, And Technology Improve Student Outcomes? A Look At One Community College's Experience, Danene Twyman-Brown Phd
Do New Buildings, Equipment, And Technology Improve Student Outcomes? A Look At One Community College's Experience, Danene Twyman-Brown Phd
Dissertations
During the last decade, community colleges have taken a close look at the way they educate and train students, and are using an assortment of student engagement indicators in an effort to assess and document learning outcomes of their students. While these indicators have proven helpful, the extent to which new buildings, equipment, and technology have been integrated into these metrics has been sorely lacking; instead, the assumption has been that more modem facilities, equipment, and technology will improve students' learning and better prepare them for the workforce. To test this assumption, this study examined the relationship between a new …
Understanding The Development Of Global Leadership Competencies, Andrea L. Mcmullen Phd
Understanding The Development Of Global Leadership Competencies, Andrea L. Mcmullen Phd
Dissertations
As businesses seek to gain a competitive advantage in a rapidly evolving global marketplace and in the midst of a global talent shortage, the demand is increasing for guidance surrounding the development of global leaders. Although competency model frameworks have existed since the 1970s, the process of how an organization develops Global Leadership Competencies (GLCs) has not been well documented, particularly in new and evolving industries such as the biosciences. Furthermore, despite the time, effort, and money spent on learning and development or training programs, there are no studies that investigate employer-learner perceptions regarding the alignment of these learning programs …
Authenticity: Theoretical Considerations, Instrument Development, And Implications For Leaders, Lyn Taylor Peyton Roberts Phd
Authenticity: Theoretical Considerations, Instrument Development, And Implications For Leaders, Lyn Taylor Peyton Roberts Phd
Dissertations
The adage, "To thine own self be true," captures the essence of authenticity and is age-old. Yet the issue of being true to the self remains highly relevant today, particularly for organizational leaders who operate within complex, globalized, and competitive environments that regularly challenge their personal authenticity. For those interested in assessing and developing authenticity in the workplace, additional research on the topic is needed. In response, this study strengthens existing theoretical work on authenticity by offering an alternative approach to the concept, and creates a corresponding measure suitable for evaluating authenticity within the context of leadership. The work began …
The Relationship Between Perceived Toxic Leadership Styles, Leader Effectiveness, And Organizational Cynicism, James M. Dobbs Phd
The Relationship Between Perceived Toxic Leadership Styles, Leader Effectiveness, And Organizational Cynicism, James M. Dobbs Phd
Dissertations
Employee cynicism within organizations has become a well-cited topic in the last several years (Caldwell, 2007; Chaloupka, 2001; Kanter & Mirvis, 1989). Within multiple industries, organizational leaders have claimed that cynicism is a factor in employee burnout, emotional exhaustion, and turnover, and that it directly and adversely affects organizational citizenship behavior, commitment, and organization effectiveness (Abraham, 2000; Anderson & Bateman, 1997; Bedeian, 2007). Despite such claims, very little empirical research has been done on the antecedents of employee cynicism, and the influence of leadership behavior on employee cynicism. This study attempted to fill gaps in the research by examining the …
Exploring The Impact On Students Of Western Universities On Foreign Soil: A Case Study Of Qatar, Richard Bakken Phd
Exploring The Impact On Students Of Western Universities On Foreign Soil: A Case Study Of Qatar, Richard Bakken Phd
Dissertations
The development of branch campuses in higher education is not a new phenomenon. Over the past decades, however, branch campuses have expanded throughout the world as Western universities have begun to deliver their programs and course offerings in countries that expect the West to provide educational (and, by implication, economic) success. Middle Eastern countries in particular have rapidly expanded the number of Western-style branch campuses for native students in their countries. This qualitative research study focused on one specific Middle Eastern country, Qatar, and explored how native students respond to attending a Western university that has been transplanted from the …
Performance Assessment For Quality Teaching: Three Critical Variables For Measuring And Improving Teaching And Learning, Kathleen L. Gallagher Phd
Performance Assessment For Quality Teaching: Three Critical Variables For Measuring And Improving Teaching And Learning, Kathleen L. Gallagher Phd
Dissertations
While outstanding teachers are any school system's most important investment, assessing the quality of instructional practice has proven to be an ongoing challenge for the profession. Despite assertions that effective teachers are the single most important school-related factor responsible for increased learning, no teacher's employment is dependent on their performance in the classroom or the quality of instruction that they provide. This problem has fueled a growing mistrust in school districts nationwide, specifically in the area of teacher evaluation. One possible explanation is that the profession lacks the scaled level of expertise needed to evaluate instruction consistently and in a …
Accounting For The Attrition Of African American Males In An Academic Support Setting, Ronald R. Lancia Phd
Accounting For The Attrition Of African American Males In An Academic Support Setting, Ronald R. Lancia Phd
Dissertations
This dissertation addresses a continuing crisis in our nation's education system. Historically African American students have underperformed academically. This achievement gap is particularly pronounced for African American males. AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), an academic support program for underachieving students, most recently created the African American Male Initiative (AAMI). The AAMI was designed specifically to respond to the needs of black males. Despite its efforts, the AAMI has had a difficult time attracting and retaining black male participants. The purpose of this study was to better understand why African American high school males are not choosing to participate in the …
Exploring The Paradoxical Role And Experience Of Fallback In Developmental Theory, Valerie Townsend Livesay Phd
Exploring The Paradoxical Role And Experience Of Fallback In Developmental Theory, Valerie Townsend Livesay Phd
Dissertations
Constructive-development and stage development theory, which posits that individuals move through different stages or action logics throughout life, has been the foundation for several models of human transformation. The literature on the leading stage theories indicates that research has focused on exploring stages and their behavioral correlates, but little work has been done on how individuals move between stages. Stage theory has primarily been conceived of as a linear and unidirectional transition from one stage to the next, which encompasses earlier stages, however emerging research has revealed that stage transition may be more fluid and bi-directional than originally thought and …
Leadership For Innovation In The Memories Business: A Mixed Methods Study Of A Hospitality And Tourism Marketplace, Lori J. Sipe Phd
Leadership For Innovation In The Memories Business: A Mixed Methods Study Of A Hospitality And Tourism Marketplace, Lori J. Sipe Phd
Dissertations
In the past 35 years, substantial research has been conducted examining innovation in the business environment. Despite the vast quantity of innovation studies, a large percentage of the contributions are focused on product innovation outputs in manufacturing, while innovation theory in the services industry is still struggling to emerge. The hospitality and tourism industry is one of the largest service industries in the world. In this industry context, innovation is less about producing new things and more about delivering unique experiences to create lasting memories. The purpose of this study was to extend the work already done regarding innovation in …
Cultivating Compassion In Undergraduate College Students: Rhetoric Or Reality?, Michael Lovette-Colyer Phd
Cultivating Compassion In Undergraduate College Students: Rhetoric Or Reality?, Michael Lovette-Colyer Phd
Dissertations
While American colleges and universities are unparalleled in their ability to produce disciplinary-based knowledge through research and scholarship, their ability to encourage students to use the information and methods about which they are learning to create positive social change has lagged. Aware of the magnitude of today's global issues and dissatisfied with the current disparity between the world's reality and university curricula, scholars have begun to re-imagine the role of higher education in forming the leaders who will face our most pressing problems. Founded to provide education integrated with the formation of values, a significant number of Catholic colleges and …
Work/Life Boundary Management In An Integrative Environment: A Study Of Residence Life Professionals Who Live At Their Place Of Work, Pressley Robinson Rankin Iv Phd
Work/Life Boundary Management In An Integrative Environment: A Study Of Residence Life Professionals Who Live At Their Place Of Work, Pressley Robinson Rankin Iv Phd
Dissertations
How individuals manage work/life boundaries when they live at the place they work, as opposed to working from home, is a gap in both work/life literature and in higher education literature. An obvious example from higher education is the resident life professional that lives in the residential facility that she or he oversees. Living in a residential facility creates challenges to boundary creation. The job requirements; pressures from students and staff; supervisor expectations, both spoken and unspoken; and the physical location of their home within the building creates a highly boundary integrative environment making the establishment of boundaries difficult. The …
Coaching Teachers On Instruction: Developing Instructional Leadership Capacity Within A Principal Preparation Program, John J. Franey Phd
Coaching Teachers On Instruction: Developing Instructional Leadership Capacity Within A Principal Preparation Program, John J. Franey Phd
Dissertations
Over the last several decades, the role of the school site principal has shifted from a focus on school management to one on school leadership. Integral to this new focus is the ability of the principal to be an instructional leader, tasked with improving the instructional practices of teachers. Many principal preparation programs have adopted new methods to support aspiring school leaders including the development of effective coaching skills. This qualitative study examined one principal preparation program designed with this goal in mind. The primary research questions that guided this study were: (a) How does the coaching program support the …
Virtual Teamwork In A Business School Master's Program: Do Team Charters Have An Impact?, Samuel Kyungjin Chung Phd
Virtual Teamwork In A Business School Master's Program: Do Team Charters Have An Impact?, Samuel Kyungjin Chung Phd
Dissertations
A virtual team is an organizationally and/or geographically distributed group whose members use synchronous and asynchronous technologies to work collaboratively. A team charter is a document that describes how group members intend to behave and interact while working collaboratively. Team charters have been used to facilitate virtual teamwork. This study, which took place in a graduate-level business program at a private university in California, was designed to fill the gap in the literature about team charter usage by virtual teams consisting of business students. The students were required to create a team charter in the first semester of the program …
The Undergraduate Classroom As A Community Of Inquiry, Cara Taylor Miller Phd
The Undergraduate Classroom As A Community Of Inquiry, Cara Taylor Miller Phd
Dissertations
This project contributes to the literature on action research and undergraduate pedagogy for leadership development through application and expansion of existing theory on collaborative ways of teaching and learning. I applied a participatory, inquiry-based approach to teaching an undergraduate course in leadership studies over four semesters using the action research process of recursively asking and answering living questions in real time about teaching and learning with students' participating as co-researchers. Reflection on my initial, mostly traditional teaching strategies generated questions about the students' detachment from and resistance to exercising leadership, as well as the challenge of aligning my deepest values …
Graduate Student Experiences: The Impact Of A Mixed-Cohort Format, Kacy Kilner Hayes Phd
Graduate Student Experiences: The Impact Of A Mixed-Cohort Format, Kacy Kilner Hayes Phd
Dissertations
Student cohorts have been regaining popularity among graduate programs over the past few decades because they offer numerous advantages for students and can be molded to fit programmatic needs. The format of these cohorts range from open to closed according to the inclusion or exclusion of additional students during the life of the program. Although a number of graduate level programs employ a mixture of closed- and open-cohort formats, there has been a lack of empirical research examining the benefits or consequences of mixing cohort formats within a single academic program. To address this lack of inquiry, this study utilized …
The Motivation Beliefs Inventory: Measuring Motivation Beliefs Using Four Motivation Theories, David C. Facer Jr. Phd
The Motivation Beliefs Inventory: Measuring Motivation Beliefs Using Four Motivation Theories, David C. Facer Jr. Phd
Dissertations
Among organizational consultants, human resources practitioners, and organizational leaders, there has been a resurgence of interest in the subject of employee motivation, in part due to the best-selling book, Drive (Pink, 2009). In this book, the author challenged readers to question their beliefs about what motivates employees; this challenge was based on research that questions the validity of widely used management approaches to employee motivation, particularly those based on reinforcement theory. Answering this challenge was difficult, however, given the lack of instruments designed to measure motivation beliefs at all, much less beliefs from a range of prevalent theories. Using principal …
Preparing Global Leaders: A Theoretical Model For Understanding The Development Of Intercultural Competency, Cynthia Ann Martinez Phd
Preparing Global Leaders: A Theoretical Model For Understanding The Development Of Intercultural Competency, Cynthia Ann Martinez Phd
Dissertations
As globalization increases, organizations are seeking individuals that have developed intercultural competency (ICC) and are prepared to lead for the 21st century. Although there are competing definitions among scholars as to what characteristics (ability, attitude, awareness, behaviors, knowledge, skills, or values) make up ICC (Ang & Van Dyne, 2008; Bennett & Bennett, 2004), a considerable body of research has found that studying abroad is one of the best ways for undergraduate students to develop at least one characteristic of ICC (Chieffo & Griffths, 2004; Deardorff, 2006; Sheridan, 2005). The question remains, however, whether or not study abroad programs can contribute …
Advising To Promote Self-Authorship: Exploring Advising Strategies And Advisor Characteristics Among New Student Affairs Professionals, Emily Marx Phd
Advising To Promote Self-Authorship: Exploring Advising Strategies And Advisor Characteristics Among New Student Affairs Professionals, Emily Marx Phd
Dissertations
Self-authorship, a theory developed by Robert Kegan (1982) and applied to college students by Marcia Baxter Magolda, is the ability to internally define one's own beliefs, identity, and relationships (Baxter Magolda, 2001). People who self-author have the ability to make career, academic, relationship, and life decisions that take into consideration their own internal voice rather than relying on others' advice. The development of self-authorship has been correlated with gains in key learning outcomes, such as cognitive complexity and independence (Baxter Magolda, 2001; Pizzolato, 2008; Pizzolato & Ozaki, 2007). Achievement of self-authorship does not typically occur until after college, when young …