The main purpose of this study was to investigate, through interviews, the factors influencing the career choice, role perception, and job satisfaction of 15 college health service nurse managers working in New England state colleges. The secondary purpose was to categorize nurse managers according to their attitudes and to determine the relevancy of the American College Health Association job description. The conceptual framework of the study included socialization, role theory, and job satisfaction. The 15 nurse managers who agreed to participate in the study comprise 75% of the potential subjects of this study. Interviews were conducted through the use of an open-ended interview guide. Qualitative analysis identified general themes from interview data. Selected segments of each audio taped interview were chosen by the interviewer to provide examples of key concepts related to career choice, role perception, and job satisfaction. Discussion of these findings resulted in the following conclusions: (1) Nurses need to assume a leadership role in developing policies and determining the direction for the college health service nurse managers' role. (2) Channels of communication between nurse managers and administrators must be identified and maintained to clarify role expectations and perceptions and to eliminate discrepancies. (3) Advanced education at the master's level and certification as a nurse practitioner may provide the nurse manager with the knowledge and skills needed to fulfill her role. Based on these findings, recommendations were made for future research.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of disciplinary background on the leadership styles of academic deans. The researcher conducted a nation-wide survey of academic deans from a wide range of disciplines. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether the disciplinary backgrounds of university deans are reflected in their self-reported actions, decision-making, and role perceptions. Subjects’ disciplines were categorized according to high-consensus and low-consensus fields as well as the pure/applied dichotomy. Four dimensions of organizational leadership (bureaucratic, collegial, political and symbolic) were utilized to define the subjects’ potential cognitive frames. The subjects’ use of cognitive frames were classified into predominantly single-, paired-, or multi-framed approaches. Descriptive statistics, mean comparisons, and logistic regression were utilized to analyze the behaviors and motivations of subjects in the study.

This study explores ways for public schools to build political support among elderly citizens by responding to their concerns and needs. Basic marketing principles, used by industry to increase a corporation's market share, are applied to fit the context of local school districts and the elderly. Literature reviews of marketing, the elderly, the needs of the elderly, and elderly issues in other institutions are included in this work. This study focused on people who are over the age of sixty-five living in Wareham Massachusetts. Once the demographics of this segment were identified, the needs, wants, and desires of the individuals in this segment were explored through the use of a survey and by conducting interviews. Included in the appendix is a marketing plan for the Wareham Public Schools, which is intended to address the needs, wants, and desires of the elderly in Wareham Massachusetts and to illustrate an approach that could be implemented elsewhere.

<p> In an international university in Thailand, with students coming from 92 different countries, faculty members reported a need for professional development (PD). The purpose of this study was to understand faculty members&rsquo; needs and preferences in the undergraduate department to help the administration offer appropriate PD programs. In accordance with the situated cognition theory, professional learning was approached as a social process embedded in workplace interactions. Research questions pertained to teachers&rsquo; perceptions about their learning needs, program preferences, and the relationship between PD and student learning outcomes. In this descriptive case study, data were collected from fulltime faculty members via a focus group of 5 participants and 8 individual face-to-face and email interviews. In accordance with a maximum variation sampling strategy, the sample included faculty members from varied academic and cultural backgrounds and diverse lengths of experience in the university. Thematic coding analysis revealed 4 themes: (a) a desire to learn specific content such as classroom management techniques, pedagogy for university-level students, assessment design, and instructional technology; (b) a desire to observe and apply new techniques to better engage diverse students in large classes; (c) a desire to learn collegially to share context-relevant information; and (d) expectations from the university administration. As a result of this study, tailored recommendations for this university were derived to contribute to social change. Appropriate PD programs can enable faculty members to hone their pedagogical skills and improve student learning experience in this multicultural setting.</p>

<p> A significant issue facing high schools is preparing students for their transition to college. High school students who are the first in their family to attend college have more difficulties preparing for this transition. Studies have explored the transition experiences of first-generation college-going students participating in partnership programs, showing that not all program components strengthen the transition experience for this population (Domina &amp; Ruzek, 2012; Jordan, 2006; Watt et al., 2008). Since participation in these programs may contribute to a successful transition experience, it is crucial to expand our understanding of how participation helps these students overcome the numerous challenges in the transition process (Barnett et al., 2012; Choy, 2001).</p><p> This qualitative study involving interviews of 20 first-generation students examined how a district-level high school to community college readiness partnership program facilitated a successful transition from high school to community college for first-generation college-going students. The study drew on a conceptual framework involving cultural capital (Bourdieu &amp; Passeron, 1977) beyond the &ldquo;deficit&rdquo; model (Ovink &amp; Veazey, 2011), social capital (Coleman, 1988), and ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1977).</p><p> Participants described both partnership program components and individualized attention through human resource relationships as being pivotal contributors to their positive transition experience. Although participants stated that the partnership program addressed many barriers to support their successful transition to community college, their transition experience remained challenging at times. Participants shared that their parents&rsquo; inexperience with the college process gave them a feeling of &ldquo;being on their own&rdquo; during the transition from high school to community college. As a whole, however, participants stated that they had a successful high school to community college transition because the partnership program gave them the background knowledge they needed. In addition, participants shared that with guidance from the partnership program, they felt more prepared than they would have had they not participated in the partnership program.</p><p> Based on participants&rsquo; transition experiences, this study offers a deeper understanding of the aspects of the partnership program that support a successful transition experience, with implications for existing and future programs, as well as policy.</p>

<p> A Case Study of Initiating Mentoring in an Urban Charter School Most states exempt public charter schools from state policy that regulates the mentorship of new teachers. Regardless, there are charter systems that develop teacher mentor programs on their own. These system-created programs can create a dichotomy between charter expectation and mentor/mentee experience. Utilizing a case study approach, this dissertation offers a unique view into this phenomenon, by examining the inaugural year of a mid-sized urban charter system&rsquo;s effort to design and implement a teacher mentoring support program. Data include interviews with 15 teachers (paired and unmatched mentors and mentees) and administrators, meeting observations, and reviews of program documents and artifacts. Findings note challenges related to support, guidance, and expectations, in addition to a cautious optimism about future charter mentor endeavors. Miller&rsquo;s (1976) Relational cultural theory was used as a theoretical lens to explore teacher experiences in mentoring. </p><p> The results of this study enhance understanding of urban public charter school teachers engaged in the mentoring process by: (a) identifying clear mentoring program expectations, administrative involvement, and professional development as influential factors in mentoring relationships; (b) recognizing mentor experience, shared subject matter of mentor and mentee, and ability to meet in person as powerful predictors of mentor relationship success; and (c) illustrating how school context can and does affect the mentoring process in an urban public charter school. </p><p> <i>Keywords</i>: mentoring, charter schools, beginning teachers, teacher development</p>

<p>Federal healthcare reform has been a major driver for the widespread shift towards high-quality, value-based care at healthcare organizations in the United States. With increased emphasis on quality and value in healthcare, process and performance improvement have been identified and capitalized upon as methods by which to achieve higher quality clinical outcomes, increase patient safety and satisfaction and improve care coordination. For past several decades, lean management and related doctrines and principles have been widely adopted among healthcare organizations in the United States for process and performance improvement purposes. This business plan proposes a lean management consulting firm for healthcare organizations of all sizes and delivery models in the Greater Los Angeles area with a mission to deliver state-of-the-art lean education and training to management and staff of all backgrounds and roles. The aim of the proposed firm is to train, develop and empower its clients to ensure continuous quality improvement and eventually become one of the biggest lean consulting players in the market. </p>

<p> U.S. schools have experienced a significant growth in the number of students identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The preponderance of students with ASD has challenged school leaders to adjust the ways in which they lead their schools (Riehl, 2000), as well as to understand and implement the mandates of federal laws regarding students with disabilities (DiPaola &amp; Walther-Thomas, 2003). This multiple case study explored the various experiences of 7 school principals charged with addressing the needs of students with ASD, demonstrating that the school principal has more responsibility than ever before regarding disability and student achievement. This research study employed semi-structured interviews, participant questionnaires, field note observations, and document analyses. The unique experiences of participants offered five overarching themes: (a) visionary leadership, (b) building relationships, (c) support personnel, (d) teacher perceptions, (e) principals&rsquo; experiences with special education, and (f) parental involvement. Disability studies theory, through the lens of social justice, framed the research design and analysis. In sum, each case analysis documented the triumphs and challenges of 7 school principals destined to provide inclusive experiences for the increasing numbers of students with autism in schools today.</p>

<p>Recognizing the need for companies and organizations to retain employees, one of the topics given very little attention in the research is non-attendance in face-to-face training. This study presents findings from the analysis of archival data from a 2013 employee education survey. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted on two sets of data exploring barriers to participation in employee-development education classes. Extrinsic factors were identified as &lsquo;more important things take priority&rsquo; and &lsquo;circumstances beyond the employee&rsquo;s control&rsquo;. Intrinsic factors were identified as &lsquo;personal motivation challenges&rsquo;. These factors emerged as potential reasons for non-participation or no-show behavior in employee education courses. Possible explanations for the results are discussed and recommendations for future research are presented. </p>

<p> A new organization often encounters the &ldquo;liability of newness&rdquo; that increases its chance of failing as a start-up enterprise (Freeman et al, 1983). New organizations located in a foreign country also face the &ldquo;liability of foreignness&rdquo; (Zaheer &amp; Mosakowski, 1997). By gaining legitimacy, organizations can obtain the resources they need to become sustainable. The liabilities of newness and foreignness aptly describe the international branch campuses that have been set up in China.</p><p> Scott&rsquo;s (1995) institutional legitimacy pillars and Suchman&rsquo;s (1995) legitimacy theory are combined to form a new conceptual legitimacy framework to understand legitimacy issues in China. This qualitative study selects seven cases to answer this research question: What strategies do the international branch campuses use to gain social support from different constituencies? The institutions studied are: The University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Xi&rsquo;an Jiaotong Liverpool University, New York University Shanghai, United International College Shenzhen, Dongbei University of Economy and Finance Surrey International Institute, Southeast University-Monash University Joint Graduate School (Suzhou), and The Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies.</p><p> Fifty-two interviews were conducted with senior institutional leaders, faculty, staff, students, parents, scholars, and employers. The research found that these international institutions did face the twin liabilities of newness and foreignness. However, being new and foreign could actually give these institutions legitimacy as well. The international institutions used all four strategies identified in the literature to gain the four pillars of legitimacy. An important caveat of the study is that the environment is significant in institutions gaining legitimacy, but the primary factor in acquiring legitimacy is the quality of their product.</p><p> This study has several limitations, including one missing case, fewer foreign interviewees, the uneven amount of information available at each institution, translation difficulties between two very different languages and cultures, and data provided by the institutions might be self-serving. The results indicate four avenues for further research. They are legitimacy thresholds; legitimacy from the perspective of the home institutions; the failed international branch campuses; education quality at these IBCs; and the evolving political dynamics in China.</p>