Leadership on the African continent has been a focus of scholars as African nations have incredible human and natural resources but seem to be bereft of the leaders necessary to capitalize on its opportunities. Researchers acknowledge that the barrier to progress in the developing world is not the deficiency of money or natural resources, but suggested it to be the lack of leadership. Researchers have demonstrated reasons for this deficiency including the effects of the colonial system upon people and civil service systems, but have yet been able to establish a promising path to economic and social progress. Leaders in Kenya provided promising solutions in the national strategic plan, Kenya Vision 2030, to move it to a first world economy within 25 years. One of the foundations of the plan was public service reform with a flagship project to establish the Kenya School of Government to develop transformative leadership training and fill the leadership gap. The purpose of this study was to investigate, understand, and describe the process and progress of this strategic goal of Kenya's public service reform. The transformational leadership theory approach of Burns (1978) was used as the locus point for the study. Using a qualitative case study method, interview data were gathered from persons in Kenya who were integrally involved in the design and development of this strategic goal. The result of the analysis was that development of training for transformative leadership was an intentional goal which was seen as critical for national success. I described how the strategy was begun and implemented. Kenya and other developing countries may benefit from the results of this study as it provides a possible roadmap of leadership training for national progress.

Despite Nigeria's abundance of human and natural resources, after 57 years of independence, most Nigerians live in absolute poverty. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the extent to which the Nigerian leadership exercised leadership capability. The primary research question investigated leadership actions that facilitated or undermined development and good governance objectives. This study adopted critical thinking leadership framework, as developed by the author. The primary data used in this study came from Afrobarometer surveys, round 4, 5, and combined data round 6, which is an updated version of independent surveys administered between 1999 and 2016. Also, data from the Transparency International, the World Bank, and the World Economic Forum were used to complement the Afrobarometer surveys. This study used descriptive statistics, multiple regression analysis, analysis of covariance, and multivariate analysis of covariance. Study results suggest Nigerian leadership exhibits self-centered attitudes toward development and good governance. Hence, the observed outcomes include poor government performance, weak economic management and governance, a high-level of ethical and financial corruption, and eroded public trust in government. It is an indication of a weak leadership capability and an absence of critical thinking leadership. This study recommends a change in the way the Nigerian government recruits top public servants if Nigeria seeks to curtail ethical and financial corruption and achieve its development objectives. This study is expected to contribute to positive social change by offering the Nigerian policymakers recommendations that are essential to address the issues associated with weak leadership capability among the Nigerian leadership.

This study investigates adolescents' relationships with food and other community and household members' perceptions of youth and their food consumption to understand the multifactorial dynamic processes which create nutritional outcomes among urban and rural youth in central Tanzania. Youth are an important and demographically large population in developing countries. The identities created during this distinct stage of cultural production can be reflected in youths' food consumption and relationships with food. Nutrition likely affects how youth transition through a variety of states, including their growth and development stages, primary to secondary to higher education, child to parent, or unemployed to employed. Food and nutrition are in transition in many developing countries such as Tanzania. Here, many adolescents experience undernutrition, in addition to increasing access to low-nutrient, high-calorie foods and increased risk for overweight and obesity during their lifespan. Little data exists in these contexts regarding food security, food consumption and nutritional outcomes. This study utilizes a biocultural approach which constructs adolescence as a socially distinct and culturally variable period between childhood and adulthood with unique roles and responsibilities. This framework draws upon political economy theory, with influences from political ecology, evolutionary theory and an adaptive perspective to investigate youths' relationships with food within the larger context of their lives, households and communities. This study explores the ways that gender, poverty and locality affect youth and their relationships with food through qualitative and quantitative methodology. A mixed-methods approach is used at two field sites in central Tanzania: rural Haydom Ward and urban Singida Municipality. Methods employed in this study include semi-structured interviews, pile sorts, focus groups, a quantitative survey, food frequency questionnaire, anthropometry, and participant observation. Qualitative data help to gain an in-depth understanding of adolescent health and nutrition in urban and rural areas of Tanzania, and provide a foundation for a quantitative survey, which aims to provide an overview of adolescent food consumption, nutritional status, and health-related behaviors on a larger scale. Youth food consumption and nutrition in central Tanzania is imbedded within a web of social, biological and environmental processes and influenced by gender, population density, school enrollment, household structure and poverty. Food security risks and consumption patterns vary by field site, where seasonality and drought negatively impact rural adolescents' health and food consumption patterns, while lack of money and increased food cost affect urban adolescents more. Boys are especially vulnerable; they report consuming less food and exhibit poorer nutritional status than girls. School attendance offers unique challenges to food consumption. Urban schools do not offer breakfast or lunch, so most students go the entire day without a meal. In rural areas, schools may provide food through mandatory `contributions' required for student enrollment, but these enrollment requirements can act as a barrier for poorer households. Additionally, rural schools are often far from students' homes, forcing many to live at the school in rented poor-quality shacks far from markets and potable water sources. Parents and other community members view adolescents as essential members of the household who perform important tasks in the household and community. They also construct youth as problematic, and link food insecurity to culturally problematic behaviors where food insecurity leads adolescents to migrate to larger urban areas. Here, they may experience extreme poverty, engage in transactional sex, and abuse alcohol and drugs. Adolescent food consumption is imbedded within multifactorial challenges related to education, globalization, and household and community relationships. Strategies to address adolescent health or livelihood issues in Tanzania and elsewhere must engage a holistic approach where all aspects of adolescents' lives are considered.

The scale and severity of cancer, specifically breast cancer, remains significantly different across the spectrum of low-income to high-income countries. This study explores women’s beliefs about breast cancer and associated prevention and health-seeking behaviors in a rural area of Uganda. Through a critical medical anthropological perspective, the study examines the social, cultural, and economic factors that shape women’s understanding of cancer, and breast cancer specifically, and that influence their use of biomedical services. Data were collected over a three-month period through 35 in-depth interviews and two focus groups with 10 women older than 18 years in the rural setting of Nakirebe within Mpigi District, and through five interviews with health care personnel from a private and a government health care facility in Mpigi District. Quantitative and Qualitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 and MAXQDA 12.0.2, respectively. Findings suggest that women in this rural setting have limited access to screening and incomplete knowledge about breast cancer, and cancer in general, and internalize fears of a cancer diagnosis. No women were diagnosed with any type of cancer at the time of this study. Common attitudes towards cancer from the women include inevitable death, cancer is caused by contact with artificial substances and/or germs, and cancer causes pain, wounds that never heal, and the removal of body parts. Recommendations for improving cancer control and management in rural Uganda through awareness initiatives and community health outreach programs are presented.

This thesis is a theoretical examination intended to lead the reader in a process of deeper and subjective understanding of culture through the medium of dance. The literature review avails the reader with meaningful foundation work and theories that are weaved together to propose a framework for observing dance movement with a more intercultural set of lenses. This thesis focuses particularly on three intersections: dance as a form of expression and nonverbal communication, dance as embodiment of culture, and dance as a reflection of cultural identity. A useful outcome of this study is a sequential set of tools suggested as a structure useful to gather and analyze data and to conduct further research.

Innovative technologies for construction project management are constantly emerging in the construction industry's global landscape, yet the rate of failed projects within the Nigerian construction sector due to poor coordination of construction tasks is on the rise. An unanswered question in the literature remains as to why construction project managers in Nigeria remain slow to adopt new technologies for improving decision-making processes and project success rates. The purpose of this qualitative single case study with embedded units was to understand the perceptions of construction project managers in Nigeria regarding their barriers to technology adoption. This study was framed by 2 conceptual models: Usman and Said's model of factors contributing to information and communication technology adoption in Nigerian construction firms and Waziri, Mustapha, and Idris' model of factors influencing IT adoption in Nigerian construction organizations. Semistructured interviews involving 10 participants, reflective field notes, and archival data provided information regarding the barriers to technology adoption experience of construction project managers in Nigeria. Thematic analysis of the textual data and synthesis produced 5 conceptual categories for 14 identifiable themes from the study. The conceptual categories were (a) adoption of technology, (b) culture, (c) organizational performance, (d) innovative technology, and (e) interorganizational collaborations. The findings from this study may serve as a catalyst for positive social change by challenging existing technology-avoidance behavior in the Nigerian construction industry, and opening new opportunities for improved project delivery in the Nigerian national economy.

Prior studies have revealed that recent Asian and Hispanic immigrant entrepreneurs have made significant contributions to social change in the United States. Although African immigrant entrepreneurs have made such contributions, few studies exist about them, and there is limited knowledge about this business community. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify the barriers of growth in Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrant-owned firms in the Washington, DC area who were in business for a minimum of 3 years and represented various trade lines and geographical locations. The enhanced integrated model of ethnic business development, which proposes growth strategies by analyzing the interaction of opportunity structures, ethnic resources, and entrepreneurial and management skills, was used as the conceptual framework to guide this study. Semistructured interview data were gathered from the business owners and then analyzed by employing a pattern matching technique. The data analysis revealed the themes of management deficiencies and the lack of organizational support system as the main growth barriers of the firms studied. These findings suggested the improvement of management skills and the creation of an organizational support system. This effort demands a collaboration of public, private, and community organizations. The results of this study may have positive social change implications to local economies by facilitating the growth of immigrant-owned businesses and enhancing their job and income-creating potential.

Little research has focused on developing female African American leaders. A mixed methods study examined the influence of conservation of resources (COR) and locus of control (LOC) on the self-efficacy (SE) of 26 female African American leaders. It also explored the role of mentoring and spirituality in leadership development for a subset of 5 participants. Data were obtained using a demographic questionnaire, the General SE Scale, the COR Evaluation Gain scale, and the LOC Assessment, along with transcribed responses to mentoring and spirituality interview questions. Pearson correlations run between age, education, and income, as well as COR, LOC, and SE scores uncovered an inverse relationship between education and LOC and no other significant associations. A multiple regression analysis determined that COR and LOC did not predict SE among the participants. A qualitative analysis of the coded interview responses by a subset of 5 participants to 10 questions on mentoring and spirituality yielded 5 thematic clusters: (a) mentor link: expertise for guiding mentoring relationship or being a positive role model, (b) mentor value: commitment to personal or professional development, (c) mentor characteristics: qualities of being a good mentor, (d) mentor outcomes: expertise in mentoring and supporting an individual in development, and (e) workplace spirituality: individual desire to live spiritual values in the workplace. The results will foster positive social change by identifying ways to promote the development of female African American leaders.

Despite the multitude of existing studies of leadership and organizational outcome, there are few empirical studies of these phenomena in Africa. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship between Nigerian local government administrative leadership and organizational outcome and between perceived leadership effectiveness and transformational leadership factors, based on Bass's full range leadership theory (FRLT). Data were collected through the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaires administered to a randomly selected sample of 240 department heads in 30 local governments in Osun State, Nigeria. Regression result shows a statistically significant correlation between the local public administrators' leadership practices and organizational outcome (p < 0.05), but the model only accounted for 10.5% of variance in organizational outcome, suggesting other influential factors on the local government outcome other than leadership. Regression results also showed a significant relationship between local public administrators' leadership effectiveness and transformational leadership factors (p < 0.05). The model accounted for 28% of the variance in leadership effectiveness, suggesting other factors affecting the public administrators' leadership effectiveness. The implications for positive social change include the opportunity to move the Nigerian local administrators' leadership practices towards more effective and ethical leadership as explained by the spectrum of FRLT, through training and transformational leadership development programs. In turn, transformational leadership and organizational practices may discourage corruption and help build a sustainable local government institution that is responsive and accountable to the Nigerian public.

Malaria is one of the leading causes of death for children and women in Sierra Leone. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and understand the lived experiences of women from the rural areas of Sierra Leone regarding malaria. A purposive sample of Krio women from the western rural area, aged 21-55 years, spoke English, and had taken care of someone with malaria described their perceptions and lived experiences with the disease in face-to-face interviews. The research questions were based on the health belief model and focused on knowledge, beliefs, and perceptions about malaria prevention and treatment. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to identify themes through coding. The findings indicated that (a) lack of doctors, medicines, and medical supplies at government clinics discourages malaria victims from visiting those clinics; (b) the use of traditional herbs is prevalent because of their effectiveness, affordability, easy access, and lack of side effects; (c) women were not aware of recommended comprehensive malaria control measures, which include the continuous use of durable insecticide nets, residual spraying, case management, and artemisinin-based therapy. The results also show that (a) pregnant women should not take prescribed medications to prevent or treat malaria because they harm the fetus, and (b) traditional herbs may be taken with Western medicines to treat severe malaria. Recommendations include: that the government evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of its current malaria programs in local clinics, and that future studies be undertaken to identify antimalarial properties in commonly accepted local herbs. Changes in policies and practices relating to the prevention and treatment of malaria will serve as building blocks for positive social change to reduce the malaria incidence rate in Sierra Leone.