<p>Racial tension in the United States has moved to the forefront in social discourse with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and elections of far-right wing politicians who provide support and empathy for White supremacist groups. In higher education, colleges and universities often serve as microcosms of the broader society’s racial climate. Experts have revealed that 56% of U.S. university presidents believed that inclusion and diversity had grown in importance between 2015-2017. Additionally, 47% of presidents at 4-year institutions stated that students had organized on their campus amid concerns about racial diversity. In attempts to combat the divisiveness present in American culture, colleges and universities have begun appointing Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) administrative positions to lead their inclusion and diversity missions to better support minoritized and marginalized communities. Experts estimate that nearly 80% of CDO positions were created in the last 20 years. Despite efforts to develop CDOs, higher education institutions sometimes struggle to foster inclusive and diverse environments. Recently, a small body of literature has been developed to better understand the CDO role in higher education. Predominantly White Land-Grant Universities (PWLGUs) have also seen an influx of issues related to diversity and inclusion over the years. The purpose of the current study was to uncover how CDOs see their role and responsibilities in the context of Predominantly White Land-Grant Universities. This study used Critical Race Theory (CRT) framework to examine how CDOs navigate their identities, the presence of racism, and the social climate of their university and the broader United States. This study was guided by five research questions, including one topical question which served to provide demographic information of the CDOs. The other four research questions covered barriers and successes of CDOs, how CDOs navigated their own identity while in the role of CDO, and how they observed the presence of racism at PWLGUs. Two rounds of interviews were conducted with seven CDOs at PWLGUs. Topic and pattern coding were used to analyze data via NVivo qualitative data analysis software. There were four findings for this study. First, racism has had a constant presence on, and at times has been supported by, land-grant universities further complicating the jobs of CDOs. Second, CDOs of color often connected elements of their identity to the responsibilities of the CDO position. Third, CDOs described ways in which inclusion and diversity were part of the purpose of land-grant universities and ways in which race factored into academic achievements of the institution, but then become afterthoughts in other elements of campus life. Finally, PWLGUs often invoke liberal processes and decision-making that further limits the capabilities of the CDO to foster inclusive and diverse campuses. Future study recommendations include comparing and contrasting CDOs of Color and White CDOs, CDOs at Minority-Serving Institutions with CDOs at Non-Minority Serving Institutions, and perception of satisfaction by people of color with the job of the CDO at their institution. </p>

<p>The purpose of this research was to investigate how work orientation (job, career, and calling) affects the professional life of leaders; and how leaders perceive their work regarding these three dimensions. In addition, this study aimed to relate work orientation to performance. Also, phenomenology approach allowed a deep investigation of the experience of leaders with regard to their work.</p><p> For this purpose, two surveys were used; one was on work orientation and the other on performance. After completion of the surveys, six participants were invited to participate in an in-depth interview. The participants were aligned with the calling orientation and had a high performance at work. They described their work as integrated into their lives, involving their families in decisions, helping people, and desiring to make a difference in this world. Also, the findings showed that people who live a calling feel that work and life have intertwined meanings. The motivation, well-being, connection with an organization, engagement with work, and having a purpose were factors that had significance for those who perceive work as a calling. The main results were that the participants faced new challenges, built new meanings and understandings about work during their careers. Each experience helped them to improve the next, while also improving their performance. The relationship between these factors revealed a cycle of meanings. The cycle represents the evolution of the creation of new meanings which defines how people perceive their work and how that influences performance. Furthermore, this study showed that it is possible to change the perception of work through goals, achievement, working context, the adversities faced, stages of life, and the work environment. All of these lead to new meanings and becoming aligned to different dimensions of work orientation. </p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

This diploma thesis deals with the psychological aspects of management focusing on the styles of leadership at the gynecological-obstetric department, specifically at the maternity hospital. The aim is to find out what kind of leadership is used by the senior and station nurses. This thesis explores how they interpret the management grid GRID and how they perceive themselves in terms of how midwives perform. For this research were choosen two hospitals, public and joint-stock company. That is why the objective was also to compare the interviews with midwives regarding their motivation, satisfaction and conflict occurance. Therefore the information was received that touched upon these topics and presented the perception of the workers in obstetrician. The theoretical part introduces the psychological aspects of leadership, so that the reader goes through chapters focusing on manager personality, management, leadership, work environment, work teams, motivation, workplace conflicts, stress, burnout syndrome, etc.. The empirical part is presented as part of the qualitative research, which presents the way of senior and station nurses with the help of the inspiration by design of the case study. Further a case study at the state hospital and a case study at joint-stock company are being developed with...

<p>STEM education has been a topic of reform in education for many years and it has recently focused primarily on the education methodology called STEM integration. Universities and state departments of education have defined teacher education programs and STEM initiatives that explore the necessary ingredients for a curriculum using this methodology, but they do not provide explicit instructions for the design of the learning environment. The purpose of this study was to explore the question "What are the characteristics of high school learning environments that support integrated STEM instruction?" </p> <p>This qualitative study used a postpositive lens and multiple-case study framework to distill the experiences and evidence gathered from four STEM certified high schools in the state of Indiana. This distillation resulted in three universal themes common to each school which were: the allocation of universally accessible free space for STEM integration, the importance for mobility of resources and students, and the need for supportive technological resources. </p> <p>This study is applicable to both those who are educators working in STEM education and those researchers looking to understand the STEM integration paradigm or learning environment design. Educators can use this study to plan their own learning environments and researchers can use this study as a pilot to many other outlets in the topic of STEM integration. </p>

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<p dir="ltr">Gen Z public school teachers in Indiana were surveyed concerning their perceptions of power used by their principal and their satisfaction with their principal’s supervision. One hundred and forty-five teachers responded to survey items regarding whether they have worked under one or more principals, the community type (rural, urban, suburban) where they teach, the Rahim Leader Power Inventory (RLPI) to measure perceptions of principal’s use of six different available power bases (coercive, reward, legitimate, information, expert, referent) and the abridged Job Descriptive Index (aJDI) to measure satisfaction. Reward power was the most perceived power base and referent power the least. Two statistically significant findings were revealed. First, the more participants perceived their principal using expert (F(6,138) = 55.12, p < .001) and referent power (t(6) = -5.32, p < .001) bases, the less satisfied with supervision they were. Secondly, Gen Z teachers who had one principal perceived their principal to access more legitimate power than Gen Z teachers who have had more than principal (t(143) = 2.16, p =.032). To effectively influence this influential generation, educational leaders should consider autonomy, personalized growth, tactful integrity, and aligned expectations. Gen Z teachers value trust and transparency, and clashes with traditional leadership methods can lead to dissatisfaction. Meeting their expectations for integrity and authenticity is key to enhancing their satisfaction with supervision.</p>

<p dir="ltr">This qualitative study explored essential characteristics attributed to highly effective School Resource Officers (SROs) as perceived by experienced Indiana high school principals. Through semi-structured interviews with five high school principals from Indiana, the study sought to identify key responsibilities, outcomes, proactive activities, and other characteristics high school principals perceive as distinguishing characteristics of high-performing and highly effective SROs. In this comprehensive study, the findings are robust and eye-opening. They underscore the indispensable role of SROs in fostering genuine connections within the school community. Through proactive engagement, highly effective SROs establish meaningful relationships with students and staff, reinforcing a sense of trust and security. Moreover, their adept understanding of school dynamics, coupled with effective communication skills, enables them to navigate complex situations with finesse. Most notably, these officers demonstrate a keen ability to address safety concerns head-on, employing strategic problem-solving tactics to uphold a secure learning environment. Data suggests that highly effective SROs are indispensable partners in promoting school safety, fostering positive relationships, and cultivating proactive approaches to addressing safety concerns. Beyond their law enforcement duties, SROs serve as valuable partners in building positive school climates. The study's findings are intended to give significant insights into the field of educational leadership, including recommendations on the recruitment, training, and assignment of SROs to improve their efficacy in promoting safe and supportive learning environments in Indiana high schools.</p>

The thesis "School self-evaluation and transformation of school education programmes" deals with elementary school self-evaluation. It is primarily focused on analyzing outcomes of self-evaluation activities that are indtended to develop schools and adjust school education programmes. The research is based on interviews with directors and teachers from elementary schools in Prague and could be used as an overview of the current state of Czech schools. It also offers recommendations for improving schools.

<p>Innovations in technology are changing not only everyday life for many individuals around the world but are also influencing the expansion of online learning opportunities at an accelerated rate (Collins & Halverson, 2<a></a>018; Mah, 2016). Online learning platforms allow for scalability, flexibility, greater global access, and innovative and new ways to deliver education (Goodman, Melkers, & Pallais, 2019; Kizilcec et al., 2019). Enrollments in online learning programs and opportunities have seen significant growth in recent years (Seaman, Allen, & Seaman, 2018; U.S. Department of Education, 2018) with continued and steady growth expected into the future. The ubiquity and newness of new online learning formats present a challenge in linking research and practice. Through three separate academic papers, the following dissertation discusses and considers key questions and topics with regards to the use of digital badges and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), two types of emerging online innovations and platforms, and aspects of their efficacy. The three papers respectively 1) identify and discuss the theoretical and empirical foundations digital badges use in specific learners groups by reviewing current literature; 2) highlight the application of a use case in which digital badges have been implemented as a means to offer training; and 3) explore the perceptions of MOOC instructors toward quality learning in their courses in a case study. Conclusions are drawn and solutions as well as potential future directions for research and practice of discussed. </p>

The Master's thesis deals with the motivations of employees of non-governmental non- profit organizations that take care of modern war veterans. The various insights into the motivations that NGO employees could have form the theoretical basis of the thesis. The work clarifies the area of interest of war veterans, who are seen as a social problem, and describes the organizations of the civil sector in the Czech Republic, which deal with veteran issues and describes a non-profit sector as well. The empirical section analyzes in-depth interviews with employees of a non-profit organization that provides assistance to war veterans, and finally, the research questions on the topic of employee motivation and motivational tools of veteran NGOs are answered. Keywords: Non-profit organization, war veteran, motivation, employees of non-profit organizations, management and leadership of human resources, motivational tools of the head of the organization.