The need for a high-quality workforce to meet increased competition in the world economy has increased the need for competent vocational administrators in public 2-year postsecondary institutions. Researchers have agreed that vocational education is in a state of metamorphosis and must change to meet its challenges in the coming century. At the same time, more women are seeking and obtaining vocational administrative positions. Several studies have been done to identify the competencies needed by vocational administrators to perform their duties, but there has been little research on the actual ability to perform the administrative tasks identified by these studies. Two main purposes of this study are: (a) to determine the perceived level of administrative competencies possessed by women administrators in vocational education at the community college level in Texas; (b) to determine the adequacy of the preservice training received by these administrators to perform their administrative functions. Of the 175 women administrators randomly selected to participate in the study, 71% completed the Administrator Task Inventory. In addition to the descriptive statistics, two multiple regression analyses were tested. First, principal component analysis was used to reduce the number of dependent variables from 11 to 2, after which two multiple regression analyses were used to test the relationship between the two component scores identified as management-skills factors and educational-skills factors and the four independent variables of level of education, number of years of teaching vocational subject, number of years of vocational administrative experience, and level of vocational professional organization involvement. The results indicate that the women administrators possess the competencies needed to perform their tasks, but one fourth of the administrators need better preservice and/or inservice training on at least 7 of 11 competency categories studied. The results also show that a negative relationship exists between the number of years of teaching vocational subjects and management-skills competencies.

Policy trends in initial teacher training (ITT) in England have increasingly located training in schools, where trainee teachers are supported by practicing teachers designated as ‘mentors’. The nature of the mentoring that trainee teachers experience has been shown to be of critical importance, both to outcomes in the initial training period and also in terms of teachers’ professional identity construction and retention within the profession. School-based mentoring has been typically characterised, however, as of variable or inconsistent quality. Teach First is a teacher training programme with a number of features which set it apart from other routes into teaching. Teach First grows from and sits within the contemporary policy landscape of teacher training; the programme has a distinctive identity and is the focus of significant interest in the education sector in England and beyond. Teach First is an employment-based training programme and Teach First trainees are mentored by teachers as they work and train in schools; trainees also receive periodic support from tutors based in higher education training providers. This study takes Teach First as a case study and adopts a mixed-methods approach, including both quantitative and qualitative analysis where appropriate. Empirical data is drawn from a multi-layered programme of surveys, focus group discussions and interviews. The study explores how those involved in Teach First mentoring conceptualize the process and how they perceive their role in supporting it. In addition, the study considers the extent to which Teach First mentoring can be considered distinctive. The thesis presents a framework for understanding the mentoring process which is based on an extension of relevant theories of learning and models of mentoring. Empirical findings from the data lead to two propositions: firstly, that the mentoring process in initial teacher training is based on a triadic relationship, in which the relationship between supporters of mentoring is particularly important to its efficacy; secondly, that there is no programme-wide model for Teach First mentoring and, as a consequence, the distinctiveness of the Teach First programme is attenuated by the school-based mentoring process. This latter point has implications for both the nascent identity construction of Teach First teachers and also for how Teach First is perceived in relation to more mainstream teacher training programmes.

This thesis grew out of a concern shared by others that, in an era in which teacher educators are required to place increasing faith in the utility and objectivity of ideal end-of-training competencies, ‘the messiness, muddle and ambivalence that education is always and inevitably heir to’ (Bainbridge and West, 2012, p.5) and the consequent complexity that typifies student experiences as they learn to teach and make their subsequent transition into teaching, can be too readily ignored. Drawing on extensive data from interviews, research participant’s self-writing and their contributions to on-line forums, the experiences of two trainees as they make such a transition into and through their first year of teaching is examined in detail. As an experienced educator the author makes use of an auto/biographical approach in which aspects of his personal life history are acknowledged both as sources of insight but also as sites of my partiality. The importance of key incidents and individuals in my own development are acknowledged and in so doing, I recognise both the manner in which the familiarity of past experiences can provide a source of insight, but may equally act to shape or stifle alternate stories. A range of ‘critical friends’ are used to aid my analysis and to chart both the trainee’s transition to teacher and my own transition to that of auto/biographical researcher. Bourdieu and Brookfield provide a starting point for an examination of the participants’ reported experiences and the contexts in which they work. Turkle points towards an understanding of the online world where identities can be created, played with and critically evaluated. Mezirow and Dirkx provide contrasting views of what it means to be a transformational learner whilst Goodson and West support my development towards that of a researcher, whose fascination with the individual stories of the students with which I have worked provided the starting point for the research. As the thesis ends, the shades of friends return to remind this researcher that it was the experiences of the participants which resonated with, but did not mirror my own. For, whilst the boundaries between individuals is at all times honoured, it is in the shared boundaries that we meet and our mutual human dependency is framed. Reference Bainbridge, A. & West, L. 2012. Psychoanalysis and education: Minding a gap. London, Karnac Books.

The topic of this thesis is initial teacher education (ITE) pedagogy, exploring the nature of teaching and learning about teaching (or ‘meta-teaching’), and how teacher educators in English universities translate this into practice. Its purpose was to gain an appreciation of teacher educators’ pedagogical practice beyond their first three years in the role: not just how, but why they teach student teachers in a particular way, and to observe what this looks like in practice. A collective case study approach was taken, involving four participants working in four geographically distanced universities. The methods consisted of a semi-structured interview, videoed observation of a teaching session, and a stimulated recall interview which was led by the participant whilst co-viewing the video. Analysis of the data revealed that, whilst the meta-pedagogical practice appeared to have individual drivers for each of the participants, there could be potential inhibitors to developing a distinct pedagogy of ITE which are inherent in the teacher educators’ experience and practical wisdom accumulated as school teachers. These may hinder teacher educators’ engagement with a theoretically underpinned knowledge base for their pedagogical practice. The similarities and differences in meta-pedagogical practice were explored using Bourdieusian concepts of developing habitus in the new field, leading to expanding cultural capital. It is argued that distinct drivers for the participants’ respective practices impacted upon the development of first to second order habitus. A continued focus on (curriculum) subject knowledge or on passing on the craft knowledge of (school) teaching was shown to be located in first order practice, whereas a focus on developing meta-pedagogical understandings allowed for an expanding habitus, and thus to the potential for increased cultural capital – both for themselves as individuals, and for the occupational group of teacher educators. Whilst a deep-seated sense of teacher professional identity may help to bridge the two (sub-)fields, it appeared that an accepted body of knowledge based on theoretical underpinnings could distinguish this group and enhance their cultural capital. In light of this, the role of episteme and phronesis were explored as enablers of the development of a shared meta-pedagogy. By illuminating current meta-pedagogical understandings and practice, the study aims to feed into a wider debate on teaching and learning to teach, at a time when ITE in England is in a state of flux and the future of university-based programmes – as well as university involvement in school-based programmes – is under threat. It is argued that, not only would it be possible to accelerate the process of teacher educators developing their meta-pedagogical practice through exploration of the theoretical perspectives, but that this has the potential to underline and reinforce the distinction between university- and school-led ITE in uncertain times.

This thesis explores the development of the thinking and practice of beginning and early career teachers in relation to pupil behaviour through the examination of questionnaire data from two surveys conducted with a PGCE cohort and case study data gathered through a sequence of interviews with seven teachers from this group during their first three years as qualified teachers. It draws on literature to critically examine the established discourse of pupil behaviour as a problem in schools, the management of behaviour as a concern for beginning teachers and the preparation provided by Initial Teacher Training in this area as insufficient. Attention is also given to prevailing approaches to behaviour described in literature that might represent the knowledge base for improved training in relation to behaviour management. The questionnaire data presented a picture of the cohort as prepared in relation to pupil behaviour and realistic in their views on the types of behaviour that they would encounter most frequently. There was a clear perception that the most valuable learning about behaviour took place in schools. The data collected from the case study participants suggested that learning about behaviour continued to be based on their own direct experience of teaching, formal and informal advice from colleagues and formal and informal opportunities to observe others’ practice. The implication is that development in relation to behaviour is very parochial, with few influences external to the school. This, coupled with a general antipathy towards anything construed as theoretical, suggests the development of beginning teachers’ thinking and practice in relation to behaviour is based upon very few reference points beyond that which is available in the school and the individual’s general dispositions, preconceptions, concerns and perceptions. Attempts to address perceived issues regarding the preparation of beginning teachers has tended to focus on the content dimension, typically defined as knowledge, skills and understanding. This thesis puts forward the view that, whilst there is valuable work to be done in attempting to define what content represents a useful grounding for the beginning teacher, there needs to be greater attention paid to the influence of the individual and the context in which they are placed. This might be achieved by reconceptualising the development of the thinking and practice of beginning and early career teachers in relation to pupil behaviour as an interaction between the content dimension, the individual and the context.

Increasing demand coupled with declining resources make it impossible for community colleges to realize their comprehensive mission without employing part-time faculty. This study examined the impact of the part-time faculty upon the mission of the community college by interviewing board members, administrators, national experts, and by surveying full-time and part-time faculty. Empirical data were gathered regarding load and student credit hours generated in each mission function by part-time and full-time faculty. Financial allocations associated with salary were reviewed. Responses from those interviewed were determined to be imbedded in four themes: position within the organization, the concept of "appropriateness," mission support activities other than teaching, and the personal goals of faculty. Experts, board members and administrators indicated that the use of part-time faculty was more acceptable in some mission functions than in others. They endorsed the use of part-timers in the community/continuing education and occupational/career functions but they had strong reservations about their use in the transfer function. They indicated that while part-timers had limited impact on the counseling/guidance function they had strong impact on the remedial/developmental, occupational/career, and community/ continuing education functions. Intergroup faculty responses were more divergent. For all mission functions, the full-timers indicated that part-timers had less impact than part-timers indicated for themselves. Based on direct instruction, the empirical data evidenced that the impact of part-time faculty varied with the mission function. Ranked from least to greatest part-time faculty impact, the mission functions were: counseling/guidance; community-continuing education; general education; academic transfer; occupational/career; and, most heavily impacted, remedial/developmental. Financial data affirmed that the use of part-time faculty had saved millions of dollars and that it costs two-and-one-half times as much for a full-timer to generate one credit hour of instruction as it does for a part-timer. Full-time and part-time faculty did not differ greatly in their goals for teaching students. However, full-timers placed higher intrinsic value on participation in collegial activities than did part-timers.

The purpose of this study was to compare the perceptions of administrators, teachers, and library media specialists regarding the current and ideal roles of media specialists in schools' instructional programs. Randomly selected schools in two of Metro-Atlanta's large urban school systems were asked to participate in this study. Administrators, teachers, and media specialists were asked to complete a two-part questionnaire/survey. The first part of the questionnaire/survey was concerned with personal characteristics and experience in education. The second part dealt with perceptions of media specialists' roles in schools' instructional programs. The instrument, designed by the researcher, was based on the 1988 and 1998 Information Power publications, addressing the media specialists' roles as instructional consultant, as teacher, as information specialist, and as program administrator. The responses were analyzed using the One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to determine ifthere were statistically significant differences among the respondents' perceptions of media specialists' roles in schools' instructional programs. If differences were shown, the Scheffe Test was used to identify those differences. These analyses showed significant differences within and among administrators', teachers', and media specialists' perceptions of the current and ideal roles of media specialists in schools' instructional programs. There were differences shown in the current and ideal perceptions within each group, and the analysis revealed that among the groups, it was teachers' perceptions that differed significantly with administrators' and media specialists' perceptions regarding the current and ideal roles of media specialists in instructional programs. The implications point to a possible need for additional training regarding media specialists' roles in administration and teacher education programs, development of more collegial relationships through collaboration in schools, and enhanced leadership and communication skills among administrators, teachers, and media specialists to determine the instructional needs of individual schools. Future studies could include analyses of administrator and teacher education programs regarding the inclusion of media specialists' roles, additional moderators in comparative studies, school systems located in rural communities, and comparisons of mandated media specialist roles with job descriptions.

M.Cur. / It has been demonstrated that mentoring improves outcomes at both the individual and organizational level. The shortage of skilled human resources in nursing has indicated the need for mentoring. However, no formalized framework exists on how mentoring in the context of nurse unit managers should occur, despite mentoring being a legal requirement (South Africa, 2004:26). The intention of this study was to develop a mentoring strategy for nurse unit managers in private hospitals in Gauteng. The mentoring needs of nurse unit managers in private hospitals in Gauteng were determined and conceptualized and a framework developed on which the development of a mentoring strategy could be based. A quantitative descriptive research design was followed to develop a mentoring strategy for Nurse Unit managers in private hospitals in Gauteng. Probability sampling was employed (Burns & Grove, 2005:348). A clustered sample (Burns & Grove, 2005:348) of private hospitals within the three regions of Tshwane, Johannesburg Central and Ekurhuleni was drawn. From these a random sample of nurse unit managers in private hospitals within the clusters was drawn. A self-developed closed-ended questionnaire (see Annexure 1) was utilized to collect data on the mentoring needs of nurse unit managers. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS), and a statistician at the University of Johannesburg was consulted. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse data (Burns & Grove, 2005:442). Content validity was ensured and the instrument piloted to ensure its reliability. An external statistician was consulted to ensure the credibility or validity of the data analysis and interpretation. Ethical approval was sought and measures implemented to ensure the ethical nature of the study. The descriptive data that was analysed included the biographical data – age, gender, race, home language, highest level of qualification, employment status, length of service, length of position, clinical area and the number of work hours of nurse unit managers.The ANOVA statistical results revealed a moderate need for mentoring of nurse unit managers in all of the management dimensions. Recommendations for further research were outlined and a conclusion on the need for nurse unit managers to be mentored was drawn.The researcher noted from reviews of the numerous literature sources, mentoring improves the quality of patient care and cost-effectiveness, and ensures the competitiveness of private hospitals. What this study provides is insight into the mentoring needs and management functions of nurse unit managers working in private hospitals.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

Employee engagement is a topic that has been widely studied over the course of the past 30 years. Its potential value to healthcare organizations has only begun to be recognized within the most recent decade. Numerous studies have been conducted which demonstrate that increased employee engagement contributes to improved patient outcomes, including decreased mortality and hospital acquired conditions as well as increased patient experience scores. Despite the plethora of literature available documenting the drivers of, barriers to, and outcomes associated with employee engagement hospitals have struggled to gain traction in increasing their scores. Many experts in employee engagement posit that this could be due to a lack of consistent conceptualization of the phenomenon. This qualitative descriptive study was conducted to understand the perceived attitudes and behaviors of the nurses who are engaged in their work from the perspective of both their peers and leaders. Sixteen total participants were interviewed utilizing a semi-structured interview guide with questions that were derived from Arnold Bakker’s evidence-based model of work engagement. Content analysis was utilized to identify themes and sub-themes from each of the participant group’s responses to each of the questions. There were minimal differences in the responses of the direct-care RNs as compared to the nurse leaders regarding their perceptions of the engaged nurse. Resulting themes were then synthesized and four overarching themes identified. Overarching themes were personal style, extra-role behavior, commitment to the patient, and leadership. Participant responses supported Bakker’s model, but highlighted the engaged nurse’s personality as a significant and widely overlooked contributor to engagement. By recognizing the personal attributes inherent to the engaged nurse hospitals may better understand the traits important to the recruitment of nurses who are more likely to be engaged in their work. Effective recruitment and retention of a highly engaged workforce will allow organizations to benefit from the extra-role work often demonstrated by the engaged nurse and realize improved patient outcomes as a result.