Brain drain has been the main cause of academic staff attrition in Nigeria Higher Education Institutions which results in talent void. This circumstance has left HEIs to grapple with the challenge of managing the consequences of talent void among faculty in areas of course/module allocation, project supervision and recruitment of new talents to fill the vacuum occasioned by brain drain. This loss of experienced academics remains a challenge to institutions of higher learning in particular and often culminates in disruptive academic service delivery. In a proactive approach to manage the fallouts of talent void in HEIs, this research proposes a talent management strategy based on application of Profile theory to manage talent positioning in a higher education institution in Nigeria in order to cope with evolving workforce. The research specifically had its focus on three scenarios; talent recruitment, project supervision, and course/module allocation. The research used a mixed method of inquiry involving five departments in a single institution in which two sets of data were collected. The first set of data collection involved survey using questionnaire and interview. While simple descriptive statistics was used in analysing the questionnaire, Soft System Methodology was used in interpreting and analysing the qualitative data in order to gain rich contextual understanding of the problem situation. The second set of data collection involved anonymous artefact representing candidates’ attributes used for modelling candidates profile for capability and compatibility. The profile theory based talent management strategy was developed and evaluated using Importance-Satisfaction analysis model. Specifically, profile theory modelled candidates’ characteristics/attributes for talent identification and made distinctive talent identification where ties occurred based on capability and compatibility This research contributes to body of knowledge in two ways. First, it demonstrates how Talent Management approach can mitigate the impact of brain drain and other forms of employee turnover in HEI. Second, it also explores and demonstrates how profile theory tool can be applied in filling talent void and allocation of duties as a strategy for talent positioning within academic roles in a HEI.

<p> Black students are persistently underserved by public education and have had significant gaps in performance, as compared to their white counterparts, on established assessments and measures of educational attainment regardless of socio-economical background (Ladson-Billings, 2006; Milner, 2012; P. Noguera, 2013; Steele, 1992). A great deal of education policy-making at the national level in the United States is aimed at decreasing gaps in achievement between students of color and white students (Barton &amp; Coley, 2010; Berlak, 2001; Carter, 2009; Gardner, 2007). The federal government adopted this role with the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision of 1964 and was codified through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. </p><p> Education reforms embedded in and promoted by federal policies are, at times, both embraced and shunned by members of the Black community (Murtadha &amp; Watts, 2005; Scott, 2011; Warren, 2005), whose children are most readily affected based on the demographics of urban, rural and low-income communities. To cultivate equity in inputs and lasting, sustainable improvement in outcomes, members of those communities and leaders from those communities seeking to represent the voices of their community members should be involved at critical decision-making points in creating and implementing policies (Beabout &amp; Perry, 2013; Leonardo, 2003; Warren, 2005). </p><p> Drawing on Critical Race Theory (CRT) (Dixson &amp; Lynn, 2013; Ladson-Billings &amp; Tate IV, 1995; Lynn &amp; Parker, 2006) I set out to conduct a qualitative study targeted at identifying opportunities for Black people to have effective levels of influence in national education policy-making which heavily impacts their communities. I interviewed leaders active in the national education reform socio-political landscape in order to gauge their perspectives on leverage points in the process of federal education policy-making and the presence of Black voice and leadership at those critical points in the process. </p><p> CRT calls for exploration of phenomenon to the extent it can illuminate strategies to improve the conditions of a race of people (Delgado &amp; Stefancic, 2012; Ladson-Billings, 2013; Lynn &amp; Parker, 2006). Identifying ways in which race impacts education policy-making through examination of the narratives of those doing the work to influence those policies, can shed a light on gaps and opportunities for developing more thoughtful policies. Through inductive thematic analysis, this study mines strategies from the information shared by study participants, highlighting ways in which members of the Black community can be most effective at influencing federal education policies.</p><p>

<p> This dissertation examines the efficacy of a remedial education program on placement outcomes. Specifically, it asks whether exposure to a Preparing for ACCUPLACER Workshop in a large community college system impacts placement outcomes for students who have attended the workshop. While focused on a narrower pilot program, this question is answered within the broader theoretical context of the relevance of preparatory programs on performance on standardized tests, a locus that enjoys a long tradition of scholarship in education research. That is, do preparatory programs improve performance on standardized tests? Beyond this theoretical imperative, the research is also relevant to the question of educational access. Students who cannot score high enough on standardized tests but are placed in regular classes may encounter motivational problems, which may imperil perseverance and retention, and lead to school dropout. The dissertation explores the impact of test preparation by examining preparation in conjunction with other demographic and foundational factors known to impact performance, such as ethnicity, gender, grade point average (GPA), socioeconomic status (SES), age, and quality of school.</p><p>

abstract: The phenomenon that prompted this study was the increasing number of teens with cell phones and the issues, both legal and nonlegal, that permeate to schools. The trend among teens called teen sexting is receiving national and local attention. Sexting typically involves teens using texts to send cellular messages that may include naked photographs or shared videos containing sexual content. This study reviewed 4 main issues (a) the policies for student use of cell phones on campus to regulate teen sexting issues, (b) whether teen sexting awareness and prevention curriculum is being implemented, (c) the extent to which teen sexting is perceived as a problem by school leaders on campus, and (d) the degree to which there is a need for curriculum about teen sexting awareness and prevention. School district policies for student cell phone regulation were accessed online and their content analyzed. The search for curriculum was done through telephone calls to school district curriculum and instruction department leaders. Questionnaires were administered to principals, assistant principals, school counselors, and school security leaders. Their responses provided data for the study of leadership perceptions on the sexting issue. The purpose of this study was to present the research findings and provide recommendations for cell phone policy and suggest the development of effective curriculum about cell phone safety. The findings of this research showed that school district policy considers teen sexting as a student offence of a sexual nature using electronic devices for bullying, intimidation, threats, harassment, and defamation. Currently, there is limited curriculum for teen sexting awareness programs in Arizona schools. Few incidents of teen sexting get reported to school leaders; however, when they do, the consequences for teen sexters are both legal and nonlegal. The results of this study provide insight for schools leaders and school policy makers regarding issues and response options for student cell phone use, specifically teen sexting issues, and suggest the direction school administrators should take in creating effective teen sexting awareness curriculum for students. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2010

abstract: Adolescents and their parents have a unique opportunity to learn from one another and encourage mutual pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. Discussing beneficial habits and how to ensure wellness are uncommon topics for student consideration in the classroom and seldom included in education programs developed to assist parents. The purpose of this project is to identify important health concerns for decision making by adolescents. Each topic is presented in a manner that enables students to explore their personal risk factors, gain knowledge through individual surveys, set personal goals, promote conversation with parents and peers, and provide online resources that foster understanding. The protocol includes a statement of the problem; recent statistical information regarding each of the topics, commonly used tools for goal setting, relevant web sites, and questions to promote interaction. These collective sources of guidance are intended to support good health practices, empower students to make wise healthy choices about self-care, and promote reciprocal learning between adolescents and their parents. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Educational Psychology 2010

abstract: Children with epilepsy represent a unique group of students who may require accommodations in school to be optimally successful. Therefore, it is important for teachers to understand the possible academic consequences epilepsy can have on a child. An important step in providing this information about epilepsy to teachers is understanding where they would prefer to acquire this information. The current study examined differences between teachers of differing ages, school levels and special education teaching status in their preferences for gaining information from parents and the internet. Contrary to expectations, older teachers (those 56 years of age and older) were no less likely that younger teachers to prefer information from the internet. As predicted, elementary school teachers were more likely than high school teachers to prefer information from parents. However, interestingly middle school teachers were also more likely to prefer information from parents than high school teachers. Lastly, contrary to hypothesized results, special education teachers were no more likely to prefer information from parents than non-special education colleagues. Limitations of this study, implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Educational Psychology 2011

abstract: Chronic illness can affect multiple domains of functioning, yet scientific understanding of the effects across the lifespan and under multiple contexts is still developing. For instance, research consistently indicates the early years of a child's life are pivotal for early intervening to positively affect physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional development; unfortunately, the impact of chronic illnesses, and thus appropriate interventions, during this time are not well-established. Academic achievement is one area in which children with chronic illness are negatively affected and research suggests that the effects of illness can be exacerbated by certain social determinants of health and demographic characteristics; however, no recent studies have examined these relationships for children at school entry. The current study utilized the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) to examine variations in early academic readiness in reading and mathematics by diabetes status, race, and social determinants, specifically mother's education and access to early childhood education, among children born in 2001. Results of the current study indicated that children with diabetes scored lower on reading and mathematics relative to their non-diabetic peers. Significant interactions were evident for diabetes status by mother's education, race/ethnicity, and by early childhood education. Children in homes whose mothers had the lowest level of education did not score as high as children in homes with mothers who had higher levels of education. Among children without diabetes, those identified as Asian, Pacific Islander, or Native Hawaiian outperformed White, Black, Hispanic, American Indian, and multi-race groups on measures of reading and mathematics, whereas among children with diabetes, those identified as multiracial scored highest. Regardless of diabetes status, children who attended preschool outperformed those who did not, yet children without diabetes who had not attended preschool outperformed diabetic children who did receive such services. Findings support the need for targeted early intervention as preschool alone did not mitigate the effects of diabetes on academic performance. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Educational Psychology 2012

<p> The purpose of this qualitative descriptive single-case study was to explore how principals perceived transformational leadership theory&rsquo;s influence on graduate-level principal preparation in Arizona. The conceptual framework for this study was Kouzes and Posner&rsquo;s Five Exemplary Practices of Transformational Leadership. The research questions addressed transformational leadership theory in principal preparation, field experience, mentorship, and coursework. The study employed a purposive sampling strategy, given a total number of study participants of 40. Data collected included 10 semi-structured interviews with principals, 15 surveys collected from principal students, and 15 surveys collected from principal faculty. The study utilized deductive and inductive coding, which produced patterns and themes consistent with semi-structured principal interviews. Additionally, descriptive statistics from principal students and principal faculty provided supporting statistics for the analysis of the interview data. The findings from this study revealed stakeholders positively perceived transformational leadership theory&rsquo;s influence on principal preparation, with slight discrepancies between principal students and principal faculty. Further, the themes supported the key areas of the Five Exemplary Practices of Transformational Leadership, Transformational Leadership and Student Achievement, University Role in Principal Preparation, and Stakeholder Support for Principal Transformation. Implications of this study include that leaders learn through all experiences, and that principals fostered their future grow as leaders based on lessons from principal preparation.</p><p>

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is a methodology that is being incorporated into more medical school curricula. Boston University School of Medicine was one of early adopters of Evidence Based Medicine in the United States. A growing concern in the medical community was that the complexities of applying EBM might be lost when students enter into their clinical rotations, thus there is a need for development of a tool to help reinforce the EBM principles. METHODS: The research team in collaboration with the designers of the Finding Information Framework, a custom-made EBM finding information tool, worked to develop a mobile application to help reinforce the framework for medical students. The app was designed with both Apple and PC operating systems in mind. Key features that were identified from current literature to provide the most user-friendly mobile application. Thus, the research team specifically utilized iOS and Android platforms as both platforms have a centralized app store, possess the highest volume of medical apps available, and are most widely used in the United States by medical students. RESULTS: The Finding Information Framework was a custom-made tool developed to guide new users of EBM, and help them to apply the principles in practice. The mobile application served an added convenience by allowing easy access and fast utilization of the EBM tools. The app was designed on an Android platform first due to its open-source OS and ease in app development to new programmers. Initially, the user-friendly web-based tool, App Inventor (AI), powered by Massachusetts Institute of Technology was evaluated to program the pilot Android app. Using both the AI Component Designer and the Block Editor, several problems were encountered in AI, such as the simplicity of the program and the lack of freedom in design. This moved the project to create the app natively and with a collaborative effort with the BU's Global App Initiative club. Initially, a wireframe was built using Balsamiq. Subsequently, the Android app was built using Android SDK and the iOS app was built in XCode with Objective C; both platforms had design sections prepared in Sketch, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. The last and final step was to obtain Boston University branding privileges for the app. CONCLUSION: The research team identified necessary features based on research to build a user-friendly, professional mobile application of an information mastery framework that can be used off-line. The app is called FIF as it is the title of the information mastery tool designed by BUSM EBM-VIG. With a clear mobile interface, it will be beneficial to the learning and training of medical students in EBM.