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Student-athletes' self-efficacy regarding leadership potential| A phenomenological inquiry into the perceived effects of leadership simulationsCook, Christopher Allen 04 November 2015 (has links)
<p> The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the influence of experiential learning (i.e., leadership simulations) on student-athletes’ self-efficacy regarding their potential as future leaders. More specifically, the researcher sought to understand the “lived experiences” of NCAA Division I student-athletes in a models of leadership course. The following primary research question provided the focus for the study: To what extent, if at all, do leadership simulations and teaching about leadership models enhance student-athletes’ perceived self-efficacy regarding their potential for future leadership? </p><p> The study focused on 12 NCAA Division I student-athletes at a land-grant university in the Northwest who were enrolled in a sixteen-week leadership models course that incorporated experiential leadership simulations. Data were gathered through semi-structured, open-ended, in-depth interviews with the student-athletes. Interview questions focused on how student-athletes make meaning of their simulation experiences in a models of leadership course and how those experiences influence their perceived potential as future leaders. </p><p> The analysis of interview data revealed enhanced self-efficacy in three areas: (1) <i>Expanding Awareness of Self, Others, and Contexts for Leadership; (2) Finding a Voice;</i> and (3) <i>Increasing Knowledge and Skills.</i> More specifically, four dimensions of Expanding Awareness were noted: understanding strengths and weaknesses, increased self-confidence, clarification of core values, and leaders and leadership redefined. Three dimensions of Finding a Voice were noted: speaking with authority, maintaining power, and confidence in personal leadership style. Lastly, two dimensions of <i>Increasing Knowledge and Skills</i> were noted: improved techniques and strategies and greater understanding of leadership models. </p><p> The results of this study can be used to improve leadership development pedagogy and opportunities for emerging student-athlete leaders in academia as well as in the community. Results also provide a framework for colleges and universities that aspire to create and deliver leadership development programs. Understanding how student-athletes experience leadership development programming can contribute to the design of educational programs that enhance the learning and growth of all students in higher education, regardless of their participation in athletics.</p>
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Toxic Leader Transition Mini Case Study: Yahoo! Inc. 2009-2012Campbell, Michael, Brown, Brandy A. 02 1900 (has links)
Independent Case Investigation completed as part of Dr. Brown's Industrial-Organizational Psychology Lab at the University of Arizona.
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Relationship Between Teachers' Perceptions of Principal Leadership Behaviors And Instructional Choices of Reading Interventions For At Risk StudentsCastellon, Marianne January 2007 (has links)
Reform is a way of professional life for principals and teachers in our school systems. The magnitude of the changes brought about by No Child Left Behind in 2001 has resulted in a significant paradigm shift in the educational system. The nationwide call to increase student achievement is a challenge for principals leading their school to adapt to these fundamental changes. Principals must be equipped with strong leadership behaviors to provide the supports necessary to staff and students to effectuate change. Principal leadership adds value to the impact teachers have on student achievement, and it provides a covenant that fundamental and sustained change can happen. The challenge for principals responsible for facilitating, supporting and changing their school system to adapt to these changes is to establish the infrastructures necessary to support these fundamental transformations. High-quality teachers as well as strong principal leadership are essential to achieve educational reform. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of the principal’s leadership behaviors and teachers’ instructional choices of reading interventions for at-risk students. The principal leadership behaviors included (1) provides vision, (2) models appropriate behavior, (3) fosters commitment to goals, (4) provides individualized support, (5) provides intellectual stimulation, and (6) holds high expectations. Instructional interventions were defined as instructional choices by teachers for at-risk students in reading that included one-to-one instruction, small group instruction, adapted core reading curriculum materials, and instructional technology. Students defined as at risk did not meet a specified reading benchmark score, the lowest score that predicts reading success as determined on the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS, Institute for the Development of Educational Achievement [Institute], 2002) assessment. The Principal Leadership Questionnaire (PLQ, Valentine & Lucas, 2000) was administered to kindergarten through second grade teachers in six elementary schools who had students identified as at risk for learning to read. Focus groups were conducted with teachers in four of the six elementary schools to add breadth and depth to some responses from the leadership questionnaire. The data revealed themes of effective principal leadership in schools undergoing reform. These themes include (1 teachers who had a higher level of education had higher expectations of themselves and their students, and principals had a higher expectation of the teachers; (2 ongoing professional development opportunities for teachers are critical for schools undergoing reform. Therefore, teachers who were supported by their principal through professional development opportunities and adequate resources in their classrooms revealed strong support for their principal’s vision for the school; (3 principals who were strong in one principal leadership behavior were also strong in the other principal leadership behaviors; and finally, (4 teachers who perceived their principals as strong in principal leadership behaviors were able to articulate the school vision, worked toward group goals, and promoted school-wide efforts to raise student achievement.
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To the extent feasible| Perspectives of principals on students with alcohol, tobacco, and other drug issuesBissonnette, Daniel J. 14 March 2014 (has links)
<p> The purpose of this study was to develop a grounded theory to understand the perspectives, attitudes, and actions of secondary principals about students with alcohol, tobacco, and other drug issues. Building on Theoharis' (2004) pivotal work on social justice leadership as a theoretical framework, and using the influence of culture as a secondary fundamental concept, my overall aim was to understand what influenced these principals in their work with these students. The study was guided by three research questions: (1) What has enabled principals who demonstrate particular care and concern for students with alcohol, tobacco, and other drug issues? (2) What resistance do they face and what are leadership consequences for their actions? (3) How do they convey their leadership to others and sustain themselves as they face leadership pressures with regards to these issues? I used a grounded theory qualitative research design with interviews and positioned subjects as the methodological basis for the study. Themes that emerged in the analysis of the data include (1) background, (2) perspectives of their leadership, (3) actions of their leadership, and (4) challenges to their leadership. I discovered five major findings concerning perspectives these principals have about students with alcohol, tobacco, and other drug issues. They include findings on (1) social justice leadership for students with alcohol, tobacco, and other drug issues, (2) the impact of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs on their own lives; (3) preparation to do this work; (4) empathy and compassion for these students; and (5) the resilience of these principals. The findings resulted in grounding a theory that principal leadership for social justice seems to be rooted in life experiences stemming from childhood. Implications for action, practice, and/or policy are listed. Results of this research add to the body of knowledge about social justice leadership and perspectives educational leaders have that contribute to opportunities for academic success of students with non-academic barriers to learning. Further research is needed to explore the impact of social justice leadership on student attendance, dropout, and academic success; and the role of pre-service preparation coursework for these and other non-academic barriers to student learning.</p>
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Determining reliability and validity of the "principal perceptions of induction practices" survey assessing newly hired teacher induction to school cultureHarwood, Peggy A. 11 February 2014 (has links)
<p> The study is based on two designs. The first design is the development of the Principal Induction Practices (PPIP) survey to gain information from Missouri public high school principals about their perceptions of specific induction practices implemented with newly hired teachers. The second design is a factorial non-experimental quantitative study to assess newly hired teacher induction to school culture. This study was initiated because a lack of information exists of induction practices implemented by principals for newly hired teachers. Many studies have focused on teacher perception of induction practices, but few have focused on the administrative perceptions of these practices. With high costs of teacher turnover in schools, this study is looking at teacher induction through the practices of the supervising administrator. This study is based on Kosek’s (2006) case study of a school’s induction practices and Glenn’s (2007) Teacher Perceptions of School Culture (TPSC) survey. The TPSC survey was examined to develop the online self-reporting PPIP survey which, was sent to 361 Missouri public high school principals. A small sample size was used in data analysis. The PPIP was reduced to 26 items. The PPIP field study showed overall perceptions did not vary because of respondent’s gender, school size, years of experience, or teacher certification type. State education entities, universities, leadership academies and principal organizations can use the PPIP to inform them of areas needing change in the induction practices being implemented to help newly hired teachers transition to school culture. </p>
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Mexican American adolescent males' counter-storiesBarreras-Brown, Koreen N. 23 May 2013 (has links)
<p> The purpose of this study was to collaboratively construct Mexican American adolescent males' counter-stories on resiliency and perseverance in life and school. The target population included five Mexican American adolescent males in their freshman year at the same suburban high school in the U. S. Northwest. The study obtained in-depth experiences and counter-stories by employing qualitative methodologies. Qualitative data analyses involved coding of semi-structured interviews to identify common themes and patterns shared among the Latino adolescent males. The researcher and participants analyzed the counter-stories separately, jointly, and collaboratively to identify emerging themes on resiliency and perseverance. Together, the researcher and participants constructed the counter-stories through a restorying process. </p><p> The underlying themes, revealed by this research, have implications for educators, students, and families. The participants identified their educational family value, <i>educación,</i> and support from significant family members through <i>consejos</i> (narrative advice or homilies) as reasons for why they persevered in life and school. The strong connections with family provided participants with a strong ethnic identity, responsibility to family, and access to significant family members as supports for success in school and life. The participants identified the themes of familistic orientation and strong ethnic identity development as the root of their resiliency. The interconnection of Bronfenbrenner's (1994) ecological systems provided a deeper understanding for why familistic orientation and strong ethnic identified development were critical in the adolescents' resilience. Most importantly, participants advised educators to get to know the students and families by building relationships in order to support the students' academic success in school. Participants shared counter-stories challenging dominant social order and most importantly legitimized their funds of knowledge as assets. </p><p> Educators wanting to support Latino adolescent males' success in schools can use the information in this study to better understand the importance of student voice in academic achievement. By hearing the multiple perspectives in educational environments, educators, students, and families create spaces where equitable outcomes are possible.</p>
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The impact of Black teacher mentors on White beginning teachersMoss, Wendi A. 06 June 2013 (has links)
<p> This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to determine the mentoring process Black mentors used when mentoring White beginning teachers. Five mentors and their six mentees were surveyed and interviewed to find how cross-race mentoring processes in an urban school district in the Commonwealth of Virginia work. Seven themes emerged from the study: (a) perceptions of the mentoring process; (b) perceptions of classroom management; (c) perceptions of school quality; (d) perceptions of urban teaching; (e) perceptions of White advantage; and (f) presence of White privilege.</p>
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Alive and Free| Walking Quietly but Making Big Steps A Qualitative Study of Alumni from Omega Boys Club of San Francisco's Strengths-Based Youth Development and Violence Prevention ProgramMcElroy, Toni Marie 24 August 2013 (has links)
<p> This qualitative research is a study of four Alumni from Omega Boys Club of San Francisco, a strengths-based youth development and violence prevention program. A strengths-based approach uses positive understanding, positive relationships and cultural competency to interrupt the effects of violence in youth's lives. </p><p> The study sought to answer the following questions: What does a strength-based intervention program in response to community violence look like? How, if at all, are young people's behaviors changed by their participation in strengths-based intervention programs? How, if at all, is young people's thinking changed by their participation in a strengths-based intervention program? </p><p> This study answers these questions through the lens of qualitative case studies from the perspective of the four alumni participants and identifies the essential elements of strengths-based approaches to a successful, sustainable, and culturally appropriate youth development and violence prevention program. </p><p> Significant themes emerged from the data. Three primary themes from the conceptual framework were confirmed by the data: (a) positive understanding of community (b) sense of belonging/positive relationships and (c) cultural competence. Two other themes also emerged (a) the importance of family values and (b) persistence. </p><p> Positive understanding is defined in this study is the ability of a strengths-based organization to understand adolescent development and character strengths contributing to the healthy development of the whole person—intellectually, emotionally and socially. A sense of belonging was shared by participants as key to their connectedness to good relationships and trust with peers and caring adults. Culturally competent youth development programs come with the understanding that cultural competency is an important social and political element in efforts to model positive self-images— psychological, intellectual, and social development of participants. Finally, family and persistence themes are associated with the successful transformational journey of Omega Boys Club of San Francisco alumni and alumnae. Self-regulation, support and encouragement—friends and family—and family values, juxtaposed with persistence to change—struggle and progression--catapulted the Omega participants into reconstructed norms, values and beliefs—<i>alive and free</i>. </p><p> This research is useful information to community-based organizations to formulate an understanding of youth violence prevention programming and to recruit and retain culturally competent staff and implement culturally relevant programs. This information is fundamental to teachers and school site administrators because it plants the seeds to successfully cultivate culturally competent and culturally relevant teaching and learning that garners academic success and cultural awareness, especially for African American males. </p>
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Experiences and expectations of immigrant Pakistani parents regarding parental involvement in schoolsReza, Fawzia 28 August 2013 (has links)
<p> There is a significant body of research that establishes the benefits of early parental involvement in schools. However, very little attention has been devoted to exploring the experiences and expectations of immigrant Pakistani parents in this context. For this study, the researcher explored the experiences and expectations of immigrant Pakistani parents regarding parental involvement in their children's schools in the United States. The theoretical perspectives that guided this study were based on the teachings of Bronfenbrenner, Epstein, and Spry and Graham who explained how the environment and the surrounding community influence the child. A qualitative research design, using a phenomenological lens, was employed to interview eight Pakistani parents from diverse backgrounds. This ensured that a wide range of Pakistani parental experiences were observed and recorded. The primary data collection instruments were interviews, and publically available documents from the school websites. </p><p> Findings from the study demonstrate that Pakistani parents are very involved in their children's schooling. Their involvement includes the academic realm as well as</p>
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Engaging the Lived Realities of Adult Immigrant English Language Learners| A Case Study of Literacy for ConsciousnessEckel, Todd 28 September 2013 (has links)
<p> This qualitative study had two goals. The first goal was to understand how a critical, non-formal, adult literacy program addresses the challenges and successes, which the students and volunteers identify at Amanecer Adult School. The second goal was to explore the perception of the student Spanish-speaking immigrants on the extent to which this program contributes to their second language acquisition and critical citizenship. These goals were examined through studying a local nonprofit organization, Amanecer Adult School, (AAS) that espouses critical literacy as its main goal. Using qualitative methodology and an inductive analysis approach to the data, the findings of the study were disheartening. At best, functional language learning was being both taught and learned in class, focusing on basic verbs and vocabulary. There was no critical work being done in the classroom. </p><p> The challenges of the program far outweighed the positives found in the data. The students, while respecting their teachers, were rarely assessed; there was no established curriculum nor means to discuss the students' lived realities. Additionally, the lack of resources, including money, time, space and classroom materials, at AAS was almost overwhelming for the volunteers. The lack of training in, and no understanding of, popular education by the volunteers at AAS stood out as a major issue.</p>
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