There is no abstract available for this thesis.

Counselor supervision has been examined in many ways; from the angle of the supervisor, the supervisee, and the supervisory dyad. An area that has not been researched as solidly is that of the effect of supervisor race and gender on White trainees' perceptions of supervision. The present study was designed to examine those variables. The independent variables included supervisor race (Black female or White female), trainee gender, and trainees' levels of White racial identity. Dependent variables included perceptions of supervisor expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness, and supportive supervisory behavior and evaluative supervisory behavior scores on the Expectations for Supervisor Behaviors Questionnaire. The expectation was that supervisor race, trainee gender, and trainee's level of White racial identity would serve as predictors of perceptions of supervisors and their behaviors.Participants were 50 Caucasian masters level counseling and counselor education students at two Midwestern universities who volunteered for the study. Caucasian female research assistants were utilized to collect the data. Trainees were provided with one of two biographical sketches describing a hypothetical female supervisor; the information in each sketch was identical except for race (Black female or White female). Trainees then listened to a short audiotape of a simulatedsupervision session. Finally, they completed the following surveys: the Supervisor Rating Form (short version), Expectations of Supervisor Behaviors questionnaire, the White Racial Identity Scale, and an author-generated demographic sheet.A canonical correlation was performed to answer the major hypotheses of this study. The results indicated that supervisor race and two subscales of White racial identity, Disintegration and Autonomy, were significant predictors of perceptions of supervisor attractiveness and evaluative supervisory behaviors. Of five canonical roots calculated, this was the only one that was significant.A oneway MANOVA was also computed to test the significance of the supervisor race. The results indicated that the Black supervisor received higher scores on both the supportive and evaluative supervisory behavior subscales than did the White supervisor. Finally, only two other trends were noted. First, female trainees scored both supervisors significantly higher than did male trainees on perceived expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness. Second, male trainees scored the Black supervisor significantly lower than the White supervisor on perceived expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness.The significance of these findings for research and practice, and the limitations of the present study are discussed in the last chapter of this dissertation.60 / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship between certain selected factors (age, sex, years of preparation and experience, size of school district, experience working for women administrators, existence of an affirmative action plan), and the expressed attitudes of superintendents and board of education presidents in Indiana regarding the effectiveness of women administrators in public schools.The Attitude Research Instrument developed by Eunice B. Warwick with Thomas A. Ringness and Glen Eye at the University of Wisconsin was used to measure the attitudes of superintendents and school board presidents concerning the effectiveness of women as public school administrators. A background data questionnaire was used to elicit data pertaining to the identification of various factors such as age, sex, years of preparation and experience, and existence of an affirmative action plan.The chi-square test of independence was utilized to statistically analyze sixteen null hypotheses formulate to test the relationship between expressed attitudes concerning the effectiveness of women administrators and the factors identified with the background questionnaire.The sixteen chi-square tests were significant at the .01 level. In addition, fourteen of the sixteen chi-square tests were significant at the .001 level. The sixteen null hypotheses were rejected.Findings of the study indicated that superintendents and school board presidents expressed significantly different attitudes concerning the effectiveness of women administrators when grouped according to the variables of age, size of school district, level of educational attainment, having or not having an affirmative action plan, numbers of women administrators employed, years of administrative or board experience. Superintendents and male school board presidents expressed significantly different attitudes than did female school board presidents. The data indicated a board approved affirmative action plan was not a significant variable affecting numbers of women administrators employed.The following conclusions were drawn from the data collected: The wide divergence in expressed attitudes suggest the probability of conflict among the groups. The most serious consequence for a school district exists in the probability of conflict between superintendents and school board presidents, groups with the second largest divergence in the study. The percentage of strongly agree and agree responses appear to suggest employment opportunities may be more readily available under these conditions: large districts, young administrators with earned doctorates and less than ten years administrative experience. The data in the study indicate that an affirmative action plan has not been an effective method of creating greater employment opportunities for women administrators in the public schools.5

Attracting and engaging talented people, the 'star performers', is an on-going challenge for organisations. Our theoretical understanding of the nature of star performance and the way in which HR systems facilitate such performance is limited. Drawing from theories of human resource management, leadership, performance, job characteristics and organisational justice, this research develops and tests a model of the role of High Performance HR systems in facilitating task and contextual performance. This model proposes that the way in which organisational systems influence individual levels of performance is via two intervening mechanisms - perceptions of work processes and organisational justice. The program of research is comprised of two studies. In Study 1, I explored the utility of the task and contextual performance framework for understanding stars using supervisor-employee dyads (N = 174) from a large Australian government agency. The results of this study provide support for the central hypothesis of this thesis. Task and contextual performance are key components of star ratings, and other elements such as being self-directed, having a big picture viewpoint, and a willingness to lead, also contribute. In Study 2, I employed two well-established frameworks of employee responses to situational factors and psychological perceptions to examine the role of HR systems and practices in facilitating star performance. Specifically, the study used substitutes for leadership theory (Kerr & Jermier, 1978) and the formation of psychological contracts (Robinson, Kraatz & Rousseau, 1994) to examine the way in which HR practices are connected with task and contextual performance. It was proposed that HR practices are positively associated with task and contextual performance, and that this relationship is moderated by job characteristics and teamwork. It was also proposed that the relationship between HR practices and performance is mediated by perceptions of justice. The results of this study indicate that complex relationships exist. Specifically the findings provide support for one of the core propositions. Job characteristics and teamwork can moderate the relationship between HR practices and performance. The patterns of moderation indicate that HR practices provide marginal gains where jobs are perceived by employees as being enriched, but are able to make a more substantial contribution under conditions of less enrichment. Under these conditions HR practices are able to make a greater contribution to performance by providing performance cues and establishing expectations and clarifying roles. The relationship between HR practices and performance was not found to be mediated by perceptions of justice. In this thesis I provide evidence of the relevance of the task and contextual performance framework to conceptualising star performance. Furthermore, I examine the conditions under which High Performance HR systems facilitate star performance. Both of these aspects are necessary for designing appropriate HR strategies and interventions for managing talent.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (MSD(Employee Assistance Programme))-University of Pretoria, 2004. / Abstract in English and Afrikaans. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Texas A&M University, 2007. / Advisers: Adrienne Colella, Elizabeth Umphress. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University. / Typescript. Sponsor: Frank W. Cyr, Will French. Dissertation Committee: Marcella R. Lawler. Type C project. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 182-185).

Thesis (M.H.A)--University of Michigan, 1967.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Duquesne University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 174-187) and index.