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A Dissertation in Practice was conducted which connected theories of action and Yosso's (2015) community cultural wealth framework to address the absence of diverse parental perspectives and oversight at Freedom Middle School in South Texas. Platicas with seven parent volunteers and a parent engagement survey available to all Freedom Middle School parents were used to inform the campus leadership team, aiding them to enhance future strategic planning. Findings include: accountability, belonging, community, involvement, making a difference, purpose, presence in school, and service. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Although school districts have prepared and planned for school crises for many years in response to the Columbine High School and Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting tragedies, the COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges for school districts when dealing with educating students amid a pandemic. This qualitative phenomenological study examined leadership in small, rural school districts in Texas facing a pandemic. The study was guided using crisis management theory (Crandall et al., 2021) as the theoretical framework to explore the crisis of COVID-19 in rural school districts. I conducted interviews to explore the actions, changes, and challenges leaders confronted as they created and adapted organizational policies and practices to meet the needs of students and families as suffering endured in light of the pandemic. I used qualitative data analysis software to code the interview data to find common themes and relationships in the responses from participants, consisting of principals at small, rural school districts in Texas. I hope to show how leaders in rural school districts managed and allowed their districts to create systems to provide for their students in a crisis. The findings support that school districts were underprepared to handle the COVID-19 pandemic and need preparations for future crises. Other school districts can utilize the study when implementing new practices and policies in response to a crisis to ensure they have the tools, resources, and organizational systems necessary to handle any situation encountered. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the management style, not the leadership style, of business faculty members in higher education (Theory X and Theory Y) as it pertains to the faculty perceptions of student success within an online academic format. As online education becomes increasingly prevalent, understanding faculty strategies to engage and motivate students in this digital landscape is crucial. Thematic analysis was conducted on interviews with faculty members to distill key insights regarding faculty-student interactions in online educational settings. I employed a qualitative research methodology, conducting in-depth interviews with business faculty members to gather detailed perspectives on their management styles and perceptions of student success in online education. Thematic analysis was then employed to identify recurring patterns and themes in the data, allowing for the extraction of key insights. Five overarching themes emerged from the analysis: cura personalis through communication, focus on students gaining knowledge, motivate to learn despite challenges, job market readiness, and technology as a pedagogical tool. These themes highlighted the importance of creating supportive learning environments, fostering student engagement, promoting intrinsic motivation, enhancing career readiness, and leveraging technology for effective teaching. The findings were interpreted in relation to existing literature on faculty management styles, student motivation, and online education. Faculty members who prioritized communication, innovation, motivation, career readiness, and technology integration demonstrated transformational leadership qualities that contribute to student success. I emphasized the significance of faculty-student relationships and supportive learning environments in fostering student engagement and achievement. This research begins to highlight the faculty management style versus the power of the imprimatur in faculty motivation in modern higher education, suggesting a need for modifications to the promotional policy hegemon that has dominated educational management for so long. This policy decision should focus on masterful faculty educations as learning leaders, applying and reinventing engagement through technology and management style to reach and retain the student population. However, I acknowledge limitations, including a small sample size and potential for social desirability bias. Recommendations for future research included adopting mixed-methods approaches, longitudinal studies, comparative analyses, interdisciplinary collaboration, exploration of emerging technologies to deepen understanding of faculty management styles in online education, as well as research to improve the understanding of the pedagogical skills and management styles that span faculty generations. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The researcher in this study used qualitative grounded theory methodology to explore the perceptions of higher education professionals in both academic affairs and student affairs units on the subject of a cultural divide between the two areas in the community college sector. The researcher also aimed to gain insight from the study participants on what they believed to be the most common barriers to effective collaboration and how these barriers can possibly be overcome. The researcher conducted 16 interviews with a broad array of higher educational professionals, including Vice Presidents, deans, program directors, counselors, and faculty, all from one community college located in northern New Jersey in order to gain insight into the research questions. Following these interviews, the researcher employed coding to locate and isolate dominant themes. Subsequently, these themes were analyzed alongside the existing literature on the subject. The findings of the study provided evidence of a cultural divide that does indeed exist between academic affairs and student affairs professionals in American community colleges. The findings also uncovered how these different roles played by different individuals in different sectors of a college can lead to differing viewpoints and an overall misalignment. Finally, the findings helped illustrate how individuals working in higher education perceive these issues and allowed for deeper insight into how barriers can be overcome and effective collaboration between academic affairs and student affairs can take place in the community college sector. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The purpose of this study was to examine sustainability policies and practices at community colleges. A social-constructivist worldview guided my exploratory qualitative study that targeted nine sustainability professionals at eight community colleges with enrollment under 10,000 in the midwestern region of the United States. I relied on the principles of narrative and phenomenological research to use open-ended interview questions. I used the three pillars of sustainability: environment, economy, and equity as context for inquiry. I found the following four themes that aligned with my conceptual model: (1) Sustainability/Administration & Operations; (2) Sustainability/Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; (3) Administration & Operations/Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; and (4) The intersection of all three themes. Structure, funding, overlapping mission of equity position and policies were revealed in my analyses, with additional emphases on barriers and opportunities. I identified the most frequent barrier as apathy with both students and administration. Lack of time students are on campus or enrolled in college was another commonly noted barrier. Among opportunities, I found optimism for student engagement and increased support for sustainability initiatives. The study was limited by the sample size. I made recommendations for future studies across the United States, to increase participation by including targeted instructors and DEI officers, and researching overlapping mission of equity in DEI and sustainability programs. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Private postsecondary education leaders are concerned with the value of education and the benefits students receive after graduation. Federal regulations dictate that private postsecondary education institutions will not qualify for Title IV funds if they do not meet minimum student outcome requirements, including cohort default rates and 90/10 rule ratios. Grounded in principal-agent theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the predictive relationship between cohort default rates, 90/10 rule ratios, and gross revenue by institution size. Data were collected from publicly accessible repositories that provide data from U.S.-based postsecondary education institutions on 167 for-profit postsecondary Title IV institutions in California between 2016 and 2018. The results of the multiple linear regression analysis were not significant. A key recommendation from this study is for postsecondary education leaders to examine other potential factors that predict impacts on gross revenue. The implications for positive social change include the potential for higher education leaders to maintain federal Title IV funding, reduce poverty and crime, and reduce inequality. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to investigate how leaders described their experiences with team collaboration, organizational knowledge creation, and organizational culture when using Artificial Intelligence in companies in the Western United States. Nonaka and Takeuchi's SECI Knowledge Spiral model was used to underpin this study. This study asked three research questions: how leaders described their experiences when managing teams that collaborated while using AI in companies, how did leaders describe their experiences when managing teams that created organizational knowledge while using AI in companies, and how did leaders describe their experiences when managing teams that sought a supportive organizational culture while using AI in companies. The researcher purposively selected 23 business leaders who use AI. Twenty-one semi-structured interviews, resulting in 188 single-spaced pages transcribed, and 22 questionnaires with 16 questions each served as this study's two data sources. Braun and Clarke's phased thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The themes that emerged from the data were (a) AI is effective when being used for collaborating in organizations, (b) AI is an evolving set of collaboration tools that can help people to achieve better results, (c) AI is effective when being used for innovating in organizations, (d) business leaders should apply sound judgment when using AI to innovate, (e) business leaders need to be held accountable for decisions made when using AI to promote a healthy organizational culture, and (f) employees need to trust that using AI will benefit them to sustain a healthy organizational culture. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This dissertation seeks to introduce financial modernization as a distinct subcategory of modernization and present practical applications for sport managers. Modernization literature has shown that, as society advances, levels of complexity increase. Modernization is generally concerned about the impact of technology, transportation, financial operations, and the reduction of risk in society (Seifried & Novicevic, 2017). These facets are not only important to established modernization subcategories, reflexive and ecological, but are also applicable to financial systems and demonstrate how financial modernization is both complementary and a distinct type of modernization. It is possible to take larger risks over time because so many different financial mechanisms are available. Modernization also involve progress and change of society through introduced innovations including political structures, court systems, financial structures, and environmental pursuits, all of which apply to the sport industry. These innovations and/or structures stem from the maturation of capitalism, increasing interactions of community members, and interest in the wealthy to demonstrate their wealth and build more wealth for themselves and their community. Notably, these structures reflect the emergence of meritocracy and advancing demonstrations of civic pride. Furthermore, these examples are especially prevalent within the sport industry through a cursory examination of sport facilities and the increased luxuries and amenities sport spectators have come to expect. Moving forward, more composite and flexible financial models will be required to address the growing needs of sport industry stakeholders. Within this dissertation, I will conceptually make the case for financial modernization using various primary and secondary sources. Next, I will present various areas of practical application for sport managers to consider. As a theoretical sample, I will connect my perspective on financial modernization to the history of intercollegiate stadia construction because it has grown increasingly complex over the years and required new ways to finance such projects. Finally, I will speculate about how the future of sport will undoubtedly include new types of business and organization partnerships, as well as involve impacts from sports betting, broadcasting, and other social influences. Collectively, these all could compel more inventive forms of financing options for successful integration into the sport industry. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Nurses in all practice settings experienced ethical challenges. The ANA further detailed the role of nursing administrative role functions in "Nursing Administration: Scope and Standards of Practice" (2016) and was largely written for nursing administrative roles in clinical settings. Nursing education literature focused on ethical challenges between the nurse faculty/student or nurse faculty/nurse faculty relationships. Subsequently there was limited guidance for how nursing educators should navigate ethical issues within their academic duties. The results of this study attempted to address gaps in nursing literature and respond to the international and domestic nursing code of ethics call for increased awareness, ethical leadership development, and application of nursing ethics in all settings. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of BSN and RN-BSN nursing educators with ethical challenges as they related to their administrative responsibilities in higher education, as well as potential ethical challenges as they pertained to the nursing program accreditation process. This study utilized hermeneutic, interpretive phenomenological design. The primary units of data collection within phenomenology consisted of a small number of individuals, primarily through in-depth, cross-sectional interviews. The results of this study suggested that when administrators encountered ethical challenges in their administrative duties, they included issues related to nursing program operations, legal and regulatory issues, and safety and risk management. Administrators were more likely than faculty to encounter conflicting regulatory requirements from NRB and specific concerns related to CCNE's Standard IIE. The specific sub-themes included conflicts with CCNE and NRB, COVID vaccine policies, competing loyalties, and leadership transitions. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

In 1945, church participation in America started to decline, despite the efforts of many Christian church leaders, the problem continues to escalate (Jones, 2021; Inglehart, 2020). Research reveals that the most dramatic decrease in church participation occurs in Generation Z young adults (born 1995 to 2012; Jones, 2021; Twenge, 2017). This problem culminates into one of the most significant challenges facing the Christian church today. Until now, Pentecostal churches fared better than many other Christian denominations (Wilson, 2016). However, the phenomenon of declining church participation does not preclude Pentecostal churches. If Pentecostal churches hope for continued growth, the church leaders must proactively approach the problem of declining church participation. In this study, I used a qualitative single case study design to examining a Central Arkansas Pentecostal church's successful practices of engaging Generation Z young adults aged 18-25. The study focused on the innovations the church's pastoral leadership implemented to engage young adults. Therefore, the study centers on three distinct categories adapted from Gopalakrishnan and Damanpour's (1997) innovation research theory framework: new technology, administrative structures, and new member processes. This qualitative single case study's research findings proved the need for church leaders to employ specific innovations to engage Generation Z young adults. The participants asserted that the implementation of new technologies, administrative structures, and new member processes assisted the First Pentecostal Church of North Little Rock, Arkansas, in opposing the trend of declining church participation among Generation Z. As digital natives, Generation Z young adults find the standard practices of the church uninspiring (Twenge, 2017; White, 2018). Though Generation Z young adults thrive in digital environments, the findings of this study proved that regardless of how large a church grows, young adults desired personal interaction of church leadership. The results of this case study research offer insights into engaging Generation Z young adults using specific innovations successfully. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

In public education systems, there is a rising cause for concern over the disproportionality in administrating discipline to students, primarily students of color, compared to their White peers. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore teachers' perceptions of disparities in the administration of discipline between students of color and White students. The participating teachers suggested strategic interventions to limit or eliminate disparities in school discipline. Fifteen purposefully sampled public school teachers engaged in semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions to address the research topic and the framework of critical race theory, which focuses on the relationships between race, racism, and power. The findings indicated that students of color continue to be disproportionately disciplined compared to their White peers. Other key findings suggest that educators lack the cultural competency to deal with diverse classroom settings and need further training on using cultural responsiveness to address student behavioral issues. There is a need for more teachers of color; strategic hiring by district leaders of individuals from non-majority backgrounds could bridge the gap. This study contributed to the literature by evidencing ongoing disproportionalities in school discipline in the American public school system. School administrators at all levels could use the findings when contemplating alternative disciplinary measures to minimize or eliminate educational inequities. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Joy in education is an underexplored construct that could serve as the key ingredient to cultivate positive learning environments and inspire innovation. The purpose of this study was to determine how joy might flow to students and what teacher efforts, instructional decisions, and administrative supports might influence the level of joy in the classroom. The central research question was, how do schools and teachers foster joy in their students? This research was explored from a strengths-based, positive perspective with theoretical foundations in organizational flourishing and positive psychology. This study used a survey research design with a school district that was in the midst of a multi-year initiative on joy. Survey data were collected from 178 elementary school teachers from 21 schools about the perceived level of joy in their classrooms and schools, their levels of joy, teacher efforts, instructional decisions, and administrative supports received. The results showed that the perceived level of joy in the classroom correlated most strongly with the teacher's level of joy, with a variety of teacher efforts and instructional decisions that correlate positively with perceived joy in the classroom. The strongest administrative support for the teacher's joy was supporting teachers' self-care. Instructional decisions to allow students to collaborate and offer opportunities for an in-depth exploration of the content contributed independently to the prediction of the classroom's perceived level of joy. This study serves as an invitation to educators to experiment with a variety of strategies to find what makes learning a joyful endeavor in their classrooms. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The purpose of this qualitative, interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to understand how higher education leaders experienced succession planning programs in their organizations, and how they experienced the development and preparation of internal leaders promoting into vacant leadership roles after turnover occurs. There is slight research on succession planning strategies in HEIs and this study contributes to the literature. Research questions explored how higher education executive leadership and administrators experienced any form of succession planning in their current organizational strategy, working through knowledge gaps and how they experienced their employees moving into leadership roles after turnover occurred. The conceptual framework was succession planning, developed from theories on administrative management. Purposive sampling identified the target population and target sample, narrowing it to 10. Thematic analysis assembled rich descriptions from the participant interviews. Data collection ensued through interviews using a video platform and hand coding in vivo. The results generated key themes: (a) leaders experienced a lack of succession strategies (b) leaders experienced organic professional development (c) knowledge management experienced as reactive (d) leaders experienced culture overtaking business mindset (e) talent retention was experienced as a challenge (f) leaders experienced ill-prepared changes (g) leaders experienced siloed communication (h) leaders experienced low leadership diversity (i) power plays experienced by leaders (j) recruiting practices experienced as misaligned. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Previous research has investigated the use of athletics roster management at small predominantly White institutions (PWIs), but no research has evaluated the impact on historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). This quantitative ex post facto research explored athletics roster management's impact on enrollment and retention using existing data from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Return on Athletics (ROA) database. This study adds to the body of knowledge on athletics roster management contributing to enrollment and retention at NAIA HBCUs. NAIA HBCUs are considered small colleges and frequently operate as enrollment-dependent institutions. Previous research has focused on PWIs in the Midwest. The sample consisted of 21 NAIA HBCUs that consented to participate in the research. The findings showed a significant difference in NAIA HBCUs that use athletic roster management having higher enrollment than those that do not. Additionally, the findings conclude that there is no significant difference between the retention of NAIA HBCUs' use of athletics roster management and institution that do not. The correlation analysis indicates almost zero relationship between using athletics roster management and higher enrollment at NAIA HBCUs. Furthermore, the correlation analysis also indicates that athletics roster management is inversely related to retention at institutions using the practice. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the barriers, solutions, and drivers of change for the inclusion of students with disabilities in Catholic elementary schools from parents' perspectives. Eight open-ended interviews were conducted with the parents of students with disabilities who attended Catholic or public elementary schools, adding parental voice to the literature on inclusion in Catholic schools. Research participants were identified through purposive snowball sampling. Findings from this study identified lack of access to clinicians as a major barrier, centralized administration of inclusion programs as a possible solution, and the advocacy of parents of students with disabilities as a major driver of change. These findings were related to the conceptual framework of this study and considered barriers, solutions, and drivers of change for the inclusion of students with disabilities in Catholic schools through the lens of Church, school, and community/family. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Communication in palliative care is an essential skill that nurses require to advocate for their patients. ELNEC, a national education initiative to improve palliative care, released a curriculum on communication to address deficiencies in the content. This study evaluated the effectiveness of teaching Domain 1: Structure and Processes of Care of the ELNEC- Communication curriculum in increasing prelicensure undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students' knowledge about palliative care communication as indicated by increase score on the ELNEC-Knowledge Assessment Test (ELNEC-KAT) 50-item version. Kolb's (1984) Model of Experiential Learning was the framework underpinning the study. A nonprobability convenience sample of 20 undergraduate nursing students participated. A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was utilized. An independent t-test (n=20) found that the average change in ELNEC-KAT scores among the treatment group did not significantly differ from the control group (p=0.491). A paired t-test of the difference between pretest and posttest scores for the entire sample without considering group (n=20), did not find evidence of a change in scores (p=0.634). Multiple regression analysis showed group assignment had no statistical significance to the dependent variable posttest scores (p=0.348). Independent variables age (p=0.553), change in duration (p=0.588), and previous experience providing hospice care (p=0.651) were not statistically significant. Statistical significance was seen in pretest scores (p=0.003) and previous experience as either a certified nursing assistant, medical assistant, emergency medical technician or paramedic (p=0.027) when regressed against the posttest scores; however, the estimated coefficient for previous experience was negative. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

All schools experience leadership succession. If a school does not formulate an educational leadership succession plan (ELSP), the trajectory of the school's growth and sustainability plan shifts during the transition process. Four critical issues negatively affect the success of a school's leadership succession transition. The first issue is an informal or non-existent educational leadership succession plan, and the second is limited school employee involvement in the succession decision-making process. The third issue is new principals lacking connectedness to the school's mission and goals. Fourth, is a disregard for the potential impact of the succession process on the school employees (Gary & Bishop, 2009; Hargreaves & Fink, 2006; Mattar, 2020a). Although studies abound on leadership succession, research focusing on school administrative teams, faculty, and staff remains limited regarding the impact of leadership succession on these key stakeholders. This instrumental case study focused on the implications of a leadership succession process on employees at an independent high school. The transformational leadership theory framework guided the research for this case study conducted at the Grier School, an independent all-girls boarding and day-student high school. The evidence sources for data collection included online questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Forty school employees representing the faculty, staff, and administration graciously volunteered to participate in the instrumental case study and completed the online questionnaire. Eight of the 40 participants agreed to a semi-structured interview. Detailed descriptions emerged from the collected and analyzed data, forming narratives based on three prominent themes--a climate of trust, a sense of meaning, and an empowering environment. The evidence solidified the importance of investigating the implications of leadership succession on school employees and recognized their involvement in the succession process gave voice to those not typically included in such a significant school transition. This instrumental case study addressed the research question and supported the call for continued research on schools' potential growth and sustainability based on the ELSP utilized within the school. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The purpose of this study was to explore how former National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (DI) Black female student-athletes experienced their mid-major athletic departments and to better understand how they navigated these anti-Black spaces. BlackCrit theory (Dumas & Ross, 2019; Johnson, 2019), Black Feminist Thought (BFT) (Collins, 2000), and Intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989; Collins & Bilge, 2016) comprised the theoretical framework used to examine Black female former NCAA DI student-athletes' lived experiences with athletic departments that lead, cultivate experiences, develop policies, and monitor the safety of student-athletes. Seven Black female former NCAA DI student-athletes who played at mid-major colleges or universities for four consecutive years participated in the study. Data were collected via interviews, and data analysis revealed five emerging themes: Title IX Dynamics, Issues of Race, Lack of Intuitional Support, Perceptions of and Relationships with Athletic Administration, and Anti-blackness. The identification and interpretation of these themes allow for a deeper understanding of what Black female former NCAA DI student-athletes experienced during their collegiate playing careers. Recommendations for practical and leadership levels and directions for future research to continue needed conversations with Black female current and former NCAA DI student-athletes are provided. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Americans diagnosed with serious illnesses tend to have significantly poorer quality of life due to limited access to reliable palliative and end-of-life care. Individuals living with these conditions continue to experience health care that does not meet their needs, experience undue suffering, require increased care visits, and have limited or undertreated symptoms, as well as an enhanced burden on family members and clinician burnout (Center to Advance Palliative Care, 2019). Nurses provide care to individuals with serious conditions in all care settings, but are lacking some of the necessary skills, knowledge, and comfort levels required to meet the overwhelming and continuously growing client needs. This study addresses the issue that new graduating nurses are coming to the practice setting without the basic knowledge and skills required to provide effective and proficient end-of-life (EOL) palliative care (PC) for patients. To address this problem, this study aims is to identify and add to the current research about faculty's perceived barriers to preparing and meeting the identified needs students have in caring for dying patients and their family members. To gather data for the qualitative descriptive approach, didactical and clinical educators will be interviewed through a semi-structured format to explore the genuine understanding of instructors' experiences and limitations that hinder infusing PC and EOL care into their academic environment. The information gained through this study will aid in promoting strategies which will enable educators to adequately prepare new nurses to effectively care for dying patients within any practice setting, as well as generate further research. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Educational leadership and supervision encompass a multitude of paradigms and thought processes. The descriptive nature of this area of management gives way to the method individuals use to oversee educational facilities and professionals in relation to their non-educational counterparts. The purpose of this study was to explore how might a non-educational method of management be combined with educational administration and supervision within the context of an urban educational K-12 setting. Administrative faculty of varying levels of educational administration and responsibility were interviewed and based on their interview responses, the likelihood of this type of educational administration being implemented in an urban K-12 setting was explored. The researcher, based on the interviewed administrators, documented the responses to interview questions and formulated a theory as to the viability of instituting a new design in urban educational administration and supervision as well as identifying trends of the interviewed administrators. The finding suggests that, if administrators and supervisors were to implement this researcher's proposed design of educational administration and supervision in an urban school setting, certain parameters would have to be met for this type of urban public-school administration to be inaugurated and endorsed by educational leaders. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Disparities in college attainment among racially and economically marginalized students have persisted for more than forty years despite concurrent gains in college access. In response, a field of college success nonprofits has emerged and diffused across states. I conducted a multilevel, longitudinal, qualitative study situated within one such program and found that administrative burdens from need-based financial aid, along with the associated learning and compliance costs, cause delays that stratify campus life and drive cumulative disadvantage for students during this critical developmental transition. Finally, I contribute theoretically to the burgeoning literature on administrative burdens in three ways: (1) I empirically demonstrate the compounding costs of burdens associated with need-based financial aid redemption, (2) I provide a rich case study on the role of nongovernmental third parties in reducing burdens in a specific policy area, and (3) I add to the theory by linking administrative burdens and their costs to the life course of service users. Together, my findings raise questions about nonprofits, their capacity to address the problem of administrative burdens, their underexplored but necessary role in policy feedback loops, and their unintended role in replicating institutional inequality. This study offers insight not only into the problems inherent in the use of need-based financial aid among first-generation, low-income college students, but also into pragmatic solutions for policy and practice. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Frequent principal changes in a secondary school can have a significant impact on teachers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine how teachers' perceptions are influenced by principal behaviors during a leadership transition. The researcher investigated what types of leadership behaviors influence teacher perception during a principal transition, and what teacher behaviors occur in response to an incoming principal's attempts to make organizational changes. In this qualitative case study, ten teachers were interviewed who experienced the leadership of five principals in a time-span of forty-eight months at Trailside High School. The interviews were transcribed and codes were identified, which were analyzed to reveal themes in the findings. The findings were aligned with the theoretical foundations of this study, which were organizational culture and organizational change. It was found that new principals must demonstrate authentic behavior at school as well as strong visionary leadership, and new principals need to value the people and value the past, be physically and emotionally present, and model the behaviors they expect. The results of this study produced key implications for principal preparation and educational leadership programs. One implication is that principal changes can lead to repetitive change syndrome and change-related chaos, as not enough time is available for a principal to fully implement the change process as described by Kotter (2007). Another implication is that the cycle of repetitive principal transitions needs to be broken. The findings also indicate that trust cannot be built in these repetitive transitions, as building trust requires time. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Compliance training can be problematic, especially when training transfer does not occur consistently, as non-adherence to governmental regulations can result in monetary sanctions. The purpose of this qualitative action research case study was to explore employees' perceptions of and experiences with the User Design intervention process, as they developed new compliance curriculum in a User Design cohort. The action research case study included all community site managers at a regional property management company, with 10 staff members participating in the Synchronous Technologies User Design inquiry (STUDi) cohort. The pre- and posttest knowledge assessment scores and job performance indicators were quantitatively reviewed to support the qualitative results. Findings indicate participant perceptions were positive with the process, because of familiarity. Participants perceived the process as rewarding, illuminating, which allowed them to expand their personal learning into areas not normally within their scope of work. Participant collaboration and engagement were high, as evidenced by surveys, semi-structured interview questions, and direct observation. Results of this action research case study show when there is systemic change necessary, specifically in this case, compliance curriculum changes, involving end users who are more aware of daily operational challenges is a good choice. The User Design process combined with the Community of Inquiry theoretical framework, as an emancipatory model, takes advantage of indigenous knowledge, even though the timeline and effort can be more protracted than standard instructional design projects. High levels of engagement, collaboration, and inventiveness are evident when participants enjoy the process. The limitations of this study are the small sample size and restriction to one case study. Further research is recommended using the format and processes developed to determine validity. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Tensions, lack of knowledge, and poor perceptions of the colleagues they support, plague the work of assessment professionals throughout the world. This explanatory sequential, mixed-methods study examined the relationships of employee classification (administrator, faculty, staff) and experience levels (overall institutional experience and experience working with outcomes assessment) to self-reported knowledge and perception levels. Through the lens of transformational leadership, this study was conducted to provide additional knowledge, considerations, and resources to assessment professionals to use within their assessment work within their own institutions. The instrument "Survey to Gauge College Employee Perception of the Institutional Effectiveness/Assessment Process (EPIEAP)" was administered to a volunteer sample group. The quantitative sample consisted of 47 Mississippi community college employees from six institutions and the qualitative sample was made up of 7 purposefully selected individuals from the quantitative sample group. Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted. Descriptive statistics were calculated and simple ANOVA with post hoc Tukey testing on significant findings was used to analyze the collected data. A phenomenological approach was used to analyze the qualitative findings before mixing of both quantitative and qualitative data was conducted to determine conclusions. It was discovered that there are significant connections between employee classification and both self-reported knowledge and perceptions. Qualitative findings supported this and determined that when employees are included in institutional processes, understand the underlying purpose and use of assessment, and given proper development and support, they are much more likely to participate and use the process in meaningful ways. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The purpose of this study was to move beyond understanding the theoretical definition of distributed leadership and to discern the relationship of distributed leadership within the context of social networks and work experience outcomes. In examining both distributed leadership and social networks, this study's purpose was to better understand how distributed leadership is operationalized through social networks. An additional purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between distributed leadership and teachers' work experience outcomes. Through quantitative data analysis of distributed leadership constructs, social network centrality measures, and work experience outcomes, this study aimed to better understand the relationships between these variables. Significant findings for research surfaced for four demographic variables: gender, years in the building, years experience and time on leadership tasks. Both inferential statistics and social network analysis illuminated the relationship between demographic variables on both distributed leadership as well as work experience outcomes. Results of this study suggest a significant relationship between gender and administrative trust (t = 3.731, p < 0.001) as well as job satisfaction (t = 1.754, p < 0.05). There is also a statistically significant relationship between teacher's time spent on leadership tasks and their perceived trust in administration (F (3, 177) = 3.111, p = 0.028). Social network analysis confirmed these findings as well. Distributed leadership is positively correlated to all three work experience variables of administrative trust (r = 0.30, p < 0.001), work engagement (r = 0.50, p < 0.001) and job satisfaction (r = 0.59, p < 0.001). Distributed leadership is also positively correlated with the social network measures of outdegree (r = 0.27, p < 0.001) and sum (in and outdegree) (r = 0.22, p < 0.01). Because this study indicates strong relationships between distributed leadership, social networks and work experience outcomes it is important for leaders and educators alike to consider the implications for practice, policy, and theory to build effective building climates, leadership structures and supports to benefit teachers. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The qualitative case study examined the self-reported experiences of elementary novice teachers in a comprehensive induction program and its impact on their professional self-efficacy. The study focused on three main areas in an induction program, the perceived effectiveness of the offered professional development, the mentor's relationship with the mentee, and the novice teacher's understanding of Danielson's Framework for Teaching (FfT). Participants in the case study were novice teachers enrolled in the New Teacher Induction Program at the elementary level (K-5). Other participants in the study included mentor teachers, district administration, and building administration. The focus of the study recorded the self-reported experiences of novice elementary teachers in their induction program and how the programming offered influenced their professional self-efficacy. The findings of this case study assisted elementary school leaders with creating more effective novice teacher induction programming, which could result in higher levels of professional self-efficacy. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This study examined how people of color seeking administrator-level positions perceived hiring bias and biased hiring decisions that adversely impacted their upward mobility in higher education career pathways. The study was conducted using semi-structured interview questions to collect thick data descriptions, explore participants thoughts and feelings about hiring bias, and to extract personal stories to gauge the depth of their experiences within this phenomenon. Analysis of the transcripts took place using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to generate and identify thematic areas of meaning and to discover how people of color interpreted their work environments. This process resulted in the development of three major themes: immobilizing minority hires, naming bias, and leveraging diversity and inclusion. Eight subordinate themes emerged within these key themes to capture further meaning and the significance of experience. These findings were grounded in a vast array of extant literature as well as interpretivist-constructivist inquiries into individual accounts of human interactions with varied situations and how they made sense of what they encountered (Ponterotto, 2005). Vital implications for practice called for improved professional training inclusive of shared learning opportunities, relationship-building to enhance interpersonal connections, and intercultural communications between the totality of stakeholder interests to achieve an authentic, diversity hiring leadership and collaborative, accountable panel decisions. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Principal retention is a growing concern for educational leaders in the United States. This comes at a time when millennial educators are also rising into positions of leadership with the reputation of a high turnover generation. Millennials have named mentorship as a preferred method for professional growth. Decades of research speaks to the career and psychosocial development functions of mentorship. Research has also pointed to self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment as influences for retention. This study used a transformational leadership framework to define characteristics of effective mentors. The purpose of this descriptive research study was to determine the extent to which K-12 public school leaders across Pennsylvania have engaged in modern mentorship and the perceived impact it has made on the development of self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. In addition, the study examined the impact of mentorship on the development of succession potential in millennial school leaders. Data collected from 351 school leaders in Pennsylvania found mentorship to have a significant impact on the job satisfaction and organizational commitment of school leaders. The implications of mentorship for millennial school leaders could be the impetus for proactive investment in the educational leader pipeline. Keywords: principal, school leadership, mentorship, millennial, self-efficacy, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, succession potential, career development, strategic collaboration, transformational leadership, Pennsylvania public schools. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to examine how novice special education teachers perceive administrative support during the first five years of teaching. This study was guided by the Cooperrider's appreciative inquiry (AI), and the Critical Systems theory (CST) conceptual framework. Purposeful sampling was used to select study participants, and a total of 10 novice special education teachers in their first five years of teaching in a Western Tennessee school district were recruited. The study involved collecting and analyzing data from three data sources including observations, interviews, and two documents: IEP and bell work. Study participants answered 10 open-ended semi-structured questions and shared their IEP and bell work documents. The data obtained from the interviews was suitable for identifying patterns and themes relating to views and experiences shared by the participants. Four themes emerged during the data analysis process. The identified themes were a) provision of administrative support to special education teachers, b) novice special education teachers during the first five years of teaching, c) suggestions regarding administrative support for novice special education teachers, and d) influence of administrative support on special education teachers. Besides, analysis of the IEP and bell work documents revealed administration support in filling these documents. Based on the emerging themes from the interview responses, the implication is that administrative support is essential for the novice special education teachers during their first five years of their teaching since it builds on their confidence, encouragement, and understanding of procedural guidelines. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Employee turnover is a challenge for all organizations, including higher education. Public universities are losing staff members who are critical to the successful operation of these universities. High employee turnover translates to costly operations. Past research has shown that leaders and their leadership styles have been determined to be one key factor that affects voluntary employee turnover. The purpose of this descriptive, non-experimental, quantitative correlational study is to examine Leadership Effectiveness, Leadership Adaptability, and Employee Turnover Intentions at a public university in Arizona. The Situational Leadership® model was employed as the framework for successful leadership and formed the basis for the survey questions. The study found a statistically significant relationship between employees' voluntary turnover intentions and their perceptions of their supervisors' leadership effectiveness (r[subscript p] = -0.48, p <0.001), which indicates a weak association. This result suggests that as leadership effectiveness increases, employee turnover intentions decrease. The study found no statistically significant relationship between employees' voluntary turnover intentions and their perceptions of their supervisors' leadership adaptability, or ability to use multiple leadership styles. Several recommendations were made for future research. Supervisors and organizations can benefit from this study by understanding the importance of applying the appropriate leadership style to meet employee needs. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Extramural funding in the form of grants can be both blessings and burdens to faculty members and other principal investigators (PIs) in higher education and their institutions. This investigation explored workload issues related to grant funding, including principal investigator (PI) perceptions of the institutional support received for grants administration, the impact of those perceptions, the potential benefit of additional staff support for grant-related administrative tasks, and the preferred educational level and location of the desired staff support. The population (N=11,224) was comprised of NSF PIs who held active, standard STEM education grants. There was no purposeful sampling as each PI had the opportunity to respond to the 35-question, online survey. The lens of the theoretical portion of the investigation was the Perceived Organization Support (POS) construct (Eisenberger, Huntington, Hutchison, & Sowa, 1986). The empirical aspect of the study responded to a challenge made to the field in the report on the 2012 Federal Demonstration Partnership's Faculty Workload Survey (Schneider, Ness, Rockwell, Shaver, & Brutkiewicz, 2014). Key findings included: (1) Survey respondents estimated they spent a mean of nearly 24% and a median of 20% of their weekly funded research time on non-research, grant-related tasks, (2) Survey respondents estimated the weekly benefits of time savings per week from administrative staff support for grant-related tasks would be from 240 to 332 minutes or 4 to 5.5 hours per week, (3) Survey respondents most frequently selected professional staff (bachelor's degree) for grants administrative support in three categories (research compliance, personnel-related, and common administrative) and selected advanced professional staff (graduate degrees) for proposal and report preparation, (4) Survey respondents most frequently selected their department offices as the preferred work location for all four categories of grants administrative tasks, and (5) The POS construct identified the strength of the commitment that faculty and other PIs had for the federal grants-to-academic research enterprise. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

More than half of information technology (IT) outsourced projects fail, primarily due to a lack of effective management practices surrounding the outsourcing end-to-end process. Ineffective management of the IT outsourcing (ITO) process affects organizations in the form of higher than expected project costs, including greater vendor switching or reintegration costs, poor quality, and loss of profits. These effects indicate that some business leaders lack the strategies to effectively manage the ITO process. The purpose of this single-case study was to apply the transaction cost economics (TCE) theory to explore strategies 5 business professionals use to manage an ITO project in a financial services organization located in the Midwestern region of the United States. Participant selection was purposeful and was based on the integral role the participants play on the ITO project. Data collection occurred via face-to-face semistructured interviews with the participants and the review of company documents. Data were analyzed using inductive coding of phrases, word frequency searches, and theme interpretation. Three themes emerged: vendor governance and oversight, collaborative strategic partnership, and risk management strategies enabled effective management of ITO. Identifying and executing appropriate outsourcing strategies may contribute to social change by improving outsourcing infrastructure, which might support job creation; increasing standards of living, especially within emerging markets; and heightening awareness of different cultures, norms, and languages among people living in different regions around the world to establish commonalities and gain alignment with business practices. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

One of the biggest concerns educational institutions face is helping teachers fit into and adjust to the dynamics of the ever-changing teaching environment. What often remains a mystery is how the identity trajectories of mid-career teachers have contributed to their longevity in the field. Also important today is why teachers might choose to leave the field after achieving the milestone of becoming a mid-career teacher. This paper reports on a qualitative study looking at the dynamics of mid-career English as a second language (ESL) teacher trajectories in the intensive English program environment. The framework for the study is based on four characteristics common among current teacher professional identity studies identified by Beijaard, Meijer, and Verloop (2004). This framework assumes that teacher professional identity is dynamic, involves individuals with multiple social and professional roles interacting within a shared context to increase individual and collective agency. In this study, mid-career teachers currently teaching in intensive English programs (IEPs) who have made transitions from at least one context to another were interviewed to investigate common themes in their experiences. Results show that while individual factors are important in the development of a professional identity, the most important factors seem to be related to the administrative support systems in place and student performance as connected to teaching practice. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Online education continues to grow and change and different colleges and universities have varying degrees of faculty control over course design. This multiple case study investigated patterns in the efficacy of faculty who teach online courses in relation to the faculty members' involvement in the creation of elements of course design. The research sought to understand how faculty efficacy was affected by faculty member's involvement in the design of online courses and how faculty involvement in different elements of course design affected faculty efficacy. Open-ended interviews were conducted regarding eight elements of course design (announcements, assessments, course materials, course objectives, course structure, discussion questions, and the gradebook) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Seven faculty members participated in the study with three participants controlling 1-4 elements of course design and four participants having control over 5-8 elements of course design. Ten themes were analyzed and three major themes related to faculty efficacy emerged: alignment, standards, and administration. The data demonstrated that these concerns were more related to faculty efficacy in course design than were the particular elements of design. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This dissertation describes the process of creating a guidebook that developmental education administrators can use to build their capacity as leaders, learners, and program planners. The guidebook is the product of a qualitative study designed to better understand how community college administrators who have program planning responsibilities for struggling developmental education students learned to become effective in their work. Both the content and the format of the guidebook were developed from the findings of this research. The dissertation reports each step of the process used in developing the guidebook, including research, design, and field testing. The research design uses qualitative research methods within a social constructivist paradigm. This approach was selected for its strengths in exploring the meaning that adults make in their lives. The methods and instruments used in the study included a recruitment survey, Critical Incident Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and preference inventories. Three phases of the study were conducted: (1) needs assessment, (2) materials development, and (3) field testing. The study sample consisted of 33 total participants, including both developmental education administrators and expert reviewers. The findings of the study's needs assessment centered on how administrators learned to be effective in their work as program planners, what they learned was necessary for their work, and their preferences for resource materials designed to serve their learning needs. Methods of learning included transferable experience, formal education, professional development, literature, networks, and mentors. Critical areas of content included contextual information on developmental education, educational administration, and program planning. Materials preferences included a clean design, unbiased tone, easy accessibility and navigation, and a comprehensive list of current resources. The guidebook developed from the findings of this study is entitled the "Developmental Education Administrator Guidebook: Key Topics for New and Experienced Decision Makers in Developmental Education." The guidebook offers a series of executive summaries on topics of relevance to developmental education administrators, focused on contextual topics, learning and leadership, and program planning. It contributes to improved practice by providing accessible and concise professional development resources for developmental education administrators in their efforts to better serve struggling developmental education students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Healthcare organizations strive to adapt to the continuous change in what has become a fast-paced, high technology environment. Many organizations are charged to find efficiencies to better manage medical device assets. Increasingly, healthcare leaders opt to adopt a standardized medical device nomenclature under the purview of a set of national or international standards. While many organizations have implemented a standard nomenclature, there is little data available as to whether these activities have yielded significant impacts for the organizations and healthcare overall. This qualitative study explored themes that have impacted the healthcare industry after an organization's migration to a standardized medical device nomenclature enterprise-wide. These questions were evaluated from the perspectives of experienced supervisory healthcare technology managers having experience with implementation and current-states of a standardized nomenclature. The project evaluated the implications of implementing a standardized nomenclature within healthcare organizations and their business practices, and discusses implications for future applications of standardized medical device nomenclature in the healthcare industry. The analysis of themes that emerged from participant interviews found that study found that while organizations realized benefits from to implementation of a standardized nomenclature for medical device asset management, it remained a low priority for the organization as a whole despite being a medium to high priority for the healthcare technology managers. Participants also found a strong correlation to the implementation of a standardized nomenclature and their capacity for strategic asset management forecasting and planning as well as advanced equipment reporting capabilities. Additionally, the sentiment was that effective recall management was one of the highest impacts on organizations that also fed into patient safety and public health. While participants believed the implementation of a standardized nomenclature yielded significant efficiencies, it was also noted that due to a lack of a cohesive, mandatory regulatory standard, the potential for information to feed into various public health, regulatory decisions and evidence-based decisions is limited. Currently, computerized maintenance management software (CMMS) systems are disparate and unintegrated and if a standard were to be mandated, medical device information could then be leveraged on a national as well as international basis. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Principals need to be leaders who set and communicate a vision for learning, understand organization development, know how to effect change, are able to help teachers grow in their craft, and can interpret and utilize data for school improvement. The literature has shown disconnect between principal preparation and actual practices needed for the current era and complex role. States, universities, and school districts are redesigning preparation programs aligned with leadership standards to incorporate the components necessary for principals to achieve success in today's multifaceted role and the expertise to be able to increase student achievement. This mixed-method case study used the ISLLC 2008 framework concepts of vision, culture, management, collaboration, integrity and context with elementary, junior high, and high school principals in a southwestern, unified school district to determine if perceptions of success were developed individually, with district in-service training, or if their pre-service program was the contributing factor to their effectiveness. The School Principal Preparation Survey instrument was used to investigate what type of preparation led to principals' perceptions of success. Additionally, a focus group interview provided further insight into specific skills and themes addressed in the quantitative survey. Descriptive statistics and ANOVA were used to compare mean scores from principal responses to the Likert-scaled survey to determine if differences existed between principal groups on the variables of school level, time period of pre-service training, and training type. Responses from the focus group interview were transcribed and coded and then themes were aligned to quantitative results. The results indicated differences among principals by school level in the category of vision and among groups trained during five different time periods in the categories of vision, culture, management, and integrity. Focus group responses identified types of skills and training needed and individually developed no matter the length of service nor school level such as self-motivation, challenging assumptions, aligning resources to the vision, ability to adapt, and time management within the concepts of vision, integrity, and context. Agreement across school levels supported quantitative results indicating that most skills were individually developed, practiced in-service, or taught through mentors. Furthermore, no matter the time period trained, principals agreed that individual development of themes conveyed supported quantitative findings when comparing individual attainment to pre-service or in-service training in the categories of vision, culture, management, and integrity. Agencies must work together to revamp current programs and create policies and preparation programs to recruit, select, train, and retain principals reflective of the skills identified through strong internships with mentors, alignment to standards, and specific strategies for prioritizing and managing time, as well as how to bring stakeholders along with their vision. In-service training must continue while in practice to assist principals as they work toward increasing student achievement and preparing future workers and community members. Only then can effective principals provide what schools and students need. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Heterogeneous design presents an opportunity to improve energy efficiency but raises a challenge in management. Whereas prior work separates the two, we coordinate heterogeneous design and management. We present a market-based resource allocation mechanism that navigates the performance and power trade-offs of heterogeneous architectures. Given this management framework, we explore a design space of heterogeneous processors and show a 12x reduction in response time violations when equipping a datacenter with three processor types over a homogeneous system that consumes the same power. To better understand trade-offs in large heterogeneous design spaces, we explore dozens of design strategies and present a risk taxonomy that classifies the reasons why a deployed system may underperform relative to design targets. We propose design strategies that explicitly mitigate risk, such as a strategy that minimizes the coefficient of variation in performance. In our experiments, we find that risk-aware design accounts for more than 70% of the strategies that produce systems with the best service quality. We also present a new datacenter management mechanism that fairly allocates processors to latency-sensitive applications. Tasks express value for performance using sophisticated piecewise-linear utility functions. With fairness in market allocations, we show how datacenters can mitigate envy amongst latency-sensitive users. We quantify the price of fairness and detail efficiency-fairness trade-offs. Finally, we extend the market to fairly allocate heterogeneous processors. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

In this qualitative descriptive case study, strategies used to manage special education administrative duties and current perspectives of administrative responsibilities of three veteran special education teachers were investigated. The three participants were also identified as teacher leaders within the department of special education for their school district. In addition, the extent special education administrative duties impacts teachers' instructional time and personal time was investigated. Data were collected through interviews, artifact collection, participant observations, and time sample logs. Phenomenological analysis procedures, along with a constructivist grounded theory were utilized to analyze the data. Results showed eight strategies used to mitigate the effects of special education administrative duties on instructional and personal time. The strategies were effective use of personal time, effective use of planning time, collaboration with colleagues, flexibility in scheduling, organization, experience, self-advocacy with administrators, and prioritizing time. The participants perceived their personal time is impacted significantly; their personal time is a justified sacrifice; they try not to let it affect their family; redundancy in duties increases the impact; and using personal time is justified for meaningful duties that include advocating for students with special needs. The participants perceived that their instructional time was impacted by unplanned interruptions; their instructional time is considered sacred and it's difficult to make up if lost; their planning time with their co-teachers is impacted; and they spend significant amounts of time advocating for their students during their instructional time. Data from the participant observations showed three specific strategies to minimize the impact of special education administrative duties: command of the caseload, self-generation of management forms, and the creation of paperwork to manage paperwork. Time logs showed the three participants of this study spent more of their instructional time on their special education administrative duties than their personal time. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The 21st century business environment is challenged with a scarcity of skilled professionals and the shortage is forecasted to increase over the next 5 years. The United States defense acquisition community recognized personnel deficiencies and plans to hire approximately 20,000 acquisition professionals by 2015. To help address the defense acquisition workforce challenges, several leadership development programs have been instituted to accelerate a pipeline of technically skilled and leadership capable contracting professionals. The purpose of the qualitative single descriptive case study was to explore the progress of National Contract Management Association (NCMA)-Contract Management Leadership Development Program graduates in acquiring management positions to understand the impact the program had on closing leadership gaps in the contract management field. Data analysis performed on participant interviews highlighted that the majority of participants did not start with a career plan or initiate much of one during the program, however, some participants had a sense of career direction. Following graduation, participants started to appreciate the value of sharing career plans with mentors and leaders. During the program some students expressed frustration on being able to apply program curriculum to their current career state. Program graduates believed that the NCMA could increase marketing and advertisement efforts to capture more employer involvement. The case study revealed that 92% of sample participants experienced career changes, with two participants reaching executive level positions in the contract management profession. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The worldwide software project failure rate, based on a survey of information technology software manager's view of user satisfaction, product quality, and staff productivity, is estimated to be between 24% and 36% and software project success has not kept pace with the advances in hardware. The problem addressed by this study was the limited information about software managers' experiences with data-driven decision making (DDD) in agile software organizations as a tool to improve software development productivity. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how agile software managers view DDD as a tool to improve software development productivity and to understand how agile software development organizations may use DDD now and in the future to improve software development productivity. Research questions asked about software managers', project managers', and agile coaches' lived experiences with DDD via a set of interview questions. The conceptual framework for the research was based on the 3 critical dimensions of software organization productivity improvement: people, process, and tools, which were defined by the Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model Integrated published in 2010. Organizations focus on processes to align the people, procedures and methods, and tools and equipment to improve productivity. Positive social change could result from a better understanding of DDD in an agile software development environment; this increased understanding of DDD could enable organizations to create more products, offer more jobs, and better compete in a global economy. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The research problem addressed in this quantitative correlational study was the inadequacy of sound information security management (ISM) practices in K-12 school districts, despite their increasing ownership of information assets. Researchers have linked organizational and sociotechnical factors to the implementation of information security measures. Guided by the contingency, rational action, and sociotechnical theories, the purpose of this study was to assess the relationship among organizational and sociotechnical factors and ISM effectiveness in school districts. Research questions examined relationships among 6 variables. Data were collected from a postal survey from top information technology (IT) officers sampled from a population of 2,278 school districts in the northeastern United States. A one-way analysis of variance indicated a statistically significant relationship between preventive measures and information systems security effectiveness. The Kruskal-Wallis test revealed statistically significant relationships in 2 pairs of variables: senior management support and preventive measures, and security/IT budget ratio and preventive measures. The Spearman's correlation test indicated a statistically significant relationship between deterrent efforts and security effectiveness, organizational size and deterrent efforts, and security/IT budget ratio and deterrent efforts. Recommendations include strengthening IT organizations in school districts by establishing cabinet-level IT leadership and hiring qualified officers, leveraging security/IT budgets in support of preventive and deterrent measures, and aligning business goals with IT objectives. This study contributes to positive social change by providing stakeholders with a basis for establishing meaningful information security organization and effective ISM programs in school districts. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Telehealth units are one of many university administrative units created to foster innovation in universities over the last 40 years. Despite the proliferation of such units, few organizational studies have examined the work undertaken inside of these units. This qualitative study used a sequential two-part research design to understand the perceptions of experienced leaders from mature university-based telehealth units regarding the nature and requirements of their units' work. In Part I of the study, telephone interviews were held with 21 leaders from 17 university-based telehealth units. In Part II, videoconference focus groups were held with a subgroup of 15 of the same leaders from 14 of the units. Seven key findings emerged during data analysis. First, the nature of the push and pull that the units experienced from the university and community depended upon whether the units existed primarily to research and develop telehealth, increase access to services through telehealth, or resolve healthcare disparities using telehealth. Second, in addition to developing telehealth practices and services, many units were actively involved in building the capacity for telehealth regionally, at the state level, and nationally. Third, units' level of ownership and involvement in developing telehealth ranged from consulting with--and facilitating the efforts of--others who provided telehealth services, to providing or paying for the telehealth services directly. Fourth, telehealth units' success was more dependent upon effective processes than outcomes. Fifth, telehealth units' ability to harness and focus the energy, talents, and resources of others in finding creative ways to make telehealth an integral part of the university and community healthcare systems was essential to success. Sixth, units were more and less intentional in integrating five practice areas to effect change. Last, two units undertook initiatives that adopted a systemic approach to resolving healthcare disparities, of which telehealth was only a part. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The purpose of this study was to understand how lean thinking and inventory management technology minimize expired medical supply waste in healthcare organizations. This study was guided by Toyota's theory of lean and Mintzberg's theory of management development to explain why the problem of medical supply waste exists. Government reports show that 50 million people in the United States are without health insurance, yet healthcare costs continue to rise. Other data show that high premiums paid for medical products become waste due to expiration and poor ordering systems. The United States spends double on healthcare when compared to other countries. Although processes and technology to manage medical supply expiration are available, waste still exists. This study was important to understand performance and financial implications to healthcare organizations. An exploratory case study design was employed that focused on a sample of 20 inventory management employees in a level 3 hospital to investigate the relationships among management oversight, lean thinking, and inventory management technology. A qualitative content analysis was used to analyze face-to-face interview data. Emergent themes from the interview data were triangulated with literature themes, including lean thinking, waste, and inventory management tools. The study results showed that the use of lean practices, management engagement, and adequate inventory management systems reduced medical supply waste. A recommendation from this study is to expand the analysis on lean management in other operations areas in addition to medical supply waste. Positive social change will be realized by informing healthcare organizations on methods to reduce medical supply waste, thus helping citizens not absorb costs associated with waste. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

High-fidelity human patient simulation has emerged as a valuable medium to reinforce educational content within programs of nursing. As simulation learning experiences have been identified as augmenting both didactic lecture content and clinical learning, these experiences have expanded to incorporate interprofessional education. Review of literature demonstrates research is necessary to support how interprofessional education can impact learning and how high-fidelity human patient simulation can be utilized as a mechanism to promote learning in an interprofessional manner. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore pre-licensure health professions students' perceptions of high-fidelity human patient simulation as a teaching modality for the promotion of interprofessional collaboration. A mixed methods convergent parallel design was utilized. Quantitative data focused on the readiness for interprofessional learning and collaboration among study participants after an interprofessional education focused high-fidelity learning experience. Qualitative data focused on perceptions of the student participants of an interprofessional learning experience. A total sample of 53 pre-licensure health professions students enrolled in nursing, respiratory therapy, health administration, and physical therapy programs of study at a college of health professions in southeast Georgia was recruited. Demographic data were analyzed. Quantitative data collected from study instruments were analyzed with descriptive statistics and non-parametric statistics. Qualitative data collected via a focus group interview were explored using hermeneutic phenomenology and the analysis process recommended by Creswell (2013). Results demonstrated an increase in readiness to learn and statistically significant differences in collaboration among the four different pre-licensure health professions student groups after participation in a high-fidelity human patient simulation learning experience. Pre-licensure nursing and health administration students reported greater collaboration than physical therapy students. Three themes of exposure to environmental learning, acquisition of interactional relationships, and presence of chronology in role preparation emerged from the qualitative data. Convergence of the quantitative and qualitative data was identified. Findings support the use of high-fidelity human patient simulation as a teaching modality for the promotion of interprofessional education. Future research recommendations include continued exploration simulation for interprofessional collaboration, student perception of roles during interprofessional education, and student preparation for interprofessional collaboration with high-fidelity human patient simulation. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Cloud computing paradigm has gained tremendous momentum and generated intensive interest. Although security issues are delaying its fast adoption, cloud computing is an unstoppable force and we need to provide security mechanisms to ensure its secure adoption. In this dissertation, we mainly focus on issues related to policy management and access control in the cloud. Currently, users have to use diverse access control mechanisms to protect their data when stored on the cloud service providers (CSPs). Access control policies may be specified in different policy languages and heterogeneity of access policies pose significant problems. An ideal policy management system should be able to work with all data regardless of where they are stored. Semantic Web technologies when used for policy management, can help address the crucial issues of interoperability of heterogeneous CSPs. In this dissertation, we propose a semantic based policy management framework for cloud computing environments which consists of two main components, namely policy management and specification component and policy evolution component. In the policy management and specification component, we first introduce policy management as a service (PMaaS), a cloud based policy management framework that give cloud users a unified control point for specifying authorization policies, regardless of where the data is stored. Then, we present semantic based policy management framework which enables users to specify access control policies using semantic web technologies and helps address heterogeneity issues of cloud computing environments. We also model temporal constraints and restrictions in GTRBAC using OWL and show how ontologies can be used to specify temporal constraints. We present a proof of concept implementation of the proposed framework and provide some performance evaluation. In the policy evolution component, we propose to use role mining techniques to deal with policy evolution issues and present StateMiner, a heuristic algorithm to find an RBAC state as close as possible to both the deployed RBAC state and the optimal state. We also implement the proposed algorithm and perform some experiments to demonstrate its effectiveness. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Software engineering is team oriented and intensely complex, relying on human collaboration and creativity more than any other engineering discipline. Poor software estimation is a problem that within the United States costs over a billion dollars per year. Effective measurement of team cohesion is foundationally important to gain accurate estimations of software development schedules, quality and cost. In light of recent team cohesion research, COCOMO II.2000 (Constructive Cost Model), a well-known industry software estimation tool, appears to contain a less than effective method in determining team cohesion. The COCOMO II.2000 TEAM variable represents the team cohesion measure of all stakeholders involved in the software development product life cycle and is one of five special factor variables aggregated into an exponent that represents risk to product development. An ineffective or inaccurate measure of team cohesion creates an exponential error in the software estimation results generated by the COCOMO II.2000. Using the Delphi method, a panel consisting of team cohesion, project management, and emotional intelligence experts have determined the COCOMO II.2000 TEAM variable does not effectively represent team cohesion as defined in this research. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This study explored the factors and traits impacting the success of virtual managers. It can be argued that given technology's role in working virtually, one would deem technology as the most important factor impacting one's work in a virtual environment, however, there are other factors "including support from the organization and one's personal traits" that can also impact success in this virtual management environment. Due to the advancement of technology and how ubiquitous the Internet has become, connectivity and working from remote locations has become increasingly possible. Organizations planning to support existing or future virtual management initiatives would benefit from knowing the factors and traits attributed to the success of this population. Organizations that do not know and support the factors and traits virtual managers deem critical to their success could jeopardize the success of an existing or future virtual management program. Utilizing a qualitative Delphi methodology for this study, data was gathered from management and leadership participants within six organizations. These two populations were researched as separate contributors, analyzed in parallel with concurrent Delphi methodology studies. The result of this analysis provided additional insight into factors and traits deemed most critical to the success of virtual managers from the perspective of both virtual managers and leadership. Ninety percent (9) of the virtual manager participants deemed communication as a leading factor impacting their success, in comparison to only 25% (1) of the leadership participants indicated communication was a leading factor. Notably, leadership participants identified intrinsic qualities as leading traits impacting virtual manager's success, such as motivation and one's ability to manage time effectively. Of interesting note, participants did not fixate on specific technologies, instead, indicating technology was important for the facilitation of communication. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This study was conducted to fill a void in information, provide relevant, current data for faculty members related to external grant-writing activities related to the academic field of sport management and serve as a tool that may aid in the advancement of external grant-writing efforts within the field of sport management. All data is specific to sport management departments and sport management faculty. Participation levels in external grant-writing were investigated at 100 institutions throughout the United States that offered a degree program in sport management. The literature revealed no data related to the topic but showed the overall importance placed on funds generated through grant-writing by academia. Data collection occurred in December 2011. The survey response rate was 33%. Variables included institutional demographics and data specific to each program. The study found that institutional demographics were significant to participation in external grant-writing. Logistic regression models revealed that public institutions were 2.6 times more likely to participate in external grant-writing than private institutions and that research-focused institutions were 8.4 times more likely to participate than teaching-focus institutions. The rate of proposals submitted for faculty at research-focused institutions was 0.71 proposals for every faculty member and 0.20 per faculty member from teaching-focused institutions. The percentage of proposals awarded funding was not reflective of participation levels. Faculty members at private institutions were awarded funding on 50% of proposals submitted to 39% by faculty at public institutions. Faculty members at research-focused institutions were awarded funding on 43% of proposals submitted to 42% for faculty at teaching-focused institutions. The only variable that showed significance for proposals awarded was total proposals submitted. The only variable that showed statistical significance for proposals submitted was formal grant-writing training. Overall subjects were optimistic about future external grant-writing efforts in the field. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

To ensure the health of children in the United States, and to encourage the domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodities, President Harry S. Truman signed the National School Lunch Act. The Act, a federally assisted meal program established as a national security measure, was signed on June 4, 1946. Today, the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides students at sponsor schools the opportunity to apply for and receive free and reduced priced lunches and snacks. Schools that sponsor the NSLP provide preK-12 students support, and encouragement to make healthy choices that will promote lifetime wellness through the implementation of a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved program. For private schools with small staffs and minimal resources, the NSLP is difficult to implement. With the various components of the program requiring careful attention to meet standards and maintain sponsorship, it is difficult and sometimes impossible for one school administrator to be responsible for every aspect of the program without neglecting instructional leadership. A principal's primary responsibility is instructional leadership (Rooney, 2010). A problem for school leaders lies in balancing management of NSLP compliance/reporting with the duties of instructional leadership (David, 2010). This action research study focuses on how the systematic implementation of a new management system would impact the ability of a private preK-12 school to effectively operationalize the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) without excessive administrative oversight. This qualitative study focused on improving organizational knowledge of the challenges and opportunities of sponsoring the NSLP at the research site, so program responsibilities could be delegated to well informed and supportive stakeholders. Participants were interviewed after the intervention to determine whether or not they effectively implemented and sustained the new model. Interview data was transcribed, thematically coded, and analyzed. The study resulted in the delegation of virtually all the NSLP administrative responsibilities from the school principal to other informed and supportive school stakeholders, the stakeholders who assumed these NSLP responsibilities were professionally qualified to provide NSLP leadership, and these stakeholders effectively implemented the systemic intervention. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]