Teaching, Learning, Policy & Leadership Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2759
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Item STEM TEACHERS AS INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC LEADERS: CHANGE AGENTS AT THE SYSTEMS SCALE(2022) Vieyra, Rebecca Elizabeth; Elby, Andrew; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation research attempts to answer the questions “What do early childhood teachers perceive as their original sources of self-efficacy for strategic leadership in STEM education?” and “How does their initial self-efficacy for strategic leadership mediate their eventual engagement as international leaders in STEM education?” This study aims to move beyond the mostly descriptive studies of teacher leadership, to understand why a particular group of teachers chose to lead. It attends to visionary leadership outside the school building or district that contributes beyond administrative or political boundaries, at the wider level of the STEM teaching profession. It explores literature across multiple disciplines to aid the adoption and contextualization of a theoretical framework for data collection and analysis of seven case studies of teacher leaders. The resulting theoretical framework is anchored in Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory for its emphasis on self-efficacy and is informed by prior work in leadership and STEM teacher leader development. This theoretical lens is aligned with themes that previously emerged from the results of preliminary interviews with teachers who attributed their leadership to significant increases in leadership self-efficacy. Findings from this study suggest that the teachers acted upon their tendency toward impulsivity to accept new opportunities for strategic leadership in STEM education even when self-efficacy for STEM and teacher leadership was reported to be low, or non-existent due to the lack of familiarity with leadership or STEM (Finding #1). After accepting leadership opportunities, growing self-efficacy for leadership activities primarily derived from improvements in their STEM identity (Finding #2). Among Bandura’s sources of self-efficacy, these teachers frequently reported the importance of emotional and physiological states to engage opportunistically in strategic teacher leadership in STEM education, as well as the role of persuasion from friends and colleagues (Finding #3). Implications from this research include recognizing the importance of supporting early childhood teachers’ STEM identity through the recognition of work they already do that falls within the domain of STEM content and processes. It also suggests the need for educational leaders to help early childhood teachers move toward and overcome a commonly expressed fear of STEM. Further, it calls for those who support teachers to identify and foster risk-taking mentalities concerning leadership, offering opportunities and support even (or perhaps especially) to those teachers who do not yet feel ready to lead others. This work aims to increase the awareness of early childhood teachers’ potential as reform agents in STEM education, as well as bring attention to more human, individualized elements of teacher personal wellness and professional growth that can be realized through leadership.Item HOW SCHOOL PRINCIPALS USE TWITTER TO SUPPORT LEADERSHIP PRACTICES: A MIXED METHODS DESIGN(2018) Lynch, Jennifer Mohler; Croninger, Robert G; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In the past ten years, Internet-based communication mediums have eclipsed print and television media. Digital communications allow for information to be shared rapidly, in real-time, and with little mediation. The pervasive integration of digital platforms has changed the values, norms, and expectations of today’s society. This has profound implications for how school leaders interact with all stakeholders. School leaders are charged with executing three main roles: setting directions, developing organizations, and developing people (Leithwood & Riehl, 2003). Communication serves as a critical element that supports the effective execution of these roles. In a predominantly digital society, leaders may benefit from the integration of digital platforms to create a comprehensive communication profile. Despite a robust body of literature on leadership practices, there is little research on how K-12 school principals are using digital communication platforms to execute leadership roles and responsibilities. This study contributes to the literature by exploring how school leaders are using the popular digital platform Twitter. This research employed a sequential mixed methods design, utilizing both descriptive quantitative data and interview qualitative data to answer the question “who” is tweeting and explore the deeper questions of “why” and “how” school leaders use Twitter. This study moved through six phases with prior phases informing subsequent phases to construct a comprehensive profile of Twitter use and leadership practices. This research demonstrates that school principals primarily use Twitter as a promotional tool to excite and engage an expanded stakeholder base around a common vision. Both informational and promotional tweets served to build relationships, provide information, and satiate the intense informational needs of an expanded stakeholder base, now firmly situated in the digital generation. School leaders used Twitter to project information that serves to support their leadership roles of setting a vision and developing an organization. To a lesser extent, they used Twitter to consume and collect information that supports their leadership role of developing people.Item A STUDY OF THE PERCEIVED TEACHING SELF-EFFICACY AND LEADERSHIP OF NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS(2014) Zentmeyer, April A.; Kivlighan, Dennis M; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived levels of teacher self-efficacy and leadership of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs). One of the goals of Race to the Top is to provide highly qualified, efficacious teachers in every classroom, prepared to lead in the 21st century. Given that National Board Certification is one avenue to highly qualified status, this study sought to discover whether NBCTs perceived high levels of teacher self-efficacy and assumed leadership roles at a higher rate than a matched sample of non-NBCTs. This quantitative, non-experimental approach compared the perceived levels of teacher self-efficacy in the domains of instruction, engagement, management, and leadership of NBCTs to a matched sample of non-NBCTs in one district in the state of Maryland. The Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale - SF (TSES), a 12-item Likert-like scale, used with permission by Dr. Anita Woolfolk-Hoy measured teacher efficacy in the three domains. A question regarding compensated leadership roles was added to the TSES. Results derived using SPPS generated a T-test to examine the subset correlations and tabulate compensated leadership roles. The T-test failed to reveal a statistically reliable difference between the mean scores of the NBCTs and a matched sample of non-NBCTs. Both groups scored high on the TSES and assumed leadership roles in the district. The non-significant results do not discount National Board Certification as a vehicle to identify highly qualified, self-efficacious teachers prepared to lead in the 21st century.Item INDEPENDENT SCHOOL HEADS: TIME USE, TIME-USE PREFERENCE, AND SATISFACTION OR DISSATISFACTION IN LEADERSHIP ROLE(2014) Wolcott, Ann Elizabeth; Hawley, Willis D.; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Time is a quantifiable element measured by the clock. School leaders have time to use according to the demands of their work. There is little, if any, evidence that the time-use preferences of school leaders are given consideration. This doctoral dissertation (1) examines the time that leaders spend on the responsibilities associated with their work, (2) identifies the leaders' time-use preferences, (3) identifies the school characteristics and personal characteristics of the leaders who participated in the survey instrument, (4) examines the data obtained from the survey, and (5) analyzes the statistics to determine the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the leaders regarding the use of their time. Results suggest that experienced independent school leaders are satisfied with the way they spend their time at work. Other results concerning satisfaction or dissatisfaction are specifically related to the configuration of the schools' grade levels. This dissertation's results will contribute to the field of independent school research and encourage more research on leaders in Episcopal schools in particular and schools in general.Item An Exploratory Examination of the Factors Contributing to the Increasing Presence of Women Presidents in Maryland Community Colleges(2014) Martin, Amy Beth; O'Meara, KerryAnn; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Many women faculty build their academic careers in the community college environment but are reluctant to consider, and face barriers to pursuing, the presidency in those same environments. The percentage of women presidents in Maryland two-year colleges has been increasing since 1989 and has been above the national average of women presidents in associate's institutions since 1998. This study is about the collective presence of women presidents in the 16 Maryland community colleges using embedded units of analysis. Utilizing feminist standpoint theory and Bolman and Deal's four organizational frames, this exploratory case study examined the factors that contributed to the comparatively high numbers of women presidents at Maryland community colleges. The methods used included interviews, analysis of trend data, and analysis of archival documents. The findings from this study suggest that the comparatively high number of women community college presidents in Maryland was the result of several interrelated factors that mitigated or removed gendered barriers for women academic leaders who were pursuing community college presidencies in Maryland. Significant factors related to each of this study's conceptual frameworks contributed to the high number and increasing appointments of women community college presidents in Maryland between 1989 and 2012. First, Maryland's abundant labor market, educational attainment trends among women, pipeline of potential women applicants in Maryland community colleges (faculty, chief officers) and geography (proximity between community colleges) proved to be strong structural factors. Second, national and regional leadership development opportunities, intentional and pervasive mentoring of women community college leaders at Maryland community colleges, and non-traditional approaches to presidential searches by Maryland community college boards of trustees were strong human resource factors, particularly between 1989-2006. At the same time, strong alliances among women legislators, political activists, and higher education leaders between 1989 and 2006 proved to be significant political factors. Additionally, Maryland's perceived progressive state politics and MACCs collaborative organizational structure were strong cultural factors that attracted women community college academic leaders from outside the state and provided a collective community college culture that supported the development of women presidents and academic leaders in Maryland community colleges. Finally, women community college academic leaders' agency (personal and collective) around balancing family (gendered work norms), pursuing critical experiences in preparation for the presidency (career aspirations), and owning collaborative and constructive leadership orientations (gendered leadership norms) were strong feminist/gendered factors that contributed to this phenomenon.Item Investigating Leadership in Charter Schools: An Examination of the Leadership Traits of Executive Directors in Successful Charter Schools(2013) Bloomfield, Brian David; Parham, Carol; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study was a qualitative exploration of educational leadership within charter schools in an attempt to identify traits demonstrated by executive directors of successful charter schools. Because much research has been conducted to identify trends in educational leadership, but comparable little within the unique context of charter schools, and because the charter school movement is growing, it is imperative that Boards, CMOs, and advocates of charter schooling understand more clearly what constitutes successful leadership within this sphere. Two research questions were created for this study, and qualitative methods were used to collect and analyze data. Data were collected through personal interviews with four charter school executive directors, document review, field observations, and follow-up interviews. The conceptual framework used to interpret the collected data was based on Leithwood and Duke's six dimensions of educational leadership: instructional, transformational, moral, participative, managerial, and contingent leadership. Data were gathered and analyzed against these six leadership dimensions. A thick description of the experiences and perspectives of the four participants was created. The data provided insight into successful charter school leadership. Some of the findings supported extant research about leadership in other educational contexts, while some indicated some unique characteristics of leadership within a charter school. Participants indicated that the largest demands in their jobs were the quantity of needs as well as the necessary practice of affecting change through systems rather than directly with students. Participants further identified a sense of personal accountability, a change management process, as well as working within all six dimensions of leadership as essential to their successes. These findings and conclusions are reported in Chapters 4 and 5. This study was an exploration of traits and behaviors exhibited by executive directors of successful charter schools. The findings indicate a gap between current understandings of educational leadership in general and that within a charter school. It is expected that this research will help to create a clearer understanding of charter school leadership and provide insight for stakeholders to move forward in locating and training future charter school leaders.Item An Examination of Principals' Leadership Practices: Perspectives of Those Who Teach the Academically Gifted and the Academically Challenged in Inclusion Classrooms(2013) King-Cassell, LaUanah Faith; Parham, Carol S.; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Today, President Obama's "Blueprint for Education Reform" places the principal as the key player in raising academic standards and improving learning for all students. Research has been done on the role of the school principal in school effectiveness and school improvement at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. However, very little research has focused on the judgments of teachers who teach students from opposite ends of the academic spectrum in inclusive classrooms. The focus of this study was to learn about the teachers' judgments of the principal's role in school leadership and the impact that the principals' leadership practices have on the academic program for gifted and challenged students. Literature regarding leadership practices from the perspectives of teachers who teach the academically gifted or the academically challenged is limited; however, over the past decade it has been reported that the practices of principals exert a powerful influence on teacher quality and student learning (Cotton, 2003; Quinn, 2002). For this study, the data were collected using a mixed-method approach that included both quantitative and qualitative methods. The data were gathered through the use of a survey and focus groups. The conceptual framework of this study is grounded in the belief that principals make a difference in school effectiveness, student achievement and school improvement. This theoretical perspective was developed by Powell (2004) who concluded that principals make a significant and measurable contribution to the learning process as well as the school's direction, vision, mission, curriculum and classroom instruction. Powell argued that leadership behaviors and practices fall within five domains: Vision, Mission, and Culture; Curriculum and Classroom Instruction; Collaboration and Shared Leadership; Family and Community Involvement; and Effective Management. The findings were as follows: In Domains 1, 3, 4, and 5, there were statistically significant differences in teachers' views of the principal's leadership. The teachers of the gifted students believed the principal was more helpful than did the teachers of the academically challenged. In Domain 2, there was no statistically significant difference in their judgments. Qualitative findings from the focus groups supported the conclusions of the quantitative part of the study.Item Relationship of Principal's Leadership Behaviors to Academic Achievement and School Improvement Efforts(2006-07-31) King, Betty Williams; Dudley, James; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: RELATIONSHIP OF PRINCIPAL'S LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS TO ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS Betty Williams King, Doctor of Philosophy, 2006 Dissertation directed by: Professor Emeritus James Dudley Department of Education Policy and Leadership The purpose of this study was to compare the extent to which leadership behavior of principals differs in schools at risk for reconstitution and in schools judged as meeting state standards; and to determine the extent to which principals in these schools employ frame utilization strategies for school improvement as designed by Bolman and Deal (1992a). The sample population for the study was randomly selected by the school district's Division of Research Evaluation Assessment and Accountability (DREAA). Ten schools were selected to participate in the study: five schools labeled "at risk" and five schools "making adequate progress." Data collection was performed in 2006. The Leadership Orientation Survey designed by Bolman and Deal (1990) was distributed to principals, immediate supervisors of the principals, teachers, parents, and community representatives who serve on the School Improvement Team (SIT) in each school. The survey measured the extent to which leaders use four frames of leadership: structural, human resource, political, and symbolic. Cronbach alpha, a measure of inter-item reliability, was computed for each of the four frames. All were .75 or higher, indicating that the survey was reliable. Inter-scale correlations were computed for schools making adequate progress and for schools at risk. The correlations for teachers, parents, and community representatives for both school groups were strong and statistically significant, most in the .75 to .95 range. For principals and supervisors, the results of the correlational analysis were mixed. Some correlations were strong and statistically significant, .80 to .95, and others were weak and in some cases negative. This may be due primarily to the small number of principals in the study, four in each group of schools. The same limitation was true for supervisors, where there were five in each group of schools. A correlation is a measure of a linear relationship between two variables. It can range from -1.00 to +1.00. The results of the statistical analysis of the three research questions using independent t-tests indicated that for principals, supervisors, teachers, parents, and community representatives, there were almost no statistically significant differences in the use of the four frames for the schools making adequate progress or for the schools at risk. All of the means indicated that the principals were judged to often use the different frames. The only exception was the human resource frame, where there was a statistically significant difference favoring principals in the schools making adequate progress. The demographics information indicated that the most qualified professionals were found in the schools making adequate progress.Item A Qualitative Case Study of the Impact of Principal Leadership and School Performance Awards on Eight Maryland Schools(2004-05-13) Strouse, Darla Fishbein; Mawhinney, Hanne; Education Policy, and LeadershipFrom 1996-2001, the Maryland State Department of Education allocated each year, $2.75 million in monetary awards to schools that made significant improvement in student achievement on the Maryland Performance Assessment Program. School performance rewards, given to 313 schools, averaged $30,000. The purposes of the awards were to reward successful schools, to encourage their continuous improvement, and to set an example for others to follow. Of the 313 schools, a limited number, eighteen, were successful in winning awards three or four times. The purpose of this qualitative case study dissertation was to obtain rich information about the leadership practices of principals that received awards for improvement numerous times and to explore and describe their perceptions about the impact of these rewards on their schools. The methodology employed involved in-depth interviews of eight principals that received rewards three or four times and an examination of supportive documentation used to corroborate interview data. The study also presents economic, demographic, and performance data on each school as well as comparative data with all schools that received awards and all schools in Maryland that participated in the state assessments and were, therefore, eligible for rewards. Descriptions of individual leadership practices before, during, and after the administration of the rewards are included, as well as an analytic cross-case analysis of patterns across the cases. Accounts of how schools used rewards money are also included. Findings point to an interrelationship between effective outcomes of the rewards program and unique leadership skills and practices employed by the principals. They suggest that the utility of a school-based performance awards program may require an environment poised for change and improvement.Item The Meaning of the Student Advisory Board Leadership Development Experience to the Student Board Members(2004-05-07) Janc, Jelena; Mawhinney, Hanne; Education Policy, and LeadershipThis case study explores the nature of leadership development framed in the relational model through the perceptions of five members of the Student Advisory Board on their development as leaders. The central research question is, How does the experience at the Student Advisory Board create meaning to Board members in their leadership development? The findings exhibit students' leadership development in three dimensions: I - understanding oneself as a leader; you - understanding others' leadership backgrounds and ideas; and we - working as a team to accomplish the Board's goals. The case study contributes to the existing research on the strategies that state-level higher education coordinating bodies can use to engage higher education students in the policymaking process. The research also creates an understanding of the meaning that public policy opportunities have on students' leadership development. Finally, the case study provides significant validation of the relational model of leadership development.