Rozprawy doktorskie na temat „Educational leadership behaviour”

The current study contributed to an understanding of the relationship between leader, follower, and organization by exploring the interactions between multi-factor models of servant leadership, destructive leadership, and employee engagement. The sample consisted of 107 self-identified employees of the service industry in the United States. Analysis included the calculation of correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression. The results indicated that servant leadership and destructive leadership are not antithetical. There was no significant relationship between courage and subordinate-directed behaviors and only forgiveness and accountability had negative relationships with organization-directed behaviors. It appeared that transparency limits opportunities for destructive leadership as the absence of empowerment and forgiveness predicted subordinate-directed behaviors, and the absence of accountability and forgiveness predicted organization-directed behaviors. Followers are engaged when provided with latitude and honest feedback regarding performance. Forgiveness was the only exception in a set of positive correlations between the factors of servant leadership and employee engagement. The servant leadership factors of empowerment, courage, authenticity, and forgiveness predicted the factors of employee engagement. The lack of significant relationships between destructive leadership and employee engagement indicate that destructive leadership can be persuasive rather than abusive. To be effective, the servant leader must provide the follower with both support and challenge to achieve positive, long-term developmental goals.

Leaders in higher education are discovering that autocratic leadership is ineffective in meeting the challenges faced by educational institutions. Through leadership styles of managers, organizations in the 21st century must create a balance between interdependence and diversity. Leaders must govern by moral principles in behavior, life, and a personal schema. This popular approach to leading with morals and ethics results in increased job satisfaction and improved job performance. Leadership decision making is most often based on the central tenets of the mission and vision of the organization.

This survey research study triangulated collected quantitative and qualitative data. A correlational research design was used for the quantitative approach to leadership styles and job satisfaction and a university student survey was used for the qualitative approach. A correlational research design was chosen to examine relationships between the explanatory variables (servant leadership and transformational leadership) and faculty job satisfaction as a response variable. Job performance was measured using quantitative and qualitative data from the University Student Survey.

Statistical findings indicated a strong positive correlation between servant leadership and transformational leadership and faculty job satisfaction. Participating faculty members demonstrated strong traits and attributes of servant and transformational leadership, correlated with positive student reviews in measuring faculty job performance.

Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative multicase study was to examine how the leadership behaviors of California school superintendents influence the implementation of educational reform initiatives in the districts they serve.

Methods. The conceptual framework of this study centers on the interrelationship between the role of the superintendent, models of educational leadership, and the context of educational reforms. The constructs will link the elements of the research process and the influence of educational reforms on the behaviors of superintendents. The conceptual framework used Fullan and Quinn’s (2016) coherence framework as a lens to examine the constructs and to determine whether superintendents are applying proven transformational and instructional leadership behaviors.

Methodology. A multicase qualitative study was used to explore how leadership behaviors of 7 superintendents influence educational reform in public school districts. The study was not bound by site or district; it investigated a contemporary phenomenon in depth and within a real-world context (Yin, 2014). Purposeful sampling was used to recruit acting superintendents in the Los Angeles and Orange County regions. The sampling criteria were (a) the superintendents served for a minimum of 3 years, (b) in a public school district, and (c) were referrals from trusted superintendent colleagues. Seven superintendents agreed to participate.

Findings. Examination of the qualitative data from the 7 interviews indicated superintendents’ leadership behaviors have influence in the implementation of educational reforms. To develop whole-system reform, superintendents must build a system for continuous improvement. Answers to 6 interview questions were carefully analyzed to provide an understanding of how superintendent leadership behaviors are influencing whole-system improvement.

Conclusions and Recommendations. The findings of this study were consistent with the coherence framework (Fullan & Quinn, 2016), which specifically identified 4 integrated components (focusing direction, cultivating a collaborative culture, deepening learning, and securing accountability) for sustainable whole-system reform. It was concluded superintendents build coherence for reform by simultaneously implementing the 4 components. The data revealed educational reform requires leaders to think holistically about the framework. While district leadership is key to influencing the outcome of whole-system change, a culture of continuous improvement is achieved with coherency and collaboration at all levels.

Teacher attrition has become a concern at local, state, and national levels. As a result, a number of researchers have examined the factors that affect teacher job satisfaction and retention. However, in spite of all the efforts in research to find a solution, problems associated with teacher attrition have not significantly improved. This study was developed to examine new teachers' job satisfaction as based on their perceptions of principals' transformational and transactional leadership behaviors. Hezberg, Maunser, and Snyderman's 2-factor theory and Burns's and Bass's transformational and transactional leadership theory guided the research questions. A convenience sample of 71 new teachers with 1 to 3 years of experience participated in this study. Instruments used to collect data for the study were the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and the Job Satisfaction Survey. Pearson product-moment correlations and partial correlational methods were employed to examine the relationships between the variables. Findings revealed statistically significant positive relationships between new teachers' perceptions of principals' transformational leadership behavior and their overall job satisfaction. Further, the findings showed that perceptions of more transactional leadership behavior were significantly and negatively related to their overall job satisfaction. Results suggest that organizational leaders who adopt the transformational leadership model and implement effective leadership practices can cultivate positive change within the organization through the development of a team-centered environment that fosters inclusion, support, growth, recognition, stability, and satisfaction.

We are experiencing powerful and exponential shifts in our economy (Schwab, 2015), marked by rapid advancements in automation, information technology, and robotics (Ford, 2016) and the displacement of millions of Americans in the middle class (Goldin & Katz, 2008; Keeley, 2015; Pew Research Center, 2015). Our current education paradigm is “no longer effective” (Zhao, 2016) to prepare students/graduates for a dynamic, volatile, and ambiguous future. These economic shifts have profound social and political impacts. In order for schools to retool and transform, trust creation will become increasingly important to school improvement efforts. The purpose of this study was to understand how teachers perceive trustworthy principal behaviors and what school practices promote trust between teachers and principals and among the teaching faculty. Using primarily a phenomenological methodology, this study examined trust-rich environments in two schools in Southern California. Two questions guided this study: What principal behaviors do teachers perceive as being trustworthy? What sorts of school practices are used to build trust among the adults in school? Teachers in this study were willing to be vulnerable with each other, to experiment with new practices, to initiate change efforts, and to engage in public problem-solving and collective decision-making. The findings suggested that teachers perceived the following three principal behaviors and school practices as important elements in creating trust: (a) Exercising Empathy and Openness, (b) Relating to Teachers as Whole People, and (c) Creating Practices of Voice and Choice. The findings suggest that we may need less industrial-style school leaders and more school leaders who are deeply empathic and skilled facilitators in leveraging the individual and collective strengths, interests, and values of their people.

Increasing complexity and rapid change associated with globalization and the knowledge economy have diminished the relevance of traditional linear models of leadership. Researchers have begun to view leadership not in terms of individuals and hierarchal exchanges but as a collective influence process among members of a group to achieve shared objectives that focus on enabling learning and adaptation in organizations rather than predicting outcomes and controlling behaviors. Complexity theory and its central phenomenon, emergence, are particularly well-suited to study both new leadership approaches and how to manage social systems at a time when prediction and control are elusive.

At the same time, institutions of higher education have come to play an increasingly important role in knowledge-based economies and as important actors in economic and human development. Leadership research and practice in higher education have not kept up with this trend, and require a new approach in order to meet the demands of a highly dynamic and disruptive environment. Generative leadership, which focuses on constructing the rules, conditions and constraints for interaction, collaboration and experimentation throughout organizations, fostering innovation and adaptation, and may be particularly well-suited for the creation, dissemination and application of knowledge in higher education. In this context, a qualitative, multiple case study design was used to explore how generative leadership might foster emergence in four initiatives designed to increase the ability to create, disseminate and apply knowledge in an institution of higher education.

Two major findings resulted from this study. The first relates to the increased incorporation of generative leadership, emergence, and complexity theory into the existing research and practice on teams. The second major finding relates to the role that the study’s results, along with the notions of generative leadership and emergence, can inform higher education pedagogy for continued transition into the knowledge age and beyond. The researcher hopes that this study, its results and findings promote a continued shift towards complexity- and emergence-based thinking to solve some of our most pressing knowledge challenges as we continue to move through a time of change and disruption. Ultimately the results and findings of this study could promote additional research on generative leadership, emergence and knowledge capacity in higher education for the benefit of local, regional and global social and economic ecosystems.

There is a need to address behavior discipline problems in special and general education setting classrooms. Disruptive behaviors are a major concern as they create excessive stress and demands for classroom teachers and school administrators to address them. Effective interventions are needed to properly address them. Moreover, classroom disruptions affect the instructional process and learning outcomes. Disruptive behaviors do not just occur in regular school classroom settings, but in After School Program (ASP) classrooms as well. After school program classrooms that operate on regular school sites are important to students, school staff, and parents. Educational researchers found that there is a lack of evidence based interventions for ASP staff to address the behavior issues that impact the quality of the service that they provide students. The purpose of this study was to assess an evidence base intervention (EBI) called the Daily Behavior Report Card (DBRC) in an ASP classroom to address disruptive behaviors and academic disengagement. A single-subject multiple baseline methodology design was used to conduct a four week intervention study of the DBRC. Three students in a third grade after school program class were observed at different times during the intervention and the ASP instructor provided behavior ratings on a report card of the student's behavior. Analysis of the study consisted of a visual inspection of direct behavior observations and DBRC rating graphs to determine if the DBRC intervention changed behavior. Study results revealed that the DBRC intervention had some impact on the participants' behavior overall but did not result in decreasing disruptive behaviors of students in the third grade after school classroom. Interviews were also conducted after the study with the participants and the ASP teacher. However, results of the qualitative data showed positive attitudes towards the DBRC as a tool for communication and collaboration among parents and school staff in the ASP setting in the future.

School accountability policies were created in response to concerns that the United States was under-performing and losing its position as an international leader in education. These policies are currently an integral part of the American educational system. The effectiveness of school accountability policies, however, remains unclear and research on how performance-based accountability is related to principal behavior is largely undeveloped. This dissertation examined the relationships between performance-based school accountability and the behaviors of school principals. Using a nationally-representative database of public elementary schools (the Schools and Staffing Survey 2003-04), this dissertation explored the associations between different aspects of performance-based educational policy on principal work engagement, supportive leadership, and shared instructional leadership. Findings suggest that most associations between performance-based rewards and interventions and principal behaviors are negligible or negative. State policy for rewards had a negative association with supportive leadership, and state policy for intervention had a negative association with principal engagement. Among schools meeting all performance goals in the previous academic year, nearly all of the associations were statistically negligible; the only significant association was that between exposure to school-wide monetary rewards and principal engagement. Specifically, exposure to school-wide monetary reward had a significant negative association with principal engagement. Among schools failing to meet all performance goals in the previous academic year, exposure to intervention was negatively related to all three principal behaviors and three associations were statistically significant. Specifically, exposure to evaluation cycle was associated with significantly less supportive leadership, exposure to reduced resources was associated with significantly less shared instructional leadership, as was exposure to school choice. The interactions with school size and school poverty varied by type of incentive and by principal behavior, and generally suggest that the relationships between policy and principal behavior are stable across different contexts. Findings from this dissertation resound previous concerns with present performance-driven school accountability policy and introduce a new point of concern into the argument against the practice. While negative associations between accountability policy and principal behaviors may not be deemed directly pertinent to the bottom line (i.e. student achievement), that the only significant relationships are negative is an important consideration and refutes the theory of action in accountability. Reconsideration of performance-based accountability is recommended, as neither reward nor intervention consistently related positively to principal behavior; state policy for reward and intervention, exposure to monetary rewards, and exposure to nearly all interventions were negatively related to at least one principal behavior.

The placement of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in school leadership roles emerged as a feature of comprehensive reform models and school improvement initiatives. Educational practitioners must verify the saliency of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) process in preparing NBCTs for school leadership, particularly how NBCTs demonstrate leadership behavior in the principalship role. These prompts inspired the central research questions of this study. How did an NBCT demonstrate leadership behavior in the principalship? What perceived role (if any) did the NBPTS process play in developing those leadership behaviors? I designed this single-case study to examine the leadership behaviors of one NBCT who ascended to the principalship.

Therefore, I investigated the influence of the NBPTS process to determine its role in developing the participant’s leadership behaviors. In my initial analysis, I applied Pitner’s (1988) conceptual path models to describe, categorize, and analyze, the leadership behaviors of the NBCT participant. These models depicted leadership behaviors as direct, mediated, reciprocal, and antecedent (DMRA). In my second analysis of the data, I pursued a thematic approach. I analyzed the data for code words and phrases that ultimately signaled the emergence of four major themes: setting the vision and mission, school and community relationships, religion, spirituality, and faith, and the 5 core propositions approach to school leadership. The four themes were instrumental in answering the central research questions of the study.

I used multiple interviews, observations, a survey, and documents to collect data. The resulting wide range of data captured a detailed picture of the participant, the school’s operations, and provided an indication of the extent to which survey respondents corroborated the participants’ perceptions. Findings indicated that the NBCT participant used each DMRA leadership approach; however those behaviors were subordinate to the five core propositions of the NBPTS. I concluded that the NBPTS process was vital to development of the participant’s knowledge relative to curricula, instruction, assessment, and reflection; all were important components of the participant’s school leadership behaviors. The findings represent a step toward confirming the unintended effect of the NBPTS process in preparing the participant for the principalship.

This dissertation study explores the association between principal leadership behavior and school climate with an end goal of impacting student achievement. Certified staff members in a large suburban Illinois school district were involved in this study. Data were collected through the use of the Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire Form XII (LBDQ Form XII) and the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (elementary OCDQ–RE, middle OCDQ–RM, and high school OCDQ–RS). All of the 10 leadership domains examined in this study showed statistically significant associations with various school climate areas. The leadership behaviors of Consideration, Integration, and Tolerance of Freedom were found to have the strongest correlations consistently across levels.

A successful superintendent once shared that, according to his research, the primary reason people remain with a company or a school is they enjoy those with whom they work. The second reason they stay? They enjoy those for whom they work. These kinds of leaders stand out in the crowd. They inspire people to work harder and improve themselves. People stay at the company or school because of them. Initially, this dissertation began as a mixed-methodology study and emerged to be qualitative in nature. The study focuses on two styles of effective leadership—transformational and servant—and whether one style has a greater impact on staff retention in elementary schools. Given the percentage of teachers who leave the profession and the impact that loss has on student achievement, elementary principals need to know effective leadership styles and how the role of the principal impacts school climate, job satisfaction, and, ultimately, staff retention. Using two Likert-scale surveys, elementary teachers determined whether their principals led with tendencies toward transformational or servant leadership. The teachers then responded to open-ended questions and personal interviews to determine the reasons behind their desire to remain at their current schools. All participants perceived their principals to lead with more of a servant leadership style than a transformational style. This led to the focus of the study shifting from a comparison of two styles to honing in on only servant leadership. The qualitative data revealed that the elementary principals can encourage staff members to remain at their schools by focusing on building relationships with others, supporting them, and being an effective communicator. Trust was also identified as a key component on how those relationships are built and sustained. Trust was also tied to how effective the support and communication was between the teacher and principal.

Leadership in the 21^st century continues to be an ongoing concern and challenge for leaders and followers alike. According to the Servant Leadership Theory (SLT), individuals with a natural desire to serve have the potential to become servant leaders, lead unselfishly, and demonstrate leadership through authenticity, humility and trustworthiness that focuses on the one-on-one relations with the follower (Greenleaf, 1977). The following research questions guided the study: (1) What are the servant leadership behaviors of GED graduates? (2) To what extent are the servant leadership behaviors of GED graduates affected by their selected demographic characteristics?

The study took place in South Texas. The GED participants (n = 75) were scholarship recipients of the Education is Our Freedom GED College Scholarship Program (EIOF). A 2-part survey instrument, the Servant Leadership Questionnaire (SLQ), was developed by the researcher. The first part was designed to measure the servant leadership behaviors, utilizing a previously published instrument. The second part was designed to collect the selected demographic characteristics of the respondents. A web-based version of the SLQ was used for the purpose of data collection, utilizing Qualtrics survey software. A series of descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used to analyze and report the data. Due to non-experimental nature of the study, no causal inferences were drawn.

The respondents were predominantly Hispanic and female, likely to be attending a 4-year university full-time and employed part-time. A typical participant was 27 years old. Analysis of the data showed that the study participants demonstrated agreement with serval leadership behaviors. Specifically, Conceptual Skills and Emotional Healing were ranked the highest, followed by Behaving Ethically, Creating Value, Helping Others Grow, Empowering Others, and Putting Others First. The behaviors were not impacted by the overwhelming majority of the respondents’ selected demographic variables that were investigated in the study. The three exceptions were age in association with Helping Others and years of attending college’s associations with Empowering Behaviors and Putting Others First.

The study’s findings are helpful in offering practical implications. For example, servant leadership training sessions can be developed for GED graduates to add to their leadership skills. Through practice of servant leadership behaviors, GED graduates may contribute to the society by giving of their time, energy, and resources to serve others. Practicing servant leadership may facilitate higher education, afford leadership opportunities within school and community, and ultimately provide a better quality of life. The GED graduates who exhibit and maintain leadership skills through authenticity, trustworthiness, and humility may likely to become exemplary servant leaders.

This study examined the relationship between school leaders’ self-reported levels of emotional intelligence and teacher perceptions of school climate in K–12 Catholic schools in Indiana. This study built upon the findings of a mixed-method study by Juma (2013) that was limited in scope and generalizability, and examined the relationship between a principal’s perceived emotional intelligence and teacher perceptions of school climate. The current study used a quantitative methodological approach and a larger sample size to enhance understanding of the relationship between school leaders’ perceptions of emotional intelligence and teacher perceptions of school climate. The Emotional Intelligence Quotient 2.0 (EQ-i 2.0) and the Organizational Climate Questionnaire (OCQ) were completed by 200 teachers and 30 school leaders in 30 K–12 Catholic schools in Indiana. This study did not find a significant relationship between a school leader’s perceived level of emotional intelligence and teacher’s perceived school climate. Prior research on these variables has been inconclusive. This study adds to the body of research examining the possible connection between a school leader’s emotional intelligence and school climate.

This descriptive study attempts to increase understanding of relationships between school contextual factors and the fostering of student prosocial development and reduced at risk behaviors among adolescent populations. Using an ethnographic design, the researcher gathered data from six rural public middle schools in Pennsylvania. Three schools with the greatest number of infractions and three with the fewest infractions per 100 eighth grade students represented both ends of the misconduct range and served as the study’s sample. Data were gathered through school site visits, primary documents, interviews of school personnel, and an on-line survey completed by each school faculty. All instruments were informed by subscale dimensions represented by the Alliance for the Study of School Climate (ASSC) School Climate Assessment Instrument (SCAI).

Cross-case analysis revealed shared patterns of behavior, beliefs, and language of middle school administrators, guidance counselors, and teachers concerning factors contributing to their respective school climates. Contextual similarities and differences among school groupings were investigated through subscale dimensions of (a) faculty relations, (b) leadership and decision making, (c) discipline and management environment, and (d) attitude and culture. A paired-samples t-test of survey data revealed statistically significant mean differences for (a) leadership and decision making and (b) attitude and culture, with these variances being particularly evident after removing one school that emerged as an outlier. Data gathered from the study’s other instruments aligned with this school’s incongruous nature to all other schools of the sample.

As technology-mediated learning continues to expand, gain critical favor, and show promise for solving a number of critical issues inherent in educating future generations, leaders of online learning (OL) units within higher education face complex challenges. It is critical that leaders of these units (1) have the right leadership skill sets to be successful and (2) are able to effectively navigate the trade-off between exploratory and exploitative innovation.

This qualitative interview study developed a holistic account of ambidexterity in OL units by reporting a variety of perspectives from different leaders. It chronicled how 10 successful OL leaders approached the task of leadership in their units and documented their approaches to the development of new products and services, as well as improvement of existing offerings and methods. The study illustrates the OL leader’s struggle to maintain strong relationships with a variety of stakeholders across the university and shows how by their understanding of the next generation of teaching and learning, these leaders have an important voice in the future of education and of the university.

The study revealed that (1) OL leaders need to focus more on the strategic aspects of education and less on technology and (2) ambidextrous leadership shows promise as an excellent model for online learning. A plethora of leadership behaviors are in use in OL units that help cultivate ambidexterity; however, the use of these behaviors is more intuitive than premeditated. Successful OL leaders like the ones interviewed understand the importance of both exploring new ways to achieve outcomes while at the same time improving upon existing methods. What is missing from the equation, however, is the intentional planning of time or work (temporal flexibility) to switch between them.

The traditional, full-time MBA program environment has become increasingly tumultuous. The many pressures facing business schools, from declining interest of applicants to the burgeoning number of schools and degree formats, have led many to predict that the model cannot continue as is and is ripe for change. Many believe consolidation in the business school marketplace is inevitable and survival is not guaranteed.

Business schools instruct students that, in today’s competitive environment, companies must be able to adapt and quickly respond to changes in the business environment. However, business schools do not seem to have practiced what they preached. Although most business schools would say that they are continuously improving the degree, they likely would agree that most of the changes have been incremental and that the traditional MBA program has remained largely unchanged since its inception. The primary purpose of this study is to explore how the full-time MBA program might be transformed by seeing how four highly ranked business schools would view innovations developed by two leading business schools and whether reengineering the educational model also transforms the business model.

There is a strongly held belief that the traditional two-year, in-person MBA will continue to be relevant but may be sustained only by the top-20 schools. The hundreds of other business schools will be forced to adapt, but the degree and urgency to which they do may vary based on their perception of the school’s standing and their willingness to challenge existing beliefs around their brand image, pride of creation, and entrenched incentives.

Change and adopting innovation do not guarantee success. Likewise, doing nothing does not guarantee failure. Change, however, is inevitable and might happen quicker than business schools anticipate because of market forces. Business schools that have the most to lose already have begun experimenting with innovation outside their reputation-based full-time program. Should the expertise built and lessons learned from this experimentation be incorporated into their full-time programs, the established schools may witness a new pecking order.

Church affiliated Human Service Organizations (CAHSOs) are drastically understudied.Consequently, the experience of their executive leaders is understudied. Information on CAHSOs and the experience of their executive leaders is often blended into general faith-based organizational research. Yet, CAHSOs play a vital role in the United States and abroad. CAHSOs are responsible for the social welfare of millions of indigent people in suffering communities. These organizations provide housing to the homeless, food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, and educational programing to at-risk youth, among many other things. These organizations, however, only function because of the expertise and work of executive leaders.

This research study used the phenomenological qualitative research method to interview executive leaders in CAHSOs. The goal of this research was to determine the challenges executive leaders face within CAHSOs and the strategies they use to overcome these challenges while gauging their definitions of success and documenting the advice these executive leaders have for others in their field. The analysis revealed various challenges including lack of financial, human, and real estate resources; unqualified staff; stressful work expectations; and strained relationships. Their strategies included measuring successes, building external networks, and leveraging religious practices. Executive leaders defined themselves by organizational performance and money. They encouraged other executives to leverage general business practices while evaluating their motives for working as an executive leader within a CAHSO. Generally, the results of this research offer insight into the challenges and celebrations of executive leaders of CAHSOs.

Data from recent national studies indicate teacher job satisfaction is decreasing. Currently, accountability-propelled media coverage is overwhelmingly critical of the educational system, in which teachers feel less appreciated, less motivated, and less satisfied. Principals can positively influence teachers’ job satisfaction when they promote growth and autonomy through increased empowerment in educational settings. As principals work with teachers in their schools, they must understand how their own leadership style impacts their teachers’ job satisfaction. This study examined the extent to which teachers’ perceptions of their principals’ servant leadership behaviors correlate with teacher job satisfaction. The population included all high school teachers in the state’s 144 public and 18 private high schools. The final sample size consisted of 76 teachers.

The study utilized two separate survey instruments to collect perceptions of principal servant leadership characteristics and of job satisfaction data. Servant leadership characteristics included accountability, authenticity, courage, empowerment, forgiveness, humility, standing back, and stewardship. Questions investigating teacher job satisfaction were broken into two categories: intrinsic and extrinsic.

Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were used to analyze the relationship between principal servant leadership behaviors and job satisfaction of teachers. Data from the surveys were evaluated for statistical significance at the .01 level. Results indicated a statistically significant relationship between South Dakota principals’ perceived overall servant leadership behavior and overall teacher job satisfaction. Data also show statistically significant relationships between each of the eight servant leadership characteristics and overall teacher job satisfaction. Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) items that focused on extrinsic job satisfaction indicated statistically significant relationships with overall servant leadership and each of the eight servant leadership characteristics. MSQ items that focused on intrinsic job satisfaction also indicated statistically significant relationships with overall servant leadership.

However, only seven of the eight dimensions of servant leadership indicated statistically significant relationships with MSQ items that focused on intrinsic job satisfaction. Finally, none of the demographic factors of teacher gender, years in education, years working with same principal, highest degree held, or school size suggested statistically significant relationships with teacher job satisfaction.

In the last few decades, the world has witnessed an unparalleled increase in human longevity, accompanied by more years of employment and declining birth rates. These unusual events have dramatically raised the portion of older employees who are still active in the global labor force. Scholars have recognized that, along with the overall aging of the workforce, older individuals will increasingly occupy leadership positions. Since the current knowledge economy promotes a globalized, competitive, and rapidly evolving educational and business environment, organizational leaders are increasingly facing challenges to keep their leadership knowledge base current. Organizational leaders must attract and retain the best human capital, competent individuals who can act strategically to move their organizations forward. Consequently, it is prudent to believe that, in order to face the new challenges of an aging workforce, organizations will require exceptional leaders to maintain a cohesive organizational system in which diverse generational cohorts may interact and work together efficiently and effectively.

Using leadership identity theory, dynamic capabilities, and the leadership trait approach as the conceptual framework, this study assessed intergenerational perceptions of the importance of seven leadership traits: intelligence, decisiveness, compassion, innovation, organization, ambition, and honesty using a national sample of almost two thousand adults in the United States representing four generational cohorts: Millennials, Generation X, Baby Boomers, and the Silent generation. This quasi-experimental quantitative study sought to identify the differences in perception of the importance of leadership traits that each of these generational cohorts may have and the interaction that gender and educational level may have on generational cohort perceptions of the importance of leadership traits.

Descriptive statistical analysis and comparative analyses including one-way and two-way ANOVA were conducted to determine any statistically significant differences in means among the differences in means of the perception of the importance of leadership traits among generational cohorts moderated by gender and educational level. Statistically significant findings for some, but not all, of the seven leadership traits included in this study were found by generational cohort and these differences were moderated by gender and educational level. Implications and recommendations for policy, practice, and future research are offered.

The purpose of this study was to determine how pastors of autonomous church congregations of 1,000 members or more describe the impact of biblical principles on their leadership in the areas of visionary leadership, communication, problem solving and decision making, personal/interpersonal skills, character/integrity, collaboration, creativity and sustained innovation, diversity, team building, and political intelligence. In this study, qualitative research methods that included interviewing pastors were used. Interviews were conducted, recorded, transcribed, analyzed, and coded for the purposes of comparison to the Transformational Leadership Skills Inventory (TLSi). The study produced data that showed alignment to pastor leadership traits and transformational leadership skills as measured by the TLSi. Results from the study can be used for training and curriculum in transformational leadership for pastors, as a tool for selecting and monitoring pastors, and to create church action plans that align to transformational leadership principles.

This study utilizes the lens of student experience to provide an understanding of how students’ behavior and attitudes are influenced by first-year college leadership programs in order to promote civic engagement. This qualitative study uses semi-structured, face-to-face, individual interviews, focus groups, and an online survey at three sites—the John Glenn College of Public Relations at The Ohio State University, the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at The University of Maryland, and The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania. The study reviews the best practices and principles of leadership in communicating and interacting with others through democratic dialogue and democratic deliberation. The focus of the study is on sophomores, juniors, and seniors who participated in first-year college leadership programs and how they express the value derived from their classroom and service-learning involvement in collective decision making and democratic settings for the common good of all. The findings contribute to understanding how colleges and universities may effectively implement their roles in the development of students as civic-minded citizens of an increasingly global community through first-year college leadership programs.

Contemporary organizational leadership scholars classify the ancient, persisting need to find one's true self as the study of authentic leadership. Authentic leadership scholarship is still very much in its infancy. There have been many calls by leading researchers to study it further in both qualitative and quantitative realms (Walumbwa, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing, & Peterson, 2008). The current study explores authentic leadership factors qualitatively, as described by leaders and constituents working in a retail sales-based environment. The qualitative methodology of grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) is used in conceptualizing and implementing the research. In-depth interviews we conducted with individuals both in leadership and non-leadership roles. For the purposes of this study the terms "non-leadership role" are operationalized as non-supervisory positions. The data collected for the study center around participants' perceptions of authentic leadership relative to their personal experience within the retail sector. In accordance with grounded theory, these areas are subject to change as the interviews developed. Data was organized in two major themes, relational and instructional, with several sub themes. Data suggested that most behaviors associated with authenticity have to do with self-awareness and that most leaders exhibited a larger sense of awareness, or situational awareness. Further study in this area should be performed to include a more diverse population, detail suggestions are made.

The attrition rate of teachers in an urban/suburban school district in a northeastern state caused schools to fail to attain annual yearly progress. To reverse this problem, administrators must understand the importance of their leadership and teacher efficacy and the need to nurture teachers to increase student performance. The purpose of this sequential mixed-methods study was to determine whether a relationship existed between leadership and efficacy. Total-population sampling was used to obtain 19 elementary and middle teachers who completed two surveys to examine the relationship between principals' behaviors (human relations, trust/decision making, instructional leadership, control, and conflict) and teacher efficacy (student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management). Survey data were analyzed using Pearson's product-moment correlations. In addition, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 3 teachers who had 5 or fewer years of teaching experience. These data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Quantitative findings indicated significant relationships between instructional leadership with teacher engagement and conflict with teacher engagement. Themes, based on the integrated model of teacher efficacy, revealed connections with the principal and support, guidance, and structure provided by the principal. Principals must focus on leadership behaviors that may increase teacher efficacy. These endeavors may contribute to positive social change when school leaders support teachers, who, in turn support students in their educational challenges to increase academic performance.

A leadership program was created for students to gain skills and/or change their behavior using Appreciative Inquiry and Video Self Modeling, VSM. In 2011a youth that experiences a disability had been unable to achieve a skill utilizing traditional methods of skill acquisition. He employed the Appreciative Inquiry and VSM leadership program and was able to achieve 100% skill acquisition. Appreciative Inquiry was used to gather information on what makes a participant who experiences a disability feel successful and the theme of the greater organization/class which was independence, provided guidance for examples of success. Videos were created showing students succeeding in activities that they have not yet achieved or participate in with low frequency. These activities were documented as a barrier to success typically in the Individual Education Plan, IEP. Viewing these videos aids the individual in achieving a goal as they viewed this desired future as the present in the majority of cases.

Change in higher education is a topic of growing urgency and national prominence. The study addressed the limited understanding through institutional theory of how a team at one traditional university interpreted its changing environment and justified adoption of an educational innovation prior to other actors in the field. This effort used the dynamics of institutional change model (Hinings, Greenwood, Reay, & Suddaby, 2004), which tracks the process of de- and reinstitutionalization to understand how change happens within the isomorphic context of the institutional theory framework. A qualitative single site case study was conducted at one leading university that had initiated a new massive open online course (MOOC)-enabled degree program, an innovation potentially disruptive to the traditional model of university education.

The study found that perceptions of an external climate of change (exemplified by the perception of disruption in the university field, technology enablers, and societal pressures) and an internal value of innovation (exemplified by larger organizational support for innovation, the college's specific value and excitement around innovation, and successful experiences with innovative efforts) were significant in the adoption of the new program. The study also found that a long list of justifications and motivations were present, including lowering cost and expanding access to education, increasing internal resources and supporting college values around research, and expanding the opportunity for personal impact and influence.

Conclusions focused on the relevancy and necessity of jolts to the change process, the unique factors that enabled actor agency in this circumstance, the importance of attaching new practice to preexisting values, and the prominent role of legitimacy as a motivating factor within institutional theory. Based on this example, suggestions for practice included supporting a value of innovation, selecting a new practice that aligns with societal issues, and identifying justifications for various audiences. Refinements in institutional theory were offered, focusing on the dynamics of institutional change model and the approach to isomorphic forces. Lastly, suggestions were offered for research, primarily around the role of the entrepreneurial actor and the pursuit of legitimacy.

This study utilized a qualitative approach to examine academic leaders’ perceptions of the impact of the changes occurring in the higher education environment on leader development and the faculty governance model. Interviews were conducted with academic leaders in four regionally accredited, 4-year, private, similarly-sized, religiously affiliated institutions in a rural region of a Midwestern state. The interviews explored the perceptions of academic leaders on the impact of changes within the context of the social construct of the higher education environment, the contextual influence on leaders and leadership development, and the faculty governance model. The results suggested that individuals socially reconstruct their environments by revisioning the challenges in the context of the mission of the institution. The results further revealed the philosophies of trust, support, mentoring, followership, and decision making as critical to shared leadership in the higher education environment. Academic leader development, the faculty governance process, and shared governance were influenced by the changes occurring in the environment. These findings have important implications suggesting the need to examine the construct of leadership in the higher education environment and academic leaders’ influence on faculty governance and shared governance. The findings also raise interesting possibilities for advancing an augmented view of leadership in the higher education environment.

The California Community College (CCC) system is the largest system of higher education in the United States, with 72 districts and 113 colleges. The CCC system exhibits statistics demonstrating success; however, as with any organization, trust, communication, and leadership play an essential role in creating stable and productive organizations. Institutions that struggle with trust within the system are often plagued with rotating administration, a breakdown in communication, and accreditation issues. Unique to CCCs is the required participation of its staff in the decision-making process, which is known as shared or participatory governance. Along with participatory governance, the stringent accreditation standards and retiring work force create a delicate situation where trust and leadership are in a state of consistent transition. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the critical components of rebuilding trust within a CCC after trust has been broken. Specifically, this study focused on the practices a CCC administrator can engage in to rebuild trust within his/her institution after trust is broken.

Based on in-depth interviews with eight CCC presidents, findings revealed that a president’s personal character, ethics, and morals are determining factors in developing and reestablishing trust within a CCC. The importance of relationship building, using multiple communication styles, and catering communication channels to target audiences played a critical role in these presidents’ ability to develop trust. Most importantly, strategic, authentic, and consistent leadership were some one of the most significant factors related to rebuilding trust within a CCC after trust has been broken. It is recommended that CCC presidents and administrators become familiar with the complex layers of CCCs, specifically with building and rebuilding trust within an institution. Additional research on the CCC presidential leadership style; the relationship among adult learning, emotional healing, and storytelling; as well as supplemental quantitative research to strengthen the external validity of this study are needed.

Postsecondary education is constantly changing and the role of the chief student affairs officer must evolve to meet the demands of the shifting social, political, and administrative needs of their student population and institution. The intent of this study was to identify the knowledge, skills, and competencies required of chief student affairs officers to be effective and successful in contemporary and future higher education contexts. To provide clarity to the obligations of the executive-level role, the study offers an understanding the complexity of chief student affairs officers’ responsibilities in a rapidly shifting postsecondary environment. Participants of the study were current chief student affairs officers who engaged in organized groups based on location, institutional type, athletic conference, or state higher education system. Through a qualitative methodology, with semi-structured, group interviews, the study allowed for data gathering from multiple chief student affairs officers at varied institutional types and locations. Data were collected from 13 focus groups with a total of 68 participants during either during established meetings or via online video conferencing.

Findings of the study contribute to the knowledge base of effective practice and preparation for successful and effective chief student affairs officers and provide evidence-based data from which to build continuing education and ongoing professional development. Recommendations are offered for individuals currently in the chief student affairs officer position, those aspiring to the role, graduate programs in doctoral education, search firms, and professional associations that provide ongoing educational offerings for executive leaders in postsecondary education.

Purpose. The purpose of this quantitative ex post facto design research study was to determine the impact of a teacher leadership professional development academy on teacher leaders’ use of the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership behaviors as measured by the Leadership Practices Inventory.

Methodology. The research was a quantitative ex post facto design.

Findings. The results of the analysis revealed a significant difference in teacher leadership behaviors before and after participation in a transformational leadership professional development academy.

Conclusions. This study responded to the call to provide teachers, administrators, districts, policymakers, and researchers new insights on transformational teacher leadership, which was deemed important to assist and develop teachers to lead or co- lead through this time of great change in education. Understanding the difference in leadership scores before and after participation in a teacher leadership professional development academy could assist teachers, administrators, districts, policymakers, and researchers to develop and set expectations for transformational teacher leadership professional development.

Recommendations. Provide teacher leaders, administrators, superintendents, and pre- service teachers with transformational leadership development on the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. Provide opportunities for 360-degree feedback with the use of the Leadership Practices Inventory in conjunction with the use of the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership.

The high stakes accountability environment in which schools currently operate demands leadership behaviors that produce enhanced student outcomes. However, school principals are often caught in a complex web of competing stakeholder demands within large bureaucratic systems. Specifically, principals must fulfill high stakes accountability mandates while also cultivating an environment that enhances stakeholder morale while maintaining the health, safety and well-being of students and faculty. This study explores the influence of transformational, transactional, and servant leadership behaviors on collective faculty trust within a high-stakes mandated testing environment using the theoretical framework of Self-Determination Theory. Additionally, this study will explore the relationship between principal leadership behavior and collective faculty trust in colleagues and collective faculty trust in the principal to gain a better understanding of leadership behavior outcomes.