Dissertationen zum Thema „Education, Community College|Education, Higher Education Administration|Education, Leadership“

This study examined the presidential leadership practices of high-performing community colleges. The purpose of this study was to better understand the intersection between leadership and high-performing community colleges in the context of a complex and challenging environment. To this end, the study examined the leadership styles of four community college presidents to determine how their leadership influences the performance of their institutions. The study included interviews of four community college presidents serving at colleges selected as winners or finalists of distinction of the Aspen Institute Community College Excellence Program. Four faculty presidents from the same colleges were also interviewed to determine their understanding of how the college president's leadership influences the performance of the institution. The researcher asked three questions related to presidential leadership and the high performance of the community college. 1) What is the relationship between leadership and high performance at community colleges? 2) What type of leadership styles and frameworks are utilized by presidents at high-performing community colleges? 3) What competencies, knowledge areas, and skills do presidents at high-performing community colleges display? The eight participants in this study were asked 12 open-ended questions pertaining to community college presidential leadership practices. Results from the studyprovide insight into the leadership of community college presidents and the high performance of their institution.

The purpose of this study is to examine a community college district Grow Your Own (GYO) leadership program in the Western United States, the Multi College Leadership Development Institute (MCLDI). The MCLDI was developed in-house for a multi-campus community college district and offered to interested employees at all position levels with the intent to provide them the opportunity to develop and enhance their leadership skills and abilities. While most leadership development literature has focused on the presidential role or other senior level positions, the aim of MCLDI is to support leadership development in general; not just for senior level positions, but for mid-level management and academic position leadership as well.

This study gathered the perspectives of all those involved, from the leaders who created the program and their experience in doing so, to the program participants and graduates. Providing the different perspectives allows for other campuses to draw from the benefits and challenges that are shared in creating their own program or for comparison to programs that already exist.

A qualitative case study approach was utilized to investigate MCLDI and its development, implementation, and the benefits and challenges experienced by the coordinators and participants. Three themes were identified from analyzing across data sources. Building organizational capacity, developing human capital, and program structure emerged throughout the data collected from interviews, observations, and document analysis and were reflected in the findings for each of the research questions.

Given that community colleges are facing an increasingly great demand for leaders who possess the core competencies necessary to lead in a turbulent environment, this quantitative study aimed to determine first, community college administrator collaborative leadership competencies, and second, the connection between the use of collaborative leadership competencies and background, leadership, and educational characteristics of community college administrators. The collaboration literature and complexity leadership theory formed the theoretical basis of this study. This research found that community college administrators are repeatedly engaging in complex collaborative initiatives. From an exploratory factor analysis, one collaborative leadership competency emerged as an internally consistent factor, representatively named Multi-Perspective Collaborative Leadership Competency. Significant predictors of this factor score, Multi-Perspective-Score, were the independent variables of position-type-president, position-type-vice-president-or-provost, position-type-dean-or-associate-dean , and highest-degree-earned-master’s. This research empirically analyzed community college administrator collaborative leadership competencies which may aid future researchers, leadership program developers, policy makers, and community college administrators in their endeavors.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts of strategic partnerships between community colleges and key stakeholders; to specifically examine strategic partnerships; leadership decision-making; criteria to evaluate strategic partnerships that added value to the institution, value to the students, faculty, staff, and the local communities; and that furthered the community college mission. One-hundred and twenty-five higher education administrators from thirty seven states and one U.S. territory participated.

The literature defined strategic partnerships in higher education (Alfred, 2006; Gajda, 2004) and highlighted the theoretical constructs of strategic management (Alfred, 2006; Myran & Howdyshell, 1994; Stahl & Grigsby 1992), leadership decision-making (Bogart, 1994; Eaton, 1988; Strauss, 1978), collaboration theory (Gray, 1989; Schroeder, 1999), negotiation theory (Faberman, 1978; Strauss, 1978), and resource dependency theory (Nienhüser, 2008; Strauss, 1982, Schwalb et al., 2011). The literature review established a basis for successful strategic partnerships.

A web-based survey was created by the author based on the literature and was reviewed by an expert panel. The sample included community college administrators, primarily College Presidents (n = 66). Data collection utilized SurveyMonkey. Data analysis was descriptive on seven research questions.

The recommendations abridged from the research study were: • Reevaluate strategic partnerships to meet the current goals outlined in the existing community college mission statements. • Modify the community college missions in the United States to be reflective of the federal mandates of accountability and degree completion. • Provide greater inquiry by community college administrators over the costs and benefits of strategic partnerships to improve selections that ratify the missions with focused emphasis on accountability and degree attainment. • Strengthen strategic partnerships that foster K-12 transitions, greater attainment of two-year degrees, and matriculation toward higher level degrees to be reflective of the higher expectations placed upon community colleges to meet the needs of diverse student populations. • Advance and strengthen models of strategic partnerships, particularly with the university, to improve the effectiveness and increase successful transfer rates and higher rates of degree completion.

Research studies have shown that one half of all students who begin college fail to realize their goals. This case study of one community college provided a comprehensive examination of best practices developed over several years through strategic enrollment planning. Additionally, this dissertation examined the decision-making processes that brought about changes through interviews and retrieval of archival documents. Both revealed an obvious path that brought about significant organizational change among departments and staff. This study may assist or provide guidance and recommendations for other institutions of higher education seeking to increase student retention.

The literature differentiates between globalization and internationalization, but views the two phenomena as inextricably linked. Globalization is defined as a set of imposing economic and political forces that demand higher education pursue increased levels of international engagement (Altbach & Knight, 2007, p. 290); and has been explained as a process accelerating the “…flow of people, culture, ideas, values, knowledge, technology, and economy across borders, resulting in a more interconnected and interdependent world” (Knight, 2008, p. x).

Internationalization is a response by higher education to manage the impact of globalization. Approaches for internationalization may involve infusing intercultural perspectives into curriculum, recruiting international students, promoting study abroad, engaging in international development initiatives, and building international partnerships (Knight, 2008, p. xi). Exploring the academic landscape, the capacity to respond to global forces by internationalizing varies considerably. Community colleges are among the institutions failing to respond. International initiatives remain marginalized on most community college campuses (Boggs, 2007; Green, 2007; Raby & Valeau, 2007).

Community colleges educate nearly 50% of U.S. undergraduates and a disproportionate share of minority, first generation, and first time in college students (AACC, 2015c). Given the inevitability of continued globalization (Altbach, 2010, 2015; Altbach & Knight, 2007; Hudzik, 2011, 2015; Knight, 1993, 1994), community college internationalization is an imperative for U.S. higher education.

The purpose of this research study was to understand how presidents assert leadership and create organizational capacity for internationalizing their public community colleges. Qualitative research methods were employed to inform the development of research questions, structure data collection, and frame the data analysis. By design, this study brought together evidence from multiple sources. A minimum of ten interviews were conducted at each site. Relevant documents were collected for analysis.

The presidents and campuses chosen and research methods allowed for a robust, in-depth examination of the president’s role in the internationalization process over a sustained period of time, but in dissimilar geographic, demographic and economic contexts. While they employed different strategies, the three presidents successfully achieved consensus among stakeholders that internationalization was an institutional imperative.

An imminent wave of community college president retirements is well-documented in the literature, which will likely contribute to a serious leadership void on American community college campuses (American Association of Community Colleges [AACC], 2013; Eddy, 2013). To address this impending leadership crisis, governing boards must focus on how to develop leaders prepared to meet the unique and increasingly complex challenges of community colleges. In keeping with Katz’s (1955) three-skill conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe trustees’ and presidents’ perceptions about the importance of technical, human, and conceptual competencies to a successful 21st-century community college presidency. In addition to data collected from in-depth, semi-structured interviews, participants ranked a list of 16 common duties of the community college president that occupy the majority of the president’s time. Based on interviews with 15 trustees and eight presidents serving at Missouri community colleges, themes were identified specific to technical, human, and conceptual competencies. Trustees and presidents similarly ranked two common presidential duties: enrollment management and state and federal relations. However, noteworthy differences in trustees’ and presidents’ perceptions were found with six common duties: budget and finance matters, faculty and academic issues, fundraising and alumni relations, governing board relations, personnel and human resources, and strategic planning. Implications for practice were discussed specific to the trustee-president relationship, community college president competencies, institutional fit, succession planning, and the impact of underprepared trustees on the 21st-century president’s success and the institution’s effectiveness.

This two-phase sequential mixed methods exploratory study examined the perceived skill deficits of instructional deans at California community colleges to better understand the training and development needs that are necessary to support dean success and to prepare them for advancement in a timelier manner. This study is grounded in the theoretical framework of social constructivism and system dynamics. The literature indicates a need for competent leaders in the hiring pipeline to fill the predicted vacancies of the baby boomer generation in California community colleges. Despite the ongoing warnings in the literature for the past decade, little has been done to prepare future leaders for the mass exodus of senior administration. Further, given the structured path to senior administration, very little research has been conducted on mid-level administrators despite the critical role that they play in day-to-day college operations and the fact that mid-level administration is the accepted training ground for senior leadership positions. This study focused specifically on instructional deans, who make up a large portion of mid-level administrators. Perceptions were elicited from California community college instructional deans, senior administrators, and faculty. Results indicated that, overall, all three constituency groups interviewed and surveyed generally agreed on the skills required to be an effective instructional dean. However, there were frame gaps in perceptions, based on the position of the respondent, when it came to identifying instructional dean skill deficits, training provided for deans, and support. Additional findings indicated that on-the-job training is the most common form of instructional dean training used by colleges.

There have been multiple studies regarding the levels of satisfaction or self-efficacy of adjunct faculty members; however, there have been few studies examining possible differences between adjuncts who have a positive desire to remain at their jobs and those who reluctantly remain. Secondary institutions are increasingly employing part-time adjunct staff in higher numbers and understanding the job satisfaction and self-efficacy of this changing workforce is valuable. The purpose of this quantitative, descriptive, and causal comparative study was to describe the levels of job satisfaction and self-efficacy of reluctant and enthusiastic stayers, as described in proximal withdrawal states theory, and identify differences between these groups among adjunct faculty at community colleges across California. Forty-seven participants self-reported their job satisfaction, teaching self-efficacy, and desire to remain on the job. Adjuncts respondents were grouped into those who are reluctant stayers and enthusiastic stayers, and found to differ in reported satisfaction and dissatisfaction in aspects of their jobs. While both groups expressed dissatisfaction in pay and opportunities for promotions, significant differences were found in the average responses between the two groups, with reluctant stayers reporting lower levels of job satisfaction and self-efficacy than enthusiastic stayers. Implications from the findings include steps that should be taken by administrators to improve levels of satisfaction of adjuncts. Future research should explore aspects of these findings with random studies with larger sample sizes. The information gleaned from the study should be a starting point for additional research into how job satisfaction and teaching self-efficacy differ between those who are reluctant stayers and enthusiastic stayers among adjunct faculty.

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover and describe how Latina community college administrators utilize the four elements of Cultural Intelligence (CQ) to provide leadership in their organizations.

Methodology: The phenomenological qualitative approach was used to describe the utilization of cultural intelligence of 10 Latina community college administrators to provide effective leadership in their organizations. The researcher conducted in-depth interviews to gain insight into participants’ leadership behaviors outlined in the study’s purpose. An examination of the data collected revealed patterns and themes.

Findings: Examination of study participants’ interviews resulted in 10 themes and 411 frequencies among the 4 elements of Cultural Intelligence. Twelve key findings were discovered based on the frequency of mentions made by the study participants.

Conclusions: The 12 key findings were summarized as four conclusions, one for each Cultural Intelligence element. Latina leaders in this study stressed the importance of knowing your purpose; remembering your personal story and being empathetic; honoring and respecting everyone; asking questions; learning from one another; becoming advocates of change; helping to pave the way for others; checking themselves regularly; knowing your audience and adapting accordingly; practicing self-awareness; and remaining student-centered.

Recommendations: Further research examining the role that cultural intelligence (CQ) plays in Latina leadership within community colleges could provide insight into the positive aspects of culture that possibly influence Latina leadership effectiveness.

American community colleges are facing the dual dilemma of replacing the increasing number of presidents who are retiring, and promoting more diversity among their successors. Mentoring is viewed as a way of helping minority faculty and administrators acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to advance successfully into senior leadership roles. This study utilized a mixed-methods phenomenological approach to explore the differences in the perceptions of preparedness for their first presidency among Black/African-American community college presidents, who were mentored through an afro-centric leadership development program; other formal, national leadership programs, or mentored informally. The study was framed by five research questions exploring possible differences in participants’ backgrounds, career paths, and perceived impact of mentoring. Survey findings revealed few demographic differences among the respondents. Themes emerging from qualitative interviews of 12 randomly selected presidents indicated differences in perception regarding the impact of the psychosocial and career development aspects of mentoring in preparing for the presidency. The study identified the importance of context in determining the types of mentored relationships, and may offer insights regarding the role of mentoring in developing future minority presidents.

Although Black women have made progress in securing administrative positions, historically, they remain underrepresented at the highest levels in American postsecondary institutions (Hamilton, 2004; Howard-Vital & Morgan, 1993; Moses, 1989). Lack of networking, few positive role models, and inadequate mentoring are reasons cited as explanations as to why African American women have limited opportunities for career advancement (Searby & Tripses, 2006). Many Black female mid-level administrators currently face limited opportunities for career advancement due to inadequate opportunities to interact within the greater context of the academy by virtue of their history, race and gender (Collins, 2001).

This qualitative, phenomenological study examined mentoring relationships associated with African American female mid-level administrators' career development experiences, including the relevance of the mentor's race and gender. Additionally, issues of barriers and challenges as well as sources of support were examined. Thirteen African American females who worked in the California Community College System with titles of director, assistant dean, associate dean, and dean participated in face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. The findings indicated that African American female mid-level administrators preferred informal mentor relationships to formal mentor relationships. While the race and gender of the mentor was not a factor, psychosocial support was preferred from mentors over career development support. Findings also determined that numerous barriers prevented the mid-level administrators from advancing in their careers. Black Women's Support networks are necessary and offer tools for the survival of the African American female mid-level administrator.

Problem: Paramedic educators have a short time frame (840 didactic/laboratory plus 500 clinical/internship hours) and limited resources to prepare their students to have competent clinical skills, safe medical practice, and appropriate leadership and teamwork skills. New learning approaches including simulation, audiovisual feedback, and structured debriefing have been suggested as a way to meet this challenge within paramedic education. While some individual components have been studied, no study has examined these three technologies together in paramedic training programs. The overarching research question that guided this study was: What and how do paramedic students learn in a high-fidelity healthcare simulation program that includes audio/video and instructor-facilitated feedback?

Method: The investigation was a mixed methods study; however, the study tended towards qualitative methods primarily using intrinsic case study methodology based on the work of Yin and Stake. The investigation reviewed the outcomes achieved through the use of high-fidelity healthcare simulation coupled with audio-visual feedback, when implemented within a paramedic education program. A variety of data was collected including audio-visual recordings of briefs, simulations, and debriefs, multiple student documents and logs, and copious researcher notes and documents.

Results: The simulation laboratory was a realistic, safe, controlled setting allowing students to make autonomous decisions without potential harm to human life as a consequence of errors. Simulation technology augmented traditional clinical experiences by providing more uniformity of experiences between students, providing less familiar clinical experiences, and acting as a time-efficient method for achieving deficit competencies. In evaluating student skill performance, simulation provided better quantified measures and observation accuracy.

Leadership skills were developed in simulation by taking advantage of safe learning aspects; an environment to learn from mistakes which used leadership skill autonomous practice. Participation as a leader and follower allowed the learner a better understanding of the leadership role when exposed to well-crafted scenarios. Simulation was a unique methodology facilitating safe learning from errors committed by students, a result of knowledge gaps within individual learning. Simulation was unlike traditional learning methods such as lecture, laboratory, or clinical experiences.

The facilitator/debriefer assisted the paramedic in learning within the simulation environment by: creating a safe learning environment, helping learners identify what knowledge was needed, reinforcing identified needed learning, assisting participants to identify correct actions in response to individualized errors, and promoting learner reflection. A debriefing provided the environment whereby the bulk of learning took place in the simulation experience. The simulation environment contributed to student growth in three domains (cognitive, psychomotor and affective) of learning identifying knowledge or performance gaps for students in the specific practice of assessment, leadership, treatments, planning, evaluation, situational awareness, communications, and teamwork. Simulation provided an alternate method for achieving clinical experiences not available in the actual setting. During the debriefing, the audio-visual feedback and interactive probing procedures worked together to promote student learning. The audio-visual component provided a "big picture" viewpoint for the learner used by the debriefer during interactive probing to help students identify errors and alternate actions.

A learning model was constructed which represented how students learn. The use of simulation allowed the participant to determine unknown knowledge gaps from previous learning through processes of simulation experience, identification during debriefing, and reflection on alternate-decision pathways. Learning occurred in learning process conclusion: the application of alternate pathways in behavior. The learning process has been summarized in a simulation learning model presented in this study. The simulation learning model is applicable for cognitive, affective, and psychomotor elements.

Within the study, analysis developed emergent themes. Emergent themes included: Context Is Vital, We Often Don't Know What We Don't Know, Learning From Mistakes, Learners Must Have a Safe Learning Environment, Learning Lessons From Other Industries, and Teaching Leadership Challenges for Paramedics.

Conclusions and Recommendations: Students often don't know what they don't know in individualized previous learned knowledge; thus, a learning mechanism is required, such as simulation with facilitated debriefing interactive audiovisual feedback. Simulation technology acts as a safe and non-threatening environment to allow learning from mistakes without a human cost. Valid fidelity healthcare simulations augment traditional clinical experiences by providing unfamiliar virtual realities in a uniform way to strengthen the participants' overall experience repertoire. This study recommends that the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) industry, educators, and policy makers establish standards requiring simulation learning within initial training programs to decrease the potential for loss of human lives as a result of human error.

In 2010, the United States ranked fourth among the Organization for Economic Development member-nations in overall educational attainment. This has been attributed to the lower rates of sub-baccalaureate degree and certificate completion for students attending public community colleges, especially Black and Hispanic who attend these colleges in increasingly higher proportions than other racial and ethnic groups. The purpose of the current study was to determine if specific fixed, compositional, and financial characteristics of community colleges have a significant influence on the success rates gaps between White students and their Black and Hispanic peers. This seminal exploratory study used a quantitative correlational prediction design and a hierarchical multiple regression technique to show the relationships between these characteristics and the success rate gaps for Black and Hispanic students attending community colleges in Florida and Texas. The researcher found that these characteristics had minimal correlation with the success rate gaps between these students, with the exception of Black students attending community colleges in the state of Texas. Hispanic students showed a widening gap in both states during the decade of data analyzed for the current study. The findings would suggest that a different set of quantitative factors, and even qualitative information, should be explored to determine what institutional characteristics had a significant influence the success rate gaps between majority and minority students attending two-year colleges in Florida and Texas. Keywords: Blacks, community colleges, educational attainment, Florida, graduation rates, Hispanics, institutional characteristics, minorities, student success, success rates, Texas, transfer rates.

A college education offers people social and economic benefits, yet youth from foster care backgrounds are less likely than their peers to attain a college education, which places this already vulnerable population at higher risk for a lifetime of living on the margins of society. Foster alumni face multiple obstacles to accessing and persisting in higher education. To facilitate and support the success of this frequently overlooked population, professionals in higher education need to understand these obstacles. Little is known about the experiences of youth with foster care backgrounds as they transition into and through higher education. Although existing research has reported the academic, health, and social effects of having been in foster care, little is known about why foster alumni do not persist in higher education. This study used student-development theory, specifically Schlossberg’s transition theory, Tinto’s theory of student departure, and Bourdieu’s work on social and cultural capital to provide a conceptual framework through which to view the lived experiences of youth with foster care backgrounds. Because, for many youths with foster care backgrounds, the pathway to the baccalaureate degree is through a community college, this study examined and explored the transition experiences of foster alumni about to begin or currently enrolled at an Oregon Community College. The study explored the factors that challenge and facilitate foster alumni persistence towards the attainment of a college degree.

Administrators of 2-year colleges are working in an environment where they seek to balance the social development of the student and the community’s demand for a trained workforce to achieve economic development. This balance has resulted in ambiguity about the mission and purpose of 2-year colleges. The purpose of this case study was to explore a community college’s experiences with mission change by exploring the interaction between a neoliberal public policy environment and the traditional social democratic mission of academia. Harvey’s conceptualization of neoliberalism was used as the theoretical framework. Data were collected through 15 semi-structured interviews with members of college leadership, faculty members, staff, and members of the college’s advisory council. Other data included documentation about policy, mission, and publicly available documents related to the mission change at the institution. These data were deductively coded, and then subjected to content analysis. Key findings indicated that the college initially stalled in the mission change process, and as a result, identified alternative pathways to achieve the goals of career-relevant training the neoliberal environment demanded. In this sense, the perspective of academic capitalism was born from necessity for self-reliance and illustrates the commonality of finding entrepreneurial solutions. The implications for positive social change include recommendations to leaders of 2-year colleges on managing mission change in a way that responds to the needs of the college community while retaining the relevance of students’ social development.

Community college trustees are critical to the success of the organization and the students they serve because they provide the voice of local needs in alignment with the college mission. Community college trusteeship in California is vital given the changing student demographic, the growing number of Latinos enrolled, and their need for responsive institutions. The diversity of the board is therefore critical to ensuring that the diverse needs are being met. However, little is known about the lives of California's community college trustees and how they transform educational settings.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to shed light on the personal, educational, professional, and trusteeship journey of five Chicana/Latina trailblazers, the first Chicana/Latinas to be elected to their district. Using testimonio methodology to give voice to this group of women, this study is set in the Chicana Feminist Epistemological stance, which put these participants in the center of this study, providing the participants an opportunity to co-create knowledge, and allowed the researcher to apply the use of Chicana intuition, to guide the study design. The theoretical framework, Latino Critical Theory (LatCrit) was used as the analytical lens exposing raced, classed, and gendered experiences in the school setting. Through the use of a LatCrit lens, this study exposed the participant's experiential knowledge, critical to their successful navigation oftheir trusteeship, creating more responsive institutions.

The findings reveal that these participants, as a collective, felt the trauma of the race, class and gendered experiences in the educational setting. These experiences shaped their worldview. Nonetheless the women developed aspirations to become educators and these aspirations led them to college where they were able to move beyond internal oppression by developing a social consciousness and develop a Chicana identity. These experiences led them to social activism, which served as the path to community college trusteeship. They became the first Chicana/Latina community college trustees in their district, taking a seat at the dais and it is there that these trailblazers created a legacy of inclusion and transformed the educational setting.

This study asked two primary questions: (1) to what extent do distance learners find value in student support services; and (2) is there a relationship between the value placed on student support services and students’ sense of belonging in the university’s learning community? Value was defined as the frequency of use, importance, and satisfaction with student support services.

The participants in the study were drawn from undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in one or more online courses in a Catholic University in Pennsylvania’s accelerated adult learning program. These students were taking at least 80 percent of their formal instruction online, and were enrolled in the spring and/or summer sessions of 2016.

The research was conducted using a quantitative correlation research design. The variable of value in student support services was measured using a web-based survey assessing the respondents’ frequency of use, perceived importance, and satisfaction with 14 student support services. The variable of online students’ feelings of connection to the wider university community was measured using the Social Connectedness subscale of the Campus Connectedness Scale. To examine the relationships between the perceived value of student support services and respondents’ sense of belonging, a Pearson correlation coefficient was computed for total use of support services, total perceived importance of support services, and total satisfaction with the total sense of belonging scores.

The findings revealed a positive correlation between the extent that distance learners used and were satisfied with the student support services and the students’ sense of belonging in the learning community. However, sense of belonging did not significantly correlate with the perceived importance item. The combined results of this study demonstrate that online learners use and satisfaction with student support services had a positive impact on these students’ sense of engagement and belonging in the institution as a whole.