Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Education, Community College|Education, Educational Psychology|Sociology, Organization Theory'

This study explored the conditions and outcomes of student transformational learning (TL) in a semester-long community college work placement context. Thirty-five interdisciplinary students participated in an appreciative inquiry survey and interview protocol. 31% experienced a high degree of TL, reporting nearly twice the degree of change as low TL students and also exhibiting multiple TL outcomes. They exhibited self-growth, changed frame of reference, confidence, new behaviors and habits, and also described an emergent sense of hope, empowerment, and new possibilities. Positive emotions were the strongest differentiator of high versus low TL. The professional learning context, work culture, and relationships facilitated the greatest impact for high TL. Financial aid was the only personal condition of significance. Leveraging new workplace experiences to catalyze authentic learner capabilities as characterized by TL, offers promising potential for educators and employers alike to build sustainable future capacity. Continued TL research should explore positive, holistic methodologies.

Community college student support services are an important aspect of success among community college students. Theoretical and empirical models of organizational politics and withdrawal guided the expectation that community college employees who perceive their organizations as political may withdrawal from their organization, diminishing the services delivered to students at the institution. A multisite cross-sectional survey design was utilized to gather quantitative data via Survey Monkey from national professional organizations. Two-hundred seventeen usable surveys from community college administrators (executive, mid-level managers, and administrators) were gathered. Data were analyzed via correlation and regression models to examine if political skill reduced or moderated the relationship between perception of organizational politics and work withdrawal behaviors. Employee political skill was a partial antidote, reducing the effect of organizational politics on withdrawal behaviors, but there was not a significant interaction moderating effect. Recommendations include political skill training for community college administrators as part of their professional development program, as well as including graduate education components and new employee orientation programs. Such training could lead to positive social change in community college settings by increasing levels of service and job satisfaction and reducing attrition among community college administrators, leading to higher levels of community college student satisfaction and graduation rates.

In this companion dissertation findings are reported of applied case study research on four community college organizational units that consistently meet or exceed standard performance measures. Ample prior evidence confirmed that performance extended significantly beyond what might be explained by available tangible resources alone. The case study contexts are common in higher education in general: a) an external partnership, (b) an ad hoc team, (c) a traditional, cross-divisional service unit, and (d) a grant-funded student service unit. Emerging positive organizational theory and research shows promise for revealing performance-influencing phenomena and behaviors that are not adequately represented in standard measures. Therefore, this collaborative case study research was designed to explore positive influences on the success of the four community college units. The companion dissertation consists of three manuscripts. Chapter 2, a technical report, is a collaboratively-written synthesis of findings from the four individual case studies. Key findings across the units suggest the influence on performance of: (a) a people-first culture, (b) authentic, trusting, inclusive leadership, and (c) resource richness beyond constrained tangible resources. In Chapter 3, the author presents in journal article format one of the case studies that contributed to the findings reported in Chapter 2. The academic library chosen for this research serves an urban community college campus near the geographic center of its city. The research asks how the library consistently performs well despite severe budget and staffing constraints and a series of disruptive events. Key findings in Chapter 3 include the following influences on performance: (a) valuing people and building relationships; (b) a culture of service that shares duties, resources, and expertise; and (c) leadership that effectively translates formal goals into an enabling matrix of behaviors and phenomena. In Chapter 4, a scholarly narrative, the author reflects on transformative aspects of the doctoral experience on learning and life. Practical recommendations are offered. Additional research is needed to explore causal relationships, how to influence greater resource amplification, and how to increase awareness of positive organizational dynamics.

Although the major responsibility for community college governance falls to presidents and administrators, researchers have recognized the integral role of faculty in governing higher education institutions. Few studies, however, have explored the effectiveness of contributions of faculty elected to community college academic senates. The purpose of this research was to investigate the background traits and leadership skills of elected academic senate presidents in order to identify both their perceptions of themselves as leaders and the perceptions of other faculty senate members. This study was based in the theory of transformational leadership in organizations and its impact on the effectiveness of organizations. The research question for this quantitative study focused on the extent to which the elected academic senate presidents' background and leadership traits affect the performance of faculty senates. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Form 5X; MLQ 5X) and supplemental demographic data were used with faculty at the 112 community colleges in a western state to measure the relationship between leadership behavior and organizational effectiveness. Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation and z and t tests. Results indicated that there is a significant relationship between senate presidents who were transformational leaders and more effective in leading faculty senates. The implications for social change include informing community college faculty senates and their presidents about effective leadership styles and skills and providing resources to improve faculty governance. The anticipated results are improved college governance, enhanced college service to their communities, and enriched education for their students.

In order to explore recruitment methods for attracting undergraduate underrepresented minority (URM) students to the sciences, an applied intervention involving the manipulation of the construct of interest was implemented. Using Bridges to the Baccalaureate--a scientific research program available to community college URM students--as the context for the intervention, I redesigned the original recruitment brochure into two new brochures: one designed to catch interest and one designed to catch interest as well as hold it. Largely attributable to inherent limitations of applied research, no differences were found between the number of applications submitted the year the intervention was implemented compared to the previous baseline year, nor were any differences found between the number of applications submitted by students who received the interest brochure compared to those who received the utility value brochure.

Research on employee engagement revealed a positive correlation between employee engagement and positive business outcomes. Within a university setting, positive business outcomes can be measured and demonstrated through higher-than-benchmarked employee engagement, student engagement, and student retention. To effect these desired outcomes, the literature revealed the need for employees to work together; to be fully invested in their work; and to advance the university’s mission, vision, and core values towards positive student success outcomes. There is a full complement of research regarding employee engagement, student retention, and student engagement as specific topics within the literature. A deficiency in the literature existed concerning the correlation of these topics as one body of research. This study examined these interrelated topics within a large, private, not-for-profit research university setting. Principal components analysis and logistical regression were used to determine the relationship between student engagement and student retention, the relationship between employee engagement and student retention, and to determine if employee engagement and student engagement predict student retention. Study results suggested that student engagement alone was not a statistically significant factor in predicting retention at the research setting. However, employee engagement was associated with student retention at the university level. When analyzed together, both student engagement and employee engagement were revealed as a statistically significant predictor of student retention at the university level.

Escalation of commitment is an individual's persistent behavior at sustaining commitment to an original decision or course of action. Although researchers have found that personality impacts escalation of commitment behavior, this study addressed a gap in escalation of commitment behavior regarding personality in higher education, which has consistently been ignored. Building on the self-justification theory, this study was an investigation of (a) whether perceived self-efficacy and dispositional optimism individually predicted escalation of commitment behavior; and (b) whether perceived self-efficacy and dispositional optimism jointly predicted escalation of commitment behavior after controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and tenure. Hierarchical regression was performed using a sample of 76 participants from a community college in Minnesota. Results suggested that only perceived self-efficacy will predict leaders' escalation of commitment behavior and not dispositional optimism. The result of this study has implications for positive social change by aiding effective leadership decision making, enabling better screening and recruiting process, and allowing organizations to develop specific training and intervention programs that will help educational leaders utilize their positive attributes appropriately.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Antioch University, 2010.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed March 26, 2010). Advisor: Al Guskin, Ph.D.. "A dissertation submitted to the Ph.D. in Leadership and Change program of Antioch University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2010."--from the title page. Includes bibliographical references (p. 258-265).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Antioch University, 2008.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed March 26, 2010). Advisor: Carolyn Kenny, Ph.D. "A dissertation submitted to the Ph.D. in Leadership and Change program of Antioch University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2008."--from the title page. Includes bibliographical references (p. 147-153).

abstract: The number of community college honors programs has significantly increased since the 1980s. This study analyzes qualitative data collected from employee, student, and faculty participants associated with a community college honors program in the western United States during the months of April 2011 and January-March 2012. Using a theoretical framework derived from literature on Institutional Isomorphism and Academic Capitalism, this work explores the motivations behind the creation of a community college honors program, the implementation of the program, and the program's effects on the micro-level experiences of those affiliated. The data analysis reveals that the motivations for the incorporation and continuation of the Honors Program are driven by hopes of improving the college's reputation and attracting new funding sources for its academic programs. These findings are consistent with arguments about Institutional Isomorphism and Academic Capitalism. However, consistent with literature on program implementation, I identified barriers in the form of staff and student perceptions that impede Honor's program conformity to ideal standards. I refer to this finding as "incomplete isomorphism."
Dissertation/Thesis
M.A. Sociology 2012