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How Leadership Occurs in a Loosely Coupled, Multi-Stakeholder System
Get PDFAs the world continues to evolve towards more collaboration and cooperation among stakeholders, challenging established hierarchies and systems, leadership is called upon and questioned. The purpose of this research was to understand the leadership phenomena in a loosely coupled, multi-stakeholder system. The researcher employed qualitative methods using grounded theory and gathered data through a series of in-depth interviews, ethnographic observations, personal leadership experiences and reflections, focus groups, and theoretical sampling. Constant comparative analysis produced four major categories of leadership phenomenon: the why, the what, the how, and the who. Grounded in the experience of research participants, the developed theory explains that acts of leadership happen at the system level, the core group level, the coalition of the willing level, and the founding members level (the “we”). A small group of people (the “who”) utilize the processes of influence (the “how”), self accountability (the “what”), and moral responsibility (the “why”) to carry out the purpose of the system and maintain the values of collaboration. The loosely coupled, multi-stakeholder system acts as a living organism that interacts with the external environment and internal resources to accomplish its purpose. The four dimensions of the system (the why, the what, the how, and the who) interplay and interact with each other in a dynamic, cyclical fashion where four levels of leadership are enacted by individual actors: taking responsibility, inviting to collaborate, forming and sustaining the “leadership” team, and balancing chaos and order
Instructors’ Perceptions of the Opportunities and Challenges of Integrating Technology in Crisis- Prompted Online Language Instruction in the Times of COVID-19
Get PDFABSTRACT This mixed-method study investigated higher education language instructors’ experiences during the pivot from face-to-face teaching to online teaching during the stay-at-home order in the Spring of 2020. Eleven participants discussed their approach to teaching online for the first time. The present study provided a comprehensive view of language instructors\u27 use of technology, their experiences, challenges, and lessons learned during this time of online teaching. The findings from this study revealed several themes. In regard to challenges, faculty were concerned about ways to adapt technology, enhance student-instructor interaction, allocate time, and enhance student participation. For the opportunities, participants discussed ways to create a sense of community in the synchronous online classroom and effective ways to communicate with their students despite the lack of physical proximity. Participants’ final recommendations included evaluating their current instructional strategies and taking advantage of learning opportunities in their workplace. An analysis conducted using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) and Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition (SAMR) frameworks provided insight on how language instructors pivoted to teaching online amid a global pandemic. Each of the CoI presences offered an overview of how language instructors used different approaches to teach online. Similarly, the present study revealed that most class activities used during this time remained at the substitution level in the SAMR framework. This study concluded with recommendations for future research and specific recommendations for online language instructors. Keywords: COVID-19, higher education, online language instruction, Community of Inquiry, SAMR, social presence, cognitive presence, teaching presence, language instructors, language teaching, Zoom, challenges, opportunities, recommendations, student-instructor interaction, time, student participation, community, communication, instructional strategies, learning opportunities, effective online instruction, online language learning communities
Building a Culture of Compassion in Social Service and Academic Settings
Get PDFThis banded dissertation explores building a culture of compassion within social work agencies and the academy. Compassionate care of the self and others is a basic element that is required for employee success within social service agencies and the academy. This success has a lot to do with fostering self-care practices among the employees. For too long social workers have experienced burnout and many hardships that come from secondary trauma. Such traumas have much to do with the nature of work or services they provide. Self-care and care of others (compassion) are primary means by which social workers alleviate possible/imminent burnout. In this banded dissertation, compassion in general and building a culture of compassion within employment settings is considered through the lens of Viktor Frankl’s view of suffering and the “will to meaning”, Catholic Social Teaching, the NASW Code of Ethics, and the Christian scriptures. Further, the human person is viewed as personal, social, independent, and interdependent. Due to this integrated paradox, it is essential that self-care and care for others be explored as indispensable needs within the workplace, hence this banded dissertation. This banded dissertation consists of three products. The first product is a Scholarly Personal Narrative in which the author explored his experience of compassion in social service agencies and the academy. Therefore, the paper is informed by this author’s experience of “agency culture”, the culture of the academy and the promotion of self-care and productivity. Findings from the explorative inquiry exposes self-care as an individualistic approach which by itself is not sufficient to solve systemic/cultural problems in an agency and/or the academy, while productivity is a utilitarian approach applied to human issues that dehumanizes the interaction between social workers and their colleagues and clients. The author thus contends that creating a culture of compassion is an essential element that agencies and the academy need to include if they wish to decrease social worker burnout and the negative impact of vicarious trauma and increase longevity. The second product used a qualitative study in which the author explored the following question: to what extent does a culture of compassion exist in professional social work settings from the perspective of a sample of social workers working primarily in agency and academic settings? The study was based on an open-ended survey of a small sample of social workers in the United States. A total of 20individuals completed the survey. The survey results were initially analyzed using open codingand then axial coding, whichhelped to form and categorize the major themes (Engel & Schutt, 2017; Padgett, 2017). Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis method in which this author readallthe responses to the survey and recorded similar themes (Engel & Schutt, 2017; Padgett, 2017). From this analysis, 12themes emerged with four overarching themes identified and recorded. One of the majorthemes regarding compassion from the respondents was that compassion is viewed as thinking, feeling, and acting with and on behalf of the other person. Another two-part theme resulting from the survey was that self-care is individualistic and a compassionate workplace culture is collective in nature while respecting the individual.Additionally, the participants indicated that there are internal and external factors that lead to burnout. Overall, findings from the study showed that creating a culture of compassion is an essential elementthat agencies need to include if they wish to decrease social worker burnout and the negative impact of vicarious trauma and increase longevity. The third product is a conference workshop that the author presented at theNorth American Association of Christians in Social Work(NACSW) Conference in Novemberof 2020. The focus of the presentation was on the second product of this Banded Dissertation.Keywords: culture of compassion, self-care, productivity, agency culture, burnou
Agents of Healing and Inspiration: Preparing Students for Service in Social Work
Get PDFPreparing students for service in social work requires investment in students, both professionally and personally, to ensure that they are ready to meet the demands of practicing social work in complex and challenging times. This banded dissertation examined what social work students need from social work higher education programs beyond the competencies in the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (CSWE, 2015) to be prepared to carry out the mission of social work. It focused on preparing students in the areas of culture, climate, and content: to meet the social service needs of marginalized and oppressed cultural communities; to practice in a conflictual and complex social climate; and to gain the knowledge needed to address the real issues of clients.
The first product is a conceptual paper focusing on culture and what Native American students have identified they need to be successful in higher education.
The second product is a research study using both a scholarly personal narrative and a thematic systematic review to identify the personal character traits in social workers that empower clients.
The final product is a teaching note with activities that teach baccalaureate students how to incorporate the elements of healing and resiliency into work with clients recovering from trauma. These three products suggest ways in which social work programs can enhance student learning to prepare students to be agents of healing and inspiration through the mission of social work in a changing social climate
Cockeyed Happy: Ernest Hemingway\u27s Wyoming Summers with Pauline
No full textDetails Hemingway\u27s lesser-known excursions to the mountain and river landscapes of Wyoming for writing, escape, and recreation. The working vacations spanned roughly ten years, from 1928 to 1939. Frames the narrative by focusing on Hemingway\u27s relationship with his second wife, beginning with the birth of their first child together (Patrick Hemingway, 1928), and ending as the marriage is breaking up. Includes archival photographs that recorded friendships, cabin accommodations, and fishing and hunting successes
South Asian Muslim American Stories on Help-Seeking: Influences of Religiosity, Acculturation, and Discrimination
No full textMuslims in the United States face a number of stressors as a result of acculturation and discrimination. However, this population underutilizes professional mental health support (Aggarwal, 2016; Interian, 2013; Gottesfeld, 1995). While literature exploring the mental health needs of Muslim Americans is increasing, research and psychotherapy applications on various cultural groups within the Muslim community remains limited. Muslim Americans are understood as one homogenous group in psychotherapy literature when Islam is a multidimensional religion that is understood and practiced differently and influenced by the cultural context of the individual (Ahmed, 2007; Hassan, 2007). This study explored the help seeking behaviors of South Asian Muslim Americans. Through participant stories, this study examined the cultural and religious influences on these help-seeking preferences. Narrative inquiry was utilized to understand the stories told by ten South Asian Muslim Americans. Through thematic analysis, several themes were identified that suggested that South Asian Muslims acknowledged the benefit of utilizing therapy but experienced barriers that resulted in underutilization (Leong & Kalibatseva, 2011). Findings provide insight into barriers to seeking professional support and religious and cultural issues among this population. Recommendations for psychotherapists to utilize when working with South Asian Muslim Americans and future directions are included
1700 years of Jewish Life in German-Speaking Lands
No full textstories of migration, in- and exclusion, acculturation, persecution, and resilience characterizing Jewish life in Europe over two millennia
The year 2021 marks the 1700th anniversary of a Roman imperial edict representing the first historical evidence of Jewish life in the territory of modern-day Germany. The Leo Baeck Institute (LBI) is marking the anniversary with its Shared History Project, an online exhibition of 58 objects revealing how interwoven the lives of Jews and non-Jews have been over these nearly two millennia. LBI\u27s Director of Communications and Programs, David Brown, will present the Shared History Project at the opening of a related poster exhibition in the Iversen Center for Faith at the University of St. Thomas. His remarks will focus on how the objects were selected to tell stories of migration, exile, inclusion, exclusion, daily life, achievement, persecution, and exile, and how these topics are relevant not only to Jewish history, but to contemporary life in all diverse, pluralist societies. Brown will also offer a deeper look at a handful of iconic objects and the collections where they are preserved. From a portrait of one of Germany\u27s most famous feminists to a dress worn on a Paris stage at the turn of the 20th century to East Germany\u27s ubiquitous Schwalbe motorbike, the objects\u27 connections to Jewish history are not always obvious, but a closer look reveals much about the place of Jewish people in German society and German history. Before and after the lecture by David Brown (LBI), guests will have a chance to view the two poster exhibitions 1700 Years of Jewish Life in German-Speaking Lands and Crimes Uncovered: First Generation Holocaust Researchers in the lobby of the Iverson Center for Faith. Both exhibitions are available November 8-22, 2021. Opening Reception/Lecture: November 10, 2021, 6pm – Reception; 7:15pm – Lecture and Q&A Tickets: Admission free & open to the public, registration required Location: University of St. Thomas, Iversen Center for Faith, Shoenecker Hall; Interactive Campus Map Visitor Parking: For pay-by-the hour parking options click here Sponsors: This event is part of the 2021 A Time To Act Campus Campaign sponsored by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Washington, D.C. and the University of St. Thomas.
Co-sponsors: University of St. Thomas (German Program, College of Arts and Science, Office for Mission, Interfaith Council, Jay Phillips Center for Interreligious Studies, and the Department of Theology), Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Washington, D.C. • Leo Baeck Institute New York & Berlin
Additional Supporters of the event: Germanic-American Institute St. Paul
COVID-Response: Face covering mandate when on campus and inside university buildings, vaccination strongly encouraged.
Accessibility: All programs offered by the University of St. Thomas shall be readily accessible to individuals with disabilities. For details, call (651) 962-6315.
Exhibitions: The lecture by David Brown is the opening to the exhibition 1700 Years of Jewish Lives in German-Speaking Lands displayed in the lobby of the Iversen Center for Faith and available from November 8-22, 2021. In addition, there will be a second exhibition about pioneer Holocaust researchers. Crimes Uncovered: The First Generation of Holocaust Researchers (Exhibition) This exhibition will present the stories of Jewish academics who resisted the Germans and their collaborators by documenting, collecting, and securing evidence of the crimes committed against the Jewish people during the Holocaust. These women and men, who shaped the foundation of our current knowledge of the Holocaust, denied the perpetrators an ultimate triumph: the murders were neither forgotten nor consigned to oblivion. Instead, their commitment led to memorials, research institutes, court cases, and the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, of 1948. The exhibition seeks to commemorate the life and work of these pioneers. They were all Jewish of various nationalities, came from different backgrounds and had different professions. They dedicated their lives to making the world a better place ruled by law and mindful of the horrible crimes which were committed during the Second World War
The Significance of Learning Agility in Education Paraprofessionals in Minneapolis Public and Charter Schools
Get PDFThis research sought to examine the extent of learning agility as a construct in education paraprofessionals in Minneapolis public and charter schools. Learning agility is defined as an individual\u27s ability to learn from experience and use relevant aspects of that learning in novel situations (Eichenger and Lombardo, 2000). The study focused on current and previous education paraprofessionals, licensed teachers who previously worked as education paraprofessionals, and education paraprofessionals who work in the general education and special education resource rooms.
A version of Burke\u27s Learning Agility Inventory (2016) assessment tool was administered to participants using the Qualtrics survey and open-ended questions in semi-structured interviews to gauge the existence and extent of learning agility, any challenges faced at work, and how they manage these challenges if any.
Quantitative data was collected from close-ended questions on a 7-point Likert scale and qualitative data from interviews, and both sets of data were analyzed. The assessment includes questions based on the nine dimensions of learning agility developed by Burke (2016). The nine dimensions are, flexibility, speed, experimenting, performance risk-taking, interpersonal risk-taking, collaborating, information gathering, feedback-seeking, and reflecting. Scores from the assessment are computed by calculating the mean of all items in each dimension
Daytime Sleepiness among Midwestern Firefighters
No full textExcessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is the most common symptom of sleep-disorders. Although high levels of EDS have been reported among firefighters, there is a limited understanding on EDS in firefighters. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in full-time firefighters (n = 275). The survey included the Epworth Sleepiness Scale to assess EDS, as well as other questions related to job characteristics, health history, and demographics. Firefighters reported inadequate sleep hours, extremely short sleep latencies, and high EDS higher than the general population. A majority of firefighters indicated a willingness to consult with a sleep professional. Risk factors associated with EDS included at least five years of professional experiences and depression diagnosis. Our findings suggest that EDS is widespread among firefighters. With increasing time on the job, frequencies of both obesity and EDS increase, which can have severe and compounding effects on health and safety