732 research outputs found
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Equine Assisted Psychotherapy: A Transformational Path to Emotional Wellness for U.S. Military Veterans
No full textPurpose. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore and describe the impact of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) on the reintegration of wounded veterans into civilian life as perceived by wounded U.S. military veterans participating in EAP.
Methodology. A qualitative multiple case study methodology was appropriate for this research due to its focus on analyzing a single entity (EAP) possessing unique characteristics within a system bound by participants (wounded U.S. military veterans as defined by this study), time (2015-2017), and/or place (California or Virginia) through events.
Findings. The 13 U.S. military veterans who participated in this study represented the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy. Data analysis resulted in 14 themes, with 4 of those 14 themes common for all 13 veterans: establish/reestablish connections and relationships, becoming a better person/leader, discovering a healthy alternative to traditional psychotherapy, and developing a sense of service and purpose helping others as a result of participating in EAP. All veterans interviewed also identified the first and second most important of the five elements of EAP discussed in this study. All five elements of EAP were perceived as important for all 13 veterans, with the “relationship with the horse” perceived as the first most important and “metaphors and triggers” as the second most important element.
Conclusions. All veterans interviewed for this study perceived EAP as a significant complementary and/or alternative treatment option to their reintegration back into civilian life after combat and/or the military experience.
Recommendations. EAP should be offered as a voluntary mental health alternative for wounded veterans. Providing greater access to and funding for EAP through Veteran Administration grants should be given preferential consideration. The opportunities to participate in equine-related therapies should be proactive and available to active duty service members and their families. Equine therapy instructor certification programs (EAGALA, PATH, etc.) and other professionals who utilize EAP should consider incorporating each of the 5 identified EAP elements and aspects of Posttraumatic Growth in their facilitation and/or treatment protocol
Creating Systems of Continuous Improvement: A Phenomenological Study of California Districts Engaged in Transforming into Learning Organizations
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of district teams that created and implemented systems of continuous improvement as part of the Systems Leadership Collaborative using the Coherence Framework.
Methodology: This phenomenological study used semi-structured interviews to provide a narrative of four California school districts’ experiences with the transformation process. Data were collected from interviews and coded for patterns and themes, using Fullan and Quinn’s (2015) Coherence Framework for analysis.
Findings: Key findings illustrated that selecting 2-3 actionable goals to focus and guide the district, creating collaborative structures, and developing collective capacity are key elements of transformation. In addition, the findings in the study indicated that foundational to these practices, building mutual trust through relational capacity, consistency and a commitment to communication are imperative.
Conclusion: The research and literature confirmed that implementation teams with senior leader participation and stakeholders of every level of the organization are necessary to success. In addition, a focus on building relational capacity, transparency and communicating ownership of both the problem and the solution.
Recommendations: Further research with the same districts is recommended to determine the extent and sustainability of continuous improvement systems and the impact on student learning
Understanding and Describing the Impact of Self-Concept on Weight Loss as Perceived by African American Women
No full textPurpose. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to understand and describe the impact of Bracken’s (1992) six domains of self-concept (affect, academic, competence, family, physical, and social) on weight loss as perceived by African American women.
Methods. This study employed a sequential mixed-methods exploratory design. A web-based survey was administered with 66 respondents, followed by in-person interviews with 10 participants. Data were collected from African American women who participated in a fitness and weight loss challenge and lived in the greater Los Angeles Area.
Findings. The extent to which each domain affected participants’ ability to lose weight was mixed. The competence domain was rated slightly higher than the other domains in terms of affecting participants inability to lose weight. Also, there was general consensus the academic domain had little impact on weight and weight loss compared to the other domains.
Conclusions. Based on the findings from this study and the literature review, it was concluded that weight and weight loss were not connected to the academic or social domains of self-concept for African American women. It was also concluded that the family and competence domains affected weight and weight loss to varying degrees and in different ways. Additionally, it was concluded that weight and weight loss was connected to the emotional domain of self-concept with direct link to genetic predisposition passed on from generation to generation dating as far back as slavery era.
Recommendations. Based on the findings from this study and the literature review, it was recommended additional efforts be made to education and target the African American community to support a healthy lifestyle. It was also recommended that government agencies and industries redefine their standards to support a healthy weight for African American women
Why Parents in San Bernardino Choose Public Charter Schools Over Traditional Public Schools
No full textPurpose. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify and describe the attributes of public charter schools considered important for the selection of a charter school as perceived by the parents of charter school students. A second purpose of this study was to identify the sources parents used to inform their decision to enroll their child in a charter school.
Methodology. This qualitative study was accomplished by interviewing parents of public charter school students in three districts within San Bernardino County. The interview consisted of nine open-ended questions and each interview was recorded to ensure accuracy of the responses. The results of the interview were analyzed and organized into a narrative form. The population for the study included parents of public charter school students.
Findings. The participants noted smaller class sizes, higher educational quality, and a more nurturing environment as the main reasons for selecting a public charter school. Their answers also indicated the variety of programs available to them at charter schools influenced their decision to enroll their children. Participants noted talking with friends and family as a major source of gathering information about schools. Using some form of the internet was also instrumental for parents when obtaining information about a given school.
Conclusions. The results of this study supported the conclusion that parent perceptions of schools and the education they offer may be more influential than the school’s performance on state assessments. Results indicated many other factors influenced a parent’s selection of a school. A positive environment, which cultivated learning, and a variety of educational opportunities were crucial attributes for many parents.
Recommendations. The researcher recommended the study be replicated in a different region of California to see if the results remain the same. Additionally, a study should be conducted to see how many and why parents removed their children from public charter schools and returned them to traditional public schools
Latino Students’ Stories of Advanced Placement Success: A Critical Case Study
No full textPurpose: This qualitative, critical case study identified and described culture factors Latino students in Monterey County, California, perceive influenced academic success in Advanced Placement (AP) courses.
Methodology: This qualitative research design explored the phenomenon of internal and external culture factors Latino students perceive influenced academic success in AP courses. Through semistructured focus group and follow-up interviews, the researcher gathered detailed data on each factor and how it influenced academic success. Using Perna and Thomas’s (2008) student success framework, some success factors were revealed as interdependent.
Findings: Factors that influenced Latino students’ academic success in AP courses included support by teachers, peers, and school; prospects of future financial security; mindset of receptivity and growth; perseverance and determination; strategies to improve and accelerate learning; welcoming, success-oriented, and emotionally safe learning environments; respect and support from family; varied styles of instruction; and negative stereotypes and disappointment.
Conclusions: A variety of internal and external culture factors influenced Latino students’ success in AP courses. Conclusions included shifting school mindset from fixed to growth, providing opportunities for students to develop perseverance and determination, creating effective learning environments with varied styles of instruction, providing opportunities for Latino students to gain perspective on success in AP courses and investing in their education as precursors to financial security, designing and implementing themed academies, apprising Latino parents with AP education details, and funding teacher trainings and retreats to design strategies that improve and accelerate learning for Latino AP students.
Recommendations: Stakeholders should develop plans to shift school mindset from fixed to growth; revise mission and vision statements to reflect commitments to students’developing perseverance and determination; build positive classroom cultures aligned to California Standards for the Teaching Profession 1 and 2; provide opportunities for Latino students to gain perspective on how investing in their education can result in financial security; design and implement themed academies featuring experiential learning through mentoring and internships; collaborate with districts’ information technology departments to develop bilingual, multimedia communication plans that provide AP course information; and fund teachers to attend AVID trainings and Toolkit design retreats that provide Latino AP students with strategies for improving and accelerating learning
An Examination of Generational Factors on Faculty Engagement in Shared Governance in the Northern California Community College System
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe the factors that motivated northern California community college faculty of the Baby Boomer, Gen X, and Millennial generations to become engaged in shared governance and campus-wide committees, and to determine what differences existed between the generations.
Methodology: This research used a qualitative methodology and applied a phenomenological approach. The data for this study was gathered by conducting in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 16 fulltime faculty members from the Solano, Marin, and Sonoma County community college districts.
Findings: The findings from this study identified factors that motivated faculty to engage in shared governance. Findings were grouped into three categories: knowledge-driven motivators, service-driven motivators, and collegiality-driven motivators. Within these three categories of motivational factors, this study identified similarities and differences between the three generational cohorts, Baby Boomers, Gen Xer’s, and Millennials.
Conclusions: Based on the findings from this study and the literature review, it was concluded that faculty were motivated to participate in shared governance when the system embraced characteristics including: collaboration, mutual respect, effective communication, and a shared sense of purpose. It was further concluded that facultywere motivated to engage in shared governance committee work when they felt valued and appreciated, had the ability to develop and grow, and where the environment was built upon trust and transparency.
Recommendations: Institutions of higher education need to nurture a climate that expressly supports strong faculty engagement in the governance of the institution by developing and maintaining an effective shared governance system that gives voice to all constituencies, encourages a diversity of opinions, and balances maximum participation in the decision-making process where all participants act as true partners toward the common goals of the institution
Best Practices for the Development of English Language in Rural Elementary Schools in Prevention of Long Term English Learners
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the best practices of English language development programs in rural South San Joaquin Valley elementary schools in the targeted areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking and best practices in teacher professional development to prevent Long Term English Learners from the perspective of principals. An additional purpose was to identify and describe obstacles to the implementation of best practices of English language development in rural South San Joaquin Valley elementary schools from the perspective of principals.
Methodology: Through data analysis, rural elementary schools in South San Joaquin Valley were identified as high-achieving from the California Department of Education’s Five-by-Five English Learner Indicator based on the rate that English learner students within the school attain English proficiency. The primary focus of this study was to gain the perspective and lived experiences of rural elementary school principals in the implementation of successful English language development programs. In this study, data were collected through in-depth interviews and archived artifacts, which were analyzed to identify patterns, and draw conclusions based on the research questions of this study. A field-test was conducted.
Findings: Major findings include creating a culture of high expectations for all students, ensuring that designated English Language Development occurs daily, intentional teacher professional development, and a focus on students’ production of academic language.
Conclusions: Numerous conclusions were drawn based on the major findings, and from these findings, a list of implications for action were generated. One implication for action is that school boards create and enforce progressive policies that promote native language as a vehicle to proficiently developing academic English language, as well as literacy in the native language (dual-immersion programs).
Recommendations: Recommendations for further research are described in Chapter V, including the exploration of whether the change in local control with LCFF funding and the district created LCAP, has changed the implementation of ELD programs in rural elementary schools, hence improving academic achievement of English Learners
The Unsung Heroes and Silent Partners of the Educational World
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this mixed method study was to identify and describe what paraeducators perceive as factors that lead to effective and sustainable engagement in special education special day classes, and identify what strategies are effective for encouraging discretionary effort as perceived by paraeducators.
Methodology: The participants in the study were 69 paraeducators employed by a Southern California County Office of Education. Participants partook in two research instruments: (a) a 37-question survey and (b) a semi-structured interview.
Findings: Data based on the mixed method analysis revealed that paraeducators are highly committed employees who want to know that they are making a difference. They want to be acknowledged, trusted and shown respect. Paraeducators are eager to be considered a teaching partner and leader given effective strategies and tools to sustain their engagement and increase discretionary effort.
Conclusions and Recommendations: To be respected, paraeducators need to be empowered by: having opportunities for growth, be connected with positive emotions, be part of the decision-making process, have ownership, receive positive feedback, acknowledge initiative, and be able to communicate opinion with teachers being open to suggestions. This study can be used to inform the education field on how transformational leaders can transform special education: by elevating special education paraeducators, providing a voice for paraeducators and providing strategies that sustain engagement and increase discretionary effort
Examining Generational Differences in The Workplace: Employee Engagement Practices and their Impact on Retention of Different Generations of Human Resources Employees in Higher Education
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify the employee engagement practices that Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Millennial human resources (HR) employees in four-year private institutions of higher education (IHEs) in southern California perceive as most important to their retention. The secondary purpose of the study was to determine the similarities and differences between the engagement practices considered most important for retention by Millennial HR employees compared to Baby Boomer and Generation X employees in IHEs.
Methodology: A quantitative descriptive, nonexperimental research design was selected for this study. The population included three generations of HR professionals working in four-year private IHEs in southern California. An online survey was used and consisted of 18 statements examining generational retention strategies developed by Dr. Sharon Floyd (2015).
Findings: The study delineated a significant relationship between the changeable demographics, multiple generations at the workplace, and a correlation to engagement and retention. Data analyzed determined no significant difference between engagement practices considered most important for retention by Millennial HR employees in four-year private IHEs in southern California compared to Baby Boomer and Generation X employees in IHEs.
Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study, employee engagement stems from having tools, clearly identified roles, resources, and compensation. Having a mentor at the workplace continues to provide better understanding of the ongoing need to monitor employee engagement attributes, which fluctuated greatly among generations. Establishing a strong, positive culture wherein employee development and career development are the norm, was promising for fostering employee engagement, regardless of employees’ age or generation.
Recommendations: It is recommended to replicate this study in five years as Generation Z enters the workplace and more Baby Boomers retire. Additionally, it is recommended to conduct this study with other populations outside of HR and in different industries such as entertainment and hospitality, and with telecommuting and remote workers