804 research outputs found
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Academic Achievement of First-Generation Mexican American Males in a Community College
No full textThe purpose of this study was to examine the complexities of successful attainment and achievement of 10 Mexican American males in a rural Southwest community college. This study strives to offer insights concerning the questions: (a) what behavioral patterns of current family, peers, and conditions in school have influenced the educational decisions of these Mexican American males? (b) what social conditions motivate these Mexican American males to seek and achieve higher education despite adversity? This qualitative research was also aimed at establishing and understanding how a selected number of Mexican American males have achieved academic success. The researcher chose 10 men with either an associate of arts or an associate of science degrees for an in-depth interview and used a semi-structured interview guide in an effort to prompt oral discourse. The interviewer posed questions concerning academic conditions, family impact, college environment, and financial issues. The responses to the questions led to similar themes involved in these students\u27 course completion and graduation. The researcher used a theoretical framework using Bandura\u27s Social Learning Theory (1977) in which he suggests that not only environmental factors, but motivational factors along with self-regulatory mechanisms affect an individual\u27s behavior. This research illustrated the conditions that facilitated reaching the participant\u27s educational goal and mission, which was to complete a two-year degree at the community college. The inquiry examined the behavioral patterns that have been an influence on the educational decisions of these Mexican American males, and what social conditions have motivated them to seek and achieve higher education despite adversity
African American Women in Informal Leadership in the African Methodist Episcopal Church
Get PDFThe purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the phenomenon of Church Mothers as they perceived themselves as informal leaders in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. While it is generally acknowledged that there are gender and minority differences in leadership, there has been little exploration in how these differences affect the overall landscape of leadership and leadership theory in the African American community. Criteria for participant selection for the study were informed by Pielstick’s characteristics of informal leadership: shared vision, communication, relationships, community, guidance, and character. The study was conducted from the Womanist perspective as a way of understanding the unique lens of African American women in informal leadership roles. Using a basic qualitative inquiry format, the researcher used interviews to allow the participants to tell their stories, beginning when they were young and progressing into their informal leadership role in the church. Through the sharing of the lived experiences of the nine Church Mothers, the researcher gained insight into how these women view their contribution to their church and communities. The inquiry produced three reoccurring themes: service; compassion; and mentorship. Service refers to the selfless giving of time, talent and financial support to the organization/community; compassion is the non-judgmental support of others, and mentorship includes formal education and informal education which can include mentorships, apprenticeships or simple observation. This study will contribute to the body of knowledge by increasing awareness of African American women as informal leaders within the church community
Empowerment and Job Satisfaction Among Nursing Care Staff in Long Term Care Facilities
No full textThis dissertation examines Kanter\u27s empowerment theoretical model specifying the relationships among demographics, structural empowerment, and job satisfaction. Empowerment has become an increasingly important factor in determining nursing care staff job satisfaction in current long term care work environments in the southwest part of the United States. A cross-sectional correlational survey design was used to test Kanter\u27s organizational empowerment model with a sample of 106 nursing care staff employed in 37 long term care facilities in 2011. The instruments used were the Nursing Staff Demographic Profile, Conditions of Work Effectiveness-II (Laschinger, Finegan, Shamian, & Wilk, 2001), and Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1994). The items for Conditions of Work Effectiveness cover opportunity, information, resources, support and, informal and formal power. The job satisfaction items cover pay, promotion, supervision, fringe benefits, contingent rewards, operating procedures, coworkers, nature of the work, and communication. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between empowerment and job satisfaction (r = 0.598,/? \u3c .001). The results provide support for Kanter\u27s empowerment theory in the long term care nursing care staff population. Improving empowerment in a supportive environment will allow nursing care staff to experience satisfaction in their employment in long term care facilities
The Relationship Between Leadership Style and Motivation Among Faculty Members in Two Public Universities in the Republic of South Sudan
No full textThe purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between leadership style and motivation among faculty members in two public universities in the Republic of the South Sudan. The researcher examined this issue by surveying and interviewing faculty members, a total of 67 for quantitative sample, and four for the qualitative sample. Higher education institutions in the Republic of the South Sudan have been losing experienced faculty members to other sectors of the economy and to immigration to western countries. As the new nation is formed, they will need research to inform them to build strong higher education institutions. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between leadership style and motivation among faculty members in two public universities in the Republic of South Sudan. The secondary purpose is to examine the influence of age, education, gender, tenure, type of university, and employment status on the relationship between leadership style and motivation. Using Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), the relationship between leadership style and outcomes reflected the one found in the literature (Bass & Avolio, 2004). However, little correlation was found between MLQ and motivation as measured by Work Motivation Scale (WMS). Interviewees reported that their strongest motivation to stay in their jobs was the opportunity to grow professionally with further studies
Conflict Management Styles in an HBCU HSI Community College Setting
Get PDFThe purpose of this quantitative study is to investigate the conflict management styles in an HBCU and HSI community college and how gender, power position, age, educational level, and ethnicity influence conflict management. A convenience sample of 80 administrators and 220 subordinates completed an electronic demographic survey and the Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory-II measuring conflict management styles— integrating, obliging, dominating, avoiding, and compromising. Nahavandi’s (2003) transformational approach to leadership which is sister to the Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory approach emphasizes the importance of developing and maintaining relationships between leaders and followers. Main findings showed differences in conflict management styles between power positions. The whole community college scored highest in both integrating and compromising conflict management styles, with administrators scoring higher than subordinates. The integrating and compromising environment within the institution was more influential than the expected conflict management styles related to gender, age, educational level, and ethnicity
AN ECONOMY TO BEGIN WITH: THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL ETHIC IN THE WORK OF HANNAH ARENDT
Get PDFWomen Leading Women: Reinforcing the Glass Ceiling?
Get PDFThis qualitative narrative study explored the experiences of 10 women who worked in Corporate America and reported to female supervisors, and the perceptions they attached to those relationships with regard to their professional growth and career advancement. The main goal of the study was to understand how these women felt their female leaders either helped or hindered their climb up the corporate ladder. The Social Cognitive Theory of Gender Development and the narrative inquiry framework were used to shed light on the experiences reported by the female employees and how their gender and the gender of their supervisors may have played a role in the challenges these women faced in getting ahead. Through interviews, the participants told their stories and explained their expectations of a female leader’s role in developing and nurturing their professional growth and, in most cases, their disappointment with the lack of support they felt they received. The study revealed the women’s perceptions of why most felt their female leaders were not championing their career advancement. The research also uncovered the participants’ specific ideas around the type of relationship they wanted from their female supervisors as well as the kind of development opportunities they felt would be most helpful to their professional growth. The study’s finding showed that female leaders need to examine their behaviors toward female employees and reflect on ways that they could develop and nurture their talent and drive so that more females can ascend into the leadership ranks in Corporate America
Gaps in Developmental Mathematics Course Sequence Impede Success in College Algebra
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of gaps or stop outs within the developmental mathematics course sequence on the successful completion of college algebra.
Community colleges are undergoing a transformation. Historically, they have been focused on improving access to higher education; now the focus has shifted to student success. This transformation is evident in the concerted effort to improve student graduation rates and decrease the amount of time spent to complete degrees. For community colleges, the key to this success must include reform and improvement in developmental education. Within developmental education, mathematics presents the biggest challenge for the largest number of students. It was found that many students fail to maintain continuous enrollment in their developmental mathematics course sequence (Bailey, 2009; Bailey & Cho, 2010; Bailey, Jeong, & Cho, 2010). Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of gaps or stop outs within the developmental mathematics course sequence on the successful completion of college algebra. The fall 2004 first-time-in-college cohort of students at a rural community college was selected for this study. Their record of enrollment in the developmental mathematics courses over a six-year period was collected. The enrollment data was analyzed via a binary logistic regression. The results indicate that each gap within the developmental mathematics course sequence increases the risk of failure by 1.5 times