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- Creator:
- Robinson, Kenneth I.
- Description:
- Community colleges throughout the United States are facing an impending leadership gap and a critical shortage of experienced administrators. This is primarily due to the imminent retirement of college presidents, senior administrators, and faculty within the next 10 years (Shultz, 2001; Tekle, 2012; Vaughn, 2001). As community colleges nationwide face the impending leadership gap, research suggests that these retirements could possibly have a disproportionate impact on the number of African American presidents and CEOs (Boggs, 2003). Findings of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) 2013 report suggest that Grow-Your-Own (GYO) leadership programs have emerged as a valuable and effective strategy to address the shortage of pipeline candidates for future leadership positions. While a robust body of literature describes the need for GYO leadership programs (Benard, 2012; Focht, 2010; Jeandron, 2006; Scott & Sanders-McBryde, 2012), few studies have comprehensively examined how African American college presidents and CEOs who have participated in a GYO leadership program describe (a) their career advancement, (b) the aspects of a GYO program which contributed most to their career success, (c) the impact of GYO program participation had on their iv leadership practices, and (d) the leadership competencies presidents and CEOs feel were most crucial to their career success. The purpose of this exploratory descriptive study was to identify why and how African American presidents were successful and what aspects of a GYO program contributed most to their career success.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Jones, Nancy S.
- Description:
- The purpose of this explanatory parallel mixed methods study was to identify the perceived barriers and success strategies that students experience when pursuing a California associate degree for transfer (ADT). Quantitative data about students enrolled in the ADT cohort was retrieved from the district data management system and the qualitative information was gathered through focus group discussions. Findings of this study highlighted success strategies that students identified as important. These included counseling (education plans), help with registration, staff that helps to keep them engaged, guaranteed classes, cohorts, and a sense of community. The barriers they identified were lack of services, such as timely access to a counselor; the scarcity of innovative teaching strategies, and the ability of the institution to accommodate students who needed to step out of the strict educational plan pathway either to take a remedial or prerequisite class or for personal reasons. For students who had left the program, 50% had to take a remedial or prerequisite class and could not rejoin the cohort group after completing that class. When the students did reengage in their education, they continued with the educational plan developed as part of the cohort and were making progress towards graduation. As a result of the findings, four recommendations were made, including: reviewing and updating the Master Plan of Higher Education in California (1960), iv creating a college-wide cohort learning community for all disciplines; developing a pathway for non-traditional students who may be working, attending colleges on a part-time basis, or who need additional refresher or remedial course work; and a call for further research into policies, practices, and procedures to transform the culture of colleges into an environment that fosters success at every level.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Smith, Kathleen L.
- Description:
- This mixed methods study asked junior high students enrolled in performing arts electives, as well as those not enrolled in performing arts, to selfreport gains in overall resiliency levels through both quantitative and qualitative measures. Questions on both Likert surveys and interviews were aimed at addressing targeted resiliency related skills and/or characteristics including: independence, insight, initiative, and relationship building. In total, 137 students completed surveys at the beginning and end of a semester at the Southern California junior high school. In addition, nine students participated in interviews during the last 2 weeks of the semester. Though variances in pre- and postintervention surveys were insignificant, interview transcripts revealed common themes amongst students. These findings support the notion that participation in performing arts may be a protective factor and may provide some defense against those influences that negatively impact student success. Bolstering student resiliency at the junior high level may make students better able to cope with adversity throughout high school and beyond.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Hubbard, Vaniethia
- Description:
- The essential focus of community colleges is to produce highly skilled workers to compete globally, but this goal cannot be accomplished with a singular emphasis on credit instruction. Although noncredit courses and certificates create a pathway to credit instruction, the role of noncredit instruction as a conduit for student success is often the neglected part of the community college mission. Therefore, the purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine (a) the extent to which noncredit instruction contributed to degree and certificate attainment for California community college students and (b) in what ways noncredit instruction affected student progress toward educational goals. Using a convergent mixed method design, this study examined whether California community college students who began in noncredit programs and transitioned to credit courses reached their academic goals and thereby contributed to certificate and degree completion rates. The quantitative findings revealed the student characteristics by gender, ethnicity, language, enrollment in credit, and completion of credit certificate or degree. The findings further revealed that 23.5% of the noncredit transition students enrolled in one of the credit campuses within the district, while far fewer noncredit students (1.3%) completed a certificate or degree. Analysis of the qualitative data obtained through a focus group interview with 10 students revealed that participants were generally pleased with their noncredit educational iv experience, describing noncredit education as a flexible, active learning community. Qualitative results identified several emerging themes in relation to noncredit students who transitioned to credit institutions, including that noncredit instruction creates a pathway to credit opportunities, builds confidence, provides a climate of support, and improves academic skills. The mixed method analysis identified effective noncredit strategies that support noncredit students’ successful transition to credit instruction. Interpretations of the findings were discussed, followed by implications pertaining to policy, practice, and future research, and finally recommendations.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Kennedy, James
- Description:
- This quantitative study conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the redesign of the Santa Ana College developmental math pathway. Student performance in developmental math has been less than satisfactory, and most students who start the developmental math pathway do not complete it. Improving developmental math completion rates is an important area of study that could lead to significant societal benefits. The Santa Ana College math redesign model (RD model) accelerated the curriculum by creating two pathways that combined two courses into one course, with computer-aided instruction and directed educational planning. One pathway was designed specifically for business, science, technology, engineering, and math (BSTEM) majors, and a separate pathway was created for social science and liberal arts majors (SLAM). This study documented that students who went through RD model developmental pathways were 52% (for BSTEM) and 66% (for SLAM) more likely to complete the developmental math pathway in one year. The study also showed that students who went through the RD model performed 33% better in transfer math course completion than students who went through the traditional model. The study found that the RD model led to significant improvement for Hispanic students in these same factors. These results were derived using SPSS software to run chi-square, one-way ANOVA, and independent samples t test statistical processes to provide significant findings at the .05 confidence level. iv Based upon the literature review and the documented success of the Santa Ana College redesign effort, this study concluded by making the following three recommendations for policy and practice. First, developmental education requires dedicated funding streams that support the faculty in the development of the redesign curriculum and support students as they work through developmental education pathways. Second, redesign should be based on student data from the local institution, community need, and demographic trends, and any institution that has not gone through this process for its developmental math pathway should embark on this effort immediately. Third, institutions that have redesigned pathways should assess pathways for disproportionate outcomes and address any gaps that are found.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Paulson, Patricia
- Description:
- The problem addressed by this qualitative multiple case study was the underrepresentation of women in information technology (IT) management positions, referred to as technology director, in public school districts. Literature in the research review in educational leadership, female career choice in IT, and women working in IT revealed factors impacting female career choice and career progression in IT, as well as in education management. The theoretical framework in this study was based on the individual differences theory of gender and IT as defined by Trauth (2012). Emergent themes in findings were family responsibilities impacting career decisions, experiences that developed passions about using technology to improve learning, educational leadership interests, self-identification as a techie or an educator, early experiences that shaped career choices, communication abilities contributing to success, networking and being asked to apply helping career progression, and challenges of working in a male-dominated environment. This study found commonalities among seven women who successfully pursued the technology director role in a public school district. Key work experiences leading to the technology director position included technology management, education management, teacher training, and technical support. Further research on female technology directors is needed to broaden the perspective on the unique challenges of the position and to further define a career path to the position.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Shen, Xiaoxu Vivienne
- Description:
- Internationalization in higher education has enabled an increasing number of Chinese students to study abroad in English-speaking countries. Although these students and their families invested heavily in study-abroad opportunities, limited English proficiency may restrict students from taking full advantage of their study-abroad experience. This study employed a qualitative research method to examine Chinese study-abroad students’ perceptions of their prior English-learning experience in China and how it contributed to or limited their study-abroad experience. Ten Chinese international students studying at California State University, Fullerton were interviewed to share their perceptions of their English-learning experience in China. Findings suggested that Chinese students who participated in this study commonly perceived English education they received in China as test-oriented education. The learning strategies they used served the purpose of preparing them to pass tests but not to use the language in a study-abroad setting. Students sought additional English-learning opportunities on their own to bridge the gap between language skills they learned in school and those they later needed for study-abroad. The background and skills of English teachers were other influential factors that students identified. In addition, English exposure was believed to be very beneficial for future study-abroad students, but resources on language iv exposure in current schools were limited. In general, the test-oriented English education model in Chinese schools equipped students with language comprehension skills, but the communication skills that are crucial for studyabroad students were lacking in most regular K-12 classrooms in China, according to the respondents in this study
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Mercado, Anthony D.
- Description:
- The quantitative study will address the problem related to the use of progress monitoring (PM) data during the Response to Intervention process. Specifically, how the presentation of PM data can influence decision-making when referring a student for special education evaluations. The researcher hypothesizes that how data are presented to educators, in a graph or table, will influence the decision and confidence when making referrals for special education evaluations. An experimental design was created via an online survey to investigate the researcher’s hypotheses. Findings indicate significant differences in decision-making between presentations of PM tables and graphs. Participants were less likely to refer responding students for a special education evaluation when presented with a graph of PM data versus a table representation. Additionally, differences in confidence in decisions were not found when presented with a graph or table of the responder and nonresponder conditions. Furthermore, exposure to PM graphs or tables and gender were predictors in the likelihood for educators to refer. The current study was used as an evaluation of need for educational communities. Professional development and professional learning communities were recommended to support implementation and sustainability of using graphical presentations of PM data when making decisions to refer a student for a special education evaluation.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Cao, Jennifer
- Description:
- This research, in response to the lack of empirical evidence of the impact of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) on Latino students in science education, examined the effect CRP on Latino students’ engagement and content mastery. Quantitative research was conducted with a treatment group that received an intervention unit on states of matter with CRP approaches and a comparison group that did not receive the intervention. The sample comprised approximately 189 eighth-grade students from a Southern Californian middle school. The research findings reveal that CRP approaches had a statistically significant positive effect on student engagement of all ethnic groups in this study, particularly Latino students, while CRP approaches had a statistically significant negative effect on Latino students’ content mastery. Three recommendations result from this study, including professional development of CRP for educators, professional development of CRP for educational leaders, and using CRP to address multiculturalism.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Hackbarth, Joseph
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to identify whether the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act enacted through Senate Bill 1440 had a positive influence on transfer students at a California State University campus. It compared and contrasted the similarities and differences among students admitted to the university as both traditional transfer students and those admitted under the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act (SB1440). A traditional transfer student, for the purposes of this study. was defined as any upper division student transferring with a minimum of 60 units who did not earn an associate degree for transfer (ADT). This study closely followed Thomas’ (2012) research on bachelor’s degree completion and the Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S). Similar to the ADT in California, the A.A.S. was an alternative transfer pathway into the public university system in Iowa. While the A.A.S. study had the benefit of data from a mature transfer pathway, this was not the case with the California ADT. The effectiveness of the California program has not yet been determined up to this point. The guiding question that drove this study was whether the ADT pathway was a viable method for achieving higher levels of student admissions and, ultimately, degree completion. Two distinct groups of transfer students derived from the data examined included: traditional transfer (non-ADT) and transfers iv with the ADT. The ADT, through quantitative analysis, has shown promise in terms of shortening the time to graduate, increasing graduation means, and narrowing the achievement gaps between student groups.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership