Browsing by Author "Dr. Conrad Glass, Committee Member"

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Board Development and Its Impact on the Effectiveness of North Carolina Community College Trustees
(2004-05-12) Hawkins, Stephen Neal; Dr. George Vaughan, Committee Chair; Dr. Donald Reichard, Committee Member; Dr. Conrad Glass, Committee Member; Dr. Duane Akroyd, Committee Member
The first part of the study examined North Carolina community college trustee demographic characteristics such as race, gender, age, and occupation. Trustees were randomly selected by appointing agency: the governor's office, the local board of education, or the local board of county commissioners. The study found that trustees were predominantly White, male, college educated, over the age of 50, and were currently or formerly involved in some aspect of business or education. The next part of the study focused on trusteeship by examining the difference in responses between first-term trustees and trustees serving two terms or longer. With almost no significant differences found between the two groups, trustees indicated that they overwhelmingly looked to the community college president for guidance, and over half of the respondents indicated that their boards as a whole evaluated their performance once every year or once every two years. Most trustees perceived that members of their governing boards worked well together all or most of the time. In addition, most governing boards provided funding for board development, and most trustees had experienced at least two or more board development opportunities. The final part of the study focused on the impact board development had on board effectiveness. A six-dimensional framework for board effectiveness, developed by Chait and associates, was used in the study, and the Board Self-Assessment Questionnaire (BSAQ), designed and revised by Holland and Blackmon, was implemented as the instrument of evaluation. Consistent with scores of various other organizations, the overall score for the education dimension was relatively low. In addition, correlation alpha, and regression analyses found that the six-dimensional model was significant yet contained weak predictor variables of effectiveness. Additional research is needed in the area of board effectiveness using the Chait model; however, this study provided baseline BSAQ sub scores for those who wish to continue a follow-up study in North Carolina or for those who want to compare the results with other community college systems.
Calling: A Phenomenological Study
(2004-05-19) Collins, Joseph; Dr. John Pettitt, Committee Chair; Dr. Barbara Sparks, Committee Member; Dr. Conrad Glass, Committee Member; Dr. Peter Hessling, Committee Member
The research describes the phenomenon of calling from the perspectives of lay adult Sunday School teachers. Using a phenomenological approach involving in-depth interviews, the study focuses on the experiences of ten teachers from Southern Baptist churches in western North Carolina. Collectively, these participants have approximately 202 years of teaching experience in adult Sunday School. They range in age from thirty-seven to eighty-three and include five men and five women. Nine are Caucasian; one is Afro-American. Ontologically, the conceptual framework of this study is interpretivistic. Epistemologically, it assumes that the knower and the known are essential elements that collide and create the phenomenon under investigation. The object of research is the perception of the participants concerning calling. It is not the purpose of the research to define or prove the existence of calling, but to describe admittedly subjective perspectives of it. These collective descriptions serve to construct a social meaning of the phenomenon. Using phenomenological methodology, the study recognizes six horizons, or essences, of the phenomenon of calling. Three are related to the participants' perceptions of an entity working outside themselves who communicates with them. These are labeled 'direct communication,' 'communication via others,' and 'divinely orchestrated circumstances.' The other three are related to self-awareness and include 'burden over needs of others,' 'gifts/talents,' and 'personal needs, interests, and desires.' The study raises more questions than it answers about calling, and all recommendations are aimed at further research. In the area of motivational theory, it points out a blurring of the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Further investigation of this blurring is recommended in order to understand religious motivation. The study also provides a basis for further research and development of recruiting models and instruments for use in adult Christian education. Because the study focuses on a very narrow population, transferability of the proposed description of calling is impossible without further studies with other religious and non-religious groups. Such studies are also needed to investigate the effect of organization and practice on a group's perception of calling.
Influences of Professional Development on Teachers and Teacher Retention: Perceptions of Teachers and Professional Development Administrators
(2010-04-30) Castleberry, Emily; Dr. Brad Mehlenbacher, Committee Chair; Dr. Conrad Glass, Committee Member; Dr. Karen DeBord, Committee Member; Dr. Pooneh Lari, Committee Member
ABSTRACT CASTLEBERRY, EMILY. Influences of Professional Development on Teachers and Teacher Retention: Perceptions of Teachers and Professional Development Administrators. (Under the direction of Dr. Brad Mehlenbacher.) The purpose of this case study is to examine the influence of professional development on K-12 teachers to determine how teachers and administrators who are engaged in the professional development process describe their experience with effective professional development in relation to the 12 North Carolina professional development standards, and to ascertain whether the teachers and administrators recognized a relationship between effective professional development and teacher retention. To meet the needs of both the teacher and the administrator, professional development pedagogy must be congruent with the pedagogy desired in the classroom. The study describes both online and face-to-face interviews of teachers who take professional development workshops and administrators who develop them. Teacher Working Conditions (TWC) Survey data from 2002 through 2009 are explored and used as background for the data collected as part of this case study. The TWC data reveal differences in the perceptions of the teachers participating in professional development programs and the administrators who direct those programs (TWC, 2009.) The researcher reviewed the professional development and teaching research, collected survey data from 366 teachers and 33 administrators, and conducted open-ended interviews of five self-selected teachers and five self-selected administrators. The goal of this work is to explore how teachers and administrators who engage in the professional development process perceive their experience with professional development in relationship to the 12 North Carolina professional development standards, and whether there is a relationship between professional development and the perception of teachers and professional development administrators regarding the recruitment and retention of teachers. The online survey was conducted between March 1, 2009 and March 31, 2009. The semi-structured open-ended interviews were conducted between April 1, 2009 and May 1, 2009. Over three-quarters of professional development administrators and over half of the teachers within the study affirmed teachers knew the 12 standards of professional development. However, in practice, a difference in perceptions regarding strengths and weaknesses of existing professional development practices were noted. Issues related to communication between professional development administrators and K-12 teachers are discussed. The demographic factor of age, and the contextual factors of years in service and number of job changes are explored. The breakdown of responses by teachers and administrators by these demographic and contextual factors suggest these factors have an impact on the perceptions of teachers and administrators.
Instituions and Civic Participation: The Case of Community Involvement in Program Decision-Making at a Community Center
(2003-02-07) Hicks, Angela Ann; Dr. Craig Brookins, Committee Member; Dr. Conrad Glass, Committee Member; Dr. Wynetta Lee, Committee Member; Dr. John Pettitt, Committee Chair
The purpose of the study was to determine if, how, and to what degree the Niger Community Center and its Inter-organizational Relationships (IORs) elicited community participation in program decision-making. The research uses the qualitative methodology, specifically interviews, documentation, and participation-observation. This examination used as a tool the community-based programming (CBP) process developed by Boone (1997). Using CBP processual tasks 1-9 (see Appendix A), as a check-list, the following research questions were framed, described, and analyzed: 1. How did the organization define and use community-based programming? 2. How did the organization network, link, and involve its community to identify issues? 3. How was consensus achieved in defining the selected issues formulated and utilized for programming? The themes, which emerged from the data, included organizational and personal mission: compatibility and conflict, understanding community through social networks, and citizen involvement versus citizen action. Within these three themes, the findings are presented and discussed from an examination of the Niger Community Center (NCC), the inter-organizational relationships (IORs), and the community. The research revealed citizen participation in program decision-making at the NCC. However, citizen participation varies by the emphasis placed on objectives of participation, service delivery and social action. Whereas participation that elicits citizen involvement solicits responsible suggestions from grassroots people and suggestions are meant to improve services, insofar as they do not jeopardize organizational viability. On the other hand, participation that elicits citizen action promotes the needs and wishes of grassroots people, promotes social action, subordinating organizational viability. The research revealed the practice of citizen involvement was overwhelming on the part of the NCC and its IORs. Implication for practice implies service delivery and social action must go hand and hand.
Let the Dialogue Begin: Diversity and the White Preservice Teacher
(2005-06-10) Dingle, Jesse M.; Dr. John Pettitt, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Edgar Boone, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Peter Hessling, Committee Member; Dr. Conrad Glass, Committee Member
The purpose of this qualitative study has been to explore the various experiences that may have an influence on the perceived readiness of White preservice teachers (students at Deep South College) to successfully teach and communicate with cultural minority students. Ten White preservice teachers who attend a private, 4-year, liberal arts college, were given the opportunity to describe in their own words, in-depth insight into the various everyday cultural life experiences of White preservice teachers. This study revealed that these women had their own unique traits and cultural life stories. Their friendships, educational, personal, and religious experiences all played a vital role in shaping how they viewed their cultural selves as well as how they acted in a multicultural world. These factors have also had a profound effect on the professional development of each woman. Further the interviewees revealed that prior to this research; none of them had ever really had to think about who they were racially. The issue was a non-issue. For most of their lives family, friends, and the media had helped to shape their normative view of Whiteness and what it actually means to be White. Another important aspect that surfaced over the course of this research was the perceived importance of opportunities for White preservice teachers to have field experiences in which they can go into communities which are much like the ones in which they will ultimately be teaching. For almost every single woman in this study that meant going into a situation where they are the cultural minority.
A Merger Case Study of Learning and Change: Exploring the Relationships Between Learning Styles and Change Orientation to Enhance Learning Interventions
(2006-05-09) Tredway, Ron; Dr. James Burrow, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Paula K. Berardinelli, Committee Chair; Dr. Don Martin, Committee Member; Dr. Conrad Glass, Committee Member
This exploratory case study investigated the relationships between change orientation [readiness] scores and learning styles, of individuals within an organization undergoing complex change — mergers and acquisitions (M&A). The intent to understand where a learning intervention could be applied in a prioritized manner, in the area of greatest need — low change readiness, and most dominant learning style, was achieved. The study therefore adds to the change integration, and M&A literature, an exploration of individual change and learning tendencies and their collaborative use in intervention design and development, within an observed M&A environment; a medium-sized east coast company in the health sciences profession. Understanding change readiness and ways to positively influence change outcomes in organizations dealing with complex change remains a strategic factor in helping organizations realize synergies and achieve competitive advantage, especially in M&A environments. While learning interventions continue to be a primary strategy used by change organizations to influence effective change results, these organizations seek intervention efficiency and effectiveness. Learning interventions based on learners' [change recipients'] learning styles, helps ensure learning acceptance and application, which enhances organizational change integration. Quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis were included in the study design. Quantitative change and learning data were collected through an online survey, with items adapted by permission from the Organization Change Orientation Scale (Jones and Bearley, 1986) and the Learning Style Inventory (Kolb, 1999), and analyzed using SAS 8.0 GLM. Qualitative data were collected through interviewing 10 randomly selected change recipients from the organization using a metaphor elicitation technique, and analyzed through coding to understand cultural norms, employee learning needs, organizational goals, and perception of the acquisitions. Investigation involved; 1) determination of the critical learning needs perceived by organizational managers and non-managers to ensure successful acquisition integration, 2) the identification of change readiness scores and learning styles of change recipients, 3) determination of how these scores and styles were distributed across the population investigated, 4) assessment of the relationships between change readiness scores and the individual learning styles among change recipients in the organization, and 5) assessment of the relationships between change readiness scores and demographic variables - organizational entities, gender, age, race, function, management, and job change. Concluded from the analysis, three frequently mentioned learning needs for acquisition integration were identified, supporting evidence of need for ongoing intervention development. Supporting intervention prioritization, one or more significant differences were found on each of the research questions. Change readiness scores of the original organization were significantly lower than the latest acquisition, and change recipients with the Converging learning style had significantly lower change readiness scores than those with the Accommodating learning style. Low readiness scores were also found among Males, Caucasians, and technical job functions such as IT-Programmers, while high readiness change scores were found among females, managers and change recipients over age 45. The conclusions of this study have implications for understanding the change readiness level and learning style of change recipients simultaneously, as a technique for prioritizing and enhancing the development of learning interventions during complex organizational change. Three learning interventions were warranted in this situation, and learning intervention prioritization and development suggested for the organization based on these findings. Benefits to human resources, human resource development, organization development and line management leaders are implied, suggesting further application and research opportunities.
The Relationship Between Nurses' Environmental Empowerment and Psychological Empowerment and Psychological Strain in Critical Care Work Environments
(2007-07-26) Martin, Sanne Henninger; Dr. Conrad Glass, Committee Member; Dr.Michael Vasu, Committee Member; Dr. Duane Akroyd, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Timothy Hatcher, Committee Chair
The present study examines the relationship between nurses' environmental and psychological empowerment on psychological strain in critical care nursing work environments. Quality of medical care is to a great extent dependent upon the mental well being of health care professionals. Numerous studies have found that workplace stressors that result in psychological strain in critical care nursing environments are significant and associated with a negative impact on performance. Employee empowerment may help to determine workplace factors that help nurses cope with psychological strain. Randolph, Blanchard (1997) and Spreitzer (1995) proposed theories of empowerment that show promise for developing management strategies that enhance organizational success and that they are correlated with reduced psychological strain. The problem is that few studies use empowerment with nurses in a critical care environment. A t-test revealed a significant difference between nurses that had high levels of empowerment and those with low levels empowerment with regard to strain. Additionally, overall empowerment accounted for 28% of the variance in strain and clear structures and team accountability were significant predictors of strain.