The College of Education, Health and

Human Sciences

Announces the Final Examination of

Calvin McGlown

for the degree of

Doctor of Education

July 2, 2015 at 1:00 pm

123 Ball Hall, University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Biographical Sketch

Bachelor of Business Administration, Business Education, LeMoyne Owen College Mississippi Valley State University

Master of Arts in Teaching, Teacher Education, Christian Brothers University

Master of Education Administration, Education Administration, Christian Brothers University

Advisory Committee

Larry McNeal, Ph.D., Professor chair, Department of Leadership, Committee chair

Reginald Green, Ed.D., Professor, Department of Leadership

Lou Franceschini, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Department of Leadership

Charisse Gulosino, Ed.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Leadership

Major Field of Study

Leadership and Policy Studies

Period of Preparation: 2007-2015

Comprehensive Examination Passed: March 2013 (results April 2013)

A STUDY OF MOTIVES, CHALLENGES, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND BENEFICIAL OUTCOMES OF SINGLE-GENDER CLASSROOMS IN COEDUCATIONAL PUBLIC MIDD SCHOOLS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the leading motivations, primary challenges, types of professional development engaged in, and positive outcomes perceived by administrators who have either initiated or inherited the practice of single-sex classes within coeducational middle school settings.

To address the four research questions presented within this study, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to conduct multiple analyses that addressed four groups of dependent variables (motives, challenges, professional development, and beneficial outcomes of single gender education) on the independent variables initiators and inheritors of the single gender education initiative.

Although no statistically significant differences were observed for the two subgroups of respondents with respect to answering any of the research questions, there were clearly differences in the perceptions of all respondents as to which reasons most motivated their adoption of single-gender education, which challenges they regarded as the most serious, which types of professional development they most frequently engaged in, and which outcomes they most agreed their programs had achieved. For respondents in the aggregate, addressing learning style, improving student achievement, and decreasing the problems of low achievers were the reasons they selected as most important for taking on single-gender education, while the greatest challenges they indicated that they had faced were those connected to teacher professional development, whether with respect to single-gender education itself or more generally with respect to teaching low achieving students. In terms of their own professional development, administrators most frequently read articles and made observational visits to classes in their own schools but relatively rarely took university coursework related to instruction or made conference presentations. While all respondents agreed that their implementations of single-gender education had enjoyed a range of positive outcomes, improvement in student achievement was the one factor that was most often singled out.

The College of Education, Health and

Human Sciences

Announces the Final Examination of

Terrence DeShaun Brittenum

for the degree of

Doctor of Education

July 1, 2015, at 2:00 pm

123 Ball Hall, University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Biographical Sketch

Bachelor of Science in Education, Education, University of Memphis

Master of Education, Administration & Supervision, University of Mississippi

Advisory Committee

Reginald L. Green, Ed.D., Professor, Department of Leadership, Committee Chair

Larry McNeal, Ph.D., Professor Chair, Department of Leadership

Lou Franceschini, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Department of Leadership

Denise Winsor, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Leadership

Major Field of Study

Leadership and Policy Studies

Period of Preparation: 2008 – 2015

Comprehensive Examination Passed: March 2010

THE RELATIONSHIP AMONG MOTIVATIONAL ORIENTATION OF TEACHERS, THE LEADERSHIP DISPOSITION THEY MOST PREFER, AND THEIR INTENTION TO REMAIN OR LEAVE THEIR CURRENT TEACHING ASSIGNMENT

Abstract

In this study, quantitative methods were utilized to determine how the motivational orientation of teachers (need-types) and behaviors of school leaders positively or negatively influences urban middle school teachers’ decisions to remain in or leave the teaching profession. The applied research design was employed to determine if any relationship existed between urban middle school teachers’ motivational orientations, teachers’ preferred leader dispositions, and teachers’ future professional plans. This study found six key leadership dispositions from Green’s (2010) work that influenced teachers decisions to remain in or leave the teaching profession. The six leadership dispositions were character, communication, respect, vision, integrity, and consistency. Character was the most significant leader disposition preferred by urban middle school teachers, followed by communication, respect, integrity, vision, and consistency, respectively. If school leaders in urban middle schools plan to retain teachers, it is imperative that they understand which dispositions of school leaders positively impact the behavior of subordinates. Additionally, to influence urban middle school teachers to remain in the teaching profession, school leaders must become aware of effective intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors. If school leaders do not become aware of these motivational factors and embed them into the school climate, developing a professional learning community that enhances student achievement is likely to remain a challenging endeavor.

Moreover, determining the specific needs of each individual teacher will help school leaders identify the leader dispositions needed to influence them to remain in the teaching profession, reducing teacher attrition. McClelland (1988) asserted that a person’s needs are influenced by their cultural background and life experiences. This signifies to school leaders that the primary need-type of a teacher is not constant, but shifts over time.

The College of Education, Health and

Human Sciences

Announces the Final Examination of

Doris Scott Battle

for the degree of

Doctor of Education

July 6, 2015 at 11:00 am

123 Ball Hall, University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Biographical Sketch

Bachelor of Science Degree, Early Childhood Education, University of Tennessee at Martin

Master of Science Degree, Educational Administration and Supervision, University of Memphis

Advisory Committee

Larry McNeal, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Leadership, Committee chair

Reginald Green, Ed.D., Professor, Department of Leadership

Charisse Gulosino, Ed.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Leadership

DeAnna Owens, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Instruction and Curriculum Leadership

Major Field of Study

Leadership and Policy Studies

Period of Preparation: 2012- 2015

Comprehensive Examination Passed: March 2014 (results April 2014)

AN ANALYSIS OF THE LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS OF NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT GRADUATES

Abstract

Battle, Doris Scott. Ed. D. The University of Memphis. August 2015. An Analysis of the Leadership Behaviors of National Institute For School Leadership Executive Development. Major Professor: Dr. Larry McNeal.

With respect to the sample of principals’ judgment of the importance of Green’s (2006) 13 leadership competencies and the frequency with which these principals engage in them, statistically significant differences most often involved the competency “Professionalism.” With respect to judgments of importance, “Professionalism” was assessed as being higher than eight of the remaining 12 and was as assessed as being engaged in more often than any of the other 12 with respect to judgments of frequency. Among supervisors, there was no meaningful variation in their judgments of these competencies’ importance and the only competency they perceived to be more often engaged in by principals relative to all others was “Professionalism.” When principals’ and supervisors’ judgments were subjected to between-groups comparisons, supervisors were observed to rate the competency “Diversity” as higher in importance than principals and to perceive principals as more often engaging in the competencies “Collaboration” and “Professional Development” than the principals themselves.