Organizational Leadership

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10323/11896

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    Self-efficacy and Career Development among NCAA Division I Student-athletes: Examining Career Decision-making Confidence and Career Engagement
    (2026-01-01) Webb, Marcus T; Smith, Julia; Stubler, Dave; Lane, Tonisha
    Student-athletes navigate demanding athletic and academic responsibilities while also preparing for life after sport. Although self-efficacy has been widely linked to persistence, goal setting, and performance, less is understood about how student-athletes’ confidence influences the career development process—particularly their readiness to make career decisions and their engagement in career preparation activities. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between self-efficacy and career development among NCAA Division I student-athletes.Chickering’s Identity Development Theory served as a lens for understanding how identity development during the college years may relate to career exploration and postcollege planning. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from NCAA Division I student-athletes across sports and academic levels. Participants completed an online survey that assessed athletic identity, self-efficacy, extrinsic motivation factors, and career development-related constructs, including career decision-making confidence and career engagement behaviors connected to the student-athlete experience. Overall, these athletes showed high self-efficacy, high athletic identity, and strong intrinsic motivation to be successful off the field, which challenges the idea that athletes are automatically behind in career development. Most athletes had clear career goals, and the main anxiety was not choosing a career, but feeling confident about alternative options beyond their first choice. Some also showed uncertainty in career preparation basics like résumé building and understanding career field trends, which are likely connected to limited exposure and the time demands of sport. These findings suggest that career development should be integrated into the student-athlete experience early. This should strengthen career confidence through practical skill development and structured opportunities.
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    Transformational Leadership Strategies that Foster a Growth Mindset Among Teachers in a Charter School: A Mixed-Methods Case Study
    (2026-01-01) Zaher, Razan; Smith, Julia; Carver, Cynthia; Flumerfelt, Shannon; Klein, Suzanne
    This mixed-methods case study examined transformational leadership strategies perceived by teachers as most effective in fostering a growth mindset within a suburban charter school setting. Grounded in transformational leadership theory and growth mindset theory, the study focused on the four dimensions of transformational leadership: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. Teachers at a K–12 suburban charter school filled out a Likert-scale survey and took part in semi-structured interviews to give us data. Quantitative findings indicated that teachers perceived transformational leadership practices as positively influencing the development of a growth mindset, with individualized consideration and inspirational motivation emerging as the most influential dimensions. Qualitative analysis revealed six themes: Trust Before Growth, Growth Feels Personal, Learning Requires Safe Risk-Taking, Purpose Sustains Effort, Growth Mindset as an Environmental Outcome, and Balancing Support and Accountability. These themes illustrate that leadership influence functioned as a developmental process in which trust established psychological safety, individualized support enabled improvement, intellectual stimulation promoted instructional risk-taking, and motivational practices sustained persistence. Findings further suggest that a growth mindset emerged not solely as an individual belief but as an environmental outcome shaped by consistent leadership practices. Transformational leadership operated as an integrated system in which each dimension contributed a distinct yet interconnected role in supporting teacher development. This study contributes to the field of educational leadership by identifying specific leadership mechanisms that foster growth-oriented professional behaviors and sustain continuous improvement within charter school contexts. Implications for practice emphasize the importance of intentionally balancing support and accountability while cultivating professional environments that promote trust, reflection, risk-taking, and ongoing learning.
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    A Phenomenological Study on Improving the Athletic Eligibility and Retention of African American Student-Athletes at Community Colleges
    (2026-01-01) McLittle, Aijalon; Smith, Ed.D., Julia; Cooper, Ph.D., Joseph; Johnson, Ph.D., Eileen
    Student-athletes experience demanding athletic and academic responsibilities while participating in varsity sports at community colleges. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of African American student-athletes at Midwest community colleges, specifically exploring the academic challenges and how their athletic eligibility is impacted by academic probation. This research is needed because it helps two-year colleges develop strategies to retain African American student-athletes. The Socio-Ecological Outcomes (SEO) theory guided this research in that it can help community college educators understand the barriers and needs of African American students-athletes. A phenomenological approach was used as a research design to learn about the lived experiences of this population of students. My work with African American student-athletes has motivated me to conduct qualitative research to gauge the “how” and “why” as it relates to student-athletes experience and academic challenges while playing sports at community colleges. The findings revealed that the participants were unsupported in these community college spaces, endured challenges balancing both academics and sports, their athletic status was demoted, and they experienced implicit bias. The study provides implications to support and develop initiatives to improve African American student-athlete’s academic outcomes. The results highlight the importance of new athletic programing and practices by community college leadership.
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    The Impact of Standardized Testing on K12 Leadership
    (2026-01-01) Roberts, Alycia Tanyia; Smith, Julia; Flumerfelt, Shannon; Klein, Suzanne
    This mixed-methods study examined the relationship between K12 administrators’ leadership styles and their perceptions of standardized assessments. Guided by transformational and transactional leadership frameworks, the study explored how leadership behaviors influence decision-making, communication, instructional practices, and school climate in the context of high-stakes testing environments. Quantitative data were collected through a Qualtrics survey administered to 69 K12 administrators, measuring leadership style and perceptions of standardized testing. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses revealed that transformational leadership was positively associated with more adaptive perceptions of standardized assessments, particularly in areas related to instructional leadership, communication, and fostering a positive school climate. Transactional leadership, while present, was less predictive of supportive testing perceptions. Qualitative data, analyzed through thematic analysis, supported these findings and highlighted three central themes: time, decision-making, and leadership perceptions. Administrators reported that time demands, district-driven mandates, and accountability pressures shaped their responses to standardized testing; however, transformational leaders tended to buffer negative impacts by emphasizing collaboration, instructional support, and morale. Integration of quantitative and qualitative results demonstrated that leadership style plays a critical role in shaping how standardized testing is perceived and managed within schools. The study contributes to the literature by clarifying how leadership approaches can mitigate or exacerbate the challenges associated with standardized assessments, offering implications for leadership preparation, policy, and future research. Ultimately, this dissertation endeavors to advance a more nuanced understanding of how leadership can shape assessment practices that support both accountability and meaningful learning.
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    KINDING: A Theory of Human Growth Through Positive Self-leadership
    (2025-01-01) Kotori, Juna; Strubler, David; Smith, Julia; Golomb, Sara; Stejskal, Taryn Marie
    While trauma research has traditionally focused on pathological outcomes, attention has shifted toward understanding post-traumatic growth or positive psychological changes that can emerge from struggling with highly challenging events. However, existing post-traumatic growth theories provide limited guidance on how individuals can actively facilitate their own growth. This study introduced and empirically validated the KINDING Theory of Human Growth Through Positive Self-Leadership, a novel framework that integrates positive self-leadership theory and affective neuroscience to explain how positive emotions, cognitions, and behaviors can facilitate growth following trauma. A cross-sectional survey design was employed with 489 adults engages in higher education institutions across Michigan. The study utilized the newly developed and validated KINDING Scale of Positive Practices. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, factor analysis, simple and multiple regression analysis, and path analysis to examine relationships among KINDING components and their association with post-traumatic growth as measured by the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory. Factor analysis confirmed the seven-component structure of the KINDING theory with strong factor loadings. All KINDING components significantly predicted subsequent components in the theoretical sequence, supporting the spiraling progression model. Path analysis revealed that the full model explained 47% of variance in post-traumatic growth. Dreams and Imagination emerged as the strongest direct predictors of post-traumatic growth, while Kindness showed a surprising negative direct effect but significant positive indirect effect, suggesting it may function as a foundation enabling other growth processes. Distinct patterns emerged for self-directed versus other-directed growth, with Dreams and Implementation most strongly predicting self-directed growth, while Gratitude and Imagination best predicted other-directed growth. This research makes significant theoretical, empirical, and practical contributions to understanding post-traumatic growth. Theoretically, it extends existing post-traumatic growth models by demonstrating how positive self-leadership practices can actively facilitate growth rather than merely describing outcomes. The KINDING Scale provides researchers with a validated instrument for measuring positive practices in trauma recovery contexts. Practically, findings suggest that interventions emphasizing goal-setting, visualization, self-compassion, meaning-making, and gratitude may enhance individuals' capacity for growth following adversity. For higher education settings, results support implementing trauma-informed approaches that incorporate positive self-leadership principles in student support services, counseling programs, and professional development initiatives. In conclusion, the KINDING Theory of Human Growth Through Positive Self-Leadership represents a paradigmatic shift from passive to active models of trauma recovery, providing both theoretical understanding and practical tools for facilitating post-traumatic growth. By demonstrating that individuals can actively lead themselves toward positive outcomes following trauma through intentional engagement in positive practices, this research offers hope and empowerment to trauma survivors while providing evidence-based guidance for practitioners and institutions supporting trauma recovery. The findings establish a foundation for future longitudinal research, intervention development, and cross-cultural validation of the KINDING framework
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    Joy Stories: A Critical Race, Hip-Hop, Counter Narrative of How Black Men Who Graduated from HWIs Found Belonging and Joy Through Beats and Rhymes
    (2025-01-01) Young, Lawrence Neal; Sule, V. Thandi; Nidiffer, Jana; Brown-El, Omar
    This study is a Critical Race and Hip-Hop counter-narrative examining the experiences of Black men with Hip-Hop identities who graduated from historically White institutions (HWIs). Grounded in a theoretical framework drawing upon Critical Race Theory (CRT), Hip-Hop Pedagogy (HHP), and Black Joy, this research explores the ways in which Hip-Hop cultural aesthetics may inform culturally relevant counter spaces that foster a sense of belonging and joy among Black men. By centering the lived experiences of fifteen Black men who graduated from midwestern HWIs, the study reveals how Hip-Hop culture offers a powerful tool for navigating racialized educational spaces and resisting systemic barriers by challenging deficit-based narratives and centering the cultural capital, creativity, and joy Black men bring to their collegiate experiences. Through a combination of semi-structured interviews, thematic analysis, and composite stories told in the form of a Hip-Hop Rap Cypher created in collaboration between the researcher and participants, this study centers the voices and lived experiences of Black men who identify as Hip-Hop practitioners or observers and have successfully persisted to degree completion at HWIs by centering their experiences of joy and resilience, rather than echoing oft repeated deficit based narratives. This study will contribute to the growing body of research on culturally relevant counter spaces and programming informed by Hip-Hop culture and emphasize the urgent need for HWIs to adopt practices that affirm Black men's identities while fostering a sense of belonging and providing opportunities for joy
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    You Can’t Tell It, Let Me Tell It: Making Sense of Belonging by Exploring the Lived Experiences of African American Students at a Predominately White Institution
    (2024-01-01) Price, MoNique K.; Smith, Julia B.; Sule, V. Thandi; Martin, Robert
    African American students make up approximately 13.1% of all students enrolled in postsecondary institutions across the United States (Hanson, 2023). African American students overwhelming, approximately 68%, attend public institutions. Further, approximately, 72% of African American students are enrolled at 4-year institutions. African American students enrolled at these institutions face challenges that their peers who are not African American do not, such as feelings of isolation, microaggressions, and less-than-welcoming campus climates. These factors often prevent African American students from fostering a sense of belonging to and on their campuses. Using Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the theory of Double Consciousness as theoretical frameworks, this study sought to evaluate the sense of belonging of third-year undergraduate students enrolled at a Predominately White Institution (PWI). Further, my dissertation sought to uncover the effect, if any, student engagement had on developing sense of belonging for the study participants. This study aimed to examine African American students' engagement in extracurricular activities that may foster their sense of belonging in PWI. Data was collected via a pre-interview survey, followed by seven 1-hour semi-structure interviews with 31 participants. This study identified four themes: Campus Climate, Student Engagement, Belonging, and Why Am I Still Here. The findings showed that race had a significant impact on the participants' sense of belonging and the activities they were able to engage in on campus. Despite the challenges they faced, the participants showed resilience and motivation to persist. The study concludes with implications for higher education professionals and recommendations for future studies