Browsing by Author "Davies, Tim, committee member"
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Item Open Access Authenticity and female leaders: a qualitative study exploring the leadership practices of female university administrators(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Thornhill, Kathy L., author; Kuk, Linda, advisor; Albert, Lumina, committee member; Banning, Jim, committee member; Davies, Tim, committee memberUsing the construct of authentic leadership, this interpretive phenomenological study explored the leadership practices of seven female university leaders. Authentic leadership involves self-awareness, balanced processing, authentic action and relational transparency. Self-awareness is a lifelong process that involves understanding one's values and priorities. Balanced processing involves reflecting on strengths and weaknesses in an honest and accurate manner and not over or under-stating one's skills. Authentic action is behaving in a manner that is consistent with one's values. Relational transparency is being open and forthcoming with information and the process by which decisions are made. Five overarching themes emerged from the study: (1) leadership strategies, (2) leadership development, (3) meaning making, (4) developing and maintaining relationships, and (5) the larger organizational context, which included the university environment, specifically. The applicable themes were applied to the components of authentic leadership to elucidate further the phenomenon of authentic leadership. Their understanding of self was directly evident in their leadership strategies. They used values-driven leadership and were unwilling to compromise their values, whether in decision-making, strategic planning or even the institution in which they worked. They strove to be positive and to create an environment where people felt respected and appreciated. They sought to improve themselves, whether by self-reflection, reading leadership literature, or taking on new challenges. They made meaning of their lives by reflecting on their achievements and future goals, as well as the difference they made in others' lives. They were committed to their family and ensured that their family was integrated with their professional responsibilities. Relationships were important to them and they recognized the value that developing and maintaining relationships had on their personal and professional lives. They discussed the importance of mentors and they strove to empower others. They felt it was their responsibility, as leaders, to encourage and support others' development. The university setting was important to them. These leaders saw the university as a place that changes people's lives for the better and felt honored to work at a university. The mission of the university was important to them and they were aware that their decisions impacted everyone at the university, especially the students.Item Open Access Master's of social work students' research self-efficacy, attitude, and knowledge across the foundation year(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2009) Johnson-Holmquist, Helen R., author; Morgan, George, advisor; Buchan, Victoria, advisor; Davies, Tim, committee member; Valentine, Deborah, committee memberThis study examined foundation year MSW student outcomes with regard to the research curriculum. The researcher sought to understand students' attitudes toward research, research knowledge acquisition, and research self-efficacy. The Research Self-Efficacy (RSE) scale (Holden, Barker, Meenaghan, & Rosenberg, 1999) and a modified Kirk-Rosenblatt Research Inventory (K-RRI) (Kirk & Rosenblatt, 1981) were combined to create the survey instrument. Students enrolled at five schools of social work were recruited in the classroom to complete the survey. A pre-post design allowed students' responses at the beginning and end of the foundation year to be matched (n=75). Data collection for this study spanned the academic year of 2007-2008. Self-report responses were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings suggest that students' attitudes are favorable toward research. Knowledge of research increased over the foundation year. Students who completed one semester of research coursework were compared with those completing two semesters of research coursework. The group with two semesters of research coursework gained statistically significantly more knowledge than the one semester group. Research self-efficacy increased 24 points, a statistically significant change, suggesting a wide range of student confidence and preparedness. Recommendations for both social work practice and education communities are made based on the findings of this study. Changes to the field of evaluation research and technological advances in the last thirty years have been vast. Both faculty and students may benefit by attempting to set aside bias toward research. It is suggested that social work faculty seek to provide a positive learning environment surrounding the research curriculum. Incorporation of the research curriculum with other curriculum components continues to be of interest. The use of service-learning and the field practicum should continue to be explored as a means of integrating the practice and research curriculum (Williams, 2002). The social work practice community can influence the amount and type of research curriculum a social work programs provide. Finally, another research task force may be in order. There remains a need to determine the content of the research curriculum, how the curriculum is taught, and whether or not, research findings are used by social workers.Item Open Access Revolution and journalism higher education in the Middle East/North Africa region(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Schafer, Shaun T., author; Timpson, Bill, advisor; Davies, Tim, committee member; Kuk, Linda, committee member; Aoki, Eric, committee memberThe disruptions brought by the Arab Spring revolutions in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region in 2010-2011 created a series of personal and professional challenges for those involved in higher education in journalism in the region. This research uses narrative inquiry to examine the impact revolution had on a group of educators in the MENA region. The work reveals the impact of transportation woes, diminished student engagement, and personal considerations on a group of individuals involved in higher education in the region. The participants' work in journalism education receives additional consideration due to the restrictions on journalists prior to the Arab Spring and the uncertain space for journalists in the post-revolutionary environment.Item Open Access Women community college presidents in the Midwest: experiences in leading their campuses(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Krull, Kimberly W., author; Anderson, Sharon K., advisor; Littrell, John, committee member; Davies, Tim, committee member; Hall, Bruce, committee memberThis phenomenological study has examined the lived experiences of 14 women community college presidents in the Midwest. As community colleges face extraordinary challenges, leaders will be required to be innovative, creative, and responsive to the changing environments. With the impending turnover of community college presidencies by 2016 and the potential for women to assume those leadership positions, an understanding of their day-to-day experiences will prove valuable to prepare the next generation of women leaders. From the in-depth analysis of face-to-face interviews with study participants, four themes have emerged: Influences to the Presidency, Determination and Perseverance, Sense of Progress and Success, and Advice for Future Women Leaders. Broader interpretation of these themes has identified the unintentional nature of the participants' pathways to their presidencies, the impact that mentors or colleagues had on their professional development and decisions, and the self-actualization that occurred to help them realize they could be a successful president. As the presidents discussed the challenges they faced, which included leadership vacuums, gender issues, facility and financial issues, and the balance between personal and professional responsibilities, their determination and sheer will to move forward and be successful was apparent. They identified progress and success in both tangible and intangible ways. Much of the progress was dependent on their leadership skills and styles. As these presidents offered advice for future women leaders, modeling integrity, honesty, and ethics were at the forefront of all the discussions. They believed strongly that women leaders must be self-confident and utilize innate skills and strengths to create change. Their working relationship with the board and internal campus community were key factors in institutional stability and positive progress. The presidents viewed themselves as change agents for higher education. Relating the various themes to the research questions and current literature identified opportunities for further discussion. Within the four overarching themes, participants discussed the need for women leaders to have doctoral degrees, professional-development opportunities, mentors, job-shadowing, and broad-based exposure to all types of learning opportunities in order to develop needed leadership skills. Further studies are encouraged to discern how to best acquire and develop necessary leadership skills, the presidents' perceptions of preparedness for leadership, the impact of mentoring of professional development, and the correlation between leadership success and the doctoral degree area of study. Additionally, researchers could study the strengths and weaknesses of internal versus external leadership-development programs, the retention of aspiring women leaders based on leadership development programs, and the impact on institutions of the presence or absence of succession planning. Gender issues should continue to be studied as well to discern how barriers to women might be diminished.