Browsing by Subject "Aspirations"
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Aspirations and Experiences of West Texas Superintendent Certified Women(2010-12) Duwe, Karan; Mendez-Morse, Sylvia; Klinker, JoAnn F.; Valle, FernandoAspirations and Experiences of West Texas Superintendent Certified Women Abstract The purpose of this phenomenological inquiry is to discover the common experiences of women school administrators that influence and hinder their aspirations of becoming school district superintendents. This qualitative study examines the aspirations and experiences of superintendent certified women in West Texas. It is framed in Shakeshaft’s Stages of Research on Women in Administration. Research questions guiding this study were: 1. What specific experiences and motivations influenced aspiring female administrators to attain certification for superintendency? 2. What is happening to qualified women school administrators that cause them not to pursue a superintendent position? The research design is qualitative using in-depth interviews and an online discussion forum so the participants could respond to each other. Eight women were selected to participate in the study with half having applied for a superintendent position. Results show that women attain their superintendent certification (1) out of convenience, adding the courses to the end of their principal certification program, (2) to prepare themselves for any opportunities they may encounter in the future and (3) for professional development. Factors that cause the women to lose their aspirations are (1) lack of mobility, (2) lack of access to information, (3) gender discrimination, (4) lack of mentoring, (5) school boards that won’t consider women and (6) the ‘Good Ole Boy Network’. This study adds to the knowledge concerning the lack of female superintendents and the factors that cause women who have attained superintendent certification not to pursue that position. It contributes to the data in Shakeshaft’s stage 4 in which women are studied on their own terms and stage 5 in which women challenge theory. This study also contributes to the preparation of women to become superintendents by revealing experiences and perceptions of other women and adding to new theoretical perspectives of educational leadership that includes both men’s and women’s experiences.Item Latina superintendents in Texas: A case study of career paths, influences, and motivation(2012-08) Portillo, Laura; Mendez-Morse, Sylvia; Klinker, JoAnn F.; Valle, FernandoABSTRACT Latina Superintendents are few in number in the education world. Although there has been an overall increase in the number of female superintendents in the last two decades, the number of Latina superintendents who hold a doctorate degree is not as high as those of other females in Texas. Many studies on Latina superintendents in school districts are relatively unexamined because of such small numbers of superintendents in the field. This study was conducted to find some answers regarding the Latina superintendent and her career path and barriers, family influences, motivations, and aspirations in seeking and obtaining the superintendent position. The study focused on the experiences of three Latina superintendents in Texas who hold a doctorate degree and found some characteristics and attributes they had in common. The central research question to this study was: What are the factors that facilitated Latinas' attainment of the superintendency in Texas? The sub questions to this study were: a) What are the career paths and barriers of Latina superintendents in Texas? b)What are the commonalities and differences in their career paths that contributed to or impeded their seeking and attaining the superintendency? c) How did their aspirations and motivations contribute to seeking and attaining the superintendency? d) How did the family influence contribute to seeking and attaining the superintendency? e) How has holding a doctorate improved the attainment of the superintendency? This study allowed the researcher and will allow others to increase their interest in the area of female superintendents in a school district and will enable researchers to provide others with answers that might help Latina leaders. This study will help researchers find answers to several questions pertaining to existing female superintendents and how they attained and have retained this leadership position. Most of the literature gears towards male superintendents and the attainment and experiences in this position. The superintendent position remains a male dominant position and therefore it is demonstrated through the lack of literature towards female superintendents and their experiences. The study is a qualitative methodology and the data collected focused primarily through the interviews of three (3) existing Latina Superintendents in Texas who hold a doctorate degree as well as open-ended questions were developed and emailed to the participants to gather information. The audio-taped interviews enabled the researcher to capture precise details and information given by participants. The findings of the study developed five (5) themes that contributed to the attainment of the highest position in public education. The themes are as follows: • strong family influence • exceptional teachers • they had mentors • doctorate • none aspired to be a superintendent early in their careerItem Student Organization Leadership Aspirations of First Generation Students Enrolled in a College Based First Semester University Academic Success Program(2013-12-06) Wentling, DavidThe purpose of this study was to investigate student organization leadership aspirations of college students currently enrolled in a college-based first semester academic success program and the relationship with the student?s self-awareness leadership behavior. The study was structured with two research designs; phenomenological and quantitative. Five purposively selected students were interviewed using the semi-structured format. The methodology used for the quantitative study data was collected from two groups, academic success program participant (n=29) and academic success program non-participant (n=52) using an instrument comprised of a two part questionnaire investigating the students? selection and enrollment with the academic success program and awareness of personal leadership behaviors with the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire-Ideal Self (LBDQ). A correlation analysis between participation, student organization leadership aspirations, knowledge and interest and students? personal leadership behavior was done. The phenomenological study findings found that students did not develop student organization leadership aspirations through their participation in the academic success program. Each student?s priority was their academic achievement over organization participation. The quantitative study found that students who participated in the academic success program had higher aspirations than non-participants. There was not a statistically significant difference for participants versus non participants and their scores for each scale of the LBDQ. A leadership component should be implemented in the academic success program curriculum. This would allow students to maintain the priority of their academic performance while also developing leadership awareness and skills.