Browsing by Subject "Educational leadership"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Factors that contribute to the intercultural sensitivity of school counselors in international schools: a path analysis
    (2014-10) Steuernagel, Jeffrey Alan
    This study explored the intercultural sensitivity of 334 school counselors in international schools that were citizens of 39 nations and represented international schools in 74 countries. The purpose of the study was to identify personal and professional factors influencing intercultural sensitivity. The developmental model of intercultural sensitivity (DMIS), a six-stage progression model that depicts how individuals construe their experience with cultural difference, was the theoretical framework for the study. The study followed a quantitative, non-experimental design, and used the Intercultural Development Inventory®, version 3, a psychometrically valid instrument based on the DMIS, to measure intercultural sensitivity. A demographic questionnaire measured the personal and professional predictor variables. Multiple variable regression and path analysis were used to predict and posit a path diagram. Results from the IDI v3 revealed that school counselors in international schools are working from the minimization stage (N = 334, M = 99.5) a transitional placement that highlights cultural commonality that can mask deeper recognition of cultural differences. School counselors who had coursework in multicultural counseling, or professional development in intercultural competence or intercultural communication had statistically significant higher levels of intercultural sensitivity. School counselors aged 41-50 years had significantly higher mean IDI developmental orientation scores than those aged 22-30 years. The length of time school counselors studied abroad and the total years spent outside of the school counselor's passport country were significantly correlated with intercultural sensitivity. The results also indicated that the Intercultural Development Activity Index was significantly correlated with higher levels of intercultural sensitivity. Specifically, paying attention to cultural differences during travel, and frequency of personal interactions in which one tries to understand the cultural perspective of a culturally different person, were the most significantly correlated variables to intercultural sensitivity. The results of the regression to predict intercultural sensitivity indicated a combination of variables explained 14% of the variance depicting a statistically significant model with a small effect size. A path diagram shows the relationships of the personal and professional predictors of intercultural sensitivity development. Positive influences and challenges of school counselors' intercultural development and implications for practice are discussed.
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    Intercultural relations: re-visioning an interdisciplinary field through the global lens of women
    (2013-12) O'Brien, Nancy Lynn
    In this project, I conceptualize the interdisciplinary field of intercultural relations through the global lens of women. This study is a two-phased, mixed-methods study situated in feminism and feminist research. I use a broad definition of intercultural relations that transcends multiple disciplinary areas including, among others: education, communication, psychology, and business. In Phase One (survey study) I address the questions: Who are the women? What are their contributions to the field of intercultural relations? Survey results name 420 women and their associated work/ideas, representing multiple countries and cultures worldwide. Findings indicate widespread global influence by women and their work in intercultural relations. Women are working across disciplinary lines and across geographical and regional areas. They have been (and continue) to influence the field through their roles in academia, consultancy, leadership, and organizational management. In Phase Two (interview study) I address the questions: How have women engaged with and come to know the interdisciplinary field of intercultural relations? How do women envision an intercultural relations history that includes everyone? In this phase, I conduct 27 face-to-face interviews with women from across the globe using a mapping exercise to facilitate rich data collection. Results from the interview study demonstrate that feminism and social justice issues have influenced (and continue to influence) how women engage with, and have come to know, the intercultural field. Further, participant stories exemplify different facets of intercultural relations work, including: the role of bridging; the topic of cultural marginality; refugee and immigrant issues; and expatriate and sojourner experiences. Finally, several stories illustrate the role of professional associations, education, and leadership in developing professional applications. Overall, this study argues the need to consider more carefully that, a) intercultural knowledge continues to be constructed through multiple ways of knowing and being in the world; and that, b) globally, women are participating in intercultural knowledge production; and that, c) by adding women's knowledge and perceptions to the historical context, implications and research considerations for the intercultural relations field are ostensibly endless.
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    The Role Of Leadership In Developing A Successful Arts Integration School: A Multi-Site Case Study
    (2015-04) Galeazzi, Carlo
    The research design for this investigation is a qualitative exploratory case study (Handcock & Algozzine, 2011) focusing on the unique challenges faced by arts integration school leaders. This case study research attempts to add to the literature on the role of leadership in developing quality arts integration schools by examining three existing arts integration school programs in the Minneapolis and surrounding regions. School and program leaders in each of these three schools were interviewed in the effort to gain a clear understanding of what types of challenges they encountered when developing and operating arts integrated K-12 schools, and specifically, how those challenges were confronted and addressed. Document analysis was also conducted including a review of historical documents surrounding the initial school or program development process, board minutes, strategic plans, school report cards, course and program descriptions, enrollment and other statistical data that was available for review. The study sought to understand specifically how these leaders address challenges and how they promote the school programs successfully. Addressing these questions is important because of growing evidence and consensus among leaders in not only education, but in business, architecture and among the general public, for the need of schools to expand beyond the focus on basic areas, such as writing, math and reading. Expanding the focus to address 21st century skills will help to ensure that students will thrive in the new age by acquiring new sets of thinking and communication skills, fostering curiosity and imagination, and knowing how to access and analyze information (Houle & Cobb, 2011; Trilling & Fadel, 2009). A second and more practical use of the information gained through this case study research will also be to inform decisions regarding the future development of arts-integration schools within the rural regions of central Minnesota.