This study provided a detailed analysis of why newly elected school board members ran for school board in New York from 2017-2022 and the governance challenges they expected to face. Secondary survey data of 1,064 school board members collected by the New York State School Boards Association were examined to explore how personal and professional…

Nursing professional development (NPD) is an evolving nursing specialty role that combines expertise in clinical nursing with ongoing education in acute care settings. A novice NPD practitioner may not understand the complexities, demands, and stressors that accompany a work role transition. This qualitative case study used thematic analysis and…

The objective of this dissertation is to empirically test the effects of personalized gamification on individuals' performance. In order to achieve this objective, multiple experiments and case studies are conducted, and methods to help in the design of personalized and adaptive gamified applications are presented. Gamification aims to implement…

The pursuit of leadership is an intricate process that involves internal and external motivations. Often times the purpose and passion of individuals seeking leadership positions are rooted in a desire to facilitate change. Becoming a leader involves a number of factors. In addition to meeting professional development goals; aspiring leaders must…

The purpose of this study is to identify common traits shared by first-generation college graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds who grew up in the inner-city. This research was inspired by Duckworth's grit research at Westpoint Academy which sought to predict which cadets would graduate (Duckworth, 2007). Sixty-three first-generation college…

This research undertook to determine what motivates adults to continue learning while other less cognitively strenuous, and admittedly more hedonistic, choices exist. Many older adults desire to seek out and integrate knowledge about their environment, thus improving or stimulating intellectual functioning. Comparative analysis was used to…

In the 21st century, business settings are more dynamic and more thought provoking than in previous years because lately information technology (IT) has dominated all aspects of the business field. For this reason, this study involved examining job satisfaction of IT professionals paying particular attention to the opportunity for advancement and…

Leaders often manage both chaos and diversity. We can improve our leadership effectiveness by better understanding our motives and behaviors, and those of our followers. A potential tool for leadership development is the Instinctual Variant Questionnaire (IVQ). Based on Enneagram theory (pronounced "ANY-a-gram"), this online instrument…

Beyond the traditional notions of intelligence and academic achievement, the successful development of noncognitive or "soft" skills (e.g., personality factors, motivation, creativity) among school-aged youth represents an important objective for any educational system. Such skills have been shown to be significantly predictive of…

Despite high-stakes applications of assessment findings, assessment data are frequently collected in situations that are of low-stakes to examinees. Because low-stakes tests are of little consequence to the examinees, test-taking motivation and thus the validity of inferences drawn from unmotivated examinees' scores are of concern. The current…

Information technology (IT) has in the recent times dominated all aspect of the business world, and, for this reason, today's business environment is more challenging and more dynamic than in previous years. Therefore, this study focused on examining job satisfaction of Information Technology professionals in the D.C. area, paying particular…

Much generational research has been conducted in the last decade, prompted most likely by the drastic social and technological changes of the late 20th century, the increase in enrollments in higher education, the increase in families with two working parents, and the meteoric rise in the widespread use and acceptance of emerging technologies.…

The position of the superintendency is a critical and influential one. It sets the strategic goals for teaching and learning for school divisions throughout the United States. It serves as a role model for future school leaders. The educational programs provided to students in public schools have a significant impact on the success of our youth.…