This dissertation aims to define the connection between one's perceptions of self and how one conceptualizes leadership. This study first conceptualized my own identity, seeking to connect my past experiences and interactions with others utilizing a term borrowed from Eastern philosophy, samskara, to see how they impact my current practice within…

The power of being a first-generation college student was a life-changing experience. The barriers that existed for first-generation students were often fearsome. However, being a first-generation student was also a time of excitement because first-generation students had unique viewpoints, and it was a significant time of self-development. Higher…

Many believe that teacher leaders can positively impact a school system, lifting the level of student achievement as well as cultivating a positive professional culture of learning (Carver & Feiman-Nemser, 2009; Lieberman & Miller, 2004; Nolan & Palazzolo, 2011; York-Barr & Duke, 2004). Drawing on the researcher's own lived journey…

The goal is to shine light theologically on the role of transformational leadership in the missional church. What concepts about pneumatological discipleship, influence, power, authority, and transformational leadership suit a radically missional church? Radical missional challenges demand new notions about servant and transformational leadership.…

This healing feminist autoethnography examines my gendered experiences as a school principal during the 2021-2022 school year, centering upon two research questions: How can personal accounts of sexist experiences disrupt gendered norms in educational leadership? And how can I, as a feminist leader, exist authentically and truthfully in…

This dissertation is a quantitative and qualitative exploration of how one linguistically communicates emotions through an autobiographical narrative. Psycholinguistic research has affirmed that linguistic features of a narrative, including semantic and acoustic features, indicate a narrator's emotions and physiological. This study investigated…

The problem being studied was that although humor provides positive effects on student learning, teaching quality, and effectiveness, there are many difficulties in building a professional identity with the use of humor. The purpose of this qualitative autoethnographic study was to explore how humor could shape a professional's identity and be…

The idea of freedom in education has its roots in the social justice movements of the 1950s and 60s. Civil rights groups coalesced independently of other marginalized groups and movements of its time. While similar in nature, environmentalism and civil rights issues rarely crossed paths. As environmentalism made its way into science education and…

This autoethnography shares our personal experiences and counter-narratives in the St. Louis busing program. Through our mission we expound on experiences and real-life situations as seen through our lens as a student and a mother in the St. Louis busing program. Critical race theory (CRT) was used as an essential framework allowing us to focus on…

The study of the personal and career narratives of immigrant Women of Color can lead to more appropriate standards in mainstream work environments and to the expansion of professional leadership opportunities for immigrant Women of Color. The experiences of immigrant Women of Color leaders are varied and complex, with each leader's experience…

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the body of research, which lacks critical work, by including the voices of aspiring Black women in educational leadership roles seeking the superintendent position and to contribute to innovative inclusive models of leadership that are currently invisible and limited. The position of the…

This autoethnographic study sought to answer the question: What is the impact of the chief information officer's (CIO) organizational structure on his/her ability to impact his/her influence as a university leader? This study used semi-structured mind mapping, a Venn diagram, a cubic framework, and a qualitative, autoethnographic interview of the…

The purpose of this research was to provide insight into how the discourses of Whiteness influence the behaviors of White leaders to maintain systems of oppression and dominance that exacerbate racism and inequity in higher education. Using critical Whiteness theory as a framework and critical autoethnography as the methodology, I used my lived…

The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to 'come alongside' women educators who value and therefore spend extended periods of time outdoors to consider how they story those experiences and events, and, in doing so, to illuminate what their stories reveal about the influences of those experiences their worldviews, views of self, and…

This inquiry takes a critical look at elementary school instruction to uncover forms of oppression in education including linguicism, nativism, neo-racism (cultural racism) and racism. The researcher-participant, a marginalized Chicano educator, employs critical autoethnography through the lens of Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) to…