Guglielmino, Lucy M.

Levels of self-directed learning readiness, strategic thinking and leader
effectiveness in nonprofit directors were obtained from a sample of YMCA
directors who responded to an online survey. The resulting data were analyzed
to determine if correlations between the measures were observed and if the
relationships were moderated by employment, geographic or demographic
variables.
Self-directed learning readiness and strategic thinking were highly
correlated. Analysis of the questionnaires from 471 respondents demonstrated
that the correlations between self-directed learning readiness and strategic
thinking were robust (r = .58, p < .001 ). Leader effectiveness was found to
correlate with these two constructs at identical and significant levels (r = .1 0,
p < .05). These correlations present evidence of positive relationships between self-directed learning levels, strategic thinking levels and leader effectiveness.
Correlations were also found for self-directed learning readiness and each
of the three subscales of strategic thinking, reframing, reflecting and systems
thinking, and the leader effectiveness measure; and for the reframing subscale of
strategic thinking with leader effectiveness. Responses to open-ended questions
reflected the use of self-directed learning strategies and strategic thinking by the
sample in preparing for challenges in education and leadership.
Correlations between strategic thinking and leader effectiveness were
moderated by ethnicity. Levels of correlation between self-directed learning
readiness and strategic thinking were moderated by the variables of years of
AYP membership and number of branches supervised, the level of performance
rating desired, and years of similar employment.
The YMCA directors in this study were determined to be effective leaders
who used strategic thinking and self-directed learning strategies to meet the
demands of their leadership roles.
The results indicate that individuals who exhibit self-directed learning
tendencies can be expected to use strategic thinking strategies; that those who
are strategic thinkers reflect self-directed learning behavior; and that leader
effectiveness is supported by the possession of strategic thinking and selfdirected
learning skills.

The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and experiences of
community college nursing faculty related to the integration of service learning. An
exploratory case study was conducted at three Florida community college nursing
programs. The data were collected primarily through structured interviews with 14
community college nursing professors, three nursing administrators, and one service
learning coordinator along with document analysis and site observation.
The researcher posed six research questions related to service learning integration.
These six questions addressed: (a) the differentiation of service programs at the three
sites, (b) the meaning of service learning, (c) faculty motivation to use service learning,
(d) institutional supports needed by nursing faculty, (e) the obstacles that nursing faculty
face, and (f) the strategies they use to overcome them. The major conclusions were that community college nursing faculty members are
vital to the integration of service learning and need training in service learning
procedures. Service learning has potential for further development in community college
nursing programs and may lead to a perspective change in how nursing students view the
social dynamics of nursing. Time and workload obstacles, along with confusion
regarding service learning, clinicals and community service have contributed to the slow
growth of SL in nursing programs. There is a need for new models to guide service
learning integration in nursing education. Two models for integration of service learning
into community college nursing are offered. Recommendations for practice, educational
leadership and further research are presented.

This study was designed to examine self-directed learning readiness of volunteer
community leaders and to determine if and how they used self-directed learning in their
community leadership roles. The sample included volunteer community leaders in South
Florida serving as board members in community leadership organizations and Rotarians
serving in leadership roles in the Rotary District 6990. The results support the conclusion that community leaders are self-directed
learners. They make extensive use of learning projects in their community leadership
roles, use a variety of learning methods, and have a need for ongoing learning.
The study suggests that designers of training for community leaders might find it
valuable to reevaluate and update traditional training programs, utilize or support the
identified key methods of learning and recognize that training needs to be applicable,
cutting edge, and go beyond local boundaries.

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore the selfdevelopment
of women executives of philanthropic organizations to determine
their approaches to learning for leading. Women occupy 1.4% to 53% of the
executive positions in the U.S. depending on the sector, yet little is known about
their learning needs and strategies. The research questions asked how these
women executives learned to develop successfully in their positions and what
informal learning strategies they used. This study explored the perspectives of 22
women executives of philanthropic organizations in South Florida and Western
Washington. The foundations represented by the participants varied widely in
size, purpose, and structure. The study yields evidence that learning and leading are inextricably
connected. There is also evidence that learning needs and learning strategies
change over the course of one's career. They use a variety of learning resources
including mentors, workshops, and resources such as books, journals and the
internet. Early strategies include training and mentoring. Later strategies refine
conceptual skills through conversations with colleagues. Discussion includes
implications for executive development programs and recommendations for
practice and further research.

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible relationships between selfdirected
learning and emotional intelligence in healthcare managers. There are
commonalities between these constructs; however, they had not previously been
examined side by side. The interrelationships of these variables with age, gender, and
tenure with the health system in a supervisory role were examined. A post hoc hypothesis
exploring the relationships of self-directed learning, emotional intelligence, problem
solving ability needed on the job and the amount of change facing the manager in the
workplace was formulated after the data were collected. Conclusions focus on the strong interrelationship between self-directed learning
and emotional intelligence. This research failed to establish a link between performance,
self-directed learning and emotional intelligence, perhaps attributable to unanticipated
aspects of the performance review process of this health system. The study revealed
significant relationships between self-directed learning, degree of change in the job and
level of problem solving ability needed to perform the job. This topic merits further
investigation in circumstances in which the performance assessment system is more
likely to provide accurate, precise knowledge of the level of performance.

The Delphi technique was used as a means to achieve
consensus on a set of competencies developed and field
tested by a prior task force. After three rounds of the
Delphi, a high rate of consensus was reached on competencies
viewed as needed by entry-level professionals in park,
recreation and leisure fields (round one, 17.9% consensus:
round two, 86.0% consensus: round three, 95.5% consensus).
The Delphi technique was effective in moving the Florida
Recreation and Park Association certified professionals to a
like view of a core of competencies.
The 116 competencies that had achieved consensus and
reached a 4.0 criterion level were then sub-divided into the
categories of Philosophy of Parks, Recreation, and Leisure:
Administration/Management of Parks, Recreation, and Leisure; Personnel Management; Financial Management; Community
Development; Marketing; Planning; Park and Facility
Maintenance; and Program Development. The category
assignment of individual competencies was based on a
previously validated task analysis study (Middleton, 1981).
The 116 competencies were then rank-ordered by means in
each of the sub-categories. Nine hypotheses were then
tested to determine if statistically significant differences
existed between and among items in the study. Five of the
nine null hypotheses were rejected.
In this study, there was a difference in how
administrators, supervisors, and leaders view essential
competencies. There was also a difference in how
individuals at various levels of education view desirable
competencies. This suggested that specific competencies are
more important for different employment levels and that
certain competencies should be acquired at different stages
of one's career.
Significant differences also were noted when the selfdirected
learning readiness scores were compared with the
rating of the selected competencies. The findings imply
that individuals who are more involved in pursuing
additional learning are also going to expect a higher level
of competency than individuals who are not as professionally
involved. A list of 11 items were suggested as recommendations
for future research. It was sugges~ed that a competencybased
curriculum could be developed utilizing the
information gleaned through this research. Other
recommendations were made regarding certification, selfassessment
checklists, a manpower study, and training
methodologies.

This phenomenological case study was designed to examine factors that relate to student persistence in proprietary schools. The goals were to gain new understandings about retention in proprietary schools, to describe students who persist, and to explain the personal and institutional factors that contribute to a student's decision to persist or leave. Data were collected by (a) interviewing fourteen students and eight employees who were involved in the school during a two-year time frame, (b) conducting formal and informal observations of activities in which the student could participate from the time of application through the time of graduation, and (c) examining appropriate documents. Data were analyzed and findings developed using qualitative methodology. The findings were presented to student and staff focus groups for feedback. There were fourteen findings that clustered around four themes: Students, The School Selection Process, The Training Program, and The Influence of the Institution. The specific findings were: (1) Core commonalities of students and applicants. (2) Selection process and the intentional marketing plan. (3) Program length and the reality of program completion. (4) Negative outcomes of an abbreviated decisionmaking process. (5) The gap between students' expectations and the training experience. (6) Built-in academic and social integration. (7) Built-in retention and intervention strategies. (8) Built-in formal and informal job readiness and job placement activities. (9) Changes in students' lives as a result of training. (10) The effects of a warm and caring work environment. (11) The effects of staff background on relationships with students. (12) The effects of owners' interests and beliefs on school policies. (13) The challenge of predicting student success. (14) The school experience as a rite of passage. From these findings, the Proprietary Student Passage Model was developed. This model describes students' experiences from the time of enrollment to the time of departure. The findings also supported previous research studies. Included are recommendations that can be put in place by postsecondary proprietary schools offering programs other than massage training and by postsecondary vocational schools in the public sector. The dissertation concludes with ideas for further study on persistence and retention and recommendations to policy makers.

The purpose of this study was to develop a predictive model for satisfaction of adult learners enrolled in a Web-based distance education course and intent to participate in other Web-based distance education courses. Implicit in this purpose was an examination of the relationships between and among the personal and experiential variables which are potential predictors. Personal variables examined include: age, gender, computer self-efficacy, academic self-concept, and academic status (e.g., undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education student). Experiential variables examined include: years of computer use, frequency of computer use per week, computer training, Internet experience in a class, and participation in a workshop for a Web-based distance education course. The subjects (n = 235) of this study were adult learners who were currently taking a Web-based distance education course from five universities. The instrument used in this study consisted of four sections: Background Information, Attitude Toward Computers (Computer Self-Efficacy Scale), Reaction to Web-based Distance Education Courses, and Academic Self-Concept Scale. Predictive models for satisfaction (p < .001) and future participation (p = .003) of adult learners in Web-based distance education were developed based on the results of multiple regression analyses. Further analyses were performed to investigate relationships between and among predictor variables and criterion variables. Computer self-efficacy was the only predictor variable which was statistically significant in both predictive models. This study also demonstrated a positive relationship between adult learners' satisfaction with their Web-based distance education courses and their intent to participate in additional Web-based distance education courses.

The purpose of this research project was to develop a predictive model for faculty integration of technology in higher education, specifically among faculty who are members of the Commission of Professors of Adult Education. The variables included both those that the educational institution could affect, such as technical support, release time, tenure and promotion opportunities, and personal variables of faculty, such as computer self-efficacy, attitudes towards computers and perceived institutional support. Three hundred and eighty-nine (389) surveys were mailed to the sample participants. One hundred and twenty-four (124) were returned completed, thirty-six were returned undeliverable and seven were deemed unusable, for a return rate of 33.14%. The survey used in this study, the "Instructional Technology Integration Assessment" was adapted from the Computer Self Efficacy Scale (CSE), developed by Murphey and others (1988) and the Middle Tennessee State University Survey developed by Lea, Brace and Roberts (1998). Multiple regression was performed, using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to determine which of the variables showed a stronger influence on the dependent variable. Integration of technology significantly correlated with five of the variables: Job Satisfaction (.403, p < .001); Quality of My Instruction (.422, p < .001); Tenure and Promotion Opportunities (.240, p < .05); and the Impact of Technology on the Depth and Breadth of Content and Student Participation (.347, p < .001). Years Teaching in Higher Education was negatively correlated with Integration (-.185, p < .05). With a multiple regression correlation coefficient (R) of .550, the squared multiple correlation coefficient (R2) resulted in .303. Thirty percent (30%) of the variance in integration could be accounted for by the predictor variables. Analysis of responses to open-ended questions revealed three main themes in regards to barriers and incentives for technology integration: psycho/social barriers, student readiness barriers and institutional barriers. Suggestions for future research included adding variables such as learning style, teaching style and fear of change to the overall survey.

This study investigated the relationship between school learning culture and leadership social interest in three groups of schools. Group One included schools attempting to improve student performance through participating in a staff development consortium. Group Two schools, also members of the staff development consortium, had made an additional commitment to participate in an action research process to improve student achievement. Group Three schools were designated as community schools. Four research questions were explored: (a) Is there a relationship between school leadership social interest and school learning culture? (b) Is there a relationship between school leadership social interest and school type? (c) Are there differences in school leadership and faculty perception of school learning culture? and (d) Are there differences in school learning culture by school type? Data were voluntarily submitted by 12 schools that were members of the South Florida Center for Educational Leaders Consortium of Schools or were Broward County Community Schools. School administrators and teacher leaders completed the Basic Adlerian Scales for Interpersonal Success (BASIS-A Inventory). School leadership and faculty completed the School Professional Staff as Learning Community (SPSLC) and a demographic questionnaire. A total of 289 questionnaires were returned, for a response rate of (46%). Major findings include: (a) a significant relationship exists between school leadership social interest and the fourth school culture subscale (r = .33, p < .01) concerning the faculty's capacity to observe and give feedback on classroom behaviors to increase capacity; (b) Group One and Group Two schools differed on the second (F = 5.993, df = 288, p < .003) and fifth (F = 3.846, df = 288, p < .022) subscales of the SPSLO, concerning shared visioning and school conditions and capacity for continuous learning respectively; and (c) Group Two and Group Three schools differed on subscale three (F = 3.947, df = 288, p < .020), which assessed the collective creativity and learning of the organization. Leadership social interest is correlated to trusting learning environments that facilitate transformational learning. This study supports the literature describing learning organization leaders as being teachers, leaders, and designers, all of which are equated to social interest.