Fluent Essays

APA FORMAT (250-450 WORDS each)1 reference for each one 1. Discuss the potential advantages and disadvantages of quantitative research methodology for your dissertation topic or topic area. (Research is not required to support your conclusions.)2. The reading, “Unauthorized Fun at Work (Goofing Off): Predictors and Implications” presents an application of quantitative research methodology. Discuss whether or not quantitative research methodology is appropriate for this study. How might this research question have been addressed using qualitative research methods? (Attached to below.)3. Discuss the potential advantages and disadvantages of mixed research methodology for your dissertation topic or topic area. (Research is not required to support your conclusions.)4. The reading, Fostering Sustainability in Higher Education: A Mixed-Methods Study of Transformational Leadership and Change Strategies presents an application of mixed research methodology. Discuss whether or not mixed research methodology is appropriate for this study. What would be the advantages and/or disadvantages of investigating this research question from either a strictly quantitative or qualitative perspective? (Attached to below.) research_article_fostering_su.pdf .pdf Unformatted Attachment Preview FOSTERING SUSTAINABILITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY OF TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE STRATEGIES KIM H. MCNAMARA A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Ph.D. in Leadership & Change Program of Antioch University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September, 2008  Copyright 200 by 0F1DPDUD.LP+ All rights reserved 2009  Copyright 2008 Kim McNamara All rights reserved This is to certify that the dissertation entitled: FOSTERING SUSTAINABILITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A MIXED METHODS STUDY OF TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE STRATEGIES prepared by Kim H. McNamara is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership & Change Approved by: _____________________________________________________ __________ Chair: Date Jon Wergin, Ph.D. _____________________________________________________ __________ Committee Member: Date Carol Baron, Ph.D. ____________________________________________________ Committee Member: Richard Couto, Ph.D. ___________ Date _____________________________________________________ __________ Committee Member: Date Jean MacGregor, Ph.D. ____________________________________________________ External Reader: Judy Walton, Ph.D. ___________ Date ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dissertations are not written in isolation. Research projects and professional transitions of this magnitude involve a community of scholars and practitioners, support teams and cheerleaders, family and friends. Throughout the long and lonely hours sitting in front of my computer, I was always aware of the many people who were with me in mind and spirit. First of all, thank you to my committee members who guided me through this process so expertly. To Jon Wergin I express deep gratitude for agreeing to be my committee chair despite his already too full schedule. When he and I discussed the design of my research study, his enthusiasm got the better of him. His calm confidence in my ability to complete this work, combined with his ever practical advice and wise voice of experience, got me through to the end of this journey with results I am proud of. I have come to appreciate the perfection in the first line of his feedback, “This is fine, generally…..” Without Carol Baron’s brilliant skills in quantitative research, there is a significant probability this project would never have gotten done. Her constant availability, patient persistence, eye for detail and ability to interpret and explain the results of my data analyses over the telephone made it easy to take advantage of her. I will miss all those Sundays we spent together. Richard Couto’s conviction that one can use research to make the world a better place inspired me to engage in a community-based and participatory research model. His professional integrity and his insistence that I honor and learn from the leaders who have gone before me i became my standard of excellence. With a twinkle in his eye, he pushed me hard and I am thankful. Jean MacGregor has become my role model and my mentor. What a joy it has been to work with someone who is such a highly regarded heroine in this field. She embodies all the qualities of a servant leader who, with graceful networking and tireless devotion, has accomplished great work in her efforts to foster sustainability in higher education. It is a mystery how she managed to fit me and my project into her amazingly packed life. To Judy Walton I extend my profound appreciation for agreeing to be the external reader of my dissertation. Without a doubt, the feedback she provided enhanced the quality of my work in many ways. This project would not have been possible without support from Judy and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). A thank you goes to Laurien Alexandre who was my program advisor before I moved into candidacy. A leader and role model, Laurien could always be counted on for firm yet collaborative words of wisdom that kept me on the path towards my goal. She just seemed to know what questions to ask me so that together we might discover the next best step in my journey. Another thank you goes to Julian Dautremont-Smith for the many hours he devoted to reviewing my questionnaire and sending it out to AASHE members. These past few months have been an extraordinarily busy time for all of the AASHE staff members. Yet, Julian always provided thorough feedback, deep reflection and very practical and honest input in the kindest of ways; even at 1:00 am. I am blessed to be part of a community of scholarly practitioners. The members of the Curriculum for the Bioregion Steering Committee volunteered to pilot-test my research ii instruments, offered words of encouragement and hugs of support, and commiserated with me on many an occasion. Because of their work on sustainability initiatives at their own colleges and universities, they put my work in perspective for me and convinced me of the value of my study. To all my colleagues at Olympic College I extend my gratefulness for their ongoing support these past four years. They encouraged me to pursue my lifelong dream, shared lessons learned from their own dissertation journeys, colluded with each other to get me out of the office when I needed to be at home working on this project, picked up the pieces I had to leave on my desk and gave me chocolate when I needed it most. I am forever indebted to my parents for giving me life and getting me started on this path. My father, Jim, taught me how to love and care for the Earth and the creatures who share our planet with us by giving me a childhood rich with adventures in the woods and on the seas. My mother, Lynne, who always thought about and pursued work that “made a difference,” showed me how to go back to school when our children leave the nest. My daughters, Brianna Lynne and Kayley Jean, have been the inspiration for my work. It is my deepest wish to leave this world a better place for them and their future families. They have always expressed pride in my accomplishments, which has been a constant source of encouragement as I explored what it means to be a life-long learner. These last words of acknowledgement go to my husband, John. On the day we met, 35 years ago, John offered to assist me in my dream of “saving the world.” We did not have a clue back then just how much I would test his resolve. Ours has always been a partnership of love and synergy as we have given each other permission to learn and grow. “Boring” has never been in our vocabulary. I thank John for his patience, for cooking dinners and for wonderful walks in the woods with our pack of pets. He has, quite literally, kept me alive through this journey. iii ABSTRACT As evidence of the earth’s limited capacity to sustain human life mounts, institutions of higher education are being looked to for leadership in the effort to educate students about environmental concerns and support the development of sustainable innovations. Colleges and universities are responding to this call for leadership by starting and/or expanding environmental research programs, integrating sustainability issues throughout the curriculum, adopting sustainable operations, and building green facilities. Reflecting upon the sustainability efforts of these institutions, this research study explores the following questions: What factors are essential for initiating and leading a successful change effort to foster sustainability in higher education? What processes guide higher education institutions in efforts to deeply and comprehensively implement sustainable changes? A sequential mixed-methods research design was used to gather data from questionnaires administered to 86 colleges and universities in the United States implementing sustainability programs, from interviews with 20 individuals who are guiding the change processes at ten different institutions, and from archival records documenting the initiatives and outcomes at these colleges and universities. After the data had been analyzed to identify common themes, factors and change process strategies, the results of the analyses were examined in relationship to existing models of change in higher education. Significant correlations were found between the change strategies used and the support systems provided by these institutions and the level of progress achieved on the sustainability initiatives. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements i Abstract iv Table Of Contents v List Of Tables ix Chapter I: Introduction 1 Leading Higher Education Towards Sustainability 4 Researching Sustainability Initiatives in Higher Education 8 Reflection: My Positionality in this Research Study 14 Summary 16 Chapter II: Literature Review 18 General Characteristics of the Literature 20 Part 1 – Sustainability: Definitions, Rationale, Fundamentals, Barriers and Challenges 21 Sustainability Defined 21 The Case for Sustainability 23 Fundamentals of Sustainability in Higher Education 25 Environmental Literacy 25 Environmental Citizenship 26 Developing Future Leaders of Sustainability 27 Modeling Sustainable Operations and Facilities 28 Sustainability in Higher Education – Whole System Change 29 Challenges and Barriers to Sustainability 32 Lack of Knowledge about Sustainability 32 Education and Industry - too Interconnected 33 Disciplinary Silos in Education 34 Diverse and Conflicting Needs of Constituents 35 Difficulties of Transformative Change 36 Difficulties of Social Change 37 Higher Education Institutions as Sustainability Leaders 38 Part 2 - Leaders of Change: Colleges and Universities in the United States with Sustainability Initiatives 39 Initiating and Leading Sustainable Change 42 Partners in Change 43 Overcoming Barriers and Resistance 46 Part 3 - Sustainability Leadership and Change in Higher Education: Themes in the Literature 47 Leadership 48 Environmental Leadership 48 Sustainability Champions 49 Championing Strategies for Implementing Sustainability 51 Learning our Way through Sustainability Initiatives 55 Collaborative Leadership of Sustainability Initiatives 58 Change Management 60 Leading a Sustainability Change Process 60 Understanding Change in Higher Education 66 v Leading Change in Higher Education 68 Leading Sustainability Change Initiatives in Higher Education 71 Large-Scale and Transformative Change Movements in Higher Education 72 The diversity movement in higher education. 73 The service-learning movement in higher education. 78 Researching Sustainability Initiatives in Higher Education 80 Summary 81 Chapter III – Research Methodology 84 Research Design 87 Mixed Methodology - Principles and Practice 87 Positionality and Paradigms 89 Research Methodology 90 Participant Selection 90 Quantitative Data Collection and Analysis 92 Data Collection Questionnaire 92 Quantitative Data Analysis 95 Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis 96 Data Collection Interviews 97 Data Collection Archival Document Review 100 Limitations of Research Design 101 Implications of a Community-Based, Participatory Research Design 102 Chapter IV – Results Of The Study 104 Part 1 - Analysis of the Survey Data 104 Characteristics of the Institutions that have Initiated Sustainability Efforts 105 Characteristics of the Sustainability Plan and Planning Process 110 Progress on Sustainability Initiatives 112 Sustainability Curricula Goals 113 Student Engagement Goals 115 Sustainability Research Goals 116 Sustainable Operations Goals 118 Sustainable Energy-Related Goals 120 Sustainable Transportation-Related Goals 122 Goals for the Investment of Endowment or Foundation Monies in Sustainable Funds 124 Summary of Progress on All Sustainability Initiatives 126 Characteristics of the Individual/Group Leading the Sustainability Initiative 128 Roles of Constituents in the Sustainability Initiative 134 Institutional Support for Sustainability Initiatives 139 Barriers to Sustainability Initiatives and Strategies Used to Overcome the Barriers 140 Respondents’ Satisfaction with the Overall Progress of the Sustainability Initiatives 144 Part 2 – Analysis of Relationships 145 Measuring the Dependent Variable 145 Relationships between the Characteristics of the Institutions that have Initiated Sustainability Efforts and the Progress Achieved on the Sustainability Initiatives 149 Relationships between the Degree of Completion and Qualities of a Sustainability Plan and the Progress Achieved on the Sustainability Initiatives 149 vi Relationships between the Characteristics of the Individual/Group Leading the Sustainability Initiative and the Progress Achieved on the Sustainability Initiatives 151 Relationships between the Roles of Constituents and the Progress Achieved on the Sustainability Initiatives 153 Relationships between Institutional Support for Sustainability Initiatives and the Progress Achieved on the Sustainability Initiatives 154 Relationships between Barriers to Sustainability Initiatives and Strategies Used to Overcome the Barriers and the Progress Achieved on the Sustainability Initiatives 155 Part 3 - Regression Analysis 157 Part 4 – Analysis of the Interview Data 159 History and Development of the Sustainability Initiatives 162 Successes for the Institutions with High Levels of Progress 163 Challenges for the Institutions with Low Levels of Progress 164 Sustainability Plans 166 Successes for the Institutions with High Levels of Progress 166 Challenges for the Institutions with Low Levels of Progress 167 Constituent Roles in the Sustainability Initiatives 168 Successes for the Institutions with High Levels of Progress 169 Challenges for the Institutions with Low Levels of Progress 170 Institutional Support for the Sustainability Initiatives 171 Successes for the Institutions with High Levels of Progress 172 Challenges for the Institutions with Low Levels of Progress 174 Communication Strategies for the Sustainability Initiatives 176 Successes for the Institutions with High Levels of Progress 176 Challenges for the Institutions with Low Levels of Progress 177 Dealing with the Barriers to Sustainability Initiatives 178 Successes for the Institutions with High Levels of Progress 179 Challenges for the Institutions with Low Levels of Progress 180 Concluding Thoughts from Interviewees 181 Part 5 – Archival Document Analysis 182 Summary 185 Chapter V – Discussion & Conclusions 187 Discussion 187 Question 1 – Which Colleges and Universities in the United States have Initiated Sustainability Efforts and what are the Characteristics of these Institutions? 189 Question 2 - How Did these Institutions Initiate the Change Process? 190 Question 3 - What Sustainability Initiatives have these Institutions Chosen to Work on and what have they Accomplished? 191 Question 4 - Who was Involved in the Change Effort and How did these Constituents Work Together? 194 Question 5 - Which Institutions have made Significant and Lasting Sustainable Changes? 197 Question 6 - What Barriers were Encountered? Were these Barriers Overcome, and if so, How? 199 Recommendations for Further Study 201 Conclusions 202 vii Reflection Appendices Appendix A: Informed Consent Request for Interviews Appendix B: Survey Questionnaire Appendix C: Interview Questions Reference List viii 204 206 207 210 240 241 LIST OF TABLES Table II.1 - Summary of Barlett & Chase Case Study Characteristics 41 Table II.2 - Comparison of Kotter & Doppelt Change Management Models 60 Table II.3 - Factors of Successful Change Efforts in Higher Education 81 Table III.1- Factors Included in Questionnaire Items 93 Table IV.1– Summary of College/University Respondents by Number of Students Enrolled in the Institution 105 Table IV.2– Summary of College/University Respondents by Number of Employees Employed by the Institution 106 Table IV.3 – Summary of College/University Respondents by Carnegie Classification 106 Table IV.4 – Summary of College/University Respondents by Funding Base 107 Table IV.5 – Summary of College/University Respondents by Community Setting 107 Table IV.6 – Summary of College/University Respondents by State 108 Table IV.7 – Summary of Survey Respondents by Position 109 Table IV.8 – Summary of College/University Respondents with Completed Written Sustainability Plan 110 Table IV.9 – Summary of College/University Respondents’ Status of Sustainability Planning Process 110 Table IV.10 – Evaluation of Plan Qualities by College/Universities with Completed Plans 112 Table IV.11 – Summary of Survey Respondent’s Evaluation of Overall Progress Made on Sustainability Initiative 113 Table IV.12 – Progress Made on Sustainability Curricula Goals 114 Table IV.13 – Progress Made on Engaging Students in Sustainability Initiatives 115 Table IV.14 – Progress Made on Sustainability Research Goals 117 Table IV.15 – Progress Made on Sustainable Operations Goals 118 Table IV.16 – Progress Made on Sustainable Energy-Related Goals 120 Table IV.17 – Progress Made on Sustainable Transportation-Related Goals 123 Table IV.18 – Progress Made on Investment of Endowment or Foundation Monies in Sustainable Funds 125 Table IV.19 – Summary of Progress Made on all Sustainability Goals 126 Table IV.20 – Structure of Sustainability Initiative Leadership 129 Table IV.21 – Size of Sustainability Initiative Leadership Group 129 Table IV.22 – Survey Respondents’ Evaluation of Sustainability Initiative Leadership Trust and Expertise 130 Table IV.23 – Survey Respondents’ Evaluation of Sustainability Initiative Leadership Communication Skills 130 Table IV.24 – Survey Respondents’ Evaluation of Sustainability Initiative Leadership Engagement Skills 131 Table IV.25 – Survey Respondents’ Evaluation of Sustainability Initiative Leadership Collaboration Skills 132 Table IV.26 – Summary of Constituent Roles in Sustainability Initiative 135 Table IV.27 – Summary of College/University Support for Sustainability Initiative 140 Table IV.28 – Summary of Barriers to Sustainability Initiative 140 Table IV.29 – Summary of Strategies Used to Overcome Barriers to Sustainability Initiative 142 ix Table IV.30 – Summary of Sources of Support and Mandates Used to Overcome Barriers to Sustainability Initiative 142 Table IV.31 – Summary of Survey Respondent’s Evaluation of Their Level of Satisfaction with Overall Progress Made on Sustainability Initiative 144 Table IV.32 – Correlations between Respondents’ Self-rating of Overall Progress, Overall Satisfaction Rating and Progress on Sustainability Initiatives 148 Table IV.33 – Relationships between Characteristics of College/University and Progress on Sustainability Initiatives 149 Table IV.34 – Correlation between and Progress on and Characteristics of a Written Sustainability Plan and Progress on Sustainability Initiatives 150 Table IV.35 – Correlation between and Progress on and Characteristics of a Written Sustainability Plan and Progress on Sustainability Initiatives 150 Table IV.36 – Relationships between Leadership Structure and Size and Progress on Sustainability Initiatives 151 Table IV.37 – Correlation between and Sustainability Leadership Characteristics and Skill Level and Progress on Sustainability Initiatives 152 Table IV.38 – Correlation between Constituent Groups Identified as Supporters of Sustainability Initiatives and Progress on Sustainability Initiatives 153 Table IV.39 – Relationships between Constituent Groups Identified as Supporters of Sustainability Initiatives and Progress on Sustainability Initiatives 153 Table IV.40 – Correlation between Institutional Supports for Sustainability Initiatives and Progress on Sustainability Initiatives 154 Table IV.41 – Correlation between Institutional Supports for Sustainability Initiatives and Progress on Sustainability Initiatives 155 Table IV.42 – ... Purchase answer to see full attachment