University Leaders Research Articles

Exploring intrinsic and extrinsic sources of academic well-being among university teachers through Q methodology research

PurposeThis paper investigated the intrinsic and extrinsic sources of academic well-being among university teachers at one university in Qatar, to understand how different factors influence their well-being within academia.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on systems theory, this study employs Q methodology research. Data were collected and analyzed using 35 statements (Q-items) related to academic well-being. Twenty-one university teachers participated in the study, providing a range of perspectives on the factors that influenced their academic well-being.FindingsThe analysis revealed two distinct perspectives among the participants concerning the sources of academic well-being. Factor 1 (F-1) emphasized workplace conditions as the primary source of well-being, whereas Factor 2 (F-2) highlighted individual conditions. Additionally, a significant portion of participants did not align strongly with either factor, indicating diverse and individualized sources of well-being that suggest a complex interplay of various elements affecting academic well-being.Research limitations/implicationsThe study’s sample size is limited to twenty-one university teachers at a single institution, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. Future research should consider a larger, more diverse sample to explore the universality of the findings across different academic contexts.Practical implicationsThe implications for university teachers, researchers, leaders and policymakers include a better understanding of the sources that contribute to academic well-being and the need for adopting systems thinking in addressing these sources.Originality/valueThis study employs a unique application of Q methodology within a systems theory framework to explore the sources of academic well-being among university teachers. Unlike previous research that has primarily focused on anxiety, stress and burnout, this study provides a holistic perspective by capturing the complex interplay between organizational structures and individual identities.

Attitudes Toward LGBTQ+ Youth in Agricultural Education: Q Methodology Study

Although research indicates school-based agricultural education teachers work to make classrooms more inclusive, some teachers may not feel prepared to support LGBTQ+ youth. The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes of agricultural education teachers about the inclusion of LGBTQ+ youth in agricultural education. The 38-statement Q set was sorted by 21 Oklahoma agricultural education teachers. The resulting attitudes from the three-factorial solution were labeled: It’s Up to Me, It’s Up to Us, and It’s Up to Leadership. The It’s Up to Me teachers accept the responsibility to create an inclusive environment and program for LGBTQ+ youth. The It’s Up to Us teachers acknowledge the important collective role that students, teachers, and school and university leaders play in creating an inclusive classroom and program. The It’s Up to Leadership teachers acknowledge a need for further education and training in LGBTQ+ inclusion and feel there is too much pressure placed on teachers to be inclusive. The attitudes describe the diverse understandings of how LGBTQ+ inclusion in agricultural education might be implemented and supported with the need for more education and resources in LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Improving Educational Quality: The Leadership Role of Private Islamic College Leaders

The present study examines the leadership responsibilities undertaken by leaders inside private Islamic universities. The present study was directed by a singular research issue, specifically focusing on the leadership role of leaders inside private Islamic religious universities in their efforts to enhance the quality of education. The present investigation is characterised as a qualitative study employing a case study design. The study was conducted at the Nahdlatul Wathan Islamic College (STAI NW) in Samawa, Sumbawa Besar Regency, located in the province of West Nusa Tenggara. Data gathering strategies encompass several methods such as interviews, observation, and documenting. In the interim, the process of data analysis was conducted utilising a series of established techniques, namely data reduction, data display, data condensation, and conclusion drawing/verification. This study demonstrates that in order to enhance the educational standards, the chairman of STAI NW Samawa undertakes various primary responsibilities, including: 1) managerial duties; 2) Developing academic quality and sustainability; 3) Fostering campus entrepreneurship; 4) providing motivation; and 5) optimising the allocation of responsibilities among lecturers and staff members. The findings of this research have the potential to enhance the significance of leadership within the framework of private Islamic religious universities.

Exigency of Centering Equity in Educational Leadership Development

I am an example of a transformed higher education administrator. In this essay, I describe how my journey to an education doctorate impacts my work as a scholar-practitioner in higher education. The CANDEL program challenged what I thought I understood about the status quo in higher education with respect to race, socio-economic impacts, meritocracy, grit, and assumptions we make about students. The coursework and cohort model confronted my own biases and were foundational to my dissertation questions. Conducting my research on university leadership at my home institution gave me an opportunity to develop a shared equity leadership approach to solving complex problems. Equity-focused work in higher education is a long-game, ongoing, and essential to addressing the challenges facing our institutions. Without this, inequities experienced by faculty, staff and students will persist. The education doctorate and its scholar-practitioners are important drivers in shifting the American educational landscape.

Key factors influencing university hospital development in China: A qualitative study based on public value theory

Over the last two decades, governance for global health has garnered more attention from policymakers, decision-makers, and scholars from several disciplines. The health sector has also become more dynamic and complicated as a result of several factors that have influenced organizational development. The issue of sustainability is clearly raised with specific emphasis and urgency in the context of the global healthcare system. Some countries have been altering their healthcare systems to improve healthcare performance. University hospitals as the main providers of high-quality healthcare services in China, have an irreplaceable role in promoting the construction of healthy China. This study strategic triangle as an analytical framework to identify the key factors that influence university hospital in China and better comprehend how public value is conceptualized and implemented in practice. The study was conducted by qualitative method, five university hospitals designated as “Grade A tertiary hospitals” and semi-structed interviews were carried out with 33 participants, including experts, university hospital leadership level, and basic level. The study revealed that there are eight (8) major factors influencing the development of university hospitals in China. University hospital administrators must be prepared to assess and respond to factors that enhance or hinder implementation continuously and methodically. These insights can be used to improve early preparedness, but additional study in this area is required to better understand the driving factors, action models, and techniques for achieving sustainable development in university hospitals.

Equity in Action in Community College Leadership

Equity in action starts with a leader’s critical consciousness in relation to their identities, ideologies, and positionalities. In this essay, the following factors: ideologies, identities, and positionalities are explained and emphasized as they are essential factors that impact equity work. Leaders who center equity must explore their own critical consciousness through an equity lens so that they prioritize equity at the forefront while leading, collaborating, and making decisions in their leadership positions. The positionality of leaders is also critical on how they use their power to influence their community and amplify the voices of the underrepresented. One subset of the findings, Equity in Action, from my dissertation, Asian American Community College Presidents: The Power of Identities, Ideologies, and Positionalities is included in this essay. To set the foundation of the dissertation, the SEL framework, also known as the shared equity leadership framework (Kezar et al., 2021) is used to analyze how leaders build their own capacity in equity work. In addition, my positionality and development as an equity leader are reflected in this essay.

The Level of Happiness and Its Relationship with Personal and Occupational Well-Being in Women Leaders at a Mexican University: An Exploratory Study

This exploratory study aims to identify the state of well-being of a select group of women leaders in a Mexican university by analyzing the relationship between their perception of happiness and their satisfaction with their life and work. Through the application of a psychometric battery, this work examined how these leaders manage their well-being within an environment that is simultaneously empowering and demanding. Methodologically, a descriptive statistical analysis was performed, including a correlation analysis of all items. As a result, the research identified positive correlations between the variables age and positive perceptions of work and life, which are strongly associated with high personal and professional satisfaction. In addition, people who find their work rewarding and feel that their life is close to their ideal tend to be more satisfied in general. Although this study intended to be exploratory, it also sought to contribute a deeper understanding of the well-being status of women in university leadership positions in Mexico. In doing so, it filled an important gap in the literature on gender, leadership, and well-being in Latin American academia by highlighting the complexity of managing and supporting women in leadership positions.

Going Global and University Competitiveness: Skill set for strategic leadership

The terms “globalisation” and “internationalisation” of university have received a lot attention worldwide. Yet, being internationally visible does not mean that the university is properly internationalised. A university requires capacity to harnessing the power of strategic partnership and attracting renowned intellectuals to attain the global status and international appeal. University leadership must foster a holistic ecosystem in addressing community issues in line with SDGs. An integrative analytical framework for the strategic leadership combining three different areas of research: job related competencies, interpersonal competencies, and personal competencies is proposed, juxtaposing two dimensions – value and uniqueness – revealing different forms of university’s leadership.

Reforming Model of University Leadership through Collaborative Discourse

Despite abundant leadership research work, there is still a dearth of truly original, ground-breaking collaborative research discourse. To provide greater insights of linking various disciplinary paradigms and respond to this issue, we evaluate the leadership competency (LDC) model, proposed by Fowler et al. (2018). The paper analyse the different levels of leadership practices that lead to innovation with examples drawn from leadership studies. The model offers theoretical grounding as well as actionable guidelines for generating original research ideas. In response to the need felt by researchers on leadership, collaborative initiatives indeed has a dominant place in the contemporary leadership discourse.

Leadership in Private Universities for the Sustainable Performance of Research: A System Dynamics Approach

Leadership in Private Universities for the Sustainable Performance of Research: A System Dynamics Approach

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND ITS IMPACT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM PERFORMANCE (AN EXPLORATORY STUDY FOR A NUMBER OF TOURISM EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN IRAQ)

Purpose: Diagnosing the reality and role of employee engagement in addressing the problems of reducing high performance in tourism education institutions. Theoretical framework: employee engagement is one of the relatively recent management concepts in the field of administrative and organizational literature, in addition to identifying the concept of job performance and how to raise performance through the availability of job integration for the employee. Method/design/approach: Using the analytical descriptive approach by analyzing the opinions of a sample of administrative and academic leaders in universities and tourism institutes. Results and conclusion: The employee integrated at work and his presence emotionally, cognitively and physically has a significant impact on raising and improving performance, especially in academic tourism organizations. Research practical & Social implications: In recent years, interest in the issue of functional integration has increased because it represents a bright spot for employees who care about the future of the organization and who express their willingness to invest their efforts in its favor. Originality /value :The research presents numerical indicators on the research variables to guide college leaders to raise the state of job integration and is expected to contribute to broadcasting steps on how to achieve the highest level of performance.

The NIL Paradox: How Unfettered NIL Rights Will Shrink Student-Athlete Opportunities

In 2019, California passed the Fair Pay to Play Act which granted student-athletes (“SAs”) attending institutions within the state the right to monetize the use of their name, image, and likeness (“NIL”). That enactment ushered in the most transformative change in college sports since the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (“NCAA”) decision over 50 years ago to allow freshman eligibility to play varsity football. The California law, coupled with the subsequent Supreme Court decision in NCAA v. Alston, which held that the NCAA’s limitations on education-related SA benefits constituted an unlawful restraint of trade under the Sherman Act, unleashed a tidal wave of states legislation conferring SAs within their borders the right to receive compensation for the use of their NIL. In the immediate aftermath of Alston, more than 30 states enacted a version of the Fair Pay to Play Act, creating a dizzying patchwork of NIL laws. In scarcely the two years since Alston, the NIL landscape has devolved into what many describe as the “Wild West” resulting in virtually every stakeholder in this new economy—the NCAA, college leaders and coaches, SAs, and collectives—to plea for federal regulation to bring uniformity and order to the extant chaos. The author concurs with the call for reform and Congressional action. However, this Article argues that key areas of NIL reform—expanded access to institution intellectual property and assets (“IP”) and the elimination of restricted deal categories—are ill-considered and, indeed, will have a material, adverse impact on athletic department wellness.

Readiness for sustainable accreditation management in higher education institutions: A mixed-method study in Indonesia

Obtaining an excellent accreditation rank in various study programs has become an urgency for universities in Indonesia because accreditation rankings are believed to have an impact on the provision of quality education. However, not all universities are able to achieve an excellent accreditation rank for all of the study programs they manage. This research aims to determine the readiness of the accreditation teams in managing accreditation in various study programs. The mixed method is used, with an explanatory sequential design. The participants involved are university leaders and accreditation teams in various study programs. The research results showed that an excellent accreditation rating cannot be achieved with ordinary organizational behavior but requires great effort, care, and commitment from both the leaders and the accreditation team. It also requires active and comprehensive participation from the academic community. The excellent rank in accreditation can only be obtained with superior effort and care. It is suggested that the readiness of the leaders and accreditation teams to manage accreditation optimally is a crucial aspect in achieving an excellent rating. In conclusion, there are at least three important aspects to consider in the accreditation process in order to achieve an excellent rank: the need to achieve the highest assessment, the effort and care needed to significantly impact the highest assessment, and the institution needs to ensure a quality culture through quality assurance and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Leaders in Communicating and Maintaining Sustainable Academic Culture Toward the Top Ten Universities in Indonesia

For universities, leader performance is a determining factor for success. Organizational culture grows with the organization's leaders. In addition, there is a tendency to change the organizational culture perspective towards subjectivism (Clark, Geertz, Schwartz & Ogilvy, Weick). For the University of Lampung (Unila), which was founded in 1965, it turns out that leaders' communication performance under pressure of problems can maintain its academic culture. Initially, this research began with a decrease in Unila's ranking among Indonesian universities in 2019. After conducting the study, two cultural orientations were found, which are being a research university and an educational university. These two value orientations have the power to increase Unila's ranking among universities, as well as becoming a legacy. In 2022 there was a corruption case by university leaders, accepting bribes in admitting new students. The research continues with a focus on how a guided communication culture can maintain Unila's ranking. Data collection was carried out through intensive interviews with the new rector, vice rectors and faculty deans. The results show a picture of typical leader communication patterns, to maintain a sustainable academic culture. First, in the context of recovery, prioritizing internal communication patterns through ritual activities. Second, the slogan “Be Strong” was symbolically proclaimed within the academic community. Third, the communication pattern that is practiced both in the leadership ranks through the division of roles and among all members is to create togetherness, support each other, and reduce structural barriers.

Developing the PEAK mood, mind, and marks program to support university students’ mental and cognitive health through physical exercise: a qualitative study using the Behaviour Change Wheel

BackgroundConcerns about mental and cognitive health are common among university students. Engaging in regular physical exercise has been shown to enhance both mental health and cognitive performance, yet most students are not participating in the level of exercise required to obtain these benefits. The Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) provides a framework for developing behavioural interventions that are informed by theory, evidence, and stakeholder perspectives. The current study aimed to apply the BCW to develop the PEAK Mood, Mind, and Marks program (i.e., PEAK), a behaviour change intervention designed to increase university students’ exercise engagement for the benefit of their mental and cognitive health.MethodsPEAK was developed across three stages of the BCW: (1) understand the target behaviour, (2) identify intervention options, and (3) identify intervention content and delivery mode. Development was informed by triangulated data from a systematic literature review, co-design consultations with key stakeholders, and knowledge of relevant experts. Consultations with stakeholders involved focus groups with 25 university students and individual interviews with 10 university leaders and staff to identify barriers and facilitators to students’ exercise engagement and the adoption and implementation of PEAK by universities. Template analysis was used to code transcripts to the capability, opportunity, and motivation (COM-B) model of behaviour. The BCW was applied to identify the most appropriate intervention types and behaviour change techniques (BCTs).ResultsThirty-one barriers and facilitators were identified and mapped to seven intervention types (Education; Modelling; Persuasion; Environmental Restructuring; Incentivisation; Training; and Enablement) and 26 BCTs, which were delivered across digital channels and in-person. The final intervention consisted of multiple components targeting students’ capability (e.g., increasing knowledge about the mental and cognitive health benefits of exercise), opportunity (e.g., providing a flexible range of accessible exercise options and social support), and motivation (e.g., increasing the perceived importance of exercise) to exercise.ConclusionsUniversity students and staff describe a need and appetite for more empowering, scalable solutions to support students’ mental and cognitive health. Exercise-based approaches that are informed by behaviour change frameworks, evidence, and stakeholder perspectives, such as PEAK, have the potential to address this need. Current findings will inform a pilot of PEAK to evaluate its efficacy and implementation.

Leadership Style as a Predictor of Conflict Managing Style through Faculty Members in University Colleges of Kathmandu

This study examines how transformational and transactional leadership styles predict conflict management techniques through faculty members at university colleges in Kathmandu. By identifying effective leadership practices, the study aims to improve conflict resolution and foster a collaborative academic environment. A descriptive and correlational research design was used, with data collected from university colleges in different parts of Kathmandu. The total sample size for data collection was 125 faculty members. Out of which, the data of 100 respondents was used for analysis. The Likert scale questionnaires were distributed to the different 20 colleges in Kathmandu in the year 2023. Reliability was confirmed with a Cronbach's Alpha of .739, and validity was ensured through expert review and factor analysis. The findings revealed mixed opinions on conflict inevitability in educational institutions, with "The students of this institution also show progress in their professional fields in future" scoring 4.20 with a standard deviation of 0.725, indicating strong agreement. some agreement on the administration's capability to meet current requirements and moderate agreement on the creation of a conducive study environment. Opinions varied on transaction facilities and timely salary payments. There was disagreement on resolving conflict through strength, while mutual concessions and joint exploration were seen as effective strategies. The study concluded that leadership styles significantly influence conflict management, enhancing conflict resolution and promoting a cooperative academic atmosphere. The research is useful to the leaders of the university colleges for the management of conflicts.

Ranking academic institutions based on the productivity, impact, and quality of institutional scholars

Abstract Purpose The quantitative rankings of over 55,000 institutions and their institutional programs are based on the individual rankings of approximately 30 million scholars determined by their productivity, impact, and quality. Design/methodology/approach The institutional ranking process developed here considers all institutions in all countries and regions, thereby including those that are established, as well as those that are emerging in scholarly prowess. Rankings of individual scholars worldwide are first generated using the recently introduced, fully indexed ScholarGPS database. The rankings of individual scholars are extended here to determine the lifetime and last-five-year Top 20 rankings of academic institutions over all Fields of scholarly endeavor, in 14 individual Fields, in 177 Disciplines, and in approximately 350,000 unique Specialties. Rankings associated with five specific Fields (Medicine, Engineering & Computer Science, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Mathematics, and Social Sciences), and in two Disciplines (Chemistry, and Electrical & Computer Engineering) are presented as examples, and changes in the rankings over time are discussed. Findings For the Fields considered here, the Top 20 institutional rankings in Medicine have undergone the least change (lifetime versus last five years), while the rankings in Engineering & Computer Science have exhibited significant change. The evolution of institutional rankings over time is largely attributed to the recent emergence of Chinese academic institutions, although this emergence is shown to be highly Field- and Discipline-dependent. Research limitations The ScholarGPS database used here ranks institutions in the categories of: (i) all Fields, (ii) in 14 individual Fields, (iii) in 177 Disciplines, and (iv) in approximately 350,000 unique Specialties. A comprehensive investigation covering all categories is not practical. Practical implementations Existing rankings of academic institutions have: (i) often been restricted to pre-selected institutions, clouding the potential discovery of scholarly activity in emerging institutions and countries; (ii) considered only broad areas of research, limiting the ability of university leadership to act on the assessments in a concrete manner, or in contrast; (iii) have considered only a narrow area of research for comparison, diminishing the broader applicability and impact of the assessment. In general, existing institutional rankings depend on which institutions are included in the ranking process, which areas of research are considered, the breadth (or granularity) of the research areas of interest, and the methodologies used to define and quantify research performance. In contrast, the methods presented here can provide important data over a broad range of granularity to allow responsible individuals to gauge the performance of any institution from the Overall (all Fields) level, to the level of the Specialty. The methods may also assist identification of the root causes of shifts in institution rankings, and how these shifts vary across hundreds of thousands of Fields, Disciplines, and Specialties of scholarly endeavor. Originality/value This study provides the first ranking of all academic institutions worldwide over Fields, Disciplines, and Specialties based on a unique methodology that quantifies the productivity, impact, and quality of individual scholars.

The Influence of Organizational Communication, Work Motivation on Lecturer Performance at the Faculty of Management and Business Culture, Mandalika Education University (UNDIKMA)

This research is aimed at analyzing and determining the significant effect of organizational communication and work motivation on the performance of lecturers in Faculty of Culture Management and Bisiness , Undikma as well as determining which of the variables is the most dominantly affecting the performance of lecturers in Faculty Culture Management and Business. This research is associative or causality study. The respondents were all 59 in this Faculty. The data were analyzed with multiple linear regression using SPSS Program. The research showed that 1) Organisational communication variable had positive and significant effect on the performance of lecturers in Faculty Culture Management and Business, 2) Work Motivation variable had positive and significant effect on the performance of lecturers in Faculty Culture Management and Bisiness, and 3) Organisational Communication variable had the most dominant effect on the performance of lecturers in Faculty Culture Management and Business Based on these findings, it is recommended that Faculty management improves the level of effective communication and work motivation to improve the level of working performance. It also directs future research to cope with other variables such as the university leaders’ perspectives to triangulate the findings.

Social Justice and Credible Leadership in the 21st Century University Leadership and Management

In this study we examined social justice and credible leadership in the 21st century university leadership and management. The research employed a correlational survey design. The population of the study comprised of academic staff of selected universities in the South-South geo political zone of Nigeria. The selected universities are University of Port Harcourt, University of Calabar, University of Delta, Niger Delta University, and University of Benin. The sample for the study comprised forty academic staff from each of the universities who were randomly selected after stratification. Out of the 240 questionnaires were distributed, only 214 copies were retrieved, of which 11 copies were invalid because some of the items were not answered, leaving the researcher with only 203(84.5%) response rate that were considered manageable for the data analysis. The study utilized a self-structured questionnaire titled Social Justice in Education Questionnaire (SJEQ) and Credible Leadership in University Management Questionnaire (CLUMQ), the Questionnaire consisted of three sections. Section ‘A’ gathered information on respondents demographic data, Section ‘B’ contained 15 items that addressed the research questions, and Section ‘C’ included 10 items that are related to Credible Leadership in University leadership and Management. Respondents rated items on a 4-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (Very Low Extent) to 4 (Very High Extent). Data collection was done from February to May 2024. The instrument underwent face and content validity by experts in measurement and evaluation in two Nigerian universities, and the internal consistency was verified using Cronbach's alpha and reliability indices of α = .872 and .789 were obtained respectively, the indices were considered very reliable. The questionnaires were administered with the help of two trained research assistants who assisted in ensuring instant retrieval of the instrument distribution to the selected academic staff members. Descriptive statistics: means and standard deviations were used to answer the research questions, while linear regression statistic was employed to test research hypotheses at .05 level of significance. The findings of this study revealed a positive relationship between social justice practices and leadership and management credibility in the 21st. The study concluded that the integration of social justice principles into leadership and management practices within university systems are essential. Amongst other things, the study recommended that University leaders should prioritize equitable resource allocation to ensure that all departments and programs receive the necessary resources to thrive.

Self-efficacy and teaching quality of academic staff in public universities in Uganda

This study investigated the association between self-efficacy and teaching quality of academic staff in selected public universities in Uganda. Specifically, the study exam­ined how academic staff's personal sense of efficacy, behav­iour management, instructional strategies, and motivational strategies efficacy influenced teaching quality in public uni­versities. Employing the positivist research philosophy, the study used a quantitative approach through correlational re­search design. Randomly selected academic staff members provided data using a self-administered questionnaire. Par­tial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) results indicated that of the four teacher efficacy aspects, only personal sense of efficacy positively and significantly influ­enced teaching quality. However, the efficacy of behaviour management, instructional strategies, and motivational strat­egies had a positive but insignificant influence on teaching quality. It was concluded that the personal sense of efficacy of academic staff is essential in enhancing teaching quality. Nonetheless, the efficacy of behaviour management, instruc­tional strategies, and motivational strategies of academic staff has made minimal contributions to teaching quality in universities. Therefore, university leaders should emphasise promoting the personal sense of efficacy of academic staff to enhance teaching quality more than instructional strategies and motivational strategies efficacy.