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A phenomenological study of happiness, mindfulness, and transformational leadership in schools.

Stidham, Jr., Clayton Randall (2019) A phenomenological study of happiness, mindfulness, and transformational leadership in schools. Doctoral thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

The increasing internal and external socio-technical complexities confronting the workplace in the ‘information age’ have challenged organizational and leadership development theorists and practitioners to expand social, emotional, and relational/resonant frameworks. The purpose of the study was to examine the experiences and perceptions of K-12 superintendents who implemented The Orange Frog: Leading Positive Results™ program (Achor, ITLN, 2013b) as a transformational district-wide ‘happiness’ initiative grounded in the principles of positive psychology (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000b) and mindfulness (Kabat-Zinn, 1999). The study was a qualitative phenomenological case study including qualitative interviews (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). The sample for this study was a purposive sample of seven K-12 superintendents in the United States who implemented the program and served as members of the ITLN educational advisory. Key themes mission, mindfulness, happiness, success, results-outcomes, transform-change, and leadership emerged and were often interwoven throughout the analysis of interview responses. All participants endorsed the program as a valuable piece of transformation and a strong complement to social-emotional learning efforts. All emphasized that the overall impact of the program was dependent on effective leadership and comprehensive systematic integration of redefined paradigms within existing practices centered on happiness-based practice as prerequisite to success. Keywords: administration, change, happiness, leadership, management, metaphor, mindfulness, mission, Orange Frog, organizational development, outcomes, outliers, positive psychology, results, success, transformational, workplace

Item Type: Thesis (Doctoral)
Publisher’s Statement: © Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords: school administration; change; happiness; leadership; mindfulness; transformational
Subjects: L Education > LB Theory and practice of education
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status: Student
Department/Unit: Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations
College of Education > Educational Leadership
Date Deposited: 31 Jan 2022 17:53
Last Modified: 31 Jan 2022 17:53
URI: https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/5605

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