Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Joan B. Murry
Committee Member
Larry Bustetter
Committee Member
Frederick C. Kintzer
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Committee Member
Claudia Santin
Keywords
adult education, adult education curriculum, applied leadership skills, CAAW, clients, Committee to Aid Abused Women, competitive job arena, domestic violence, domestic violence survivors, empowerment, female survivors, leadership, leadership capabilities, leadership training, Leading to Empower, perceived effectiveness, pretest-posttest, program evaluation, statistical significance, women
Abstract
The problem under investigation was that the Committee to Aid Abused Women (CAAW) recognizes that the organization does not adequately prepare clients to enter the competitive job arena. The purpose of the project was threefold. First, the project presented a leadership program specific to the needs of female domestic violence survivors. Second, the project offered the program to CAAW clients. Third, the project evaluated the perceived effectiveness by the women who attended the program entitled “Leading to Empower.”
Three research questions were addressed in this study. First, what does the review of the research reveal about effective, applied leadership skills? Second, what do the topics explored reveal about the special needs and dynamics of the domestic violence survivor that relate to an adult education setting, and what does the field of adult education reveal about the design of an adult education curriculum? Third, do participants completing “Leading to Empower” experience an increase in perceived leadership capabilities when compared to their perceptions prior to taking the course?
Study findings indicated statistical significance as a result of participants attending “Leading to Empower.” The findings suggest that the study participants benefited from attending according to the objective findings of the pre- and posttest t-test score results. The results suggest that there was a significant increase in the participant’s perceived leadership capabilities as a direct result of attending “Leading to Empower.” CAAW could benefit by implementing “Leading to Empower” and making the course available to clients.