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Item Cause Research Institute Seed Grant Awardees Poster Flipbook (AY24-25)(2025-12)This document provides a comprehensive overview of various research projects funded by the Cause Research Institute (CRI) Seed Grants (AY24-25). The projects explore innovative applications of artificial intelligence, transformative experiential learning models, virtual mindfulness programs, and emerging technologies to enhance education, research, and human connection. Key initiatives include developing AI resource repositories, utilizing generative AI for doctoral learning, assessing AI tools for faculty research, implementing experiential learning models, studying the impact of mindfulness programs on student stress and persistence, and hosting the UniverSEL Conference to foster human connections through XR technologies. Each project highlights methodologies, findings, and future implications for advancing education and well-being.Item A Qualitative Study On Reducing High School Principal Burnout(2025-12-05)The varying demands of the principalship create stress and burnout, which can lead principals to quit their jobs. Until researchers understand the specific factors contributing to principal burnout, school districts, supervisors, and principal preparation programs will be unable to support and retain principals effectively. High school principals are licensed administrators responsible for school improvement, instructional leadership, safety, student discipline, and numerous other key areas. Considering the high demand and high-pressure nature of the principalship, this study is important because various factors including the role of teachers, personal issues, working conditions, and others can contribute to the increasing rates of principal burnout. This descriptive qualitative study explored the factors contributing to burnout among high school principals with varying degrees of experience in Washington state in 2025. Specifically, this study focused on the factors influencing principals' decisions to leave or remain in their position. The primary research question was "What causes burnout in high school principals?" To identify principal perceptions of burnout, I employed a qualitative descriptive approach to collect and analyze data through semi-structured interviews with 16 principals. A thematic analysis was conducted to interpret key trends in the data set. Key findings included that burnout can be caused by various factors within the principalship including daily scheduling demands, workload, complexity and intensity of job demands, and lack of work-life balance. Further, principals experienced strain from indirect exposure to trauma. Simultaneously, principals rely upon a "do-the-work" approach, their skills, abilities, and attributes to effectively do their jobs. Those who lead and educate principals should implement strategies that support work-life balance, supervisor feedback and support, and trauma-informed practices that can assist principals in their work with students impacted by trauma. Researchers should explore those who serve principals, such as superintendents and principal preparation programs. These stakeholders should focus on developing strategies to alleviate the job demands of high school principals. One way to do this is to emphasize supporting the individual needs of principals in their specific contexts. Researchers should also explore the specific job demands and exacerbating scenarios that have the greatest potential of increasing strain and burnout.Item Qualitative Exploration of the Lived Experiences of Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic Delta Surge(2025-12)This study examined the problem of healthcare worker attrition during the Delta wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas. National surveys indicated that 40% of nurses planned to leave their roles within two years of the pandemic’s onset (Abbassi, 2022; LeClaire et al., 2022), a trend reflected in Texas where 44% of Nurse Aides and 34% of Registered Nurses left their positions in 2022 (Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies, 2022). The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the lived experiences of healthcare providers in Texas and the factors contributing to healthcare worker attrition between May 2021 and December 2021. Grounded in Rushton’s (2024) moral resilience framework, this study investigated how healthcare workers experienced distress when confronted with ethical dilemmas, systemic failures, and working conditions that conflicted with their moral and professional values. Ten healthcare workers were recruited through snowball sampling and data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2022) reflexive thematic analysis, resulting in five themes across three research questions. Findings indicated that during the Delta wave, healthcare workers experienced profound moral distress that weakened moral resilience and eroded trust in the healthcare system. Participants cited ethical conflicts, exhaustion, constant change, and lack of organizational support as key contributors to burnout and decisions to leave their roles for the sake of self-preservation. Many reached a breaking point where continued self-sacrifice became unsustainable, prompting a shift toward personal and family well-being and the pursuit of roles offering a more realistic work-life balance. This study offers insights for healthcare institutions, highlighting the need to rebuild moral resilience at the system, team, and individual levels to help mitigate workforce attrition. Findings can inform the development of targeted interventions, including hospital-based mentorship models, leadership transparency practices, and the integration of validated moral resilience scales for future implementation and research.Item EXPLORING THE PHENOMENON OF UNDERREPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN EXECUTIVE-LEVEL ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP POSITIONS IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS(2025-12)The gender gap in executive-level administrative roles in higher education institutions is a persistent issue. While women have constituted the majority of the student body for decades, they continue to be underrepresented in academic administration, including at the leadership ranks. This study focused on exploring the phenomenon of underrepresentation of women in executive-level academic leadership positions in higher education institutions in the Western United States. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative inquiry was to explore the lived experiences of women on their path to and holding executive-level academic leadership positions above the dean across private, public, and community colleges in the Western United States and shed light on the challenges and barriers they faced and the tools and techniques they used to overcome them. This research study used the interpretive phenomenological paradigm with a feminist perspective. A qualitative research methodology with a phenomenological design was employed as the most suitable approach for the study's purpose and research questions. The target population was women in executive-level academic positions in HEIs. The sample population consisted of women who held executive-level academic leadership positions (president, vice provost, vice president, associate vice president, and assistant vice president) for at least 1 year. Fifteen participants were recruited via email using the purposeful sampling method. The contact information was identified by searching public records. One semi-structured interview was conducted with each participant in a one-on-one setting via Zoom. The recorded interviews served as the primary data collection instrument. The data were sorted into recurring codes and subcodes using NVivo. Findings revealed six recurring themes: (a) gender-related challenges still exist, (b) lack of organizational support presents a systemic challenge, (c) hiring and promotion are still gendered processes, (d) the role of mentors is critical, (e) support networks are an effective tool, and (f) qualities important for success. The implications for practice informed by the findings should be concentrated on creating an inclusive organizational culture and providing conscious support and development to women aspiring to and holding executive leadership positions. Higher education institutions should establish women's support groups and implement women-friendly mentorship and succession programs, as well as adopt inclusive policies that prioritize fair hiring practices, equal opportunities, and work-life balance. Aspiring women executive-level administrative leaders should focus on finding mentors, drawing strength from the community, building networks, and actively engaging in self-development as key components to success on this career track.Item Understanding the Determinants of Wearable Smart Device Adoption: A Quantitative Analysis(2025-11)Wearable smart devices offer opportunities to improve patient care and operational efficiency, yet adoption among healthcare professionals remains uneven. This study investigated psychological, social, and contextual factors influencing adoption, guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). A quantitative correlational survey of 270 Oregon healthcare professionals measured seven independent variables (Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Attitude Toward Using Technology, Social Influence, Facilitating Conditions, Self-Efficacy, and Anxiety) against Behavioral Intention. Multiple linear regression analysis, following verification of statistical assumptions, revealed the model explained 48.1% of the variance in adoption intention. Attitude Toward Using Technology and Social Influence emerged as significant positive predictors, while Anxiety was a significant negative predictor. Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, and Self-Efficacy were not significant, and Facilitating Conditions approached significance. These results suggest that emotional readiness and peer influence outweigh technical or usability considerations in shaping adoption decisions. Effective implementation strategies should focus on reducing technology-related anxiety, strengthening professional support networks, and aligning device use with organizational culture. Future research should examine longitudinal adoption patterns and extend the model to include constructs such as trust and ethical considerations to better support sustainable digital health integration.
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