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Date of Graduation
12-18-2020
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
School of Strategic Leadership Studies
Advisor(s)
Benjamin S. Selznick
Karen A. Ford
Maria Papadakis
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid survey instrument that would prove useful in identifying faculty with the capacity and inclination to succeed in team-taught, hands-on, transdisciplinary course programming. Using an exploratory, mixed-methods design, the qualitative component consisted of semi-structured interviews of nine experienced X-Labs faculty. The qualitative analysis process identified attributes that were vital to transdisciplinary teaching and demonstrated patterns that were consistent with complex leadership development. During the mixing process, these data were translated into a quantitative instrument. A panel of experts reviewed the prototype instrument and reduced the number of items included in the final instrument. This process formed the basis for the 56 item Faculty Capacity and Inclination Index (FCII). A valid and reliable personality index, the Ten Item Personality Index, was embedded in the instrument's final version, and results were correlated as a test for both duplication and reliability. An exploratory factor analysis was performed on the data collected from the 124 respondents. Communalities were all above .7, with the recommended minimum screening value being 0.3. Cronbach’s alpha for the NCII was 0.931, reflecting a high degree of reliability.
The study presents implications for practice in expanding transdisciplinary pedagogy models in higher education and how that approach contributes to the development of faculty as future leaders in the complex institutions that define higher education.
Recommended Citation
Swayne, Dominic, "Determining faculty capacity for transdisciplinary instruction" (2020). Dissertations, 2020-current. 31.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/diss202029/31
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