A Phenomenological Study Examining Undergraduate Leadership Students' Values Clarification Mackenzie R
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Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2015 Knowing Their Values: A Phenomenological Study Examining Undergraduate Leadership Students' Values Clarification Mackenzie R. (Mackenzie Ruth) Fritz Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION KNOWING THEIR VALUES: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY EXAMINING UNDERGRADUATE LEADERSHIP STUDENTS’ VALUES CLARIFICATION By MACKENZIE R. FRITZ A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2015 © 2015 Mackenzie R. Fritz Mackenzie R. Fritz defended this dissertation on April 1, 2015. The members of the supervisory committee were: Kathy Guthrie Professor Directing Dissertation John Reynolds University Representative Robert Schwartz Committee Member Tamara Bertrand Jones Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the dissertation has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii This dissertation is dedicated to my husband, Tom. Always. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to thank my major professor, Dr. Kathy Guthrie. From the minute I met you, you have been an inspiration to me. You are a strong woman, mother, friend, scholar, who is a role model for so many, including me. You have guided me through this journey, and without you, I would not be where I am today. You have taught me many things, including this process (and that it is a process), how to navigate politics, how to balance work and life, and of course, feedback equals love. Your passion and positivity are contagious, and I am so thankful to have you in my life. Thank you for all that you have done, and all that you continue to do. I am lucky to be able to call you a friend. To the doctoral committee, I appreciate your encouragement and belief in me. I have learned from each one of you, and am thankful for your involvement. I am a better scholar because of you. I would like to thank the participants in the study. You have each taught me more than you will ever know. To the students in the Leadership Certificate, thank you for being leaders who are dedicated to positive sustainable change. You inspire me every day. To the faculty and staff at Florida State, thank you for your time, dedication, and knowledge. I enjoyed every moment of my experiences with you all. To Dr. Schwartz, who draws the best maps, who believed in me always, and taught me the importance of history. To Dr. Beckham, who always pushed me to do my best by expecting the best. To Dr. Cox, who challenged me to think differently, and trusted me with his course. To Dr. Dalton, who I had the honor of working with, and learning about student development. To Pam Crosby, who welcomed me to FSU and supported me throughout my journey. To Dr. Mary Coburn, thank you for the opportunity to work with you, I learned so much from you, and always appreciate the trust you iv had in me. Thank you to the phenomenal staff at Florida State. Thank you for being a source of experience, and support. Thank you, Dr. Allison Crume, Dr. Adam Goldstein, Dr. Laura Osteen, and Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof. Without my friends and colleagues in the doctoral program, I would not have made it through this journey. Thank you to Dr. Andy Mauk, my office mate, the HESA chair, and the man that is always up for one more. You have been so supportive during this process – I always appreciate your candid feedback and editing skills. Thank you, Dr. Kasey Price. We sewed, we cooked, we baked, we laughed, we cried – it was a perfect buddy match. Dr. Tamaria Williams, lady, I could not have done this without you. I am so blessed to have you in my life; your faith and love inspire me. Dr. Jillian White, thank you. You are a wonderful friend, and I could not have asked for a better support system (in and out of class). And to two of the nicest southern gentlemen I have ever met, Dr. Grady Enlow and Andrew Watkins. Grady, just saying your name makes me smile. Andrew, I am so glad that we get to share our lives and our families together in Michigan. Thank you to all of the teachers and mentors who helped me to get where I am today. Thanks to your support and guidance, I am the woman I am today. To my sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Carolyn Fox, who knew when I needed to be challenged. To Mr. Jim Doody, my high school social studies teacher, who not only taught me about JFK’s assassination, but also protected me and gave me a job opportunity in college. I am forever thankful to you. To Dr. David Smith, my college biology professor. I still cannot believe you came to Dunkin’ Donuts to help us study – that is dedication. To the faculty in my master’s program, thank you for laying the foundation for the work I do today: Dr. John Bishop, Dr. Tim Brooks, Dr. Kathleen Kerr, and Stuart Sharkey. Double H, Holli Harvey, you guided me from my first days in the field until v today. To Dr. José Riera, who took a chance on me for my first job. You believed in me and afforded me many opportunities that I am incredibly thankful for. You also taught me what the word “interesting” really means. Deborah Golder, you are one of the strongest, smartest, most talented, dedicated women I know. You encouraged and pushed me to get the doctorate. Thank you. To Dr. Kathy Collins, the most amazing boss someone could ever work for. You have supported me through this entire process, and pushed me to be a better scholar practitioner. Thanks for giving me this job, teaching me so much, believing in me, being flexible, and reminding me to breathe. I appreciate the trust you have in me each day. I am happy to come and work with you each day. Thank you Coach. Denise Copen, without you I would literally not have found the time to get this done. Thank you for scheduling me, and protecting the time I needed to write. To my friends and support systems, thanks for always being there for me when I needed a laugh, a cry, a distraction, or a motivation: Meghan Aftosmis, Amy Downey, Dan Hottinger, Centhia Wheeler Johnson, Melissa Petriw, Dr. Casey Sacks, and TJ Wulff. To my family who has shown me unconditional love and support, you have made me the woman I am today. Thanks Uncle Mike, Aunt Susan, and Aunt Vickie especially. Thank you to those who are watching from above, believing in me, serving as my angels every day. Thank you to my newest family, Tom, Debbie, and Jimmy Fritz. I love you all a lot, and appreciate you putting up with me studying, even for the first holiday we spent together. Thank you, Tyler Streit. I love you more than you can ever know. You are the best brother a girl could ever ask for. You have always thought about me, and how you can help me. I know I may boss you around from time to time, but you still love me (and you even try to find vi me friends). You have always been, and continue to be an inspiration to me. I still cannot believe all you have accomplished this far in life, and you have so much more potential – I cannot wait to see what else you do. You are the epitome of someone who follows their dreams – you put your mind to something, and you worked hard to make it happen. You inspire me. Thank you. I love you. To Jim Streit, my dad. You have always told me how much you love me, and every time we talk, you tell me how proud you are of me. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate that; there is no doubt in my mind that I have made you proud. Thank you for that unwavering love and support. And thank you for editing all of those papers through this program… I’m not sure the 4.0 would have happened without my personal editor. You taught me to knock ‘em dead, and that is a lesson I will always take with me. I love you, Dad. To my mom, Linda Streit. What would I do without you? You are my rock, my inspiration, my role model, my confidant, and the most influential woman in my life. You always know the right thing to say to me, and are always in my corner. Thank you for the almost daily phone calls, and always being willing to tell me what I need to hear. You are one of the hardest working, kind, loving, dedicated people I know, and I hope that one day, I can be a fraction of the mother you have been to me. Thank you for everything. I love you so much. To my husband, Tom Fritz, the man who literally changed my life. I did not know what love truly was until I met you. You fill my heart with joy every day, and every day I fall more and more in love with you. You keep me grounded and challenge me to be a better person each day. I love how you make me laugh, you take care of me, and you calm me down.