Papers by Dr. Cerease Nevins-Bennett
International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 2025
The succession of educational leaders in the ever-changing Caribbean higher educational landscape... more The succession of educational leaders in the ever-changing Caribbean higher educational landscape has been a persistent challenge. The significant challenge is the dichotomous tension between preparing educational leaders for future leadership roles and preparing them with the skills needed to adapt to the rapidly changing environment of contemporary educational leadership practices. This issue represents a paradox, which is the contradictory truth between the traditional leadership status quo and the prioritization of innovation through their leadership practices. In leadership development, there is a paradigmatic shift in the frameworks and assumptions that guide the actions of effective educational leaders. The purpose of this study is to examine the existing literature and strategies on how leadership development programs in the Caribbean higher educational institutions balance the paradox of tradition versus innovation in preparing educational leaders and examine how leadership succession planning frameworks can be adapted to address the paradox of ensuring organizational stability while fostering adaptability. A systematic review methodology was used for this study. The qualitative literature extraction was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. (PRISMA) 2020 checklist. This checklist consists of twenty-seven items which were used to guide the reporting quality of the study. Data was extracted from Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Academia.edu. EBSCO, Web of Science, and Scopus. Thirty-two studies were included in the systematic review based on inclusion criteria. The results showed a lack of leadership development programs for the succession of educational leaders in most Caribbean countries. There was a lack of consensus on how to balance the paradox of traditional leadership versus innovative leadership. Most literature called for a paradigm shift in using more contemporary models and frameworks to guide the succession process. It was concluded that paradoxes can hinder the development of future leaders, and whilst there are paradigmatic issues in maintaining modern leadership development programs this may lead to a succession crisis in educational institutions. The way forward is to provide future programs to enhance training, mentorship, and a model framework for enhancing leadership capabilities.
British Journal of Education, 2025
The rise in the number of higher educational programmes in the Small Island
Developing States (SI... more The rise in the number of higher educational programmes in the Small Island
Developing States (SIDS) has led to an increased call for programme accreditation. The purpose
of this exploratory sequential mixed method s research is to investigate the impact of programme
accreditation on lecturer quality of a community college within the SIDS. A phenomenological
research design was used to explore the phenomena using semi-structured interviews. A sample of
15 lecturers from a population of 84 were selected purposively to partake in the study. Quantitative
data was collected purposively using a survey containing five demographic variables and forty
items measured using a five-point Likert Scale. The survey was administered to a sample of 50
lecturers from seven faculties. The findings revealed that seven important factors of accreditation
impacted lecturer quality: (1) faculty and professional development, (2) curriculum quality, (3)
mission, objectives, and strategic planning, (4) graduation outcomes, (5) teaching and learning,
(6) learner progression, and (7) quality efficiency and financial resources. Lecturers believe that
the institution’s mission, objectives, and strategic planning shape the overall environment and
culture of the faculty, which sets the tone for the other factors of programme accreditation to be
effective. Correlation studies were conducted to support the qualitative findings. The results
indicated low but positive associations between the institution's mission, objections, strategic
planning, and lecturer quality; the other factors had moderate associations. There was no
correlation between learner progression and lecturer quality. Future research should explore the
prospects of examining the impact of programme accreditation on the quality of lecturers in private
and public higher educational institutions.
Keywords: college mission, financial resources, lecturer quality, professional development,
programme accreditation, quality assurance,
The purpose of this quantitative study is to determine how lecturers rated their principals as in... more The purpose of this quantitative study is to determine how lecturers rated their principals as instructional leaders and to examine the differences in lecturers' ratings of principals' instructional leadership based on the demographic characteristics of gender, age range, lecturing status, number of years current principals have been employed to the colleges. and the highest level of educational attainment of the current principals. A survey that adopted the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) was used to collect data from 170 participants purposively. Overall, lecturers had moderately high ratings of principals' instructional leadership within the colleges. There were no statistically significant differences in the ratings of lecturers based on age range and the number of years the current principal has been employed within the colleges. Male lecturers rated their principal higher than female lecturers on the dimension of creating a positive college climate. Adjunct lecturers gave their principals a higher rating than fulltime lecturers on the dimension of managing instructional programs. Principals that had a master's degree as their highest educational attainment were rated higher by the lecturers on the dimension of defining the college mission. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by filling the gap at the college level.
European Journal of Education and Pedagody, 2024
Understanding and awareness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are critical in e... more Understanding and awareness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are critical in ensuring students are geared towards protecting the future for themselves and others. This qualitative case study research design aims to increase the level of awareness and engagement among our students to create sustainable leaders and foster more sustainable organizations, households, and communities at the micro and macro levels. A design thinking workshop was used to raise students' level of awareness and engagement. An open-ended survey was used to gather data on students' views of how the business community and higher educational institutions can play their part in the nation's sustainability issues. The design thinking workshop resulted in the development of a sustainable development project proposal on renewable energy. Results of the survey revealed that students were not fully aware of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The study recommends that higher educational institutions need to play a more critical role in educating students about the SDGs and need to infuse sustainability within the curriculum.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY: APPLIED BUSINESS AND EDUCATION RESEARCH, 2023
The purpose of this quantitative study is to determine how lecturers rated their principals as in... more The purpose of this quantitative study is to determine how lecturers rated their principals as instructional leaders and to examine the differences in lecturers' ratings of principals' instructional leadership based on the demographic characteristics of gender, age range, lecturing status, number of years current principals have been employed to the colleges. and the highest level of educational attainment of the current principals. A survey that adopted the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) was used to collect data from 170 participants purposively. Overall, lecturers had moderately high ratings of principals' instructional leadership within the colleges. There were no statistically significant differences in the ratings of lecturers based on age range and the number of years the current principal has been employed within the colleges. Male lecturers rated their principal higher than female lecturers on the dimension of creating a positive college climate. Adjunct lecturers gave their principals a higher rating than fulltime lecturers on the dimension of managing instructional programs. Principals that had a master's degree as their highest educational attainment were rated higher by the lecturers on the dimension of defining the college mission. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by filling the gap at the college level.
European Journal of Education and Pedagogy
The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between lect... more The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between lecturers’ ratings of principals' instructional leadership and lecturers' views of their organizational commitment (OC) within the community colleges in Jamaica. Quantitative data were collected using a questionnaire that adopted the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale and the Three-Component Model of Organizational Commitment. A total of 170 lecturers participated in the survey, which used total population sampling, a purposive sampling technique. The Social Exchange Theory, Organizational Commitment Model, and Instructional Leadership Model provided theoretical frameworks for the study. Results of the Pearson Product Moment Correlation showed an overall low but positive association between principals’ instructional leadership and lecturers’ organizational commitment. Defining the college mission was positively correlated with affective and normative commitment but negat...
European Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 2023
The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the
relationship between lect... more The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the
relationship between lecturers’ ratings of principals' instructional
leadership and lecturers' views of their organizational commitment (OC)
within the community colleges in Jamaica. Quantitative data were
collected using a questionnaire that adopted the Principal Instructional
Management Rating Scale and the Three-Component Model of
Organizational Commitment. A total of 170 lecturers participated in the
survey, which used total population sampling, a purposive sampling
technique. The Social Exchange Theory, Organizational Commitment
Model, and Instructional Leadership Model provided theoretical
frameworks for the study. Results of the Pearson Product Moment
Correlation showed an overall low but positive association between
principals’ instructional leadership and lecturers’ organizational
commitment. Defining the college mission was positively correlated with
affective and normative commitment but negatively with continuance
commitment. Results of the Multiple Regression Analysis indicated that
defining the college mission, managing instructional programs, and
creating a positive college climate predicted affective and continuous
commitment. However, creating a positive college climate was the only
predictor of normative commitment. The study concluded that principals'
instructional leadership is necessary within the community colleges and
was associated with lecturers' organizational commitment.
Keywords: Affective Commitment, Continuance Commitment, Normative
Commitment, Organizational Commitment, Principal Instructional
Leadership.
International Journal of Education and Research, 2023
The purpose of this quantitative study is to investigate how demographic factors impact lecturers... more The purpose of this quantitative study is to investigate how demographic factors impact lecturers' intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. The study was conducted among 201 college lecturers randomly selected using a table of random numbers. Data was collected using a questionnaire divided into two parts. Part 1 consisted of six demographic variables and part 2 consisted of forty statements relating to lecturers' job satisfaction using a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics were used to report the demographic characteristics of the lecturers and how lecturers rated their levels of job satisfaction. Independent samples t-tests were used to determine the difference between lecturers' age range, gender, lecturer status, job position, and overall job satisfaction within the colleges. Pearson Correlation was used to determine the association between lecturers' demographic characteristics and job satisfaction. Results of the study revealed moderate levels of job satisfaction among lecturers, significant differences, and associations among the variables.
Journal of Human Resource and Sustainability Studies, 2013
Human Resource Practitioners, like any other employees within organizations having different moti... more Human Resource Practitioners, like any other employees within organizations having different motivation styles, are faced with various motivational problems, and are exposed to different working conditions that best motivate them. The environment and factors greatly influence the motivational levels of these practitioners and thus job satisfaction and engagement are affected. This paper outlines the motivation problems experienced by three persons in their work environment and gives suggestions as to the strategies necessary to deal with them. The Pritchard Motivation Symptoms Questionnaire, the Conner Motivation Style Assessment and the Spitzer Motivation Self Assessment Questionnaire were used in the study. Results show that goal orientated and learning oriented motivation styles are best practiced by participants neglecting the relationship motivation style. These Participants were either highly motivated or had experienced some motivation problems. They had major desires for power, achievement, ownership, and competence. Inter-item correlation revealed a statistically significant relationship between desires for activity, competence, power and achievement, which were highly correlated.
This article examines the impact of counterproductive work behaviours of academic and administrat... more This article examines the impact of counterproductive work behaviours of academic and administrative staffs on the effectiveness of an educational institution. Results showed that the perpetrators of deviant acts were individual actors and groups who were influenced by personal and organizational factors. Employee behaviours were intentional and geared towards harming the institution for personal benefits and reprisal. These intentional behaviours were targeting specific victims such as the institution, students, other key stakeholders, and the community. The nature and execution of behaviours were divided into categories stemming from misuse of organization’s time and resources, poor attendance and work quality, and unfair work practices. Consequences of these deviant acts led to organizational ineffectiveness in the form of poor students’ services, quality control issues, low students’ intake and retention, and bad institutional reputation - leading to the conclusion that the ins...
A Move Towards A More Sustained Competitive Institution: Using theories of Structure and Change , 2014
Many technical and vocational colleges have gone through a number of transformations in its str... more Many technical and vocational colleges have gone through a number of transformations in its structure and functions as a result of increased competition, increased Government pressures to stay within its mandate as technical-vocational institutions, and to become more sustainable. The Porter’s Five Forces will be used to determine the extent of the institutions level of competitiveness and sustained competitive advantage.Results of the study show that the threats to new entrants, threats to substitute products, suppliers bargaining power, and buyers bargaining power were all statistically significant predictors of the level of competitiveness among the technical and vocational colleges. However, the log of the odds of the institutions maintaining sustained competitive advantage was negatively related to threats to suppliers bargaining power, as these technical and vocational colleges were .389 times less likely to maintain sustained competitive advantage, being 95% confident that the population value of the odds ratio lies between [CI]0.157 and 1.009.
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Papers by Dr. Cerease Nevins-Bennett
Developing States (SIDS) has led to an increased call for programme accreditation. The purpose
of this exploratory sequential mixed method s research is to investigate the impact of programme
accreditation on lecturer quality of a community college within the SIDS. A phenomenological
research design was used to explore the phenomena using semi-structured interviews. A sample of
15 lecturers from a population of 84 were selected purposively to partake in the study. Quantitative
data was collected purposively using a survey containing five demographic variables and forty
items measured using a five-point Likert Scale. The survey was administered to a sample of 50
lecturers from seven faculties. The findings revealed that seven important factors of accreditation
impacted lecturer quality: (1) faculty and professional development, (2) curriculum quality, (3)
mission, objectives, and strategic planning, (4) graduation outcomes, (5) teaching and learning,
(6) learner progression, and (7) quality efficiency and financial resources. Lecturers believe that
the institution’s mission, objectives, and strategic planning shape the overall environment and
culture of the faculty, which sets the tone for the other factors of programme accreditation to be
effective. Correlation studies were conducted to support the qualitative findings. The results
indicated low but positive associations between the institution's mission, objections, strategic
planning, and lecturer quality; the other factors had moderate associations. There was no
correlation between learner progression and lecturer quality. Future research should explore the
prospects of examining the impact of programme accreditation on the quality of lecturers in private
and public higher educational institutions.
Keywords: college mission, financial resources, lecturer quality, professional development,
programme accreditation, quality assurance,
relationship between lecturers’ ratings of principals' instructional
leadership and lecturers' views of their organizational commitment (OC)
within the community colleges in Jamaica. Quantitative data were
collected using a questionnaire that adopted the Principal Instructional
Management Rating Scale and the Three-Component Model of
Organizational Commitment. A total of 170 lecturers participated in the
survey, which used total population sampling, a purposive sampling
technique. The Social Exchange Theory, Organizational Commitment
Model, and Instructional Leadership Model provided theoretical
frameworks for the study. Results of the Pearson Product Moment
Correlation showed an overall low but positive association between
principals’ instructional leadership and lecturers’ organizational
commitment. Defining the college mission was positively correlated with
affective and normative commitment but negatively with continuance
commitment. Results of the Multiple Regression Analysis indicated that
defining the college mission, managing instructional programs, and
creating a positive college climate predicted affective and continuous
commitment. However, creating a positive college climate was the only
predictor of normative commitment. The study concluded that principals'
instructional leadership is necessary within the community colleges and
was associated with lecturers' organizational commitment.
Keywords: Affective Commitment, Continuance Commitment, Normative
Commitment, Organizational Commitment, Principal Instructional
Leadership.