Dr. Lesa Widener

Experienced with delivering high-quality educational content and fostering student engagement through interactive teaching methods. Utilizes effective communication skills and critical thinking to create stimulating learning environment. Track record of leveraging academic expertise to mentor and guide students to academic success.

• Collaborated with team of four in the development of a Districtwide Comprehensive Literacy Plan with the inclusion of appropriate materials for grades K-8.
• Supervised team of 24 staff members.
• Achieved multiple graduates through effectively helping with Dissertation completion including Proposal Defense, Final Defense, and graduation.

• Chapter I: Introduction
• Do not use the heading Introduction, because it’s in the title. (Just start writing) A good introduction states the focus of your study and discusses the general issues that surround it. You need a strong “narrative hook”. (Roberts & Hyatt, p.104) to grab the reader's emotional or attitudinal response and to spark interest.
• Background of the Problem: How did the problem come about? Citations needed!
• What do we already know about this issue?
• What do we not know about this issue? What has not been answered adequately in previous research and practice?
• Why should we care about the issue?
• Statement of the Problem: Convince the reader that there is a problem and that there is a need to study this problem. For example, the study might: Fill in the gap of research or literature, explore an unanswered question, extend previous research, resolve contradictory findings, give voice to people silenced, not heard or rejected in society, or evaluate a program. (There are other reasons to study a problem other than those listed here.) You need to include cited research or specific data to demonstrate the existence of the problem.
• Purpose of the Study-A: A single sentence or paragraph that is clearly and succinctly written. It states the intent of your study and what you aim to discover. The purpose is clarified when you specify the variables or concepts under study and indicate whether your study is qualitative or quantitative.
• Qualitative uses words like intent, aim, or objective to draw attention to the study’s intent.
• Quantitative research should contain identified variables, the relationship among those variables, the participants, and the site of the research.
• Mixed Methods-Does both
• The purpose statement should begin with the words: The purpose of this study is to....
• The purpose statement is written exactly the same in every chapter.
• Research Questions (Roberts & Hyatt, pp. 109-110)
• Clear variables/concepts
• Obvious measurement type (description, relationship, difference)
• “Thing Words” clarified (Success, processes, achievement, factors, etc.)
• Theoretical/Conceptual Framework
• Describe the theory/theories that will be used in this study. (Cite!)
• How do the theory/theories relate to the problem?
• Methodology
• Is the study qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods?
• Who are the participants? Where will the study take place?
• What is a very general summary of what will happen during the study?
• Significance of the Study- The Why of your study;
• Does it explore a critical issue, meet a recognized need, or fill in a gap in the knowledge base?
• What contributions will your study make to the literature or the field? You must build an argument for the worth or significance of your research, how it fills a gap in the literature, how it adds to the body of research, or how it might be important to practitioners or policymakers.
• Summarize the writings of experts who identified your problem as an important one.
• Do you have specific data that indicates the severity of the problem and the need to resolve it?
• Who benefits from this study?
• Definition of Terms: Clearly define the terms and their intent used in the study. Only include terms that are used in the study. All definitions should be in alphabetical order and should have a citation.
• Example:
• Transformational Leader: Someone in authority who articulates a clear vision for the future. Cite the definition. Put the definitions in alphabetical order (Bass & Riggio, 2023).
• Limitations and Delimitations:
• Limitations: For the proposal, the shortcomings of the study that might occur. For example: small sample size, location of the study, length of time, district guidelines, etc.
• Delimitations: Decisions you’ve made that will impact the study: time of study, location, participants (who are and are not included), selected aspects of the problem, selected criteria of the study
• Summary: Always recap/summarize each chapter, and introduce the next one.

Received award from the National Association of Federal Education Programs Administrators (NAFEPA) for outstanding state leadership: 2015

Received award from Alpha Delta Kappa, International Honorary Educators' Sorority, for the North Carolina State Outstanding Membership Award, Representing District II in the Nation: 2025

Dissertation Title: The Impact of Instructional Rounds Professional Development on Teacher Self-Efficacy