Date
9-17-2026
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Traci Eshelman
Keywords
transformational leadership, organizational culture, qualitative case study, educational change
Disciplines
Education
Recommended Citation
Welborn, Lindy S., "“We’ve Always Done It That Way”: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study of Rural Texas School District Stakeholders’ Understanding of Instructional Change" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8891.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8891
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore how stakeholders in rural Texas public school districts experienced and interpreted organizational systems and leadership processes related to instructional change. The theory that guided this study was transformational leadership theory, which provided a framework for understanding how leaders inspired and empowered others to achieve higher levels of performance in pursuit of collective goals. The central research question that guided this study was: How do stakeholders in rural Texas public school districts experience and interpret organizational systems and leadership processes associated with instructional change initiatives that challenge longstanding traditional practices within a transformational leadership framework? A qualitative multiple-case study design was employed to examine four rural Texas public school districts. Purposeful sampling was used to select 12 participants, including district-level administrators, elementary teachers, and secondary teachers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, nonparticipant observations of district leadership meetings, and reviews of publicly available state accountability data. Data was analyzed using inductive coding, thematic analysis, within-case analysis, and cross-case synthesis to identify patterns in stakeholder experiences across the participating districts. Three cross-case themes emerged from the analysis: leadership communication and organizational trust, organizational coherence and instructional systems, and transformational change and sustainability. These themes informed four major interpretations regarding leadership relationships, stakeholder perspectives, and the influence of rural context.
