The general topic of this qualitative case study was nature-based education for preschool children, which was explored through the lens of transformative leadership and its key principles: equity, inclusion, and democracy. The purpose was to examine nature-based preschool leaders’ perceptions of leadership. The research questions that guided this study were: a.) what are educational leaders’ perceptions of the significance of the transformative leadership components of inclusion, equity, and democracy in nature-based preschool education? b.) what are educational leaders of nature-based preschool programs’ perceptions of the impact their leadership style has upon their schools’ stakeholders, which include teachers, students, parents, and community? The participants were the leaders of five nature-based preschool programs. The findings included the importance of modeling and meeting the needs of stakeholders, and the development of empathy and compassion as a key result of their leadership. Further, the leaders of these programs emphasized the significance of teamwork and collaboration coupled with building strong relationships with stakeholders. A pattern emerged from the data that the principles of transformative leadership tend to occur naturally in nature-based preschool education, and that the empathy and compassion that are developed contribute to an inclusive, equitable, and democratic learning environment. Additionally, nature-based preschool leaders recognize that their leadership has a significant impact on their stakeholders. Recommendations include developing a framework for leadership in nature-based preschool education and expanding professional development opportunities for leaders in this field.
","abstract_html":"<p>The general topic of this qualitative case study was nature-based education for preschool children, which was explored through the lens of transformative leadership and its key principles: equity, inclusion, and democracy. The purpose was to examine nature-based preschool leaders’ perceptions of leadership. The research questions that guided this study were: a.) what are educational leaders’ perceptions of the significance of the transformative leadership components of inclusion, equity, and democracy in nature-based preschool education? b.) what are educational leaders of nature-based preschool programs’ perceptions of the impact their leadership style has upon their schools’ stakeholders, which include teachers, students, parents, and community? The participants were the leaders of five nature-based preschool programs. The findings included the importance of modeling and meeting the needs of stakeholders, and the development of empathy and compassion as a key result of their leadership. Further, the leaders of these programs emphasized the significance of teamwork and collaboration coupled with building strong relationships with stakeholders. A pattern emerged from the data that the principles of transformative leadership tend to occur naturally in nature-based preschool education, and that the empathy and compassion that are developed contribute to an inclusive, equitable, and democratic learning environment. Additionally, nature-based preschool leaders recognize that their leadership has a significant impact on their stakeholders. Recommendations include developing a framework for leadership in nature-based preschool education and expanding professional development opportunities for leaders in this field.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Sampson, Stanley F., III"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Education (EdD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Ella Benson","LaTonya Bolden","Jeffrey Beaudry"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:21:34Z","subjects":[],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dune.une.edu/theses/380","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Ella Benson","LaTonya Bolden","Jeffrey Beaudry"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Sampson, Stanley F., III"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2021-07-06T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Education (EdD)"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dune.une.edu/theses/380"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The general topic of this qualitative case study was nature-based education for preschool children, which was explored through the lens of transformative leadership and its key principles: equity, inclusion, and democracy. The purpose was to examine nature-based preschool leaders’ perceptions of leadership. The research questions that guided this study were: a.) what are educational leaders’ perceptions of the significance of the transformative leadership components of inclusion, equity, and democracy in nature-based preschool education? b.) what are educational leaders of nature-based preschool programs’ perceptions of the impact their leadership style has upon their schools’ stakeholders, which include teachers, students, parents, and community? The participants were the leaders of five nature-based preschool programs. The findings included the importance of modeling and meeting the needs of stakeholders, and the development of empathy and compassion as a key result of their leadership. Further, the leaders of these programs emphasized the significance of teamwork and collaboration coupled with building strong relationships with stakeholders. A pattern emerged from the data that the principles of transformative leadership tend to occur naturally in nature-based preschool education, and that the empathy and compassion that are developed contribute to an inclusive, equitable, and democratic learning environment. Additionally, nature-based preschool leaders recognize that their leadership has a significant impact on their stakeholders. Recommendations include developing a framework for leadership in nature-based preschool education and expanding professional development opportunities for leaders in this field.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Transformative Leadership In Nature-Based Preschool Education"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Ella Benson","LaTonya Bolden","Jeffrey Beaudry"],"dc:creator":["Sampson, Stanley F., III"],"dc:date.available":["2021-07-06T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The general topic of this qualitative case study was nature-based education for preschool children, which was explored through the lens of transformative leadership and its key principles: equity, inclusion, and democracy. The purpose was to examine nature-based preschool leaders’ perceptions of leadership. The research questions that guided this study were: a.) what are educational leaders’ perceptions of the significance of the transformative leadership components of inclusion, equity, and democracy in nature-based preschool education? b.) what are educational leaders of nature-based preschool programs’ perceptions of the impact their leadership style has upon their schools’ stakeholders, which include teachers, students, parents, and community? The participants were the leaders of five nature-based preschool programs. The findings included the importance of modeling and meeting the needs of stakeholders, and the development of empathy and compassion as a key result of their leadership. Further, the leaders of these programs emphasized the significance of teamwork and collaboration coupled with building strong relationships with stakeholders. A pattern emerged from the data that the principles of transformative leadership tend to occur naturally in nature-based preschool education, and that the empathy and compassion that are developed contribute to an inclusive, equitable, and democratic learning environment. Additionally, nature-based preschool leaders recognize that their leadership has a significant impact on their stakeholders. Recommendations include developing a framework for leadership in nature-based preschool education and expanding professional development opportunities for leaders in this field.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dune.une.edu/theses/380"],"dc:title":["Transformative Leadership In Nature-Based Preschool Education"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Education (EdD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:21:34Z"}