ANCHORING AND ACTIVATING TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP: HOW AN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP DOCTORAL PROGRAM CULTIVATES BELONGING AND TRUST

Abstract

This dissertation examined how East Carolina University’s Doctor of Education (EdD) International Cohort in Educational Leadership advances learning from transactional routines toward transformational outcomes. The study addressed the broader problem that online professional doctorates often prioritize efficiency and credentialing over adult development, specifically in terms of belonging and trust. The purpose was to analyze how the International Cohort’s design creates conditions for persistence, growth, and leadership practice grounded in fairness and inclusion. Three research questions guided the inquiry: (a) How does the program’s learning environment shape transformational development? (b) In what ways do course-embedded opportunities contribute to adult development and leadership practice? Moreover, (c) How do participants interpret and describe the program’s attention to equity, inclusive practices, and critical engagement with institutional norms as influencing their leadership and organizational improvement approaches? A qualitative single-case study examined two cohorts of the EdD program across learning environments, including a Summer Learning Exchange in Bangkok, synchronous WebExchanges, and online coursework. Data were drawn from syllabi, program documents, and student artifacts. Analysis followed constant-comparison methods informed by theories of transformative learning, adult development, and equity as rigor. Two overarching findings emerged. Finding 1, Design Anchors: Belonging, Trust, and Adult Development, showed that identity-based assignments, collaborative routines, and faculty presence cultivated psychological safety and persistence. Finding 2: Design Activators—Praxis for Organizational and Systemic Improvement demonstrated that equity-focused inquiry, participatory projects, and critical reflection translated learning into leadership practice. The study concludes that transformational program design depends on intentionally braiding anchoring and activating forces. When belonging, trust, and adult development intertwine with equity, reflection, and applied leadership, the program becomes a mechanism for meaningful change in professional learning. This braided design, conceptualized as the Helix of Transformation, illustrates how environment, opportunity, and equity-informed practice can transition online doctoral study from transactional routines to transformational outcomes. For students, the framework describes how intentional design cultivates belonging and leadership capacity; for faculty, it offers a roadmap for creating cohesive, reflective, and equity-minded learning environments. The International EdD contributes a blueprint for redesigning online professional doctorates that are academically rigorous, relational, developmental, and relevant to practice.