Thesis Talk Thursday

Thesis Talk Thursday is a wonderful opportunity to share stories about the amazing research being done by graduate students at the University of Calgary. Every Thursday graduate students from different faculties and departments will be highlighted across all GSA social media channels. The students will be highlighted through videos, podcasts, or photos with a description of their research. If you are interested in sharing what your research is about or would like to recommend a graduate student who you think should be highlighted please email Alex Paquette, GSA VP Academic, at vpa.gsa@ucalgary.ca or fill out the form below.

September 24, 2020

GSA Thesis Talk Thursday Features

Maroro Zinyemba
Pursuing EdD in Leadership

My name is Maroro Zinyemba. I am pursuing my EdD in Leadership in Post-Secondary Contexts. I currently work as an Associate Dean at a post-secondary institution in Alberta. As an academic leader, I have noticed the increase in student diversity in Albertan post-secondary institutions over the years. I have also noticed that some post-secondary leaders have publicly stated that the institutions they lead are committed to values of diversity and inclusivity. Despite these commitments, the composition of post-secondary leadership today is not reflective of the diversity of the student population. I am interested in understanding how leaders make meaning of diversity and inclusivity in post-secondary educational settings.

My research is titled: Diversity and Inclusivity: Implications for post-secondary leaders

What is your research about?
My research study is about understanding how leaders of post-secondary institutions in Alberta make meaning of diversity and inclusivity in educational settings. I am exploring questions on how post-secondary leaders’ perceptions of diversity shape the organization’s culture of inclusivity; how post-secondary leaders’ understanding of their organization’s culture of inclusivity informs their conceptualizations of diversity; and how postsecondary leaders experience diversity and inclusivity in their organizations.

How do you do your research?
To conduct my research study, I engaged in a qualitative case study. The case in this study comprised post-secondary leaders who took up faculty and nonfaculty positions. The phenomenon under study was diversity and inclusivity. The case study was bound by geography, institution type, and present time in that postsecondary leaders employed in an Albertan postsecondary institution who had been in a leadership position for at least one year were recruited to participate. I conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews.

What is the Implication of the research?
The significance of the proposed study is that the results are intended to contribute to knowledge on postsecondary leadership and succession planning for a shifting campus culture.

Listen to Maroro's research story

Maroro's research story