GRADUATE PROGRAM OF THE SCHOOL OF TEACHER EDUCATION

Educational Leadership, SY 2023-2024

EDL 200: DISSERTATION SEMINAR
Dr. Maria Eliza Pulumbarit Cruz

Research Title:
Empowering Educators:
Basis for Financial Freedom through Innovative Mindset and Best Practices

Theoretical Framework:
Based to the Financial Well-Being Framework, various factors influence financial
well-being, such as financial attitudes, behaviors, knowledge, and resources. In the
context of empowering educators, this framework suggests that innovative mindsets and
best practices can positively impact educators' financial attitudes (e.g., attitudes toward
saving and investing) and behaviors (e.g., budgeting, debt management), resulting in
improved financial well- being. This framework offers a comprehensive view of how
educators can attain financial freedom by addressing both the psychological and
practical aspects of financial management.
According to Transformative Learning Theory, reflective and experiential learning
processes lead to profound shifts in individuals' perspectives, beliefs, and behaviors.
This theory proposes that an innovative mindset and financial freedom practices can
serve as catalysts for transformative learning experiences in the context of empowering
educators. Transformative Learning Theory predicts that by engaging educators in
critical reflection and experiential learning activities, they can gain new insights,
attitudes, and skills that will enable them to take control of their financial futures and
pursue financial freedom.

Research Objectives:
The research objectives include a challenging investigation into the complex
interplay between financial empowerment, an innovative mindset, and best practices.
The study uses a qualitative research design to dig into educators' perceptions,
attitudes, and beliefs about financial freedom, revealing deep experiences and
contextual influences that shape their financial behaviors.
These research objectives hope to provide valuable insights into how innovative
mindsets and best practices can empower educators to achieve financial freedom. An
intervention can be drawn also for financial literacy enhancement capability to increase
the professional and personal fulfillment in the education sector.
Research Questions:
This study seeks to address the following research questions:

1. How do educators perceive, understand, and prioritize financial freedom within

the context of their professional roles and personal lives?
2. What are the best practices held by educators regarding financial empowerment?
3. How do educators incorporate innovative mindset into their financial
management strategies and decision- making processes?
4. Based on the findings, what intervention can be drawn for financial freedom
enhancement capability?

Research Instrument:
The primary research tool for the study will be semi-structured interviews. These
interviews will be conducted to gain in-depth insights into educators' perceptions,
attitudes, and beliefs regarding financial freedom, innovative mindset, and best
practices. The interview guide will include open-ended questions that will allow
participants to share their financial empowerment experiences, perspectives, and
challenges.
Exploratory type of research is employed in this study where contextual
influences such as organizational support, leadership, and socio-cultural factors are
investigated. Focused group discussion will be utilize through audio- recorded and
transcribed verbatim with thematic coding and interpretation used to identify key themes,
patterns, and insights. This qualitative approach will yield rich, exact data, allowing for a
better understanding of the complex interplay between financial empowerment and
innovative mindset and best practices among educators.

Qualitative Coding Approach:

1. Interview Protocol Development: applied Ethical standard

 Respect confidentiality whatever info shall be kept.
 Voluntary Participation
2. Participant Selection: (Purposive Sampling- selected intentionally, not selected
randomly) 10 participants
 Criteria- Educators from diverse backgrounds, expertise, teaching experiences,
unique insights,
3. Data Collection:
 Conduct in-depth interviews with selected educators, either in person or through
video conferencing.
 Record and transcribe the interviews for analysis.
5. Qualitative Coding:
 Use thematic analysis or grounded theory approach to identify recurring themes,
patterns, and categories in the interview transcripts.
  Code the data systematically to organize and interpret the qualitative findings.
 Pay particular attention to themes related to the role of innovative mindset, best
practices, and suggestions for promoting financial empowerment among
educators.

Research Design:
The research will adopt a Qualitative Method to gain in- depth insights into
educator’s experiences, perceptions and practices related to financial empowerment.
Qualitative Methods such as interviews, focused group discussions, and open- ended
surveys will be utilized to collect rich, detailed data.

ROSA MADONNA L. LICUDAN

Researcher