“An academic project that marks your transition from student to scholar”, this is how a dissertation is described. Students in graduate schools are always willing to continue with something that brings them success and self-confidence. Dissertation is a new kind of academic project, unlike anything else that includes reading assignments, lab papers, and tests. Being the beginning of the end of a graduate career, you will start working as an independent scholar, thus defining your professional identity. Additionally, it enables you to identify your research interests, theoretical influences, and your skills as a writer. Writing a dissertation includes no weekly deadlines from the professors with no regular discussions and no reading assignments. You need to write on your own and this independence will make the process intimidating.

Providing recognition to an individual whose doctoral dissertation contributes the best towards the literature and practice of student development, Dissertation of the Year Award encourages the dissertations utilizing a diversity of methodological approaches. Only the truly outstanding dissertations will be recognized. This award emphasizes on the comprehensiveness and appropriateness of the literature review. Besides, the writer needs to make a detailed and creative use of qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. It expects him to come up with the significance and the originality of the problem and research questions.

Completing his Doctorate Educational Leadership from Bowie State University in 2017, Tawfik Adams received the Dissertation of the Year Award 2017 for his dissertation titled “ A Qualitative Analysis; Determining the Impact Principal Leadership Style (Transactional, Transformational, Laissez-Faire ) on Teacher Job Satisfaction at Various Career Stages (Early, Middle, Late)”.

Currently, Tawfik Adams is employed as Assistant Principal Intern/Social Studies Teacher at Charles County Board of Education. He loves to teach his students the concepts of government, geography, economics, history and current events. He believes that imparting his knowledge to the students has enabled them to understand, participate in, and make informed decisions about the world. Undeniably, Social Studies arms them with the knowledge about the world, nation and society around them.

About Tawfik Adams

Formerly working as an instructional specialist at High School Consortium, Tawfik Adams collaborated with the school principals to regularly analyze the school wide plan, plan interventions and make the curricular adjustments.