Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 16 of 16

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

The Perceptions And Practices Of Child Welfare Caseworkers And Decision-Making Related To Reunification, Sonja D. Ulrich Jan 2022

The Perceptions And Practices Of Child Welfare Caseworkers And Decision-Making Related To Reunification, Sonja D. Ulrich

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The child welfare system exists to support safe and healthy families. When children cannot remain safely with family, they are removed and often placed with nonrelatives. Only half of all of the children removed from their homes achieve reunification. In the current study, research questions examined the perceptions of caseworkers in determining whether or when a child could reunify with their family of removal, and how the perceptions of the caseworker affected their practice regarding reunification. Using social learning theory as a framework, a caseworker’s decisions were viewed as a balance between their work environment and their personal perceptions. Following …


Experiences Of African American Parents Of Special Needs Students And School Decisions, Jennifer Selena Mccray Jan 2022

Experiences Of African American Parents Of Special Needs Students And School Decisions, Jennifer Selena Mccray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMany individuals prefer the ability to choose options as opposed to being directed toward a certain path. School choice programs in the United States allow parents to exercise their democratic right to choose what is best for their children with respect to choosing a school for them to receive their education. The problem is that many African American parents have lost faith and trust in public education due to low school safety, lack of quality education, and social/emotional issues with public schools. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of African American parents concerning students’ …


Using Chess As An Intervention To Improve Executive Functioning Among Youth, Anandita Oberoi Jan 2021

Using Chess As An Intervention To Improve Executive Functioning Among Youth, Anandita Oberoi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Youth represent a vulnerable segment of the population and may have underdeveloped levels of executive functioning (EF), which is important in both daily life and is shown to have far-reaching effects. This research study aimed to decipher if lessons in the game of chess could be used as an efficacious intervention for accelerating EF development in youth. The three research questions focused on determining whether there was a difference in the chosen indices of EF before and after a 14-session chess intervention. The theoretical framework used for this study was Piaget’s cognitive development theory. This quantitative, single group pretest–posttest design …


Nurse Executives’ Intuitive Decision Making And Leadership Personality Styles During Organizational Change, Chaudron Carter Carter Short Jan 2021

Nurse Executives’ Intuitive Decision Making And Leadership Personality Styles During Organizational Change, Chaudron Carter Carter Short

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Within the complex and multifaceted health care environment, nurse executives are challenged to effectively make decisions and lead organizations through change. How nurse executives make those decisions is determined in a variety of ways, one being through intuitive decision making. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study, guided by the dual process theory, was to examine nurse executives’ intuitive decision making and leadership personality styles during organizational change. The Agor Intuitive Management Survey and the Multifactorial Leadership Questionnaire were administered to 70 nurse executives recruited by direct email obtained from public hospital organizations’ websites and social media platforms. Regression analysis …


The Perceptions And Practices Of Child Welfare Caseworkers And Decision-Making Related To Reunification, Sonja D. Ulrich Jan 2021

The Perceptions And Practices Of Child Welfare Caseworkers And Decision-Making Related To Reunification, Sonja D. Ulrich

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The child welfare system exists to support safe and healthy families. When children cannot remain safely with family, they are removed and often placed with nonrelatives. Only half of all of the children removed from their homes achieve reunification. In the current study, research questions examined the perceptions of caseworkers in determining whether or when a child could reunify with their family of removal, and how the perceptions of the caseworker affected their practice regarding reunification. Using social learning theory as a framework, a caseworker’s decisions were viewed as a balance between their work environment and their personal perceptions. Following …


A Phenomenological Study: Police Officers’ Lived Experiences With The Use Of Ceds, Gustavo Alejandro Escalante Jan 2020

A Phenomenological Study: Police Officers’ Lived Experiences With The Use Of Ceds, Gustavo Alejandro Escalante

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of conducted energy devices (CEDs; e.g., TASER) in the U.S. has increased significantly since their endorsement by the police in the 1990s. Police administrators have struggled with CED placement in use of force continuums, and citizens have voiced concerns regarding their disproportionate use and health effects. An increase in understanding of the value of CEDs, specifically the devices’ role when used as a threat only, provides police administrators with more significant insights regarding their appropriate placement in department policies, which leads to more proportionate use by police officers. This phenomenological study explored police officers’ lived experiences involving displaying …


Administrators’ Roles And Practices In The Implementation Of Positive Behavioral Interventions, Frances Correa-Phelps Jan 2020

Administrators’ Roles And Practices In The Implementation Of Positive Behavioral Interventions, Frances Correa-Phelps

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Positive behavior intervention support is a behavioral approach that was implemented in the early 2000s across the United States to assist educators in addressing the behavioral concerns of students with special needs. Since its implementation, it has been used to assist students at all levels with emotional and behavioral needs to achieve academic success in over 20,000 schools. However, there was a reported lack of administrative support and insufficient understanding regarding administrators’ roles in the process. The purpose of this basic interpretive qualitative study was to examine administrators’ roles and decision-making practices in implementation of the behavioral intervention approach across …


Data-Driven Decision Making About Single-Sex Instructional Grouping At An Elementary School, Michelle Lynnette Sorrells Jan 2019

Data-Driven Decision Making About Single-Sex Instructional Grouping At An Elementary School, Michelle Lynnette Sorrells

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Administrators at a Southeastern elementary school eliminated single-sex instructional grouping in 5th-grade classes without a proper analysis of all available data and later reflected upon whether this instructional model should be revived. Because data-based decisions may positively improve teaching and learning for all stakeholders, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore all available data leading to this decision, inform stakeholders about the decision-making processes in the local school, and provide data to inform future decisions. Conceptually framed with Mandinach's data-driven decision making (DDDM) model, the guiding question for the study focused on perceptions of teacher, administrator, and …


A Limited Rational Choice Theory In Local Public Health Decision Making, Lona Bryan Jan 2018

A Limited Rational Choice Theory In Local Public Health Decision Making, Lona Bryan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The threat and occurrence of terrorist attacks have increased in the United States since September 2011, heightening concerns for weaponized anthrax, other biological pathogens, and epidemics and pandemics. Early decisions and funding levels in local public health agencies can be the first line of defense or first point of failure; yet little is understood about how decisions are made when there are budget cuts before a biological event happens. Using Lindblom's conceptualization of limited rational choice theory, the purpose of this single case study was to understand how a local public health official made decisions after budget cuts in a …


Effective Strategies For Venture Capital Evaluations Of Organizations' Drug Development Capabilities, Roslyn Chand Jan 2018

Effective Strategies For Venture Capital Evaluations Of Organizations' Drug Development Capabilities, Roslyn Chand

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Undercapitalization is a major impediment for the growth and survival of Canadian life sciences firms. Proficient management teams are the 'sine qua non' criteria in the venture capital decision-making processes. The purpose of this multicase study was to explore strategies successful venture capitalists use to improve their evaluation processes of life sciences management teams' drug development capabilities. The conceptual framework for this study was based on business process management. The purposeful sample consisted of 10 venture capitalists located in the United States and Canada who had expertise evaluating life sciences management teams. The data were triangulated from semistructured interviews, annual …


The Relationship Between Athletic Development Personality Factors And Decision Making, Herbert Degraffe Jan 2017

The Relationship Between Athletic Development Personality Factors And Decision Making, Herbert Degraffe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective leadership that results from personality defects, ineffective core executive functions, and emotional decision making can lead to destructive actions and executive failures that affect organizational effectiveness. The purpose of this correlational study was to determine if athletic development personality factors correlate with decision making at the executive leadership level. The research questions focused on determining if there was a relationship between athletic development personality factors and decision making. Social exchange theory, social representations theory, and leadership theories comprised the theoretical framework. Participants included 124 executive decision-makers from the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, India, and Singapore who …


Exploring The Role Of Bookkeeping In Business Success, Mary-Jo Zimmerman Jan 2016

Exploring The Role Of Bookkeeping In Business Success, Mary-Jo Zimmerman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses support local economies by creating jobs and providing products and services, yet 50% of them fail within 5 years and only 30% of them survive for 10 years or more. The purpose of this qualitative explanatory case study was to explore how bookkeeping strategies helped 1 small business owner to sustain business growth over time. The sample was comprised of 1 small business owner who has been in business at least 5 years, experienced success, and achieved sustainability in Wake County, North Carolina. Systems theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. The data were collected through …


Methods Used In Public Policy Decision Making By County Managers In North Carolina, Jeffrey Bryan Gowen Jan 2015

Methods Used In Public Policy Decision Making By County Managers In North Carolina, Jeffrey Bryan Gowen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have examined ways in which policy makers develop their decisions. The literature has not explored, however, the methodologies used by county managers to arrive at decisions, or whether they consider the medium- and long-term policy implications, or second and third order effects, of those decisions. The purpose of this study was to identify the methodologies and decision-making processes used by county managers in North Carolina. The theoretical framework was Lindblom's theory of incrementalism in decision making. Data for this phenomenological study were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 purposefully selected county managers, and were coded and categorized to identify …


Placing Students In Eighth Grade Mathematics: A Case Study Of The Decision-Making Process, Donald Joseph Davis Jan 2015

Placing Students In Eighth Grade Mathematics: A Case Study Of The Decision-Making Process, Donald Joseph Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Algebra 1 is considered an essential course to master in order to understand the concepts of higher-order mathematics, and the California accountability system designates this course for completion in 8th grade. In Shelton County, however, placement of 8th graders in this course is based on feeder school, rather than student ability, resulting in inequitable access. The purpose of this case study was to examine the experiences of administrators who place individual students in mathematics courses and the factors that influence their placement decisions. The conceptual framework for the study was administrative theory as related to processes of effective decision making. …


Influences And Experiences Of City Council Members On Environmental Policy Decision Making, Bobbie Brown Jan 2014

Influences And Experiences Of City Council Members On Environmental Policy Decision Making, Bobbie Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective environmental policies pose a problem for municipalities as they strive to create sustainable communities. Improving these policies may establish standard practices that assist municipalities in meeting related environmental goals. Statistics show the municipalities within this study operate at different levels of goal achievement. Little is known, however, about the influences that directly affect the development of environmental policies. The purpose of this study was to determine the ways in which public officials address environmental issues and the factors considered in policy discussions that lead to their decisions. The theoretical framework comprised Sabatier and Jenkins-Smith's advocacy coalition and Arrow's rational …


Perceptions Of Women In Political Leadership Positions In Nigeria, Annette Anigwe Jan 2014

Perceptions Of Women In Political Leadership Positions In Nigeria, Annette Anigwe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have demonstrated that the Nigerian government has failed to protect women's rights and advance gender equality in political leadership; consequently, women's political participation in Nigeria remains low. Although international laws grant women political participation rights, little is known about the struggles and experiences Nigerian women face in their quest to participate in the political life of Nigeria. The purpose of this basic interpretative qualitative study was to explore and describe the perceptions and experiences of Nigerian women on gender equality and other issues affecting their political leadership. The theoretical framework used was Eagly's social role theory and Ayman and …