Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Perceived Job Satisfaction, Motivational Attitudes, And Organizational Commitment: A Comparative Analysis Between Special Education Teachers Employed In Public Versus Private Schools, David Haimovich

Theses and Dissertations

During and after the Covid-19 pandemic, a high turnover rate of PreK-12 special education teachers continues to persist. To ensure all students with disabilities receive equitable access to a special education teacher, turnover intentions among private school teachers require further insight due to a long-standing gap in research. Using the theoretical frameworks of Herzberg’s (1959) Two-Factor Theory and Meyer & Allen’s (1997) Three-Component Model of Commitment, this non-experimental correlational study examined the influence of six demographic factors related to teachers’ perceptions of job satisfaction, motivational attitudes, and organizational commitment among special education teachers employed in PreK-12 suburban schools in the …

Securely Ever After: Attachment,Trust, And Commitment In Married Adult Adoptees, Jill P. Burgon

Theses and Dissertations

Past research suggests that adoptees face a higher risk of insecure attachment and encounter more challenges related to trust and commitment in their romantic relationships compared to nonadopted individuals. This study examines the association between adoption status and marital security among newly married couples, with a focus on the potential moderating role of gender. Using data from a representative sample of newly married couples in the United States (n = 2,110), the relationship between adoption status and multiple measures of marital security were measured using OLS regression. Findings indicate that, during the early stages of marriage, adult adoptees exhibited comparable …

Primed For Sport Coaching: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study Of A Six-Week Intervention, Pete S. Paciorek

Dissertations

This six-week pilot study was conducted using grounded theory from “What Works in Character Education” (Berkowitz & Bier, 2014) and specifically the “PRIMED for Character Education” framework (Berkowitz, 2021) applied to 11 high school sport coaches. The three key ideas of focus were on whether the PRIMED framework could increase the coach-participants’ commitment to character education, self-efficacy as character educators, and self-identification as Servant Leaders in an effort to “nurture the flourishing of human goodness” (Berkowitz, 2021) of our youth and, in this case, specifically, high school student-athletes.

With millions of youth involved in sport in North America and across …

Why Belonging Matters: An Investigation Into The Effects Of Belonging On Organizational Commitment, Engagement, And Intention To Stay, Rachel Joseph

Culminating Projects in Psychology

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between organizational belonging, organizational commitment, engagement, and intention to stay among employees in various organizations in the US. The research employed a quantitative approach to collect data from a sample of employees. The study found that organizational belonging has a significant positive impact on employee engagement and affective commitment. This suggests that when employees feel a sense of belonging within their organization, they are more likely to be engaged and committed to their work. The results of the mediation analysis indicate that employee engagement partially mediates the relationship between organizational …

A Portraiture Of High School Success Factors Among Texas Child Protective Services Students: A Case Study, Shonda Chauvet Whetstone

All Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to examine the factors that impact the high school graduation rates of students with prior Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services involvement. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board established a 60X30 initiative. The 60X30 initiative goal is for 60% of young adults to have earned a degree or certificate by the year 2030. This research aligns with the initiative by identifying educational success factors among foster children. Given the purpose of this qualitative case study, the following research questions were addressed: RQ 1 What factors influence high school students dropping out of school? …

Prevalence And Predictors Of Intern-Related Burnout In Dietetics Preceptors, Holly Hopkins

Theses and Dissertations

Dietetics preceptors are at risk for abandoning the role of preceptor because of potential burnout. Quantifying the prevalence of burnout and identifying the predictors of burnout can help key stakeholders identify and implement strategies that prevent or mitigate burnout in dietetics preceptors. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of intern-related burnout in dietetics preceptors and to identify the predictors of this burnout. This study used a cross-sectional study design. A survey instrument that included burnout and precepting measures, and items about the respondents’ personal and work characteristics was distributed to a random sample of 10,000 dietetics …

Extension And Missionary Adult Educator Commitment Calling, Experiences, And Attitudes And Their Influence On Career Commitment Of Extension Agents And Protestant Missionaries, Steven Dale Siegelin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This qualitative case study focused on career commitment in two types of professional adult educators, extension agents and missionaries. Past research studying extension agents and missionaries had documented decades of early career attrition. Research documented the issues, explored causes, and proposed solutions. Yet, the problem persists. Much of the research has been quantitative.

This comparative case study maximized the differences between participants within and across the two professions; conducted in depth semi-structured interviews with participants; and had participants create a drawing of their career commitment attitudes and experiences and describe the drawing during the interview. Extension agents and missionaries were …

Investigating The Role Of Implicit Theories Of Relationships On The Interpretation Of Investments In Relationship Decision-Making, Sarah Wall

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

A person’s prior investment in their romantic relationship is a strong predictor of whether they remain committed to that relationship (e.g., Le et al., 2010; Rusbult, 1980a; 1983), and this pattern is often seen outside of interpersonal contexts as well (e.g., Arkes & Blumer, 1985; Olivola, 2018; Thaler, 1980). However, little research has considered the extent to which commitment-relevant decisions might be affected in a top-down way by people’s implicit theories of relationships (ITRs; Knee, 1998). I theorized that lay theories about how relationships work may affect the extent that people consider past investments when making decisions about continuing with …

A Leadership Strategy To Identify And Reverse The Effects Of Consumerism On The Commitment To The Mission And Management Of The Village Seventh-Day Adventist Church Members, Ronald Paul Kelly Jr.

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Low levels of commitment have detrimentally affected many aspects of the Village Church's health and vitality. The present study was developed to see to what degree the leaders of the Village Church had imbibed consumer constructs of identity and ministry and to what degree those constructs could be changed when presented with a biblical construct of identity and ministry.

Method

A week of spiritual emphasis entitled "Built on the Rock" examined the principles of the church growth movement as manifest in the megachurch movement. By contrast, the scriptural paradigm of the church as a family was presented as a …

U.S Fans’ Identification With La Liga Teams, Pilar Barrio Sánchez

Masters Theses

This study explores LaLiga fandom in the U.S. by examining fan identification, loyalty, and commitment to their favorite LaLiga team. Moreover, the study explored the reasons why fans first choose their favorite team to support as well as their motives to watch or attend soccer games. To do so, a mixed method approach was used in which participants from LaLiga teams around the U.S. were asked to complete a survey questionnaire and participate in an in-depth interview. Based on the findings, the discussion identifies key strategic considerations and needs of future research for LaLiga to better adjust its communication strategies …

Therapeutic Considerations For The Polycule: A Qualitative Exploration Of Consensual Non-Monogamy In Couples Treatment, Tema Watstein

Dissertations and Theses

Despite the growing visibility of consensual non-monogamy culturally and in the academic domain, treatment of CNM relationships has been understudied from the clinical perspective. This study utilized a sample of 11 clinicians, who discussed their experiences of treating non-monogamous couples through a semi-structured interview. Qualitative thematic analysis led to the emergence of robust themes, which were synthesized into three broader categories: 1. Therapeutic Process, 2. Issues in Treatment, and 3. The Meaning of Non-Monogamy. Therapists discussed their own clinical processes, with emphasis on countertransference, frame, self-disclosure, and considerations for training. Themes also emerged surrounding common issues in treatment, ranging from …

Strategies For Improving Companies’ Productivity And Profitability, Mioshi Marshall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Failure of leaders to be proactive and create a plan that motivates employees to be productive often leads to disengaged employees and a decrease in productivity that negatively impacts profitability. Grounded in Vroom’s expectancy theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies HR managers use to increase employee commitment and retention to increase the company’s productivity and profitability. The participants were four HR managers at four organizations in Texas who manage 50 or more employees and have implemented strategies to retain committed employees to improve productivity. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and company document …

An Explanatory Sequential Study Of Cadet Commitment At The United States Air Force Academy, Justin Pendry

Dissertations

Character and leadership are the essence of the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). USAFA’s mission is to develop leaders of character responsible for defending this nation. Our country has the most lethal Air Force this world has ever known. The men and women entrusted with protecting its citizens must be committed to the highest standards of ethical leadership. To accomplish this, USAFA provides a robust education and training program with extensive opportunities for cadet development. However, achieving USAFA’s vision of creating the nation’s best leaders of character relies upon cadet trust in the process and commitment to their development …

An Integration Of Attachment And The Investment Model: Joint Predictors Of Accommodation In Romantic And Friendship Dyads, Samuel Y. Chung

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present two-wave research examines two frameworks for predicting relationship maintenance: adult attachment theory and the investment model of commitment. Expanding upon past work, I test models that integrate the two theories such that relationship satisfaction, alternatives, and investment size mediate the relationship between avoidance and commitment, and attachment anxiety moderates the investment model factors’ relationships with accommodation in romantic relationships and friendships. In romantic relationships, increasing partner anxiety reduced the relationship between actor relationship satisfaction and commitment whereas in friendships, increasing actor anxiety increased the relationship between actor relationship satisfaction and commitment. Further, increasing actor anxiety increased the relationship …

Examining Religious And Spiritual Commitment Across Late-Adolescence And Young Adulthood, Thomas Ray Clanton

All Dissertations

Religion and spirituality are two distinct concepts that have been linked to positive outcomes (King & Boyatzis, 2015) and identity development (King & Furrow, 2004) in youth. Participation in religious and spiritual contexts has been associated with youth thriving (King et al., 2011) and transcendence (Schnitker et al., 2019). Participation in faith-based youth groups and interactions with spiritual models are primary ways that youth engage with religion and spirituality. As youth establish an identity with and fidelity to a religious or spiritual ideology, they express their commitment through spiritual activities such as prayer, scripture reading, and attend religious services (Chaves, …

Commitment Of Teachers In Times Of Educational Change: The Case Of Government School Teachers In Al Ain City, Fawzia Salah Aljneibi

Dissertations

Interest in teacher commitment is growing as a critical factor for the future success of education and schools. Committed teachers play a significant role in improving students’ achievement and positively building their identities. Teacher commitment is an essential consideration, particularly in times of change. This research is concerned with the topic of teacher commitment in Al Ain schools, Abu Dhabi. The objectives of this dissertation explored teachers’ levels of commitment during times of change in the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) and related variables that could increase or decrease their commitment. This study utilized a quantitative research …

The Relationships Between Personality Characteristics Of Hardiness And Resilient Grief Outcomes In An Aging Female Population, Meryle J. Vinje

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThere is increasing empirical evidence that bereaved individuals vary considerably in their reactions to loss and that individuals experience varying pathways through the grief process. This quantitative correlational study advanced understanding of Bonanno’s pathways to resilient grief theory and contributed to the strengths-based grief and bereavement literature by examining if hardiness commitment, control, and challenge were significantly related to grief resolution and posttraumatic growth (PTG), controlling for participant age, depression, religiosity, and time since the death of a spouse, in a sample of 218 widowed women aged 50 or older. Descriptive findings revealed that study participants were in their mid-60s, …

Understanding Millennials’ Experiences In Entry-Level Management Engagement And Commitment In Retail Organizations, Eiesha Micha Williamson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractA growing problem for upper managers in many organizations is disengagement and high turnover rates among managers despite their significant position in the workplace. The purpose of this study was to understand millennial managers’ engagement and commitment in the workplace as it pertains to successful retention efforts. The research question addressed how upper management deals with millennial managers in an organization to overcome disengagement, a lack of commitment, and high turnover rates. A three-component model of commitment, self-determination theory, and engagement behavior framed this study. Data were collected from interviews with 18 participants via Zoom teleconferences. Data were analyzed for …

Distractors As A Tool To Increase “Self-Control” In Pigeons (Columba Livia), Peyton Mueller

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

In the successive delay-discounting task, all trials start with a stimulus to which a response results in a small amount of reinforcement (smaller-sooner). If no response is made, the stimulus changes and a response results in a larger reinforcer (larger-later). The purpose of this study was to examine the use of a non-reinforced distractor (a stimulus to which responding has no programmed consequence) as a method of increasing the proportion of larger-later (LL) choices in a successive delay-discounting task. Earlier research studying the use of distractors may have inadvertently associated the distractor with reinforcement. Four experiments were conducted and each …

Managerial Practices For Team Cohesion Among Quality Engineers In The U.S. Automotive Industry, Linda Marie White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Compromising on the quality in the automotive manufacturing industry due to a quality manager’s poor team-building skills may sometimes cause financial loss and consumer deaths. A gap exists in the engineering and management literature on guidelines that quality managers in the automotive industry can apply to build team cohesiveness among quality engineers and production teams. The overarching research question in this study addressed the perceptions of quality managers who had successfully created team cohesion within quality engineering teams. The conceptual framework was founded on the concepts of leaders, followers, team cohesion, trust, and commitment and was grounded in leader-member exchange …

Creating Accountability And Increasing Efficiency By Implementing An It Service Management Solution, Priscilla Leon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Creating a culture that values accountability and efficiency is a difficult task for any organization. Without metrics or systems in place to help with these problems, the task becomes nearly impossible. The focus shifts from accountability to covering your tracks and decreased efficiency are usually blamed on external factors. In higher education, the problem is far more severe. Management leadership and staff are accountable to the stakeholders of higher education, such as the students, community, and faculty. A lack of accountability and a decrease in efficiency, in the Education Department, have led to a need for a technological solution that …

Is It Only The Thought That Counts; Or Do Gift Cost, Social Approval, And Relationship Satisfaction Matter Too?, Farah Binte Abdul Malik

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This study investigated the effects of gift cost, social network (SN) approval, and relationship satisfaction on a gift receiver’s perception of the giver’s commitment to their romantic relationship. In addition to predictions of positive main effects (H1 to H3), it was predicted that relationship satisfaction would moderate the effects of gift cost (H4) and SN approval (H5). Participants were 227 undergraduates from Singapore who completed a survey online. A hierarchical moderated regression analysis was conducted, and the results supported all the hypotheses except H5. The novel findings were that receivers perceived their partners to be more committed when their SN …

Emotional Intelligence, Turnover Intention, And Commitment Among Nonprofit Employees, Tabitha Brewster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover is a persistent problem contributing to financial issues and declining

productivity in nonprofit organizations. Nonprofits cannot fulfill their core missions of

providing services to people in need when managing staffing disruptions. Measuring

employee turnover intention can determine the probability of employee turnover, and a

potential predictor of turnover intention is emotional intelligence, an area unstudied in the

nonprofit sector. This study was designed to explore this relationship, in addition to the

employee's commitment to the organization. The population consisted of 273 nonprofit

employees older than 18 years, working in a nonsupervisory capacity. They completed an

online survey consisting …

What Do You And I Have To Lose? Influence Of Relationship Factors On Couple Help Seeking, Douglas Allen Spiker Ii

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Without intervention, most distressed couples will not see relationship quality improvement. Couple therapy has demonstrated efficacy, yet many distressed couples are reluctant to access these services. Despite this well-documented treatment gap, limited research exists on why relationally distressed individuals in relationships do or do not seek couple therapy. An unexplored avenue to increasing couple help seeking is leveraging research and theory on why couples stay together (i.e., relationship-based motives). Interdependence theory and Investment Model of Commitment posit that couples persist in relationships for both self-focused (i.e., commitment, positive and negative relationship quality) and partner-focused relationship reasons (i.e., perceived partner commitment, …

Emotional Intelligence, Turnover Intention, And Commitment Among Nonprofit Employees, Tabitha Brewster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover is a persistent problem contributing to financial issues and declining

productivity in nonprofit organizations. Nonprofits cannot fulfill their core missions of

providing services to people in need when managing staffing disruptions. Measuring

employee turnover intention can determine the probability of employee turnover, and a

potential predictor of turnover intention is emotional intelligence, an area unstudied in the

nonprofit sector. This study was designed to explore this relationship, in addition to the

employee's commitment to the organization. The population consisted of 273 nonprofit

employees older than 18 years, working in a nonsupervisory capacity. They completed an

online survey consisting …

Structural Empowerment And Employee Commitment Among Millennial Newly Registered Nurses, Janice Hill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe nursing shortage is one of the most challenging issues in global healthcare. While not an all-encompassing solution, labor force retention could alleviate the crisis. The purpose of this study, guided by Kanter’s structural theory of organizational behavior, was to determine the relationships between access to power, opportunity for growth, structural empowerment (SE), and employee commitment among millennial newly registered nurses (NRNs) and to determine if there is a difference in SE between male and female millennial NRNs. Survey data collected from 148 participants were analyzed using Spearman rank-order correlation tests and showed statistically significant correlations between access to power …

Examining The Influence Of Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions Of Academic Advising On Student-Institution Relationship Quality, Student Loyalty, And Enrollment Intentions: An Application Of Relationship Marketing In Higher Education, Linda Marie Hockaday

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

As higher education institutions continue to compete for a declining population of students (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 2019), an increased focus on retaining existing students is required to maintain current levels of undergraduate enrollment (Elliott & Shin, 2002; Habley, Bloom, & Robbins, 2012; Judson & Taylor, 2014; Schertzer & Schertzer, 2004, Vianden & Barlow, 2014). Predominant student retention models (Astin, 1965; Bean, 1985; Tinto, 1987, 1993) emphasize the interaction between students and institutional representatives as a primary factor influencing the student experience and student decisions to continue enrollment in future academic terms. Although academic advisors are the institutional representative …

Exploring The Links Between Social Anxiety And Depression In The Maintenance Of Romantic Relationships, Christian M. Hahn

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Social anxiety is characterized by fear and avoidance of social encounters and has recently been associated with a variety of difficulties in romantic relationships. Complicating further investigation of these associations is the high degree of comorbidity between social anxiety and depressive symptomatology, which share several similarities in expression despite disparate underlying causes. The present thesis examines the unique influences of social anxiety and depression on a number of central aspects of relationship functioning and provide the first longitudinal investigation of the impacts of actor and partner social anxiety and depression on relationship quality and functioning. In Study 1, three independent …

An Initial Development Of A Hardiness Scale For Elementary School Students, Stephen Ferrara

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

There are limited studies that have investigated levels of hardiness in children. There is even less information on finding hardiness scales that have been normed on children in elementary school. The purpose of this study was to test the validity and reliability of the Hardiness Scale for Children (HSC), which assesses the three subscales of hardiness: Challenge, Control, and Commitment. 121 elementary school students (2^nd-5^th grade) were selected to complete the HSC. Their parents were also asked to complete a three-item scale to measure their child’s hardiness. The results indicated that older children tended to give themselves …

Vermilion-Stained Offerings, Pooja Desai

Fiction MFA Theses

This thesis is a collection of short stories.