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Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

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The Affect Of Diversity And Ethical Principles In Primary And Secondary Educational Leadership: A Hermeneutical Phenomenology Study, Charles P. Holloway Jr. Sep 2024

The Affect Of Diversity And Ethical Principles In Primary And Secondary Educational Leadership: A Hermeneutical Phenomenology Study, Charles P. Holloway Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of diversity and ethical principles in educational leadership for teachers, administrators, and classified licensed professionals within minority school districts. Downton’s (2016) theory on transformational leadership guided this study's theoretical framework for the research and ensuing findings. This research was created to answer the following central question: What are the perceived effects of diversity and ethical principles on teachers, administrators, and classified licensed professionals within minority school districts? Three sub-questions were used to understand the experiences of diversity and ethical principles in educational leadership within minority school districts. The …


An Exploration Of Turnover Intentions Of Substance Abuse Treatment Rns During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study, Ciara Patrice Jones Sep 2024

An Exploration Of Turnover Intentions Of Substance Abuse Treatment Rns During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study, Ciara Patrice Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected nurses working in many different settings. As they were frequently the last personnel left at the frontline during COVID-19, nurses’ experiences provide distinctive narratives in the alcohol and other drug treatment workforce. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses working in a substance abuse treatment setting have experienced significantly increased stressors, including fear and anxiety, the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), and a lack of workforce sustainability. Therefore, this generic qualitative study explored the perceptions and experiences of nurses working in a substance abuse treatment program on the barriers in their workforce that influence their turnover …


An Examination Of Employee's Perceived Level Of Their Leader's Religiosity As A Moderator Of The Relationship Between An Employee's Religiosity And Job Satisfaction, Brad Carney Aug 2024

An Examination Of Employee's Perceived Level Of Their Leader's Religiosity As A Moderator Of The Relationship Between An Employee's Religiosity And Job Satisfaction, Brad Carney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether an employee’s perceived level of their leader’s religiosity moderates the relationship between an employee’s level of religiosity and job satisfaction. The participants in this research study were recruited through the utilization of a snowball sampling method, primarily leveraging Liberty University’s doctoral student email list and social media platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Participants in the study were required to be 18 and older and had been employed under their current leader for a minimum of one year. The total sample size was N=65. The researcher used a quantitative self-reporting survey …


Executive Leader Perspectives Of Rural School District Organizational Resilience: A Qualitative Multiple-Case Study Inquiry, Todd S. Burke Aug 2024

Executive Leader Perspectives Of Rural School District Organizational Resilience: A Qualitative Multiple-Case Study Inquiry, Todd S. Burke

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative embedded multiple-case study was to explore and describe how rural executive school district leaders overcome significant organizational adversity (low-income student factors) and sustain high student achievement outcomes. Organizational resilience theory provided the basis for the qualitative embedded multiple-case study. The multiple-case study design explored the perspectives of rural school district executive leaders at three levels of qualitative meaning: a) individual-level executive leader perspectives, b) organization function-level (program and department) perspectives, and c) district-wide organizational perspectives. Three small Utah rural school districts with higher-than-average student achievement trends, all of which have student populations experiencing low-income factors, …


So Why, D&I? A Study On Diversity And Inclusion In The Workplace In The Digital Age, Dina Abed Abughannam Aug 2024

So Why, D&I? A Study On Diversity And Inclusion In The Workplace In The Digital Age, Dina Abed Abughannam

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations have adapted new models of work that shifted diversity and inclusion initiatives within the workplace digitally. There is very little research that currently exists on diversity and inclusion initiatives in the workplace in the digital age. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between perceived management involvement in diversity and inclusion initiatives and employee performance, commitment, and engagement. Additionally, this study sought out to determine whether work location (remote, hybrid, onsite) moderated the relationship between the perceived management involvement in diversity and inclusion initiatives and employee performance, commitment, and …


An Exploration Of How Teacher Leaders Perceive Their Influence On Student Learning: A Transcendental Phenomenology Of The Experiences Of Teacher Leaders, Allison A. Crum Aug 2024

An Exploration Of How Teacher Leaders Perceive Their Influence On Student Learning: A Transcendental Phenomenology Of The Experiences Of Teacher Leaders, Allison A. Crum

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenology was to describe how teacher leaders perceive their influence on student learning at the primary and secondary levels at a K-12 charter school system. The theory guiding this study was social cognitive theory. The interpretive framework was social constructivism. The central research question was: How do teacher leaders describe how students learn under the leadership of teacher leaders? A qualitative transcendental phenomenology research design was employed, and the setting was the primary and secondary K-12 school levels. The sample size of 16 participants included both informal and formal teacher leaders at the elementary, middle …


Identifying Potential Underreporting Of Alcohol Use Among U.S. Military Members, Jeong Hong Aug 2024

Identifying Potential Underreporting Of Alcohol Use Among U.S. Military Members, Jeong Hong

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Understanding the dynamics of alcohol reporting among U.S. military members is crucial for promoting their well-being and for developing effective support programs. Yet current research often overlooks the issue of potential underreporting of alcohol use among U.S. military members. This study aimed to address this gap by exploring the phenomenon of underreporting alcohol use among military personnel. This qualitative study utilized an ethnographic research method to investigate the experiences of 35 U.S. military members with various military statuses. The research questions explored the perception of the prevalence and causes of underreporting of alcohol use and possible remedies for underreporting, framed …


Perceived Degree Value Amongst Two-Year Technical School Graduates, And Regional Employers: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Jonathan D. Hartwell Aug 2024

Perceived Degree Value Amongst Two-Year Technical School Graduates, And Regional Employers: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Jonathan D. Hartwell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to gain an in-depth understanding of how graduates of Zion Mountain Institute of Technology (pseudonym), perceive the value of their two-year technical degrees as it relates to job satisfaction. In this research, job satisfaction is defined as the perceived value of the associate degree awarded. The theories that guided this study were Herzberg’s two-factor theory and Holland’s theory of vocational choice, as they both relate to job satisfaction or perceived degree value due to the correlation between employability, hygiene issues, motivators, and personality characteristics. The participant sample consisted of 10 recent graduates …


Exploring The Role Of High School Administrator's Emotional Intelligence In Classroom Teachers' Perceptions Of Administrator Support: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, James Alex Weaver Aug 2024

Exploring The Role Of High School Administrator's Emotional Intelligence In Classroom Teachers' Perceptions Of Administrator Support: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, James Alex Weaver

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to discover the role and influence of high school administrator’s emotional intelligence on classroom teachers’ perceptions of administrative support at a public high school in northern Delaware. The theory guiding this study is Goleman’s theory of emotional intelligence. This transcendental phenomenological study was concerned with ensuring that high school classroom teachers’ shared experiences regarding perceptions of administrator support at a public high school in northern Delaware as affected by emotional intelligence are described in a manner that allows for the phenomenon’s thematic elements to increase understanding. The study used individual interviews, focus groups, and …


Servant Leader Choral Conductor: The Effect Of Servant Leadership In Community Choirs And Community Partnerships, Zachary Debois Cooke Jul 2024

Servant Leader Choral Conductor: The Effect Of Servant Leadership In Community Choirs And Community Partnerships, Zachary Debois Cooke

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite servant leadership primarily establishing itself as an appropriate leadership style, there is little research on how servant leadership affects community choirs in music education. Community choirs are prevalent in music education due to the number of individuals seeking choral experiences and community gatherings to sing and express their musicality. This hermeneutic qualitative phenomenological study explores the leadership styles of community choir choral conductors and their perspectives on servant leadership. By surveying current choral conductors of community choirs and community partnerships, this qualitative study identifies the overarching leadership styles and servant leadership qualities that are consciously considered or not implemented …


Missional Leadership: An Instructional Program To Cultivate Leaders Of A Missional Church, Conner Mathias Brew Jul 2024

Missional Leadership: An Instructional Program To Cultivate Leaders Of A Missional Church, Conner Mathias Brew

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this action research project is to design, execute, and evaluate a small group instructional framework that cultivates a missional culture focused on communal discipleship at MVMNT Church, a local church in the Association of Related Churches network, while also addressing a gap in scholarship surrounding the interrelation of discipleship and the missional church. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study leveraged inductive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with survey data to validate the lack of discipleship activity at MVMNT Church and moderate-to-low comprehension of topics related to mission, discipleship, and leadership in the church. This project recommended and …


How Organizational Factors Reinforce Or Deter Hostile Workplace Behaviors In The Military: A Grounded Theory Approach, Christina Staebell Jul 2024

How Organizational Factors Reinforce Or Deter Hostile Workplace Behaviors In The Military: A Grounded Theory Approach, Christina Staebell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Organizational culture is the main predictor of hostile workplace behaviors such as discrimination, harassment, and bullying. Psychological safety, inclusive workplace culture, and bystander intervention all show promising effects on deterring hostile workplace behaviors. No research exists that explores military members' perceptions of how the military organizational culture influences the presence of these constructs and how these constructs influence one another and hostile workplace behaviors. The following grounded theory study explored military members' perceptions of how the military organizational culture influences the occurrence of hostile workplace behaviors. The role of psychological safety, inclusive workplace culture, and bystander intervention on hostile workplace …


Revenue Cycle Management, Mary Scalf Jun 2024

Revenue Cycle Management, Mary Scalf

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The healthcare industry continues to navigate through legislative changes requiring a change from the fee-for-service model to a value-based model. Healthcare is required to balance quality care of the patient and financial viability. The general problem to be addressed is the inefficient adoption of a revenue integrity program within the revenue cycle management process resulting in a revenue deficit for healthcare providers. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to add to the body of knowledge exploring the possible inefficient insurance denial management process within non-profit hospital-owned physician practices resulting in revenue deficits for the provider clinics. The study …


Mental Toughness In The Workplace, Maiah E. Taylor May 2024

Mental Toughness In The Workplace, Maiah E. Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Within the realm of the modern work organization, the employers role on employees’ mental health has emerged as a critical factor concerning job attrition. Frequently, work organizations prioritize their productivity and output, rather than recognizing the importance of individual contributions as a reflection of their well-being. Research on workplace satisfaction and adversity management has failed to address the challenges that non-military or law enforcement populations face in retaining talent. Current research on mental toughness, resilience, and grit has overlooked the importance of civilian population training interventions, leaving a gap in the literature. This mixed-method study used an explanatory sequential design, …


Learners' Lived Experiences For Filling Out A Professional Development Program's Formal Evaluation After Learning About The Kirkpatrick Evaluation Framework: A Transcendental Phenomenology Study, Judine Eleanor Bishop May 2024

Learners' Lived Experiences For Filling Out A Professional Development Program's Formal Evaluation After Learning About The Kirkpatrick Evaluation Framework: A Transcendental Phenomenology Study, Judine Eleanor Bishop

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenology study was to discover learners’ lived experiences for filling out a formal evaluation to complete a professional development program about the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Framework for African American librarians and educators who are members of a Black Caucus affiliate group. The theory guiding this study was the adult learning theory by Knowles et al., who hypothesized that adults learn by using self-direction to build on their experiences knowing why training courses will benefit their lives. The adult learning theory provided a framework to answer the central research question and two sub-questions: (CRQ) What are learners’ …


Predicting Government Non-Manager Employees’ Creative Self-Concept Based On Their Leaders’ Transformational Leadership Qualities, Steven R. Palmer May 2024

Predicting Government Non-Manager Employees’ Creative Self-Concept Based On Their Leaders’ Transformational Leadership Qualities, Steven R. Palmer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative non-experimental, predictive, correlational study aimed to evaluate the predictive relationship between government leaders exercising transformational leadership attributes and government service employees' potential to engage in creative problem-solving. This study contributes to the existing knowledge on leadership and creative self-concept by focusing on the government civilian service sector. This sector represents a large population with limited exposure to the correlation between leadership and creativity. The sample for this study was 1,432 engineering and contracting professionals from a government acquisition center in northern Alabama who designed and built weapons systems for combat forces. The data analysis included 609 participants. The …


Effects Of Covid-19 On Mental Health Workers' Job Satisfaction, Employee Burnout, And Intent To Leave, Colton Jacobs May 2024

Effects Of Covid-19 On Mental Health Workers' Job Satisfaction, Employee Burnout, And Intent To Leave, Colton Jacobs

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The COVID-19 disease emerged in December 2019 and created a worldwide pandemic. As the COVID-19 virus spread, healthcare workers faced increased workloads and burnout due to increased stress. With a current abundance of research to better understand how the pandemic affected healthcare workers, minimal research has been conducted to investigate the effects on mental health workers. It is imperative to better understand how the consequences of the pandemic affected mental health workers due to their importance in supporting the mental well-being of our communities. This study focused on how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced job satisfaction, burnout syndrome, and intent to …


A Study Of Followership In An Organizational-Wide Change Of The Ministry Of Child Evangelism Fellowship, Michelle M. Russell May 2024

A Study Of Followership In An Organizational-Wide Change Of The Ministry Of Child Evangelism Fellowship, Michelle M. Russell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The influence of Child Evangelism Fellowship saw a significant increase across the United States of America after an organizational change following a 2001 Supreme Court case ruling. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the role of followership on the change and followership principles that emerged during the change that was implemented following the ruling Good News Club v. Milford Central School on the Good News Club ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship. Organizational change was defined as intentional actions promoted by leadership and intentional actions taken by followers who took advantage of the rights guaranteed by the ruling. …


Challenging The Cancer Of Consumerism Ravaging The American Protestant Church, John A. Thompson Ii May 2024

Challenging The Cancer Of Consumerism Ravaging The American Protestant Church, John A. Thompson Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The American Protestant church is sick and, in some cases, dying. The primary factors adversely influencing the church contribute to church members’ warped view of Christianity. The American church is suffering from individualism, consumerism, and uncommitted Christianity. The church may be described as critically ill, and in the I.C.U. The purpose of this study was to address the effects of this cultural illness as it has impacted the people and ministry of Kingdom Life Community Church. This topic is chosen because of the researcher’s experience serving as the church’s lead pastor, observing members approach the church with a consumer bias. …


K-12 Teachers’ Experience With Professional Development On Implementing Intervention For Cognitive Reading Disorders And Dyslexia: A Qualitative Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Rosemary Balestieri May 2024

K-12 Teachers’ Experience With Professional Development On Implementing Intervention For Cognitive Reading Disorders And Dyslexia: A Qualitative Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Rosemary Balestieri

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand the experiences of the 10 K-12 teacher participants who may implement instruction and interventions for students who struggle with cognitive reading disorders and dyslexia. Instruction for intervention of cognitive reading disorders at the K-12 education level was generally defined as the multisensory approach more commonly found in schools. Instructional methods of 10 teachers at the K-12 education level for cognitive reading disorders was explored by implementing the central research question (CRQ), “What are the experiences of K-12 teachers who receive professional development to provide cognitive reading instruction with interventions specific to …


Special Education Teacher Perspective On Implementation Of Assistive Technology Among Students With High-Incidence Disabilities, Olga Volkov May 2024

Special Education Teacher Perspective On Implementation Of Assistive Technology Among Students With High-Incidence Disabilities, Olga Volkov

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of implementing assistive technology with students who have high-incidence disabilities for special education teachers at a large school district. The theory guiding this study was Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. Self-efficacy is one’s belief in one’s capabilities to organize a course of action to achieve a desired outcome. Self-efficacy determines how individuals think, behave, and self-motivate. Previous studies that investigated technology utilization in schools found that teachers’ self-efficacy is one of the key factors in determining and predicting technology integration. The study employed hermeneutic phenomenology as its research methodology. A …


Wellness In Licensed Professional Counselors: Counselor Perception Of Documentation Expectations On Professional Satisfaction, Aleta Seay Gibbs May 2024

Wellness In Licensed Professional Counselors: Counselor Perception Of Documentation Expectations On Professional Satisfaction, Aleta Seay Gibbs

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Counselors are important parts of a community, helping people heal and learn to cope with life. Communities are seeing staffing shortages, counselors leaving the field, and increasing mental health needs of residents. During the COVID-19 pandemic, regulations concerning documentation requirements and service provision rapidly changed, often several times. Counselors were permitted different ways of doing things in light of the constraints imposed by the virus. This included a reduction of how much documentation is required and might have included reductions in paperwork, policy changes, and service provision exceptions for licensed professional counselors (LPCs), like switching to telehealth for health and …


Formalized Succession Planning: A Need In East Tennessee Health Departments, Elizabeth A. Maples May 2024

Formalized Succession Planning: A Need In East Tennessee Health Departments, Elizabeth A. Maples

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Gaps in employment competencies can hinder the government from serving the public and the community. The lack of succession planning and the turnover of employees can cause unnecessary strain and unstable situations within an organization. This problem can lead to decreased productivity. Undefined criteria for potential candidates remain an issue of succession planning because leaders have no best way to compare or evaluate applicants. With a growing need to fill jobs, employers complain about a lack of qualified workers. While research included the importance of succession planning, this study will include the need for a formalized succession planning process with …


Impact Of Leadership Decisions On Police Officer Well-Being: A Covid-19 Response, Jason N. Spencer May 2024

Impact Of Leadership Decisions On Police Officer Well-Being: A Covid-19 Response, Jason N. Spencer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative dissertation research project is to determine the impact that law enforcement leaders, their leadership styles, and decision-making processes have on the well-being of police officers. This study sought to understand this impact by focusing on the perspectives of frontline police officers, detectives, and first-line supervisors from various law enforcement organizations in the Central Virginia Region and within the context of leadership decisions made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the constructivist grounded theory approach to research design, 12 participants responded to an initial qualitative questionnaire, followed by a semi-structured interview to gain the rich, …


Virtual Coaching, Self-Directed Learning, And The Implementation Of Evidence-Based Practices: A Single Qualitative Case Study, Elisabeth Myers May 2024

Virtual Coaching, Self-Directed Learning, And The Implementation Of Evidence-Based Practices: A Single Qualitative Case Study, Elisabeth Myers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this single instrumental case study was to understand how a virtual coaching program provides opportunities for self-directed learning during the implementation of evidence-based practices for adults at Navigator Coaching. The theory guiding this study was Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory as conceptualizations of self-directed learning described in the literature mirror descriptions of self-determination. The central research question was: How does a virtual coaching program provide opportunities for self-directed learning during the implementation of evidence-based practices? As a single instrumental case, the setting for this study was one virtual life-coaching program in North America. The sample of participants …


A Phenomenological Study Of The Teacher Leader Experience, Leslie Magnanti Apr 2024

A Phenomenological Study Of The Teacher Leader Experience, Leslie Magnanti

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of teachers in leadership roles in a rural, secondary school setting. The theory guiding this study was the theory of distributed leadership created by Spillane and developed by Groff, as it explained the power of teacher leadership as a method of distributing leadership to promote teacher retention and motivation alleviating some principal stress and burnout. Data was collected using interviews of the ten participants to better understand how teachers experience leadership and how administrators can promote it, focus groups to understand the phenomenon in more depth, and …


Exploring The Relationship Between Leadership Style And Psychological Capital Constructs, Matthew Austin Clark Apr 2024

Exploring The Relationship Between Leadership Style And Psychological Capital Constructs, Matthew Austin Clark

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is currently a gap in knowledge regarding how leadership styles relate to employee psychological capital. Leaders can use this knowledge to emphasize employee health. It will also help organizations by promoting employee development and retention. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between each leadership style of situational leadership, servant leadership, authentic leadership, transformational leadership and levels of employee psychological capital. This research also examined whether age acted as a moderator in the relationship. The research questions that guided this study were does leadership style have a relationship with employee psychological capital, and does age act …


Student Enrollment And The Experiences Of Liberal Arts Faculty At A Historically Black College And University: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Sanford Derrick Dennis Apr 2024

Student Enrollment And The Experiences Of Liberal Arts Faculty At A Historically Black College And University: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Sanford Derrick Dennis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand how liberal arts faculty members at a small private historically black college are affected by unstable student enrollment. The institution is being affected by various states of unstable student enrollment, which naturally creates many challenges. The study utilized the hermeneutic phenomenological approach, and the cognitive appraisal theory as the theoretical framework. The cognitive appraisal theory is based on how individuals mentally process an event or a condition. In application to this study, liberal arts faculty members are in a challenging environment, and how do they mentally process it as an …


Measuring Coporate Social Responsiblity Leading To Organizational Commitment And Belongingness, Clifford J. Strawder Apr 2024

Measuring Coporate Social Responsiblity Leading To Organizational Commitment And Belongingness, Clifford J. Strawder

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Following the completion of the study, it was found that there exists a significant relationship between perceived Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) congruence and employee outcomes, particularly organizational commitment, as elucidated through the lens of social identity theory. The investigation aimed to elucidate how employees' personal values and assessments of CSR dimensions could positively shape their attitudes and commitment to their organizations. The study, conducted with participants from various organizations recruited via the Amazon Mechanical Turk (M-Turk) platform, delved into three key CSR dimensions: Discretionary, Ethical, and Economic Responsibility. Results indicated that organizations can bolster organizational commitment by fostering a sense …


An Exploration Of The Lived Experience Of Novice Adjunct Nursing Faculty As They Transition From Clinical Expert To Novice Educator, Angelique Tolentino-Martin Apr 2024

An Exploration Of The Lived Experience Of Novice Adjunct Nursing Faculty As They Transition From Clinical Expert To Novice Educator, Angelique Tolentino-Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological study aimed to describe and understand the lived experiences of novice adjunct nursing faculty teaching in the United States in undergraduate nursing programs as they transition from clinical practice to academia. The theories that guided this study are Meleis’ transition theory and Schoening’s nurse educator transition model which provide a framework for the transition experiences for novice adjunct nursing faculty. The central research question is: What are the lived experiences of novice undergraduate adjunct nursing faculty transitioning from clinical expert to novice nurse faculty? Purposive sampling and snowball sampling were used to recruit participants who were novice …