Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Retention Of Foster Parents For At-Risk Youth In Tennessee, Marvin Amos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Federal legislation with the Family First Prevention Service Act (FFPSA) of 2017 required Tennessee to increase foster parent retention strategies. Tennessee does not have enough available foster homes for adolescents. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore foster parent retention in Tennessee and to inform policymakers on how to adapt policy to increase the retention. The theoretical foundation for this study was based on the policy feedback theory, to identify the policy scope in Tennessee, and the two-factor theory, to guide the data analysis in the context of employee satisfaction and retention measures. Purposive sampling techniques were …

Far-Right Extremist Influence On American Immigration Policy, Christopher Joseph Heinrich

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is little information on the increase in far-right extremist influence on policymakers’ ideology that affect immigration law. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how far-right extremists influence American policymakers in supporting the perspective that immigrants are replacing White Americans and how that affects non-White and/or non-Christian immigration. The framework for this study was based on policy feedback theory by Mettler and SoRelle. Research questions focused on federal legislation that supports anti-immigration between 2017 and 2021 and far-right extremist ideology. Document analysis was done through purposive sampling to select public records of individuals, groups, and laws. Data …

Far-Right Extremist Influence On American Immigration Policy, Christopher Joseph Heinrich

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is little information on the increase in far-right extremist influence on policymakers’ ideology that affect immigration law. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how far-right extremists influence American policymakers in supporting the perspective that immigrants are replacing White Americans and how that affects non-White and/or non-Christian immigration. The framework for this study was based on policy feedback theory by Mettler and SoRelle. Research questions focused on federal legislation that supports anti-immigration between 2017 and 2021 and far-right extremist ideology. Document analysis was done through purposive sampling to select public records of individuals, groups, and laws. Data …

Fact Finders: Exploring Perspectives Of Abuse Investigators For People With Developmental Disabilities, April Delandro

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abuse towards people with intellectual and developmental disabilities has been a long-standing area of study. One aspect of the post abuse process that has not been thoroughly considered is the perspective of abuse investigators. This is important because abuse investigators are to ascertain the safety of an alleged victim and then gather the information necessary to resolve issues with the intent to prevent further abuse. Using the Thomas theorem of interpretation and action, this study explored the experiences of abuse investigators by delving into how investigators’ experiences influence the conduct of an investigation and how investigators perceive their role and …

The Effects Of “No Pro Homo” Policies On Lgbtq+ Perceptions In The American South, Isabella L. Brocato

Honors Theses

Five states in the American South currently have “no pro homo” policies in place, while an increasing number of bills targeting discussions about sexuality and gender identity in public schools are being introduced to House floors around the country. Although there is extensive research on the ways in which these policies put the physical and mental well-being of LGBTQ+ students at risk, there is little to no research about how they shape public perceptions of the LGBTQ+ community collectively. With inspiration from Kenneth and Mamie Clark’s social science study cited in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), this study works …

Our Streets: Increasing Equity In Active Transportation Planning Through Community Outreach, Jordan Hoy

Master's Projects and Capstones

ABSTRACT Significant research has demonstrated that active transportation infrastructure is essential for the growth and livability of San Francisco: it increases access to economic opportunities, promotes overall improved public health, encourages mobility without contributing to roadway congestion, prevents traffic injuries and fatalities, and supports the sustainability goals of the city. Despite the fact that communities of color will benefit the most from active transportation infrastructure development, historical disenfranchisement in tandem with a lack of diverse representation within public participation contributes to an inequitable distribution of walking and biking investments throughout the city of San Francisco. While research shows that Black …

Stakeholders’ Perspectives On Social Intervention Policy To Curb Street Children Influx In Ghana, Ismaila Hansmittson Awudu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increasing street children influx in Accra, Ghana, is a challenge to the government, policymakers, and citizens despite the Child and Family Welfare Policy (CFWP) of the Ghana Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection to address this social problem. In 2018, an estimated 90,000 children lived on the streets in the Greater Accra Region. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore stakeholders’ perspectives on social intervention policies and programs and the effectiveness of the CWFP in curbing street children influx. Policy feedback theory was the theoretical foundation for the research. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with nine …

The Political Astuteness Of The New Mexico Registered Nurse, Gloria Sue Doherty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States spends the most per capita of all the developed countries on healthcare but demonstrates the worst healthcare outcomes. National agencies have turned to Registered Nurses (RNs) to improve healthcare outcomes through participation in healthcare policy development. Although the recommendation for participation in policy development exists, RNs, including those in the U.S. state of New Mexico have not participated at high levels. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to measure the political astuteness of RNs in New Mexico and to determine to what extent nursing leaders have been successful in diffusing Institute of Medicine recommendations. Rogers’s …

Role Of Municipal Governance In Stabilizing Mature Inner Suburbs: A Study Of Five St. Louis Municipalities 1970-2015, Napoleon Williams Iii

Dissertations

This study explores the role of municipal governance in municipal-level stabilization of inner suburbs in St. Louis County, Missouri. The data, from 1970 to 2015, include a robust collection of official government archives collected from five municipalities in St. Louis County, historical documents, city-state-national statistical data, and related materials. Interviews of 25 stakeholders were conducted and data were analyzed based on the community power structure framework.

I outline five mature St. Louis inner suburbs’ evolution in municipal-level conditions from 1970 to 2015, and I detail the role each suburbs’ municipal governance played in the evolution of municipal-level conditions. I conclude, …

Can Cities Be Feminist? A Cross-National Analysis Of Factors Affecting Local Female Representation In Latin America, Katie Davis

Honors Theses

Women are underrepresented in mayor’s offices and on city councils across Latin America. In this paper, I examine gender-based differences in individual opinions toward running for office in Argentina and Uruguay, as well as conduct a twenty-six country analysis on factors related to female representation in municipal government. Based on these analyses, I make three main conclusions about female local representation in Latin America. The first conclusion is that women in Latin America are significantly less likely to want to run or feel qualified to run for office. The second conclusion is that cross-national variation in the percentage of female …

Public Policy Response To Violence: Case Study Of Boko Haram Insurgency In Nigeria, Emmanuel Baba Mamman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The violence of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria has generated an increased need for public policy responses. Nigerian authorities and community stakeholders have attempted myriad responses to the challenges created by Boko Haram. However, there is a poor understanding of policy frameworks for handling the Boko Haram violence on the immediate, medium-term, and long-term dimensions. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to improve the understanding of the public policy measures that may help to address the Boko Haram challenge. John Burton's theory of human needs provided a theoretical foundation for the study. Purposive sampling technique was used, …

The Beliefs Of Sex Education Instructors In The Classroom, Denise Stewart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Data-driven research is an ethical precept for nearly every profession, and it holds a particular importance within any human-services field, including public health education. This research study used a phenomenological methodology and Brofenbrenner’s theoretical framework to construct descriptive themes, investigating how public school instructors' personal beliefs impact teaching practice. Ten in-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with public high school teachers who self-identified as being involved with sex education instruction. Participants were selected from several public Minnesota high schools responsible for providing sex education to public school students in Grades 9 to 12. The findings revealed several themes relating to how …

An Examination Of Municipal Policy-Makers’ Responses Towards The Provincial Implementation Of Retail Cannabis Stores Within Ontario, Mark Dean

MPA Major Research Papers

The rationale for this study is founded on the important role of municipal governments within the domain of cannabis legalization in Canada. In Ontario, a strategy of privatization for physical cannabis stores was implemented by the provincial government. The policy gave municipalities the authority to decide whether they opted in or out of physical cannabis stores within their specific communities. This scenario of allowing local governments to determine the introduction of physical cannabis stores has demonstrated a need for a deeper understanding towards the various factors that influence the decisions of municipal policy makers. This is a unique situation that …

Law Enforcement Seat Belt Use: Impact Of Policy And Phenomena On Use, Zach Loken

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies show that seat belt use by law enforcement officers is estimated to be at 50%, well below the national average. The purpose of this study was to explore what may be leading to reduced seat belt use by law enforcement patrol officers while also determining if different types of policies effect the level of seat belt usage by this population. The theoretical framework used in this study was Shafritz, Ott and Jang's theory of organizational culture and change. This quantitative study was conducted using a casual, quasi-experimental design; the research questions focused on understanding what phenomena may be occurring …

National Strategy Against Narcotics, Drug Control Policy, And Law Enforcement Experiences In Kosovo, Ferid Azemi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This research is focused on evaluation of National Strategy Against Narcotics (NSAN) enacted in 2012 in Kosovo. The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of NSAN through visualizing data and gaining deeper insight from experiences of antidrug experts. Convergent parallel mixed methods were used to answer the main research questions. The central research questions examined the impact of strategy implementation in juvenile drug arrest reduction, and its effectiveness on Kosovo criminal justice system. Markwood's comprehensive theory of substance abuse prevention (CTSAP) was used to assess and explore the NSAN. Deidentified juvenile arrest rates taken from Kosovo official …

Emergency Managers' Perceptions Of All-Hazards Pandemic Planning Effectiveness In North Texas, Timothy Goss

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

All-hazards pandemic planning is the foundation of current emergency management planning doctrine, yet there is limited information and limited studies related to its effectiveness in mitigating pandemics. The North Texas emergency management community handles incidents of West Nile Virus, H1N1 influenza, and a recent Ebola incident. Despite efforts to mitigate these threats, reported cases and deaths are still occurring from both influenza and West Nile virus. The purpose of this case study was to assess the risk perceptions of emergency planners in a small emergency operation center in North Texas using the cultural theory of risk perception as the theoretical …

The Effect Of Rules On Racially-Influenced Policing And Police Uses Of Force, Joe D. Mazza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public opinion polls have shown the public lacks confidence in U.S. police to use appropriate amounts of force and treat racial minorities fairly, which undermines police legitimacy and the quality of life of all citizens. Although rules have been shown to positively constrain police uses of force, researchers have not demonstrated the effect of rules on racially influenced policing (RIP). In 2005, the RIP directive which prohibits officers from using race as a factor in taking discretionary actions was promulgated in New Jersey. The purpose of this study was to determine through the theoretical lens of Lipsky's street-level bureaucrat theory …

Impact Of The Zambian Agricultural Policy On Grain Trade, Onesphore Karuho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The agricultural sector in Zambia is supported through the government use of public expenditure programs to spur the production and subsidize the consumption of key grains to stabilize prices. Previous research has documented the effects of public spending on agriculture in terms of food prices and food security. The effects of government spending on the trade of key grains, however, is not well understood. As such, there is a gap in knowledge regarding the impact of agricultural policy on the agricultural trade. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Zambian agricultural policy on grain trade. A …

Three Perspectives On Social Equity And Public Health Emergency Preparedness And Response Policy, Lucila M. Zamboni

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In the past 20 years, large-scale disasters have generated economic loss of $660 billion in the United States. Research has identified that low income individuals and economically vulnerable communities are at heightened risk and often experience disadvantages in access to public services during emergencies. Public administration literature has claimed that social equity should be included as a consideration together with economic and efficiency principles when formulating and implementing public policy. Yet there has been limited empirical research that follows this premise. The three studies that comprise this dissertation are guided by one overarching research question: which socioeconomic characteristics at the …

Effective Social Media Use By Law Enforcement Agencies: A Case Study Approach To Quantifying And Improving Efficacy And Developing Agency Best Practices, David T. Snively

Master of Public Administration Practicums

In the wake of protests against law enforcement for an array of reasons, law enforcement officers and agencies have a responsibility to recognize and utilize the available mediums of communication with which they may best develop a connection to the communities they serve. Furthermore, law enforcement agencies must be informed that established, traditional methods of news dissemination – such as press conferences and printed articles – are now both ineffective and under-utilized, replaced in large part by social media live-time reports. For that reason, law enforcement agency executives must address both the responsibility to provide appropriately timed updates to critical …

Relationship Between Internships And Employment Competencies Of Degreed Professionals Who Completed A College Internship, Shawn Barnwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An estimated 1.5 million underemployed or unemployed college graduates have one or more college degrees, and many have high loan debt. Policy makers, students, and institutions of higher education are all concerned with the question of how prepared students are to enter the workforce upon graduation, yet little is known about whether internships are a strategy to improve career preparedness and gainful employment after graduation. Guided by Dewey and Kolb's experiential learning theory, the purpose of this nonexperimental study was to evaluate the impact of internships on career preparation from the perspective of graduates, specifically to evaluate whether graduates perceive …

Technology Distractions On Patrol: Giving Police Officers A Voice, Andrew David Dasher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Distraction while using mobile technology devices such as a cell phone or tablet computer is a common occurrence within the civilian population of the United States. U.S. police officers are increasingly utilizing these types of devices within the patrol environment. However, little is known as to how distraction affects police officers while they interact with these devices in the course of their daily duties. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how officers process potential officer safety issues on patrol, while interacting with mobile technology, by questioning participants' perception of distraction. This was accomplished through a phenomenological paradigm …

Perception Of Job Satisfaction And Over Qualification Among African Immigrants In Alberta, Canada, Benard Chi Njeundam Chuba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African-trained landed immigrants in the Alberta labor market are faced with employment over qualification and professional devaluation. Researchers have documented the precarious labor market position of this cohort and efforts undertaken by federal and provincial Canadian governments to address it. Little is known, however, about how these African immigrants perceive job satisfaction and over qualification. Guided by human capital theory, this phenomenological study focused on the perceptions of job satisfaction and over qualification among 11 landed immigrants of African origin in Alberta, Canada. Data were collected using semi structured interviews. Hatch's 9-step technique was used to analyze data, resulting in …

The Lived Experience Of School Bus Drivers: Bullying Prevention On School Buses, Timothy Crable

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

U.S. school bus drivers witness bullying on their buses on a regular basis but are often not consulted on how to prevent bullying or how to maintain a safe environment. Over 24 million U.S. student passengers ride school buses daily, yet the voices of bus drivers have been inadequately represented in the development of school bullying policies. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experience of 12 active school bus drivers and their perceptions of bullying on the bus, driver training programs, school antibullying policies, and other mandated procedures developed for bus drivers. The conceptual framework …

Policemoms: Perceptions Of Motherhood And Policy In Ohio Police Organizations, Lacy Kristine Ellis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police organizations have a problem retaining female police officers, especially those who are mothers. Women leave the policing profession at higher rates during childbearing and child-rearing years than during any other time in their career. Using feminist theory as a foundation, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of policewomen who are mothers and identify factors that contribute to poor retention rates during childbearing and child-rearing years. Data were collected through 11 interviews with policewomen, who were also mothers, in Ohio. These data were analyzed using Saldana's 2-cycle coding procedure followed …

An Assessment Of The Built Environment And Inclusivity Of Older Adults In Community Planning In Portland, Maine, Elizabeth A. Bissonnette

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This paper focuses on this assessment specific to four: civic participation, housing, transportation, and outdoor spaces and buildings. Four others targeted for study by others include respect and social inclusion, communication and information, community and health services, and social participation. Each domain is reviewed from the perspective of older adults and older although this assessment also benefits people of all ages and abilities. Some data and references were only available with population breakouts of those aged 65 years and older and are noted appropriately.

Determining If Development Capacity Leads To The Attainment Of Redevelopment Goals For Six Communities Affected By Base Realignment And Closure (1988, 1991, And 1993), Paula J. Loomis

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The McGuire et al. model (1994) showed that development of a strategic plan led to higher development capacity, but did not address the relationship between development capacity and redevelopment success. This study examined the link between development capacity and redevelopment success.

This study examined six base realignment and closure communities. Following the Yin Multiple Case Study Method, each community was evaluated on its own merits before being compared with other communities. In this study the McGuire et al. model was expanded to fourteen variables in three categories; citizen participation, community structure, and development instruments. Redevelopment success was measured by attainment …

The Critical Success Factors Of Public Private Partnerships In Lagos State, Franca Igboka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In recent years, the Lagos State Government has attempted to adopt public private

partnerships (PPP) with little success, largely as a result of implementation barriers. The

purpose of this quantitative, ex-post facto design study was to evaluate which factors are

considered most predictive of success of PPP implementation in the state, whereby the

prescribed quality of products/services is achieved within a specified time frame and at

the agreed cost. Wood and Gray's theory of collaboration and the network and

collaborations theory by Kamensky and Burlin guided this study. A self-constructed and

validated structured questionnaire was utilized in the collection of …

Interpreting, Stephanie Jo Kent

Doctoral Dissertations

What do community interpreting for the Deaf in western societies, conference interpreting for the European Parliament, and language brokering in international management have in common? Academic research and professional training have historically emphasized the linguistic and cognitive challenges of interpreting, neglecting or ignoring the social aspects that structure communication. All forms of interpreting are inherently social; they involve relationships among at least three people and two languages. The contexts explored here, American Sign Language/English interpreting and spoken language interpreting within the European Parliament, show that simultaneous interpreting involves attitudes, norms and values about intercultural communication that overemphasize information and discount …

A Vision For Berwick: A Case Study Of The Citizen Initiated Visioning Process For Downtown Redevelopment In Southern Maine, John Stoll

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This Capstone follows the downtown redevelopment visioning process in Berwick from the initial presentation to Town Officials up until formal adoption as an addendum to the Comprehensive Plan. Berwick has a monumental task ahead of it as the Town looks to redevelop an 11 acre abandoned factory site that is located directly where a downtown should be. Residents of Berwick had to work with Town Staff to navigate a considerable amount of lingering controversy and to rebuild trust between the public and local government. Members of the Downtown Vision Committee worked tirelessly to reach out to the community through education …