Investigating The Impact Of Employment And Demographic Factors On Health Among Bereaved Adults: A Quantitative Approach, Dorothy L. O'Hagan

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Although the death of a loved one is a universal experience, grief and bereavement may affect employees in the workplace. Prior research on grief and bereavement in the workplace has been largely qualitative. Little attention has been given to how bereavement, employment-related factors, and demographic characteristics are associated with health among working-age adults. The Georgia Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) offered a large dataset for examining these relationships.

This retrospective, exploratory, correlational quantitative study used the 2019 and 2022 Georgia BRFSS datasets to examine self-reported health among bereaved and non-bereaved adults ages 18 to 64. Analytic samples included …

Organizational Redevelopment: A Systematic Approach To Behavioral Health Mergers, Acquisitions, Or Consolidations, Inesha Shairon Trahan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Using Environmental Scans To Help Direct And Sustain Local Best Practices, Emily Lapworth, Carol Kussmann

Joseph P. Healey Library Publications

The digital landscape is in a state of constant change, and there is no one-size-fits-all formula for managing your digital assets, so understanding your local context is crucial to planning an effective digital stewardship strategy. Whether you are just starting out or have been at the same institution for 10 years, conducting an environmental scan can help. What are the internal and external changes you need to manage? What kind of stuff are you dealing with, and who are the stakeholders? Where is it located, and what systems are you using? What tools are available, and how have best practices …

The Perceived Effectiveness Of Kotter’S Change Leadership Model In The Knox County Association Of Baptists Churches, Luke England

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand the perceived effectiveness of Kotter’s change leadership model in Southern Baptist churches in the Knox County Association of Baptists located in East Tennessee. This phenomenological study utilizes a qualitative research methodology to uncover the perceived effectiveness of Kotter's eight-step change leadership model in Southern Baptist churches in the Knox County Association of Baptists in East Tennessee. This research seeks to understand the five major challenges Senior Pastors believe to be the greatest impairment to instituting change within the local church. Moreover, this research uncovers the perception of pastor’s agreement towards the …

The Challenge Of Leaders Within The Public Sector Organization To Adapt Their Leadership Skills To Reflect The Changing External Environment, Leading To Poor Quality Production And Resulting In The Inability To Improve Performance, Kingsford Agyemang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research examined the influence of leadership adaptation, leadership competencies, and strategic decision-making on organizational productivity and performance in the United States public sector. It addressed the challenge of leaders’ limited capacity to adapt effectively to evolving organizational environments, which may lead to diminished production quality and lower employee performance. The objective of this mixed-methods study was to investigate how leadership behaviors can be modified to improve organizational outcomes and to identify essential competencies that enhance performance. A convergent mixed-methods design was employed to integrate qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative component consisted of semi-structured interviews with eight leaders. The …

The Effect Of Return-To-Office Mandates On Worker Engagement And Perceived Work-Family Conflict, Caleb M. Daughhetee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this cross-sectional, quasi-experimental study was to examine relationships among employee perceptions of return-to-office (RTO) mandates, employee engagement (EE), and work-family conflict (WFC) among previously remote U.S.-based workers. Despite extensive RTO mandates following the COVID-19 pandemic, limited research has examined the relationship between worker perceptions, EE, and work-family dynamics. Grounded in personal engagement theory (Kahn, 1990), role theory, and the Job Demands-Resources model, this study investigates whether RTO perceptions predict EE and WFC, and whether WFC mediates or moderates the relationship between RTO perceptions and EE. Data were collected from 145 participants using a researcher-developed RTO perception scale …

Broken Promises: The Lived Experiences Of African American Employees Who Interpret The Removal Of Dei Policies As A Breach Of Psychological Contract, Geneva A. Henderson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The publicized murder of George Floyd in 2020 prompted organizations across the United States to affirm their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Following the 2025 presidential administration, however, many organizations began retracting DEI policies and adopting merit-based initiatives aligned with new federal mandates. For African Americans (AA), this shift echoed a familiar historical pattern of progress followed by withdrawal, requiring them to navigate promises made and promises withdrawn. Despite the significance of these changes, little is known about how AA employees experience the workplace after the removal of a value-laden policy. This interpretative phenomenological analysis study explored the …

Project Future: Turner Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church Leadership Development And Success Planning Project, Tonya Renee Mcclure

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study found that adaptive, relational, and vision-centered leadership approaches significantly enhance emerging leader development and engagement at Turner Chapel AME Church. Grounded in contingency theory (Fiedler, 1967), decision-making theory (Vroom & Yetton, 1973), and Northouse's (2022) transformational and servant leadership concepts, the mixed-methods research integrated quantitative and qualitative data. The findings underscore the essential roles of coaching, strategic organizational design, and spiritual formation in cultivating authentic leaders. Integrating transformational and servant leadership creates a lasting framework for emerging leader development, pointing to the value of intentional, data-driven leadership pipelines within faith-based organizations.

Organizational Change Model Modified For A Biblical Worldview, Mark Alan Van Dyke

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The goal of this proposal was to implement the first six steps of Kotter’s eight-step organizational change model at Emmanuel Lutheran Church to help the leadership improve unity and cohesion within the congregation. A key part of this process was training a guiding coalition of important leaders in essential communication skills, team leadership, and intergenerational ministry concepts. Successfully completing this process and training positioned the congregation to serve its community as a family-oriented culture where disconnected and disillusioned people can find belonging. Using a well-known organizational change theory in a church setting presents its own challenges for pastoral leaders, who …

Leadership Development Training In Governmental Organizations: A Qualitative Examination Of Managerial Perceptions And Employee Engagement, George Marcus Barber

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study is designed to examine how leadership development training influences management competency in the public sector. Most organizations are intentionally interested in the subject of leadership development, investing considerable time, resources, and effort. Although existing literature on leadership development training programs is extensive, the current research is distinguished by focusing directly on managers and more specifically aimed at exploring how such a program influences decision-making processes, employee engagement levels, and overall job satisfaction in public sector organizations. Based on the theory of public sector leadership (Van Wart, 2003), this study aims to uncover some core competencies that contribute …

Migrant Mobility Across Necropolitical Territories Of Violence: Los Zetas/Cartel Del Noreste, Alondra Danixa Gonzalez

Senior Theses

This thesis examines migrant mobility across northeastern Mexico as a process shaped by organized crime and necropolitical violence, with a focus on the evolution of Los Zetas and their successor, Cartel del Noreste [CDN]. Based on Achille Mbembe's concept of necropolitics, along with Sayak Valencia's theory of gore capitalism and Melissa W. Wright's notion of disposable bodies, this paper identifies cartel-controlled border regions as necropolitical spaces where migrants are exposed to death and exploitation. Using a qualitative, testimony-based methodology, this paper incorporates three first-person family narratives of border crossing alongside documented cases of mass violence in Tamaulipas and Coahuila, including …

Finding Direction: Using Trauma Stewardship And Drama Therapy To Support Nurses In Hospital Settings, Julianne Kusmierczyk

Expressive Therapies Theses

Compassion fatigue and burnout, post-COVID-19 pandemic, are still significant factors in the departure of nurses from the healthcare profession. Despite the identification of the causes of burnout and compassion fatigue in the workplace, and the identification of mental health practices that would support healthcare workers like nurses, healthcare organizations are doing little to provide the necessary resources. Drama therapy would provide a therapeutic framework to develop trauma stewardship, the practice in which individuals and organizations tend to the hardships and trauma faced in today’s world. Only a few studies exist that identify the benefits of using drama therapy to support …

The Drive Diaries: How Motivation Shapes Work And Performance, Christian D. Diaz

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Employee motivation remains central to organizational research, yet less is known about how employees personally experience the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and performance. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Expectancy Theory, this qualitative narrative inquiry examined how employees describe their motivational experiences and their influence on workplace effectiveness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 3 employees across diverse industries and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Four themes emerged: (1) autonomy as a primary driver of sustained performance, (2) recognition as a reinforcing factor, (3) organizational culture as either amplifying or diminishing motivation, and (4) motivation as evolving across career stages. Findings …

Understanding Counselor Burnout From An Ecological Systems Perspective, Stephanie Thorson-Olesen, Lisa Belknap, Emily Velidow, Jessica Gaul, Phoenix Rosewood, Nayara Aparecida Da Costa Silva Beall

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory as a guiding framework, this study explored the experiences of licensed counselors who self-identified as having recovered from burnout. Burnout was conceptualized as a prolonged response to chronic occupational stress, while participants were invited to describe their experiences based on their own lived understandings of the phenomenon. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted using data collected through an anonymous online survey featuring open-ended prompts. Participants included 32 licensed counselors who graduated from CACREP-accredited programs and reported previously experiencing burnout and no longer identifying as currently burned out. Thematic analysis yielded nine interrelated themes encompassing contributors, …

Built For This: An Autoethonographic Study Of A Journey Through Leadership Rooted In Reflection, Resilience, And Reinvention, Weslie Etienne

Educational Studies Dissertations

This qualitative autoethnographic study examined how leadership was experienced, enacted, and sustained by a Black woman navigating district-level leadership within predominantly White institutional contexts. Grounded in Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and Black Feminist Thought, this research centered lived experience as a site of knowledge production and employed longitudinal journaling and artifact analysis to capture leadership development as a temporal, relational, and embodied process. The study was guided by three research questions: (1) How did race, gender, and institutional structures shape leadership development and experience? (2) How were leadership identities constructed, negotiated, and sustained through self-authored narratives? and (3) How could …

Organizational Justice And Staff Well-Being In Probation And Parole, Deena R. Devore

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines how probation and parole (P&P) officers perceive fairness within their organizations and how these perceptions relate to job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and emotional exhaustion. Organizational justice research has been conducted primarily in business and policing contexts, with limited attention to whether established measurement models accurately capture fairness in community corrections. Because P&P officers operate within hybrid roles characterized by discretion, sustained supervisory relationships, and bureaucratic constraint, fairness perceptions in this setting may not align cleanly with existing dimensional frameworks.

Using survey data collected from P&P officers in a western U.S. state, this study evaluates competing measurement structures …

“I Just Kept Showing Up”: On Institutional Actors’ Motivations, Change Work, And Homeplaces At Desert Rose University In Support Of Undocumented Students, Vanessa Núñez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

My dissertation examines the roles that faculty and staff play in (re)shaping institutional policies and procedures to support undocumented students. While access to higher education has been examined through various lenses, we know very little about the “institutional activists” who advocate for undocumented student support in a bounded system like a college campus. The extant literature on faculty support of undocumented students focuses on the ways they create a sense of belonging and validation through mentorship and encouragement (Pérez-Huber, 2010; Gámez, Lopez, and Overton, 2017). My research suggests that while undocu student activists are the driving force behind change at …

Bridging The Gap: Implementing A Modified Pacing Guide For Students 2-3 Grade Levels Behind In An Accelerated Program, Crystal T. Tyson

Theses and Dissertations

Accelerated secondary programs serving students performing two to three grade levels below proficiency often operate within compressed instructional timelines aligned to state accountability requirements. However, limited research examines how state-level policy structures influence district pacing practices within these settings. The purpose of this capstone study is to examine how accountability frameworks shape district pacing implementation and how pacing compression affects instructional flexibility for accelerated learners. Guided by a policy-to-practice conceptual framework linking state accountability systems, district pacing structures, and instructional impact, the study addresses three research questions focused on (a) policy influence on pacing design, (b) structural implications of pacing …

Closing The Implementation Gap: A Research-Based Playbook For High-Quality Teacher Mentoring Programs, Angela White

Theses and Dissertations

This capstone project addresses the ongoing problem of inconsistent, unstructured, and unsustainable mentoring practices in K–12 schools, which contribute to new teacher burnout, uneven instructional support, and high turnover rates. The purpose of the project is to design a research-based mentoring implementation system that strengthens novice teacher support while building mentor capacity. The study is guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and informed by ERIC implementation strategies, which together provide a structured lens for understanding barriers, facilitators, and effective actions related to mentoring implementation. The research questions explore how intervention characteristics, school-level contextual factors, and implementation processes …

A Research-Informed Wellness Guide For Creating A Culture Of Educator Wellness And Retention In Schools, Anthony L. Herbert

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition in high-poverty K–12 schools continues to undermine instructional continuity, organizational stability, and educational equity. While compensation and accountability pressures contribute to turnover, emerging research identifies workload intensity, emotional exhaustion, and the absence of systemic wellness supports as central drivers of burnout and departure decisions. The purpose of this capstone project is to develop a research-informed wellness guide designed to assist site-based leaders in embedding educator wellness within school systems as a strategic approach to improving teacher retention. This study addresses the question: What leadership strategies and school-level practices does the research recommend for creating supportive, wellness-centered environments in …

Resilience Otherwise: Ambivalence, Care, And The Cultural Politics Of Endurance Under Neoliberal Capitalism, Vered Ben David

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

Over the past two decades, resilience has emerged as a central cultural keyword circulating across psychology, public policy, education, labor, and popular culture. Frequently celebrated as a marker of strength and adaptability, resilience has also become entangled with neoliberal forms of governance that relocate responsibility for managing insecurity onto individuals and communities. This analysis offers a critical cultural account of resilience as an ambivalent formation that operates simultaneously as a lived capacity for adaptation and as a normative demand that responsibilizes subjects under conditions of structural precarity. Drawing on scholarship in developmental psychology, political economy, and critical cultural theory, the …

“Like Taking Your Armor Off:” Examining The Communication Challenges Faced By Lgbtq+ Liaison Officers, Emily P. Nicholson

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Policing has been and remains one of the most significant issues facing society in the United States. One response to this issue which has seen a rise in the last decade is the presence of liaison officer programs, which are designed to help improve police relations with vulnerable groups by forging connections with local, identity-aligned organizations and practicing identity-first policing. This study sought to understand what the challenges faced by liaison programs are and what organizational tensions are experienced by police officers in LGBTQ Liaison positions. Following an inductive approach to analysis, participants in the study engaged in a semi-structured …

Developing An Effective Clinical Supervision Structure In An Outpatient Mental Health Group Practice, Kourtney Dockery

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Msw Portfolio, Trebor J.C. Riddle

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

Introduction

My development throughout the Master of Social Work program at the University of Montana has been guided by a longstanding understanding that social work is more than direct service. This belief was central to my decision to pursue an MSW rather than a master’s degree in counseling. While I value clinical skill and therapeutic relationships, I have always been drawn to the broader scope of social work, the profession’s commitment to social justice, systems change, and the integration of individual well-being with structural transformation. Over the course of this program, that orientation has deepened and become more theoretically grounded, …

Transforming Experience Into Practice: A Portfolio Of Growth, Identity, And Leadership, Ana I. Loli

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This professional portfolio documents the integration of my academic learning, practicum experience, and personal transformation throughout the Master of Social Work program at the University of Montana. Drawing from trauma‑informed, anti-oppressive, and culturally responsive frameworks, I demonstrate competency across micro, mezzo, and macro levels of practice, with particular emphasis on ethical decision-making, ADEI engagement, community assessment, policy analysis, research-informed practice, and collaborative leadership. Through narrative reflections and applied artifacts—including case analyses, simulated clinical sessions, community-based research, organizational evaluation, and leadership implementation—I illustrate how meaning, context, power, history, and possibility shape my approach to social work. This portfolio highlights my development …

Practice Research In Social Work-Participation, Co-Creation, And Service Users' Positions: Introduction To The Articles From The Sixth International Conference On Practice Research, Bowen Mcbeath, Sui Ting Kong, Lars Uggerhoj

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose

This special issue examines practice research in social work, focusing on participation, co-creation, and service users’ positions in knowledge production and utilization. Practice research is advanced as a collaborative, context-sensitive approach that challenges hierarchical models of evidence and foregrounds co-produced knowledge.

Method

Drawing on the Sixth International Conference on Practice Research at Aalborg University, Denmark, the 11 special issue articles explore service user involvement, positionality, and organizational conditions shaping inquiry.

Results

The introduction synthesizes cross-cutting themes from the articles into an integrative framework linking epistemic justice, co-methodologies, and institutional supports for co-learning and improvements in practices, structures, and policies. …

Neurodiversity Works--Literally: A Scoping Review Of Neurodivergence In The Workplace, Daisy V. Dimatos

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

In recent years, the importance of utilizing inclusive practices in the workplace has become much more widely-known, especially in regards to supporting neurodivergent employees. The systemic barriers and challenges faced by neurodivergent job-seekers and employees mean this population is often limited in their employment prospects, in turn depriving human resources professionals and their organizations of the chance to hire and benefit from diverse talent. As neurodivergent individuals exist within the workforce and general public, it is critical that organizations properly accommodate their needs in order to ensure optimal inclusivity, business efficiency, and productivity. This scoping review of the literature on …

A Comparative Look At The Training Objectives Of The United States Marine Corps And Corporate America, Davis M. Johnson

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis investigates how divergent institutional objectives influence leader development in two organizational contexts: U.S. Marine Corps officer training and corporate leadership development programs. The study draws on organizational socialization theory, institutional theory, and stress inoculation research. It contends that leadership formation is shaped by the missions, values, and structural demands unique to each institution. The research uses comparative analysis of selection practices, socialization tactics, identity construction, and adaptability development, explicitly contrasting how each institution develops leaders. The Marine Corps uses divestiture socialization, collective identity formation, and structured stress exposure to embed group loyalty and prepare officers for decisive action …

Exploring The Transformative Effects Of Executive Coaching On Leaders: A Qualitative Study, Dwayne Norman

Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative dissertation examines the transformative effects of executive coaching on leaders’ development, personal growth, decision-making, and overall effectiveness across varied organizational contexts. Grounded in authentic leadership theory and employing a generic qualitative inquiry design, the study investigated how leaders who completed executive coaching describe changes in their behavior and mindset. Eleven experienced leaders participated in semi-structured interviews selected through purposive sampling. Thematic analysis, guided by the cyclical and inductive coding methods of Saldana (2021), generated 187 initial codes, which were distilled into 72 final codes. These final codes were then further refined into twelve categories and four overarching themes: …

Bounded Transformation: From Static Readiness To Trajectory Based Change Viability, Mary Piecewicz, Manjari Gupta

Master of Public Administration for Senior Leadership

Most organizational transformations do not fail loudly. They fade, fragment, and quietly exhaust the people expected to sustain them. What practitioners often diagnose as resistance, poor adoption, or weak execution may begin earlier, with an untested assumption that the organization is stable, coherent, and capable enough to absorb planned change. Existing change frameworks offer useful guidance for implementation, but they do not formally ask whether the organization is currently moving in a direction, and with enough stability, to make planned change viable.

This capstone introduces Bounded Transformation: From Static Readiness to Trajectory-Based Change Viability, a trajectory-based pre-condition framework for …