Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of A Policy Development Process On Implementing An Equity-Based Policy, Morakinyo A. O. Kuti

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Unstable residential and inadequate academic environments lead to poor educational outcomes for low-income students in urban areas. In 2011, Ohio enacted a law to create a college preparatory boarding school (CPBS) for low-income students by 2013. However, Ohio's CPBS has not yet been established, thereby denying these students an opportunity to attain skills needed to enter college. Using the policy feedback theory (PFT) and Fredrickson's theory of social equity (SET) as foundations, the purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the nature of implementation barriers and propose solutions by exploring 2 successful CPBS programs in Maryland and Washington, D.C. …

The Relationship Between A Cfo's Financial Expertise And Firm Profitability, Scott Jeremy Rubin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than 50% of small businesses fail by the 5th year of operation because of lack of economic sustainability. Organizations without a chief financial officer (CFO) with financial expertise may have suboptimal fiscal performance. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine whether there was a relationship between CFO licensure status, CFO age, and firm earnings per share. A sample of 403 small businesses in the United States, taken from the Russell 2000 Index, was used in the study. The theoretical framework for the study was Penrose's resource-based view of the firm. CFO names and firm earnings per share …

Perceptions Of Women Receiving Services From Domestic Violence Advocacy And Counseling Programs, Lisa Yvette Proby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine domestic violence victims' perceptions of advocacy and counseling programs that provide women with safe refuge, prevention education, mental health treatment, and other services. Many women in the United States are victims of intimate partner violence. Review of existing literature found that little is known about the extent to which the needs of these victims are met from available advocacy and counseling services. The health belief model was used to theorize victims' perceptions of services and risk factors for re-abuse. A phenomenological design was used to answer research questions, and in-depth …

Home Care Factors Associated With Hospital Readmission Of Psychiatric Patients, Ashley Renee Payne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There has been inadequate attention to the aftercare of psychiatric patients, resulting in an increase in readmission rates plus longer hospital stays. There is a gap in the aftercare for psychiatric patients; The purpose of this qualitative retrospective study is to explore what may have contributed to readmission for psychiatric patients. The biopsychosocial model was used as the theoretical framework to support the direction of the research. The health belief model and transtheoretical model of change were used to further support for biopsychosocial model. The research questions were created to determine the influences on readmission, psychological well-being, explore the adaptation …

The Training Deficiency In Corporate America: Training Security Professionals To Protect Sensitive Information, Kenneth Tyrone Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increased internal and external training approaches are elements senior leaders need to know before creating a training plan for security professionals to protect sensitive information. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore training strategies telecommunication industry leaders use to ensure security professionals can protect sensitive information. The population consisted of 3 senior leaders in a large telecommunication company located in Dallas, Texas that has a large footprint of securing sensitive information. The conceptual framework on which this study was based was the security risk planning model. Semistructured interviews and document reviews helped to support the findings of …

Lived Experiences Of African American Males With Fibromyalgia, Ethel Denise Perry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a musculoskeletal and neurological disorder that causes constant pain, cognitive problems with short term memory, and sleep disorders. There are more females diagnosed with FM than males, and research has therefore primarily been conducted with females. Because little is known about African American males with FM, biopsychosocial theory was used in this phenomenological study to examine how African American males with FM are affected biologically, psychologically, and socially. Eight African American males diagnosed with FM were recruited from Houston, Texas and were interviewed about their lived experiences with FM, including experiences with the healthcare system, and how …

Clergy Academic Management Training In Non-Denominational Faith-Based Organizations, Patricia Anne Jenks-Greene

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is little research about how clerics manage and lead small to midsized non-denominational nonprofit organizations. The rate of clergy failures in non-denominational organizations has left many questions about what is needed to create organizational success. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences and perceptions of clergy manager-leaders' management training in non-denominational organizations. Fourteen full-time clerics from Bloomingdale, Georgia, Rincon, Georgia, and Savannah, Georgia participated in face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The data analysis process involved the use of Edward and Welch's extension of Colaizzi's data analysis procedures, which resulted in the emergence of 4 themes. …

Strategies For Reducing Employee Stress And Increasing Employee Engagement, Kumar G. Subramaniam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stress inside and outside of work affects employee productivity. In 2013, the estimated impact of employee absenteeism on U.S. businesses was $225 billion per year through reduced efficiency, overtime wages, fixed fringe benefits, and the cost of replacement employees. Based on the social exchange theory and the theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the strategies that HR leaders in a single organization used to reduce employee disengagement caused by stress. Using semistructured interviews, data were collected from 12 HR leaders and line managers within a single healthcare organization in eastern Tennessee. …

Obstetric Fistula: The Experiences Of Patients And Medical Personnel In Sierra Leone, Sheku Samba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Women face great risks in pregnancy and childbirth, especially in developing countries where there are very few skilled birth attendants and negligible government investments in maternal health programs. As a result, obstetric fistula (OF), a potentially fatal but preventable and treatable condition, affects some 3 million women and girls globally. In Sierra Leone, the prevalence of OF is extremely high, but the absence of quality data to inform decision-making, both on prevalence and risk factors, is a barrier to creating an environment for OF prevention and care. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and document the barriers …

A Complex Systems Simulation Study For Increasing Adaptive-Capacity, Kadambari Ram

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Examination of empirical research confirmed that climate change is a complex problem of anthropological origin and revealed the need for a management framework to facilitate strategic decisions aimed at mitigating a rise in global temperatures of 2-°C linked to irresponsible and unsustainable business practices. The purpose of this simulation study was to develop a management framework of resilience, robustness, sustainability, and adaptive-capacity (RRSA) for organizations viewed as complex systems to address the current unsustainable state. As such, the evolutionary-RRSA prisoner's dilemma (PD) simulation was developed using an evolutionary game theory approach to agent based modeling and simulation, to generate data. …

Teacher And Student Variables Affecting Special Education Evaluation And Referral, Lorenzo Adrian Woodson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Past research has revealed that African American/Black boys are referred for special education evaluation at disproportionately higher rates than boys of other racial/ethnic groups. This correlational study used survey methodology to examine whether student and teacher demographic variables predicted how likely a teacher would refer boy students for special education evaluation. The following questions guided this research: 1) To what degree does student race/ethnicity, teacher gender, teacher race/ethnicity, and teacher attitude toward inclusion predict how likely a teacher would refer boys' to special education after controlling for teacher's years of experience in general and special education? 2) What are the …

The Intersection Of Race, Gender And The School To Prison Pipeline: A Case Study On The Impact Of Exclusionary Discipline On African American Girls, Karen Nicole Wallace

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Exclusionary discipline in school contributes to gender and racial disproportionality in the juvenile justice system and marginalizes African American girls. Using the social justice and rational choice theories as the foundation, the purpose of this case study was to explore the relationship between the criminalization of behavior in schools, racial bias, and gender stereotypes contribute to the overrepresentation of the school to prison pipeline in Virginia. The central research question focused on the relationship between the criminalization of behavior in schools, racial bias, and gender stereotypes on the overrepresentation of African American girls in the school to prison pipeline. Employing …

Social Responsibility Strategies To Improve Firm Performance, Dennis Vincent Reade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Historical research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its influence on corporate financial and social results arrived at contradictory findings. Although 95% of the world's 250 largest corporations reported investing in CSR activities in 2011, some managers lack strategies to evaluate CSR effectiveness. This multiple case study explored strategies that 6 CSR managers with CSR oversight in privately owned companies in Brazil used to effectively enact CSR. The stakeholder theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through individual interviews and supplemented with company annual reports to explore the strategies managers employed to evaluate CSR effectiveness. Member …

Middle School Literacy Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Self-Efficacy To Teach Reading Standards, Marcia Lohan Whyte

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the implementation of more rigorous reading standards nationwide, teachers are feeling less secure about their abilities to teach students to become proficient readers. Utilizing Bandura's theory of self-efficacy as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how teachers perceived their self-efficacy to teach complex reading standards to struggling readers. Seven middle school English language arts teachers from 2 schools in a southern school district participated in this study. The research questions addressed teachers' understanding of the recent Common Core literacy standards and perceptions of their own self-efficacy to teach mastery of these standards …

Exploration Of Counselor Development Using Cotherapy In Postgraduate Training, Jennifer Calloway Ross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have supported the use of cotherapy in both training and application for couple and family counseling as a clinical practice. However, there is not enough evidence to determine whether cotherapy can meet the learning needs of counselors-in-training more comprehensively than other forms of live supervision. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the training experiences of postgraduate couple and family counselors who participated in cotherapy with a clinical supervisor. These experiences were examined using social and experiential learning theories. A modification of the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method served as the procedural guide for the analysis. Hand-coded interview data …

Threat Intelligence In Support Of Cyber Situation Awareness, Billy Paul Gilliam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite technological advances in the information security field, attacks by unauthorized individuals and groups continue to penetrate defenses. Due to the rapidly changing environment of the Internet, the appearance of newly developed malicious software or attack techniques accelerates while security professionals continue in a reactive posture with limited time for identifying new threats. The problem addressed in this study was the perceived value of threat intelligence as a proactive process for information security. The purpose of this study was to explore how situation awareness is enhanced by receiving advanced intelligence reports resulting in better decision-making for proper response to security …

Educational Module Toolkit To Assist Adult Patients With Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus, Dometrives Armstrong

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes is a challenging chronic disease for adult patients to manage effectively. Poor adherence to prescribed medications treatment is one of the main reasons for poor blood sugar control. Despite healthcare providers' efforts to emphasize the importance of taking medications, adult patients with Type II diabetes frequently present with complications related to persistent failure to adhere to prescribed medication regimen. These patients should thoroughly understand why adhering to a strict medication regimen to maintain control of their blood sugar is so important. The purpose of this project, guided by Orem's self-care deficit nursing theory, was to develop an educational module …

Development Of A Guideline For Hospice Staff, Patients, And Families On Appropriate Opioid Use, Trenika Alexander-Goreá

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is an identified problem with patients receiving suboptimal pain management at a hospice agency in the northwestern United States. At this agency, undertreatment of pain is prevalent. Evidence indicates that this may be a result of a lack of guidelines, education, and knowledge of appropriate prescribing. Known barriers to the correct prescription and administration of potent opioids in the hospice setting include prevailing beliefs, knowledge, skills, and attitudes, all of which can impact care negatively. Contextually, hospice principles mandate patient comfort and caregiver involvement in continuous quality improvement, which includes adequate and informed pain management. Moreover, hospice metrics demand …

The Influence Of Leadership On Nursing Professionalism, Lorelle Anne Wuerz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leadership style has been studied from various perspectives including transformational leadership and the components of leadership competencies needed to exhibit transformational styles. However, there was a gap in the literature on the influence of leadership style on nursing professional behaviors and overall professionalism. The purpose of this descriptive, phenomenological study was to understand and explore the beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions of staff nurses on leadership style and its influence on professional nursing behaviors working in an inpatient care unit at a tertiary care center. The theory of transformational leadership was the conceptual framework for the study. A phenomenological approach was …

An Inquiry Into Factors Of Leadership And Cohesion In Complex Teams, Jeffrey White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The external competitive environments and internal group dynamics of organizations are increasing in complexity resulting in new challenges for organizational leaders to improve performance in underperforming teams. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to address what factors led to high-innovation outcomes in complex adaptive systems using a framework constructed from elements of complexity leadership theory and group dynamics research. An in-depth interviewing approach was used to collect data on the lived experience and meaning the participants attributed to their experiences regarding improved team performance. A total of 21 participants were selected from multiple business settings where their team experienced …

School Social Workers' Roles Involving Teacher-Student Sexual Misconduct And Exploitation, Cedrina Monique Ruffin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Incidents of sexual misconduct by educators continue to become more prevalent in the United States, resulting in negative social, emotional, and psychological effects on many students. School social workers are professionals with backgrounds in prevention, intervention, and advocacy; however, very little literature has examined the roles of school social workers in preventing and addressing teacher-student sexual misconduct. This case study explored school social workers' roles and their perceptions thereof in relation to incidents that involved teacher-student sexual misconduct and exploitation. General systems theory provided the framework for understanding the roles of social workers and their approaches to working with the …

Strategies For Mitigating Low-Cost Airlines' Passenger Complaints, Michael Jay Price

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Representatives of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported that passenger complaints filed for the first quarter of 2015 were up 14.4% over the same period of the previous year. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies for mitigating low-cost airlines' passenger complaints. Porter's generic strategies provided the conceptual framework for this research study. Data were collected from 3 ground service managers employed by a low-cost airline in Florida using semistructured interview questions, direct observation, field notes, and review of the airline's website and public documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange …

Marine Science Summer Enrichment Camp's Impact Ocean Literacy For Middle School Students, Victoria Jewel Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics have expanded in the United States, science literacy skills for K-12 students have declined from 2001 to 2011. Limited research has been conducted on the impact of science enrichment programs on the science literacy skills of K-12 students, particularly in marine science. The purpose of this study was to describe the impact of a marine science summer enrichment camp located in the eastern region of the United States on the ocean literacy skills of middle school students who participated in this camp. Weimar's learner centered teaching approach and the definition and principles …

Night Shift Work And Weight Gain Among Female Filipino Nurses, Raymundo Mintac Apellido

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research problem is the increasing numbers of overweight and obese nurses working the night shift. Study on overweight and obesity among female Filipino nurses has not been conducted. It was important to conduct a research study among female Filipino nurses to find out if there are statistically significant associations between night shift work and weight gain. The purpose of this correlational and cross-sectional study was to determine if there are statistically significant associations between insufficient sleep, abnormal eating patterns, working 12-hour shifts, years of working night shift, age, stress, marital status, nursing units, decreased physical activity, and level of …

Employee Job Satisfaction And Employees' Voluntary Turnover Intentions (Vtis), Bridgette Larkin-Perkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Within the U.S. sales industry, organizational productivity has decreased due to employee job dissatisfaction and increased voluntary turnover intentions (VTIs). Some leaders in the industry lack knowledge about the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction, and the negative effect on employees' VTIs. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine whether intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction significantly predicted retail sales employees' VTIs. The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) and the Turnover Intentions Scale (TIS-6) were used to collect data from full- or part-time employees in the U.S. retail sales industry. The theoretical framework was based on Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. …

Working Memory Difficulties And Eligibility For K-12 Special Education, Corrie L. Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Working memory (WM) has long been associated with deficiencies in reading. Approximately 35% of students in the United States who receive special education services do so under the category of specific learning disability (SLD). The study's theoretical underpinning was Baddeley's model of WM; previous research revealed a significant literature gap regarding how WM difficulties affect eligibility for special education under the category of SLD in reading. In this quasi-experimental study, a purposive sample was taken from archival data of two groups of K-12 students who had been referred for special education eligibility evaluation: The two groups were students evaluated for …

Mitigating Underage Marriage Of Girls In Bo Town, Sierra Leone, Anne-Marie Kumba Kamanda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The underage marriage of girls (UMG) practice by some parents continues to occur in Bo Town, Sierra Leone, and it is a problem. Regardless of the negative consequences, parents continue to marry off their young girls who become wives of rebels and participate in the civil war. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of adult women between 18 and 24 who experienced child marriage, parents who married off their young girls, and community leaders to understand why the UMG persisted in Bo Town. The theoretical frameworks used in this study were the social cognitive …

The Gap Between Engineering Education And Postgraduate Preparedness, Abdulla Farah Warsame

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Engineering students entering the workforce often struggle to meet the competency expectations of their employers. Guided by constructivist theory, the purpose of this case study was to understand engineers' experiences of engineering education, deficiencies in practical skills, and the self-learning methods they employed to advance their technical and professional competencies. Working engineers were asked about their experiences overcoming practical skill deficiencies and bridging the gap between education and practice. Interviews with 15 chemical, civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers were analyzed by coding for common statements and identifying themes. Firsthand experiences of the participants captured 3 themes: overall perceptions of engineering …

Behavioral Impacts Of Father Absence On Middle School African American Boys, Ivy J. Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Father absence is the experience of children who grow up in households without their biological father. The African American population experiences the highest level of father absence of all demographic groups in the United States. Research shows that father absence influences school behavior. There is a lack of literature evaluating the extent to which father absence affects children, particularly African American boys, at different stages of development. This quantitative study was used to evaluate how father absence affected school behavior of African American boys, ages 13-15, in the middle school setting, in Houston, TX. Guided by attachment theory, the research …

Development Of A Program Evaluation For A Preceptor Preparation Program, Olivia Hagos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A significant nursing shortage exists in the United States, which is compounded by high turnover rates. Skilled nurse preceptors are needed to train and assimilate nurses, which would improve retention of nurse preceptors, facilitate transition of nurses to the practice environment, and increase the number of preceptors within the organization. A preceptor preparation program in a 300-bed hospital was developed to promote nurse preceptor success while enhancing learning outcomes and creating a supportive work environment. The organization's leaders are interested in the successes of the program and its long-term role in retaining nurse preceptors who completed the preceptor preparation program. …