Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Mississippi’S K-3 Literacy Initiative Professional Development, Billie Fick

Dissertations

This quantitative survey study explored the statistical significance of participation in the training Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) by early childhood educators in Mississippi, specifically K-3. The three outcome measures were teachers’ beliefs related to Mississippi’s K-3 Literacy Initiative: instructional practices, student learning outcomes, and barriers of technology use in literacy instruction. A total of 78 people completed the LETRS Survey, which consisted of a five-point scale. Demographic data included: grade range, teaching experience, number of students taught weekly, highest degree earned, teaching a tested subject/grade, mode of instructional delivery, technological barriers, and parental support for …

Employees' Expectations Of Leadership Development Programs And Their Effects On Anticipated Voluntary Employee Turnover And Organizational Commitment, Candace Johnson

Dissertations

Employee retention and commitment have gained attention over the past years (Mutsuddi, 2016). Commitment is the link that connects an individual to their organization, thereby decreases the probability of turnover (Allen & Meyer, 1990; Hague et al., 2019). According to Mutsuddi (2016), decreasing employee turnover remains a critical element for sustainment in any organization. However, most organizations invest in policies and practices to increase employee commitment; those same practices can lead to employee turnover (Mutsuddi, 2016). This study explores the effects of leadership development programs and their impact on organizational commitment and anticipated voluntary employee turnover. A qualitative research design …

Exploring Emotional Labor, Emotional Dissonance, And Job Satisfaction Among African American Student Affairs Professionals At Predominately White Institutions, Vashae Dixon

Dissertations

Turnover in higher education is excessive compared to other education fields (Wilson et al., 2016). Up to 60% of student affairs professionals leave the field within the first five years of their professional career (Fried, 2014; Naifeh & Kearney, 2020), resulting in a loss of money, efficiency, and productivity (Allen et al., 2010). Previous research shows the link between turnover and job satisfaction for student affairs professionals (Fried, 2014) and the relationship between job satisfaction, emotional labor, and emotional dissonance (Parajon, 2011). Existing research lacks specific information about African Americans, undermining organizational efforts to retain employees of all identities. This …

The Relationship Between Shared Decision-Making And School Climate, Sara Bardwell

Dissertations

The focus of this study was to determine the extent of the relationship between shared decision-making and school climate. In order to explore these constructs, a quantitative survey included SEDS-R, OCI, and demographic items. The 109-item survey questionnaire was made available to K-6 elementary teachers in Mississippi.

Two hundred twenty-nine teachers responded to the questionnaire using Qualtrics. Survey results from SEDS-R and OCI were downloaded into Excel and cleaned of incomplete data sets and participants who did not meet the specifications set by the researcher. SPSS was then used to average the results from SEDS-R and OCI. Demographic information gathered …

Psychological Distress During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Nursing Students: A Mixed Methods Study, Mayantoinette Watson

Dissertations

During such an unprecedented time of the largest public health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing students are of the utmost concern regarding their psychological and physical well-being. Questions are emerging and circulating about what will happen to the nursing students and the long-term effects of the pandemic, especially now that hospitals are being overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases and patients as well as a significant need for nursing staff (Jividen, 2020). Expectations, demands, change, and the fear of the unknown during this unprecedented time can only contribute to the many stressors that accompany nursing students through laborious clinical and didactic courses …

Covid-19 & University Stakeholders: A Faculty Perspective, Torie Fowler

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate faculty member perceptions of job satisfaction, response efficacy, organizational communication efforts, along with organizational trust and goodwill in relation to the COVID-19 crisis. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, using faculty members employed at their institution of higher education during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years. A total of 285 responses were analyzed.

Results of this study suggest faculty member perceptions of job satisfaction and response efficacy were significant in predicting perceptions of trust and goodwill. The most significant predictor of organizational trust and goodwill was perceptions of organizational communication efforts. Also, this …

An Exploration Of Black Church Leaders' Intentions To Develop Critical Consciousness Among African-American Students, Taheesha Quarells

Dissertations

African-American students experience human capital opportunity and achievement gaps. Researchers have called for culturally relevant strategies to help close the gaps. The historic Black Church, a part of many African-American students’ culture and community, is a historic and current source of social capital for positive human capital development outcomes. Critical consciousness develops positive human capital outcomes, such as academic achievement, in African-American and other minority students. Much of the literature on critical consciousness is quantitative in nature and therefore does not include the intentions or the willingness of organizations to develop critical consciousness. Therefore, there is a need to understand …

Personal And Organizational Characteristics Impacting Employee Self-Efficacy, Justin Chandler

Dissertations

COVID-19 forced organizational shutdowns across the globe in 2020, sending unemployment levels in the United States to nearly 15%, with approximately 20.5 million Americans unemployed by May 2020 (Falk et al., 2021; Kochhar, 2020). Virtual business meetings became the norm, while some employees experienced job loss and salary cuts (Prochazka et al., 2020). Many employees worldwide became unsatisfied with their work situation and less confident of their capabilities (Ragheb et al., 2020) and have experienced career shock due to the pandemic. Career shock can lead to many adverse effects on individual employees and organizations, including low self-efficacy, and COVID-19 has …

Sustainable Development Among Four–Year Higher Education Institutions In The United States: A Geographic And Anthropological Perspective, Kori Nadine Armstrong

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the factors that contribute to the cultural characteristics of sustainability among higher education institutions (HEIs) in the United States to shed light on how they represent themselves as sustainable. It documents four-year HEIs in the United States that self-identify as sustainable; evaluates how these institutions portray themselves to society as sustainable; and documents who is leading sustainability on U.S. college campuses. This dissertation fills an important gap in the literature on sustainable development in higher education that Holm and others (2016) have identified. Although education for sustainable development (ESD) has been recognized as an important topic, and …

The Relationship Between Social Isolation, Telecommuting Intensity Levels, Autonomy, And Job Satisfaction During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kristy Williams

Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic forced workplaces to social distance, and millions of workers began telecommuting or working from home (Kniffin et al., 2021). Becker (2002) stated, “How well companies manage their human capital is a crucial factor in their success (p. 8).” The pandemic has profoundly affected human capital (Ballotpedia, 2021; Collings et al., 2021; Jesuthasan et al., 2020; Kniffin et al., 2021). This study examined the relationship between social isolation, telecommuting intensity levels, autonomy, and job satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researcher attempted to answer the research question and objectives by conducting a quantitative correlation study using a survey …

Conflict Management Strategies Among Nurses In Hospitals, Rita Nassuna

Dissertations

In the present study, participants described their conflict management strategies. After obtaining the participants form nursing associations, qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted. The twenty-seven individuals responded to questions relating to the communication strategies they used in a conflict, the factors which affected their approaches to conflict management, the types of Emotional labor (EL) they performed, how deception could be correlated with EL and whether EL contributed to conflict between nurses. After analyzing and transcribing the data, the qualitative software program NVivo was utilized to discover themes and subthemes.

The results indicated that nurses adhered to the Code of conduct’s mandate …

Communication Crisis On Campus: The Public Relations Strategies, Tactics, And Results Of Mississippi’S Leading Universities In Response To The State Flag Debate, 2015-2020, James Coll

Dissertations

This dissertation utilizes W.T. Coombs’s Strategic Crisis Communication Theory to examine the public relations strategies and effectiveness of Mississippi’s three largest public universities, the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi, related to the historic decision to retire the state of Mississippi’s flag in 2020. Facing significant reputational threat and public pressure from students and faculty, the universities became public advocates for a new state flag in 2015 and 2016, when each chose to refrain from flying the flag—a flag that featured the Confederate battle emblem for more than 100 years—on its campuses. The universities …

Daily Anesthesia Apparatus Checkout: Objective Structured Clinical Exam (Osce) For First Year Nurse Anesthesia Program Students, Blake Cochran, Lauren Hensleigh

Doctoral Projects

The anesthesia apparatus checkout is a vital task an anesthesia provider should be able to perform upon entering the clinical setting. In the past, more than half of anesthesia-related deaths throughout the nation were being attributed to assessable and avoidable causes involving the anesthesia machine. Therefore, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) formulated and recently revised a detailed anesthesia apparatus checkout procedure to ensure patient safety within the operating room setting. Entering the clinical arena for the first time can be quite intimidating for anesthesia students; therefore, the objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) was developed with the intention that …

Implementation Of A Pre-Anesthesia Take-Home Evaluation (Pathe) As A Means Of Process Improvement: A Best Practice Recommendation, Russell Gray, Hunter Brown, Trey Galloway

Doctoral Projects

The pre-anesthesia evaluation (PAE) is a vital component to anesthesia providers when choosing an appropriate anesthetic plan for patients requiring surgery. The PAE, pre-anesthesia risk-factor assessment, and provision of pre-anesthesia instructions are standards of care implemented in order to assess the patient’s likely outcome of surgery and anesthesia as well as stratify any known risk factors to optimize surgical/anesthetic outcomes. Any disruption in this process could potentially lead to decreased patient/provider satisfaction, reduced patient compliance with pre-anesthetic instructions, reduced patient safety, and unnecessary financial burden.

After the completion of a literature review, the need for a best practice recommendation was …

Evidence-Based Update In Practice Development Of A Nursing Checklist For Documentation Of Pediatric Pre-Operative Fall Safety Measures, Susan Shemper

Doctoral Projects

ABSTRACT

Fall safety is an important component of patient care in the healthcare setting. Communication and implementation of fall safety measures are a critical part of the plan of care for each patient. Pre-operative pediatric patients have an increased risk of falls due to sedation, under-developed motor skills, and fall safety education. It is important for the pre-operative nursing staff to evaluate and implement a plan of care, including fall safety measures, according to each patient’s needs. The Joint Commission, (additionally known as TJC), is a United States based nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization that accredits more than 22,000 U.S. healthcare …

Barriers To Preoperative Warming: Best Practice Guideline, Tyler Comans, Zachary Hays, Caleb Leach

Doctoral Projects

The lack of preoperative warming has a direct relationship to perioperative hypothermia complications which include, but are not limited to: increased infection rate, coagulopathies, and increased myocardial oxygen consumption; all contributing to poor patient and facility outcomes. Implementation of an evidence-based educational module with visual aid can potentially increase the utilization of active warming techniques in the preoperative setting by perioperative staff. The DNP Project investigated barriers to preoperative warming by perioperative staff at a large teaching hospital in the southeastern United States. Barriers were assessed by a voluntary survey sent to 87 perioperative staff members. Twenty-two surveys were completed …

Implementation And Evaluation Of A Registered Nurse Pre-Eclampsia Education Program Within A Women's Urgent Care Center, Amber Vetter

Doctoral Projects

Pre-eclampsia can be a serious development for both mother and fetus during pregnancy. Increased mortality and morbidity rates have been shown in women diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. Higher education for registered nurses on a Women’s Urgent Care (WUC) center will help diagnose the mother more quickly and inevitably receive treatment sooner leading to better outcomes for the birth of her newborn. The educational tools used in the study were a pre-and post-test and an educational video for the registered nurses to watch. A retrospective chart review before and after the intervention will help to see if there is any decrease in …

The Relationship Between Status Motives And Social Activism, Olajuwon Olagbegi

Honors Theses

Numerous social and cultural events have resulted in increased interest and participation in social activism in the United States, stemming from mounting dissatisfaction with social inequality. Though explanations have previously included increased issue exposure and awareness due to the proliferation of digital media and increases in progressive ideology amongst the nation’s younger generation, the current study tests the hypothesis that social activism may in part be motivated by interest in status acquisition, given the evolutionary value of status for securing access to resources and mates. To test this hypothesis, participants were randomly assigned to a status versus control priming condition …

Risk Perception And Response Among International Students Of The University Of Southern Mississippi, Elida Lopes Souza Rocha

Master's Theses

Given the exposure of university campuses to hazards, disaster mitigation is a critical element of higher education policy. Although U.S. higher education institutions are leaders in the global education market, emergency warning systems give little consideration to how international students perceive risk, prepare for hazards, or access warning technologies available to them. This poses several questions regarding the suitability of hazards mitigation practices and the welfare of international students.

This thesis investigates the relationship between USM international students and natural hazards. Responses from online surveys and semi-structured interviews data were analyzed through qualitative and quantitative methods to document the extent …

The Relationship Between Principal Support And First-Year Teacher Job Satisfaction, Beau Hannah

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship between the four dimensions of principal support and first-year teacher job satisfaction. First-year teachers responded to an online questionnaire that collected demographic data and information regarding principal support importance and overall job satisfaction, using a Likert scale. This questionnaire was developed to measure principal support and first-year teacher job satisfaction. The researcher used a combination of the Principal Support, Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, and a collected of items addressing the importance of the principal supports, along with demographics of the respondents.

A multiple linear regression was used to predict to what …

Employee Engagement And The Role Of Time Perspective, Donna Valestro

Dissertations

Employee engagement is how employees think, feel, and form intentions to decide behavioral actions. A review of related literature indicated a central tension between employees and the work environment requires psychologically adapting and adjusting to cope with their perceptions of internal and external conditions. The employee’s goal is to stay as close to their authentic self as possible within the organizational environment to maintain their well-being. The psychological process comprises a temporal dimension represented as time perspective in this study. The purpose of this research is to determine if a relationship exists between employee engagement and time perspective.

This nonexperimental, …

Obstacles To The Implementation Of Criminal Justice Reform, Matt Allen

Dissertations

Mass incarceration or overincarceration has gained significant attention over the last two decades, and criminal justice reform seeks to address it. This study uses constructivist grounded theory to examine the implementation of criminal justice reform legislation in Mississippi. Mississippi was chosen as the study setting because the state has been recognized as a national leader in enacting reform legislation and it has one of the nation’s highest incarceration rates. It is well established that policy implementation affects outcomes. Therefore, if the policies Mississippi is implementing are effective and they are implemented correctly, it stands to reason the state could benefit …

Airway Assessment And Bag-Mask Ventilation: An Objective Structured Clinical Examination, Kristen Berry, Leigh Allyson Brantley

Doctoral Projects

Airway assessment and bag-mask ventilation are critical components to the foundation of an anesthesia provider’s airway management. The SRNA may find difficulty in efficiently providing these skills when entering the clinical atmosphere, which could potentially lead to delayed patient care, adverse patient outcomes, and loss of confidence in the SRNA’s abilities. USM’s nurse anesthesia faculty recognized the need for an OSCE in airway assessment and BMV. The OSCE was developed and targeted at first-year SRNAs prior to entering clinical, with aims to increase competence, prevent delays in care, and prevent adverse patient outcomes.

The airway assessment and BMV OSCE was …

Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation For Supraclavicular And Femoral Nerve Blocks Utilizing Ultrasound Guidance For Student Nurse Anesthetists, Mitchell Fowler, Christopher Bond

Doctoral Projects

The purpose of this DNP project was to create a tool to teach and evaluate student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) at TheUniversity of Southern Mississippi (USM) on supraclavicular and femoral nerve blocks to promote safety in the clinical setting. An objective structured clinical evaluation (OSCE) for ultrasound-guided supraclavicular and femoral nerve blocks was created as the basis for this project. Best-practice techniques as identified by the AANA’s 14^thstandard of nurse anesthesia practice were researched and used in the development of the OSCE to promote a culture of safety for SRNAs and patients (AANA, 2019).

A culture of safety …

Best Practice Recommendation On Anesthesia Involvement In Preoperative Interdisciplinary Rounding On Surgical Inpatients, Elizabeth Davis

Doctoral Projects

Healthcare professionals are always seeking methods to improve patient care and patient outcomes and increase efficiency while reducing errors. By improving communication through the implementation of interdisciplinary communication, improved care quality, fewer variations in care, and enhanced collaboration among the healthcare team may be an outcome (Hoke & Falk, 2012). While anesthesia is involved in patient care throughout the perioperative period, their expertise may impact the patient’s outcome and quality of surgical care. With the involvement of anesthesia in interdisciplinary rounding, the patient may be optimized, and the plan of care may be more appropriate and individualized.

The potential for …

Best Practice Guideline: Color-Coded Syringe Labeling Of Anesthesia Induction Drugs, Lauren Elizabeth Pilgrim, Ashley Taylor Johnson

Doctoral Projects

The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to propose a safe practice recommendation through the utilization of evidence-based research on the use of the standardized color-coded labeling guidelines for user-filled syringes in anesthesia practice. The primary objective of standardized color-coded labeling is to improve patient safety by facilitating the identification of user-prepared medication syringes. Guidelines developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials International (ASTM) are endorsed by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and aim to increase quality care and patient safety. Currently, there is no standardized color-coded labeling system in anesthesia practice that …

The Formation Of Proxy Force And External State Relationships: Prospect Theory And Proxy Force Decision Making, Brandon Temple

Dissertations

Proxy war is a common tactic employed by great powers as a safer alternative to direct conflict, especially in the era of nuclear weapons. While proxy war is common, there is a lack of research on the formation of proxy-external state relationships. Previous research has typically examined the phenomena of proxy war through the perspective of the external state power, leaving a gap in the literature. This dissertation fills that gap by assessing the conditions under which armed groups enter into proxy relationships with external states. Using prospect theory as a framework for understanding more clearly armed group decision making …

For Cause And Countries: Initial, Sustaining, And Combat Motivation In The Royal Air Force Eagle Squadrons, 1940-1942, Timothy Defazio

Master's Theses

Before the United States entered the Second World War, 245 American pilots pledged their service to the Royal Air Force (RAF). Organized into 71, 121, and 133 Squadrons, collectively known as the Eagle Squadrons, these foreign volunteers present an intriguing avenue of soldier motivation analysis. Employing the conceptual framework offered by John Lynn and James McPherson, this thesis analyzes three components of the Eagles’ motivation—initial, sustaining, and combat.

Viewed in context, the Eagles’ decision to join a beleaguered air force reflected a commitment to ideological principles, as the desires to defend England and curb German aggression figured largely into their …

Active Shooter In The Education Setting, Clinton Seal, Drew A. Wells

Doctoral Projects

Active shooter incidents are increasing steadily and continue to pose a tremendous public safety problem, especially in the educational setting. In addition, the majority of faculty and students remain uncertain of exactly what actions to take if an active shooter event occurs on campus. The lack of education, awareness and policy drills can inadequately prepare students, faculty, and staff for an active shooter event. The recognition of this inadequacy has prompted further investigation by The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) Nurse Anesthesia Program as it relates to Asbury Hall. An anonymous survey was sent to current students enrolled in the …

A Descriptive Study Of The Foster Grandparent Program In Support Of The Creation Of An Afterschool Program To Address Food Insecurity And Chronic Disease Risk In Older Adults And Children, Sara Sorrell

Master's Theses

Volunteer service is associated with self-reported health improvement by older adult volunteers in AmeriCorps Senior programs. However, little is known about how specific chronic diseases and mental health issues affect Foster Grandparents, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic’s influence on volunteer activities for older adults. Using Bourdieu’s concept of habitus, this study outlines the structural influences of the Foster Grandparent program on volunteers’ motivation for volunteering, mental and physical health status before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and current household food security status. The study utilizes a survey, which was distributed by the National Senior Corps Association and …