Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Cybersecurity Hiring Gap, Adam O. Pierce

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing segments of information technology. The Commonwealth of Virginia has 30,000 cyber-related jobs open because of the lack of skilled candidates. The study is necessary because some business managers lack strategies for hiring cybersecurity professionals for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) contracts. The purpose of this case study was to explore strategies business managers in DoD contracting companies used to fill cybersecurity positions. The conceptual framework used for this study was the organizational learning theory. A purposeful sample of 8 successful business managers with cybersecurity responsibilities working for U.S. DoD contracting companies that successfully …

Unexpected Events In Nigerian Construction Projects: A Case Of Four Construction Companies, Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Nigeria, 50% to 70% of construction projects are delayed due to unexpected events that are linked to lapses in performance, near misses, and surprises. While researchers have theorized on the impact of mindfulness and information systems management (ISM) on unexpected events, information is lacking on how project teams can combine ISM and mindfulness in response to unexpected events in construction projects. The purpose of this case study was to examine how project teams can combine mindfulness with ISM in response to unexpected events during the execution phase of Nigerian construction projects. The framework of High Reliability Theory revealed that …

Servant Leadership, Organizational Commitment, And Perceived Organizational Support In The Restaurant Industry, Chee Kiong Piong

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The high employee turnover rate in the U.S. restaurant industry constitutes a major expense for restaurants. The research problem for this study was to determine if restaurant employees' perceptions of their supervisor's servant leadership practices were associated with the employees' organizational commitment and perceived organizational support, which have been shown to reduce turnover. Greenleaf's servant leadership theory provided the theoretical framework. The research question for this study was whether restaurant employees' perceptions of their supervisor's servant leadership practices were associated with the employees' organizational commitment and perceived organizational support, thereby potentially reducing employees' turnover rate. A purposive sample of 88 …

Maternal Characteristics And Childhood Immunization Series Completion Rates Among Children 2-Years-Old, Merlene Ramnon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Delays in childhood immunization may have adverse health implications. In the United States, childhood immunization among children who are below 3 years of age continues to be below Healthy People 2020 targets for some vaccines such as DTaP, PCV, HIB, Hep A, Rotavirus, and Hep B birth dose. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between maternal characteristics and childhood immunization series completion rates among children 2 years of age. The social learning theory and self-efficacy theory provided the theoretical foundation for the study. Data from the Florida Department of Health Immunization Surveys were used. ANOVA and …

Effectiveness Of A Critical Care Nurse Residency Program, Pam Redman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The importance of nurse residency programs is addressed in the literature; however, a review of residency program outcomes and effectiveness is needed. Guided by Roy's adaptation model and Deming's plan-do-check-act model, the purpose of this quality improvement project was to assess the current state of a longstanding critical care nurse residency program in meeting organizational goals and objectives and to recommend modifications to the program related to external factors, internal challenges, and educational deficits of nurses entering the program. A review of the evidence-based literature and feedback from focus groups of leadership stakeholders were used to develop recommendations for residency …

Strategies To Obtain Maximum Usage Of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems, Edward James Schaffer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business organizations invest significant resources implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, yet some organizations utilize less than 75% of the ERP system capabilities. The purpose of this single-site case study was to explore ERP utilization strategies implemented by 4 managers in the information technology (IT) department from 1 organization that uses an ERP system in the Midwest region of the United States. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was the user participation theory. Data were collected through participant interviews and analyzed using traditional text analysis. Member checking was used to strengthen the credibility and trustworthiness of the interpretation of …

The Impact Of Co-Teaching On The Graduation Test Scores Of Students With Disabilities, Jeannette Lynn Stach

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to the U.S Department of Education, co-teaching is an intervention used to give students with disabilities access to the general education curriculum while in the general education classroom. It's necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of co-teaching as it relates to academic performance. However, there has been a dearth of research on quantitative studies related to co-teaching and their results have been inconclusive. This quantitative study explored whether co-teaching has a positive effect on academic performance compared to collaborative teaching, and adds to the literature in this area that is considered current. On an annual basis from 2002 to 2011, …

Hospitality Students' Perceptions Regarding The Role Of Paid Employment In Academic Performance, Ruth Annette Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Between January and December 2014, 68% of full-time hospitality management students at a southeastern university in the United States worked for pay more than 15 hours each week. Fifty percent of these students had a GPA of 2.5 or below, reflecting poor academic performance as benchmarked by the institution. The purpose of this study was to achieve an understanding of how full-time undergraduate hospitality students perceived the role of paid employment in their academic performance. The study was grounded by Astin's student involvement theory that requires an investment of psychosocial and physical energy by students for a successful college experience. …

Effects Of Academic And Nonacademic Factors On Undergraduate Electronic Engineering Program Retention, Munir Sulaiman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs in higher education institutions, particularly engineering programs, face challenges related to recruitment, retention, and graduation rates. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are significant relationships among students' major preference, academic skills, nonacademic characteristics and perceptions, and retention to year 2 among students in electronic engineering, other STEM, and non STEM majors. The academic skills considered were study habits, intellectual interest, verbal and writing confidence, and academic assistance. The non-academic factors included academic support, family support, financial support, and student social integration into the campus environment. Tinto's theory of retention …

Diabetes Mellitus Type 2: A Quality Improvement And Patient Safety Initiative, Remeliza Navarrete Tukay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of the quality improvement (QI) project was to examine the relationship between amended nursing education concerning diabetes mellitus (DM) Type 2 self-care management incorporating Tune in, Explore, Assist, Communicate, and Honor (TEACH) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) strategies and techniques and the Glycosylated hemoglobin (HgbA1C) of veteran patients with uncontrolled diabetes. The target sample included the 2 licensed practical nurses and 2 registered nurses assigned to 2 primary care teams, and the 10 purposively sampled patients with uncontrolled DM Type 2 from each team. The nurses' competencies were measured through descriptive comparison before and after nursing education implementation using …

Health Care Leaders' Experiences Of Electronic Medical Record Adoption And Use, Joseph B. Weagraff

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) technology systems of meaningful use has been slow despite the mandate by the U.S. government. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies used by health care leaders to implement EMR technology systems of meaningful use to take advantage of federal incentive payments. Diffusion of innovation theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 6 health care leaders from a military installation in the Southeast United States. Data were analyzed using software, coding, and inductive analyses. The 3 prominent themes were patient, provider, and champion. Alerts …

The Influence Of Historically Black Colleges And Universities Experience On First Year Retention, Andrea White-Mcneil

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Student retention in higher education, specifically after the first year, has long been a focus of institutional strategies, especially among students with financial, academic, and social risk factors. The issue of retention was a priority for administration at the 4-year private Sea Port University, a historically black university in the southern United States, which is the focus of this case study. The university has shown a rapid decline in its retention rate since the period 2008 - 2012. The purpose of this study was to identify students' perceptions of factors in their Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) experience and …

Characteristics Of Effective Reading Language Arts Teachers In Closing The Achievement Gap, Latasha Price Bassette

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study examined an urban school district in the southern United States that continued to experience student achievement gaps despite the implementation of initiatives as the African American Success Initiative. The school leadership needed a deeper understanding regarding what strategies were successful with closing the achievement gap. Using Gay's theory of cultural responsive pedagogy, the purpose of this study was to identify inward attributes, outward strategies, and professional development perceptions of teachers with no achievement gap among ethnically diverse students. Employing an instrumental case study design, 8 middle school reading teachers who closed the reading achievement gap were interviewed; these …

The Psychological Impact Of Distal Combat On Veterans, Candrick C. Darkashade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers and military organizations have defined military conflicts as being fought in two principal combat environments, namely, close proximity, or the proximal combat environment, and distant proximity, or the distal combat environment. This study used Gal and Jones's psychological model of combat stress as the theoretical framework. The study also used Merriam's generic interpretative qualitative research method, including open-ended interviewing and document review, to obtain data. The study used inductive thematic analysis to analyze the narratives of 10 distal combat veterans who were recruited for the study. The research questions were designed to identify the characteristics of distal combat and …

A Regression Analysis Of A Local Freshman Interest Group Program At A Public University, Faith Christine Graham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Freshmen Interest Groups (FIG) programs 'peer support systems for entering students at a public university in the northeast' were believed to contribute to positive retention outcomes, but had not been evaluated to determine their impact on student retention. The rationale for this project study was the absence of formal evaluations to determine retention program effectiveness. The results are important to enrollment management staff and academic program coordinators whose job responsibilities are tied to student retention. Bean's nine themes of college student retention provided the conceptual framework for this study. Research questions considered the likelihood that retention and persistence to graduation …

U. S. Nursing Students' Perceptions Of Safe Medication Administration, Kathy F. Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medication errors are a global concern that may affect patients' hospital stays, patients' lives after discharge, treatment costs, and mortality rates. Understanding medication errors among nursing students may help in preventing these errors as nurses are responsible for safe medication administration. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to examine upper-level nursing students' understanding of and experiences with medication administration and patient safety. Benner's nursing theory of novice to expert and Dreyfus's model of skill acquisition comprised the conceptual framework. Research questions focused on students' perceptions of safe medication administration. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 7 upper-level nursing students …

Parental Involvement Of Ghanaian And Nigerian Immigrant Parents In Urban Public Schools, Joseph O. Quaye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Immigrant parents face unique challenges in getting involved in their children's education. Research is limited about how immigrant parents cope with these challenges in supporting their children's education. The purpose of this qualitative study, as reflected in the central research question, was to describe the lived experiences of Ghanaian and Nigerian immigrant parents in relation to their involvement in their children's education. The conceptual framework was based on Epstein's theory of parental involvement concerning how the school, family, and community relate to each other. A phenomenological design was used, and participants included 11 Ghanaian and Nigerian immigrant parents living …

Sustainability Strategies For Value-Added Agricultural Producers In California's San Joaquin Valley, Sharon L. Starcher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Economic and climate changes, combined with changing government regulations, are altering the strategic business model for small farm operators and necessitating their reliance on multiple income sources to maintain financial viability. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies of 3 small farming businesses in California's San Joaquin Valley that successfully implemented value-added products which contributed to their financial sustainability. Data from semistructured interviews and relevant documents were analyzed through the lens of system theory, utilizing in vivo coding to identify patterns and themes. Three high-level themes emerged: knowledge, marketing, and networking. The theme of knowledge …

The Difference In Attitudes Of Regular And Special Education Teachers Toward Inclusion, Janice Lorraine Brown-Oyola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inclusion has been introduced throughout the educational community as a method to increase math and reading scores of underachieving schools on standardized tests. The problem was that teachers were not effectively implementing inclusion. Guided by Bandura's (1994) self-efficacy theory, which hypothesizes that a person's sense of efficacy provides information of their capability and the ability to assess their performance, the purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was to determine if there was a significant difference in attitudes on inclusion between regular and special education teachers using the 4 subsections of the Scale of Teachers: Attitudes Toward Inclusive Classrooms through an …

The Effect Of Acculturative In The Psychological Adjustment Of Immigrant Hispanic Parents, Estela Garcia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hispanic immigrant parents are a growing yet understudied population. Few studies have addressed the relationship between Hispanic immigrant parents and the acculturation process. The purpose of this study was to determine how acculturative stress, racism, language proficiency, poor coping style, and low levels of social support affect the psychological adjustment of Hispanic immigrant parents. Using the framework of acculturation theory, this quantitative study examined 92 immigrant Hispanic parents from an urban northeast school in the United States. Several established instruments that measured racism, coping style, language proficiency, social support, and psychological distress were used. The results of the multiple regression …

Pharmacy Stores Profitability And Sustainability In Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Augustine Khoza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Zimbabwe's catastrophic economic decline resulted in a high unemployment rate (95%), declining socioeconomic indicators, pharmacy stores' unprofitability and lower sustainability. Profitable pharmacy stores play a fundamental role in ensuring public access to medication. Lack of pharmacy profitability leads to poor healthcare delivery, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. A healthy population is panacea to economic growth and prosperity and enhances human dignity, social cohesion, and the quality of life. In this qualitative, descriptive multicase study design, using Porter's business strategies theory and the Deming process of quality assurance as conceptual frameworks, data from 11 pharmacy stores leaders in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe …

Improving Perinatal Team Communication To Decrease Patient Harm With Team Strategies And Tools To Enhance Performance And Patient Safety Training, Raquel Maria Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

During childbirth, multiple providers deliver care at the bedside that requires optimal teamwork and communication to prevent patient harm. The complexity of caring for obstetrical patient demands a well-coordinated team to relay information and respond to conditions that can change quickly during childbirth. A patient safety strategy to prevent perinatal harm is Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) training. TeamSTEPPS is an evidence-based program based on crew resource management (CRM) principles developed in the aviation and military industries. This process improvement project used the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework and Kotter's change theory to implement TeamSTEPPS training after …

Engagement Behaviors' Impact On Course Success And Persistence Rates Of Community College Students, Van F. Whaley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As enrollment in U.S. community colleges increased, both the percentage of students successfully completing courses and the percentage of students persisting to their second year decreased. This study focused on the problem of low student course success and persistence rates at a community college. The purpose of the study was to determine whether students who demonstrated engagement behavior by visiting a Center for Academic Success (CAS) either passed more courses, persisted more often, or both, than students who did not visit a CAS. Tinto's engagement theory was the theoretical framework as it postulated that students who interacted with school support …

A Multisite Hospital's Transition To An Interoperable Electronic Health Records System, Valerie Gerene Drill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The health care industry is transforming into an industry that requires health information technology, yet many health care organizations are reluctant to implement new technology. The purpose of this case study was to explore strategies that led to a successful transition from an older electronic health record (EHR) system to a compliant EHR system at a multisite hospital system (MHS). The study included face-to-face and phone interviews with 12 managers who worked on the transition of an MHS's EHR system in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The technology acceptance model was used to frame the study. Audio …

Extending Two-Dimensional Knowledge Management System Theory With Organizational Activity Systems' Workflow Dynamics, Dana Forrest Ladd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Between 2005 and 2010 and across 48 countries, including the United States, an increasing positive correlation emerged between national intellectual capital and gross domestic product per capita. The problem remains organizations operating with increasingly complex knowledge networks often lose intellectual capital resulting from ineffective knowledge management practices. The purpose of this study was to provide management opportunities to reduce intellectual capital loss. The first research question addressed how an enhanced intelligent, complex, and adaptive system (ICAS) model could clarify management's understanding of organizational knowledge transfer. The second research question addressed how interdisciplinary theory could become more meaningfully infused to enhance …

An Educational Initiative To Prevent Unnecessary Hospitalization For Hospice Patients, Alkeisha Hill Mims

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Avoidable hospitalizations of hospice patients cost Medicare $3 billion a year. When hospice nurses are able to identify early signs and symptoms of acute illness and provide appropriate interventions to prevent such admissions, 20-60% of the hospitalizations are preventable. The practice problem addressed in this quality improvement doctor of nursing project was the 30% hospital admission rate of hospice patients as evidenced by chart review, admission data, and revocation data. The first purpose of the project was to identify evidence-based nursing care paths in the literature for the top 5 medical diagnoses related to avoidable hospital admissions. The second purpose …

Influence Of Mothers-In-Law On Infant Feeding Practices Of Mothers Living With Hiv In Rural Cameroon, Kenneth Ngwambokong Muko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mothers living with HIV (MLHIV) face complex challenges regarding infant feeding practices, which often restrict their ability to adhere to their chosen or medically recommended feeding behaviors. Mothers-in-law (MIL) enjoy significant influence and participate actively in the rearing of grandchildren in Cameroon. However, the extent to which MIL influence infant feeding behaviors of their daughters-in-law have not been studied. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) was used in this phenomenological study to explore how attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control influenced infant feeding practices of 9 MLHIV in rural communities of the North West Region of Cameroon. The five …

Type 2 Diabetes Prevention And Management In A Primary Care Clinic Setting, Ada Nwachuku Nwachuku

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 8.3% of the U. S. population has type 2 diabetes. Preventing the onset and improving the management type 2 diabetes are crucial for health care professionals. The purpose of this project was to develop and evaluate a type 2 diabetes prevention and management education program in a primary care setting using group medical appointments (GMAs). The chronic care model provided the framework for the study. The education program consisted of information from the Centers for Disease Control on the management of type 2 diabetes to be delivered by clinic staff using a GMA approach, a timeline for implementing the …

An Evaluation Of Robotics In Nursing Homes To Reduce Adverse Drug Events, Ozell Ueal Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adverse drug events (ADE) cause many deaths annually in addition to affecting the quality of life of many others. The descriptive mixed methods approach, specifically exploratory case study and experimental design that guided this research utilized the survey and focus group methods to evaluate perceptions about robotic technology (RT) to reduce the rate of ADEs in U.S. nursing homes (NH). There is a lack of scholarly research into whether a conceptual approach rooted in RT can be implemented to assist with drug administrations in NHs. The purpose of this study was twofold. The first purpose was to evaluate the causes …

A Modified Program Evaluation Of Training For Employer Compliance With Health Insurance Requirements, Joanneandi Davenport

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A training program was established in the Midwestern United States to help employers understand compliance requirements of the health insurance industry. The purpose of this study was to conduct a modified program evaluation of the effectiveness of Pay or Play, a portion of a larger Benefit Compliance Program. The reason for the evaluation was the high percentage of remediation needed for administrators of employee health insurance following Pay or Play seminar sessions, which posed the question of program effectiveness in education of participants. This study is important because administrators of employee health insurance are responsible for understanding compliance regulations and …