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Enhancing Diabetes Self-Management Education And Support Knowledge And Awareness Among Nurses, Tamba Sam-Manimoi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects 12% of the United States population at an annual cost of $412.9 billion. In the local clinic, 20% of the patient population has a diagnosis of DM. Despite the importance of diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) in managing DM, patients are often not educated on this important strategy. Leadership identified that patients were reporting a lack of knowledge regarding DSMES practices and that the nurses lacked the necessary knowledge and awareness to educate patients in DSMES. Thus, the purpose of this DNP project was to determine if an educational intervention focused on DM and DSMES …

Dialysis Social Workers' Perceptions Of Strategies To Address Biopsychosocial-Spiritual Barriers To End-Of-Life Planning With Black Dialysis Patients, Annette Carol Kestner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have an excessive risk of mortality and experience ongoing inequities in end-of-life (EOL) planning. This basic qualitative study, informed by Sulmasy's biopsychosocial-spiritual model, explored social workers' perspectives about approaches that consider the interplay of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects for mitigating barriers to EOL planning among Black dialysis patients. Data were obtained from semi structured interviews with 10 licensed dialysis social workers in Virginia and Maryland. Thematic analysis with descriptive coding, reflexive journaling, and peer debriefing was employed to analyze qualitative data to ensure trustworthiness. Six themes were identified: (a) building trust …

K–5 Teachers’ Perceptions Toward Implementing An Lgbtqia+-Inclusive Curriculum In New Jersey, Stephanie J. Faille

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed through this study is the gap in literature about K–5 teachers’ challenges in implementing an LGBTQIA+-inclusive curriculum in New Jersey. Grounded in Fuller’s concerns of teachers framework and Foucault’s seminal work on the historical treatment of members of the LGBTQIA+ community, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore K–5 teachers’ challenges in implementing an LGBTQIA+-inclusive curriculum in New Jersey. Purposeful and snowball sampling were used to recruit 11 K–5 teachers who self-identified as having implemented the New Jersey LGBTQIA+-inclusive curriculum. Data collected through semistructured interviews were analyzed using a priori codes in …

How To Prevent Boulder County Nonprofit Therapist Burnout, Taylor Avalos-Hartery

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement

This portfolio aims to make social justice and advocacy contributions by applying scientific data about housing and income inequality in Boulder County, Colorado, to encourage readers, public policymakers, and city officials to initiate actionable efforts to improve client care quality by preventing counselor burnout in community mental health organizations. Significant Findings: This paper demonstrates the preventability of poor client care and counselor burnout through empirical, peer-reviewed academic research that details the risk and protective factors for individuals, communities, organizations, and society. Preventing counselor burnout in Boulder County, Colorado, USA, begins with understanding population health-specific data, revealing a community …

From Techno-Stressors To Techno-Exhaustion: The Mediating Role Of Techno-Anxiety In It Workplace, Jeevan Jyoti, Mehmood Ahmad, Mehak Mahajan

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

The widespread use of information and communication technology in modern workplaces has intensified techno-stress. This study examines the impact of techno-stressors—techno-overload and techno-complexity—on techno-anxiety, its role in driving techno-exhaustion, and the mediating effect of techno-anxiety in this relationship. Data from Indian IT sector employees, collected via snowball sampling, was analyzed using structural equation modeling in AMOS (Version 23). Our findings revealed that techno-overload and techno-complexity significantly heighten techno-anxiety, which, in turn, exacerbates techno-exhaustion. Techno-anxiety serves as a crucial mediator in linking stressors to exhaustion. The study offers theoretical insights and practical implications, and emphasizes managerial strategies, employee support, and socio-technical …

An Affinity For Alignment: Spontaneous Convergence Of Stance-Taking In Topical Conversations, Carmen Tu, Stacey Zoutis, Steven Brown

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Alignment in stance-taking is a foundational behavior in conversation, but few studies have quantified the degree to which conversationalists converge in their attitudes toward a topic. We attempted to quantify this convergence in terms of three parameters related to alignment: intensity (low to high), prevalence (percentage of time in alignment), and content (use of open-ended versus closed-ended statements). To examine the utility of these parameters, we compared the content of conversations between unacquainted dyads in either a free conversation condition or a topical condition in which the individuals were mismatched for their attitude toward the topic to maximize disalignment between …

Evaluating Sustainability Research In Argentine Higher Education, María Belén Arias Valle, Frederic Marimon Dr.

Higher Learning Research Communications

This study analyzes the integration of sustainability into the research activities of Argentine higher education institutions (HEIs), both public and private. Through a quantitative approach, 132 HEIs were evaluated regarding the presence of sustainability research lines, the inclusion of this topic in strategic plans, and the existence of specialized institutes and academic publications. The results indicate that only 26% of HEIs have established research lines on sustainability, with greater participation from public universities. However, the overall commitment is uneven, with only 55% of institutions including sustainability in their strategic plans. The limited presence of observatories, specialized journals, and research centers …

Exploring Public Health Nurses’ Perceptions Of Syringe Services Programs In Southern Rural Areas, Joel Lowery

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public health nurses are potentially key stakeholders in syringe services program (SSP) implementation in rural areas, where they can act as liaisons between public health, private healthcare, and the community. However, little research reflects an in-depth understanding of how public health nurses perceive SSPs in rural areas. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of syringe services programs held by public health nurses practicing in rural areas with no existing SSPs in southern states and ascertain their potential roles in facilitating harm reduction for people who inject drugs. This study was guided by a conceptual framework …

Parents’ Experiences With The Social-Emotional Development Of Toddlers With A Diagnosis Of Autism Spectrum Disorder After Completing Early Intervention, Veronica Bayer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The social-emotional development of autistic toddlers is a critical area of concern for parents and early childhood professionals. Parents need to understand how early intervention programs influence this development, as it can significantly impact long-term outcomes for children with autism. Grounded in the DIR (Developmental, Individual-differences, Relationship-based) theory by S. I. Greenspan and S. Wieder, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the experiences parents had with their autistic toddlers’ social-emotional development after completing an early intervention program. The participants comprised of eight parents whose toddlers completed an early intervention program and were later diagnosed with autism. …

Enhancing Medication Adherence In Primary Care Settings Through Staff Education, Sabita Bhusal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice project was an evidence-based staff education initiative addressing medication nonadherence in hypertension, a critical issue that contributes to poor health outcomes, uncontrolled blood pressure, preventable hospitalizations, and increased healthcare costs. The identified gap in practice was defined by limited staff knowledge, lack of structured training, and inconsistent application of evidence-based adherence counseling strategies. The practice-focused question was: In a primary care clinic, will an evidence-based staff education program on medication adherence increase staff knowledge? A structured training intervention was implemented and then evaluated for its effectiveness. Descriptive statistics and a paired t test comparing pre- …

Probation Officers' Experiences Working With Individuals Who Have Antisocial Personality Traits, Katherine Ore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In fulfilling their role of monitoring individuals outside of a prison setting, probation officers may encounter individuals who have antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) or antisocial personality (ASP) traits. Individuals who have ASP traits and are not diagnosed with ASPD are still impacted by recommendations of punishment, higher recidivism rates, and a lack of treatment resources provided. Individuals in the criminal justice system with ASP traits are not a new phenomenon, but there is a lack of research on the probation officers' experience working with these individuals. The purpose of this study was to examine and explore the experiences of probation …

Educator Perceptions On Preparing Students For A Biology I State Assessment, Lila Grooms

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed through this study was that 9th and 10th grade students’ Biology I state assessment scores continued to decline in a suburban South Carolina school district. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore biology teachers’ perceptions of the low success rates on the Biology I state assessment and to identify recommendations for improvement. Vygotsky’s social constructivism theory provided the conceptual framework, emphasizing the role of social engagement and collaborative learning environments. Semistructured interviews with nine high school biology teachers were conducted and using Braun and Clark’s thematic analysis approach. Themes revealed that teachers are: (a) …

Shared Family Identity And Emotional Abuse From A Childhood Caregiver As Predictors Of Self-Censorship Willingness, Jillian Theryon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childhood emotional abuse may be underreported and unnoticed. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to examine whether shared family identity (SFI) with an emotionally abusive childhood caregiver was linked to self-censorship of social and political opinions in adulthood. The study also examined whether this relationship is intensified among those with a strong sense of SFI with that caregiver. Linear multiple regression analysis of survey data collected from 119 participants, recruited through Survey Monkey Audience, revealed that willingness to self-censor was significantly shaped by the interaction between SFI and emotional abuse, especially overcontrol. Although SFI is often seen as …

Perspectives Of Nursing Faculty On The Barriers, Opportunities, And Teaching Strategies For Developing Peer Feedback Skills Among Entry-Level Nursing Students, Anna Kornienko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Peer feedback benefits nursing education and practice by fostering collegial relationships and promoting the quality of care, yet students often lack training to engage effectively. While existing research has examined student perspectives, the experiences and strategies employed by nursing faculty remain underexplored. The purpose of this qualitative study, guided by the student feedback literacy framework, was to explore the perspectives of nursing faculty on the barriers, opportunities, and strategies for developing peer feedback skills among undergraduate nursing students. Seventeen Canadian nursing faculty participated in semi-structured virtual interviews. Analysis revealed five themes that aligned with the study’s three foci: strategies (a) …

Staff Education To Enhance Therapeutic Communication In Community Clinic Settings, Marian Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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Successful Strategies Used For Volunteer Retention In Nonprofit Organizations, Sheraaron Nicole Hurt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The inability to retain volunteers critically undermines nonprofit leaders’ capacity to deliver consistent and effective services to vulnerable community populations, threatening organizational stability and mission fulfillment. Persistent challenges with volunteer retention hinder nonprofit leaders’ operations, reduce program reach, and drive up recruitment costs, weakening organizational sustainability. Grounded in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, this qualitative multiple case study explored effective strategies that nonprofit leaders use to retain volunteers and support organizational sustainability. Five nonprofit leaders from the U.S. East Coast were participants and selected because each demonstrated success in volunteer retention. The themes that emerged from thematically analyzing semistructured interviews and …

The Process Of Enduring Prolonged Undiagnosed Ptsd And The Impact Of Treatment Expressed By Women, Kelli Elaine Hudgins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prolonged undiagnosed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been examined from various perspectives and represents a significant medical concern across diverse populations. Research on PTSD often targets specific groups, such as postpartum women or military veterans. This narrow focus in much of the literature tends to obscure the broader impact of prolonged undiagnosed PTSD on the general population, thereby overlooking the critical need to highlight systemic shortcomings that hinder effective interventions and reform. Furthermore, personal narratives detailing the challenges individuals face when seeking help or treatment – factors that contribute to delays in care – and the subsequent effects on their …

Cancer Screening Disparities Among Women With Disabilities In The United States, Kathleen Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Breast and cervical cancer screening reduces mortality; however, women with disabilities and mental health challenges experience persistent disparities in access to preventive services. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationships between self-reported serious difficulty hearing, serious difficulty seeing, and frequent mental distress with breast (mammogram) and cervical (Pap test) cancer screening use among women in the United States (mammogram model, n = 844; Pap model n = 774), using the 2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System dataset. The social-ecological model provided the framework. Two logistic regression models were conducted, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, education, income, marital …

Leadership Styles, Multigenerational Providers, Motivation, And Satisfaction In Mental Health Workplace Settings, Terri Adeshola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A problem confronting organizations, including mental health organizations, is how leadership will address motivation and satisfaction in a diverse, multigenerational workforce. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional correlational study was to examine the relationship between multigenerational licensed clinician providers and perceptions of their supervisors’ leadership style to predict their motivation and job satisfaction in mental health workplace settings. Transformational leadership theory grounded this study. The participants comprised 93 licensed clinician providers from mental health organizations in three generational cohorts, Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Millennial, in the Middle Atlantic, Pacific, South Atlantic, West-South Central, and East-North Central regions of the …

Psychoeducation For Community Support Workers To Decrease No Call And No-Show Rates In An Outpatient Mental Health Facility, Promise Lum Ngongwashi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Missed appointments remain a critical issue in health care, as they contribute to poorer patient health outcomes, treatment discontinuity, and increased system costs. Improving staff knowledge in this area is essential for ensuring timely, equitable, and effective patient care. This doctoral project was a staff education initiative designed to enhance community support workers (CSWs’) knowledge of methods for encouraging patient adherence to clinic appointments through psychoeducational training. The practice problem addressed was the inconsistency in staff use of evidence-based strategies to motivate and support patients in maintaining clinic attendance. The practice-focused question guiding the project was: Does psychoeducation improve CSWs’ …

Effective Human Resource Strategies And Processes For Improving Remote Workers’ Engagement, Productivity, And Retention, Lachanta' Rene Chevis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The inability to sustain employee retention amid expanded remote work practices highlights the urgent responsibility of leaders to confront the growing disparity between high job demands and insufficient resources that jeopardize employee engagement and organizational stability. Human resource (HR) leaders have a critical responsibility to address the effects of ineffective remote work strategies, which can lower morale, reduce performance, and increase turnover, weakening workforce cohesion and stability. Grounded in the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study was to explore and identify effective HR strategies and processes for supporting remote workers. Data sources included semistructured …

Grade 6–8 Teacher Perceptions Regarding Teacher Resiliency Factors In A Northeastern State’S Public Middle Schools, Melanie Totten-Jonas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher attrition presents a significant challenge for Northeastern State Middle School Districts (NSMSD), threatening educational stability and student outcomes. This qualitative study examined Grade 6–8 teachers’ perceptions of resilience as a factor influencing their decisions to remain in the teaching profession. Grounded in resilience theory, the study explored how teachers overcame professional challenges and identified supports that promoted retention, addressing a gap in existing research. Using a basic qualitative design, semistructured interviews were conducted with 14 purposefully selected middle school teachers from NSMSD. Reflexive thematic analysis using open coding revealed five key themes: individual resilience factors, relational supports and collegial …

Hiv/Aids Among Young People In South Sudan: Assessing Misconceptions About Transmission, Healthcare Access, And Cultural/Religious Factors, John Valent Abore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to be a significant public health challenge among young people in South Sudan (SSD). Despite global efforts to curb the spread of HIV, misconceptions about HIV transmission, barriers to access to healthcare services, and cultural/religious factors that affect the epidemic persist in South Sudan, and it is not obvious how these factors interact to impact outcomes. This quantitative cross-sectional study investigated whether there is a relationship between misconceptions about HIV transmission and HIV/AIDS status and whether access to healthcare and cultural/religious factors mediate this relationship among young people (aged 18–35) in SSD. A secondary data analysis …

Special Education High School Teachers’ Challenges With Implementing Social Emotional Learning, Ebonye Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that this study investigated was that special education high school teachers (SEHSTs) struggled with implementing social emotional learning (SEL) into their teaching of core subjects in Maryland high schools. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore SEHSTs’ perceptions of the challenges with implementing SEL into core subject areas. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was Argyris and Schon’s theory of action. Using a basic qualitative design, 10 SEHSTs participated in semistructured interviews. Participants were Maryland licensed high school special educators with a range of experience in teaching co-taught classes. Coding and thematic analysis were …

Teachers’ Perspectives On The Use Of Real-Time Online Assessment Tools In Urban Elementary Schools, Sally Adam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Student response systems (SRS) and audience response systems (ARS) in the elementary classroom are sometimes used to assess students while keeping them engaged and offering them immediate feedback. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore teachers’ perspectives on challenges of and resources needed to implement SRS and ARS in urban elementary schools in the Northeast United States. The conceptual framework for this study included the technology acceptance model and the theory of planned behavior. Semistructured interviews with 12 urban elementary school teachers from the Northeast United States were analyzed using a qualitative data analysis procedure by coding, …

High School Instructional Staff Perspectives On Effective Strategies For Increasing Enrollment In The Career And Technical Education Pathway, Briana O'Brien

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was the challenges of enrolling students in the career and technical education (CTE) pathway at a northeastern high school, despite local and national commitments to expanding CTE opportunities. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore high school instructional staff perceptions of the challenges in enrolling students in the CTE pathway and the strategies they suggest would increase enrollment. The study was grounded in the conceptual framework of the concerns-based adoption model and the expectancy-value theory, which allowed for an understanding of staff concerns, motivations, and perceptions in relation to student enrollment …

Business Intelligence Architectures And Implementation Strategies, Christopher Ziebert

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizations often make inferior decisions without business intelligence (BI) architectures. Information technology (IT) managers are increasingly concerned that without effective BI architectures, they forfeit data-driven intelligence, hindering organizational competitiveness, innovation capacity, and broader economic progress within their industries and communities. Grounded in the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore the strategies used by data architects to implement BI architectures in the financial industry. The participants were six data architects who had successfully implemented BI architectures in the financial industry in the southwestern United States. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, field notes, and …

Nurse Residency Program: Improving Staff Awareness Through Education, Cynthia Kay Butterman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Across the health care continuum, organizations face persistent nursing shortages and the challenge of integrating novice nurses into clinical practice, often with limited skills and underdeveloped critical thinking abilities. Nurse residency programs have been integrated by many facilities to provide support for new novice nurses in transitioning from academia to the professional nursing role. This quantitative, quasi-experimental research project was conducted at a community-based hospital with an existing 8- to 10-week nurse residency program that had very limited stakeholder involvement. The purpose of the project was to create an educational training module for key stakeholders to strengthen awareness of why …

Excessive Expulsions And School Suspensions Of Black Children, Lasharee O. Rogers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While national and state-level literature has documented racial inequities in school discipline, limited research has focused on how these policies are specifically implemented and perceived within the Charlotte Metropolitan Statistical Region School. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine factors related to higher rate of expulsions and school suspensions of Black high school students in the CMSR Schools in comparison to their peers through the lens of the critical race theory. This research was used to engage teachers and administrators on current school suspension and expulsion policies while encouraging modifications to those policies that warranted equity and …

Moderating Effect Of Age And Supervisory Status On Telework And Job Satisfaction Among Federal Employees, Chelsea Eckert

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The postpandemic U.S. federal workforce has experienced shifts in policies and practices about telework, with mixed empirical evidence on its relationship with job satisfaction. Federal government leaders must understand this impact on telework and job satisfaction. Guided by self-determination theory and socioemotional selectivity theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between telework usage and job satisfaction among federal employees, with age and supervisory status as moderating variables. Secondary data were from the 2023 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, with approximately 625,000 participants. The results of the multiple linear regression were statistically significant, F(11, 552,670) = …