Digital Commons Network^™

Principal Perceptions Of Advising For The Adoption Of Social Media As An Instructional Application, Ben Hudson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Secondary school principals are seeking to meet students where they are by integrating social media into school curricula to enhance student learning. However, little has been published about principals’ perceptions of the value of social media as an instructional tool or the advising processes they employ to facilitate the adoption of social media as an instructional application. The problem this study addressed was principals’ perceptions of social media as an instructional application and how those perceptions influence decisions to advise for the adoption of social media for instructional purposes. Guided by Rogers’s diffusion of innovations theory and Davis’s technology acceptance …

Development Of An Evidence-Based Program To Increase Burnout Knowledge Among Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners In An Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital, Christianah Agunanne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In this staff education project, I addressed burnout prevention among psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) in an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Burnout can cause strain on mental health nurses and reduce patient satisfaction, impair quality of care, and increase medical errors. In this project, I developed and applied an evidence-based program (EBP) on burnout for PMHNPs, educating them about the problem and helping identify, avoid, or at least prevent burnout symptoms. I addressed how an EBP staff education program could affect knowledge and recognition of burnout for PMHNPs working in an inpatient psychiatric hospital. The purpose of the project was …

The Lived Experiences Of Police Officers’ Responses To Stranger And Familial Child Abductions, Kennedy Pierce

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

When the media covers stories of child abductions, a common misconception is who the abductor is. Despite what the news broadcasts, a child is more likely to be abducted by a family member or acquaintance than a stranger. This qualitative study was conducted to explore the lived experiences of police officers’ responses to stranger and familial abductions using a phenomenological approach to determine how schemas may shape police officers’ perceptions, specifically concerning responding to child abductions. Schema theory suggests schemas are formed based on an occurrence between an individual and their surrounding environment. Nine interviews were conducted of police officers …

Lived Experiences Of Police Use Of Force In Western Utah, Kenny Augustin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of force by police officers toward African Americans has been a tense subject in the United States Although statutory law grants the police officers the right to use force, the level and the type of force used by police officers can be seen as problematic. In this study, the lived experiences of African Americans and police officers’ use of force were explored. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore whether the lived experiences of African Americans differ from police officers concerning the use of force in Utah and how fear, trust, and confidence influenced behaviors. A …

Staff Education On Medication Adherence Teaching For Psychiatric Patients In The Outpatient Setting, Ernestina Akosua Ohene-Agyakwah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Summary The type of doctoral project was staff education. The aim was to address the practice gap of lack of standardized staff education on medication adherence in the outpatient psychiatric care setting. The practice-focused question was "Will staff education on medication adherence for psychiatric patients in the outpatient setting result in an increase in staff knowledge?" To provide staff with the information and abilities they needed to consistently deliver patient education that supported evidence, the project created, carried out, and assessed a structured staff education program. Knowledge changes among the 10 participants were evaluated and measured using the mean difference …

Relationship Between Self-Silencing And Self-Neglect Behaviors And Disordered Eating And Stigma Toward Seeking Behavioral Health Support Among Black Women Who Adopt The Superwoman Schema, Veanda Hemphill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Self-silencing and self-neglect behaviors, key dimensions of the superwoman schema (SWS), function as protective coping mechanisms in response to psychosocial stressors. However, these behaviors often perpetuate self-sacrifice, leading to an increased risk of physical and mental health decline. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between self-silencing and self-neglect behaviors (independent variables) and disordered eating and stigma toward seeking support from behavioral health services (dependent variables) among Black women who adopt the SWS. The theoretical and conceptual frameworks of silencing the self and intersectionality guided this study. The 78 participants who self-identified as Black and …

A Document Analysis Of School Shooting On College Campuses, Kevin Lavelle Childs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite media outcry and societal outcry, gun violence on college campuses in the United States continues to be an unresolved problem. Prior to on-campus shootings, college campuses were safe locations that were conducive to learning. Sadly, this is no longer the case. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the key characteristics of mass shootings on college campuses so that officials would be provided with information that would enable them to create safer campuses. Using a rational choice theory as the conceptual framework, which focused on the perpetrator’s behavior, a document analysis was conducted to identify and understand …

Staff Education Program To Reduce Burnout Using Mindfulness Techniques In A Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic, Miriam Ambe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Burnout is becoming more common among nurses, which has a negative impact on the well-being of nurses, patients, and organizations. The practice problem for this DNP project was the need for more awareness about burnout and associated strategies to address nurse burnout among outpatient nurses in a psychiatric clinic. This DNP project was a staff education program to teach nurses how to identify burnout in themselves while offering them mindfulness techniques to prevent or mitigate burnout. This project’s guiding practice-focused question and framework was, “Will a staff education program on mindfulness techniques to prevent burnout lead to nurses’ identification of …

Increasing Knowledge And Awareness Of Colorectal Cancer Among Nursing Staff, Joelle Woodruff

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, colon cancer rates have dropped since the 1980s as more people are being screened for colorectal cancer. However, despite an increase in screening, rates are expected to increase through 2035. Patients who have a good relationship with their providers are more likely to complete colorectal cancer screening. However, providers rely on support staff to educate patients on the screenings. The local organization has struggled to improve cancer screening rates among its patients. Thus, the purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to determine whether an education intervention focused on colorectal cancer and screening …

Relationship Between Motivation, Job Satisfaction, And Company Performance In Virtual Teams In The U.S. Insurance Industry, Rena Lois Roundtree

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Information technology (IT) leaders in the U.S. insurance industry are concerned with sustaining employee motivation in virtual teams, as it is a key challenge in managing virtual employees. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this quantitative ex-post facto study was to examine the relationship between achievement, recognition, and company policy with job satisfaction and company performance. The participants were 54 U.S.-based insurance companies listed in Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Financial Services & Insurance (2021), with data sourced from publicly available financial reports and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s EDGAR system. The result of the multiple linear regression …

Perceptions Of Clinically Depressed Individuals: Social Media Use, Depressive Symptoms, And Interpersonal Relationships, Rachel N. Fullen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recent literature has shown an association between social media usage and depressive symptoms, but there remains a gap regarding the perceptions of individuals with clinical depression on their social media usage and their interpersonal relationships. This qualitative study was conducted to uncover how people view social media and their clinical depression as well as the quality of their interpersonal interactions through social media platforms. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 individuals who were diagnosed with clinical depression, used social media for 2 hours daily, and lived with their significant other/partner. The theory applied to this study was Blumler and Katz’s …

Internet Addiction And Academic Fatigue, Engagement, And Performance Among Undergraduates In Southwestern Universities In Nigeria, Mensah Prince Osiesi, Olutoyin Olufunke Fajobi, Sikeade Mercy Adegboyega, Abiodun Adesope Fadiya, Olaitan Titilayo Akinola, Folasade Oluyemisi Olayinka, Muyiwa Sunday Ajimuse, Sunday Nnamdi Okocha, Tolulope Oluwatoyin Olayiwola-Adedoja, Oladipo Adeyeye Olubodun Phd, Atinuke Titilope Babalola, Valentina Grion

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objective: Internet addiction among university undergraduates may deeply impact their academic lives. This study investigated the association between academic fatigue, academic engagement, academic performance, gender, and internet addiction and how the variables jointly and relatively predict internet addiction among undergraduates in southwestern universities in Nigeria.

Method: The correlational research type of the non-experimental research design was adopted for this study. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 1,157 students. The main variables were the Internet Addiction Test (r = 0.82) and the Academic Fatigue Questionnaire (r = 0.85; both adapted), as well as the Academic Engagement Scale …

Nurse Experiences Of Caring For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Los Angeles Pediatric Intensive Care Units, Makenna Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One in 22 California children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In combination with sensory considerations, healthcare costs, and increased healthcare utilization, these children face a lesser quality of care and poorer health outcomes. The literature addresses healthcare needs and experiences from various viewpoints, but does not address the experiences of nurses (RN) caring for children with ASD in the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU). The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of RN’s challenges, and the helpful strategies utilized in practice. A qualitative, grounded study approach, centered on the patient-and-family centered care conceptual framework, was …

Comparison Of Levels Of Usage Of Summit K-12 And Language Acquisition Of Emergent Bilingual Students, Paula Cushanick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School districts are required to identify emergent bilingual (EB) students, provide appropriate bilingual education programs, and assess language acquisition progress to ensure equal educational opportunity. The problem investigated in this study was that, in 2022, only 38% of the EB student population in Southwestern School District (SSD, a pseudonym) demonstrated progress in achieving English language proficiency in the composite scores of the TELPAS assessment that included listening, speaking, reading, and writing language domains. The Summit K-12 computerized intervention program was instituted by SSD to address EB student language development. Guided by Sparrow’s holistic biliteracy framework, the purpose of this quasi-experimental, …

Staff Education On Accurate Blood Pressure Monitoring, Amy Wink

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hypertension is a prevalent diagnosis in the United States and a significant contributor to adult mortality. The annual burden of high blood pressure in the United States is approximately 131 million dollars, accounting for health care services and medication expenses. This educational project was initiated because the metric for the patient population at the veterans’ outpatient clinic exceeded the national hypertension indicator of 140/90. The facility’s data metric results were above the national average, necessitating addressing an identified gap in practice, performing blood pressure screenings accurately. The purpose of this educational project was to develop a module for nurses to …

Exploring The Use Of Student-Led Conferences In A Title 1 Elementary School, Camille Renee Harris-Wilmot

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Parental engagement is a critical factor in student academic success, yet traditional parent-teacher conferences often fail to achieve meaningful collaboration. This study explored how teachers and parents described the influence of student-led conferences on parental engagement at a public elementary school in southeastern Virginia. Grounded in constructivist theory, particularly the works of Piaget and Vygotsky, the study focused on student-centered learning. A basic qualitative design was employed with purposeful sampling used to recruit 10 teachers and parents with direct experience of student-led conferences. Semistructured interviews were analyzed through open-coding and thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns. Findings revealed that student-led …

Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening Completion Rate Among African American Patients By Staff Education, Sloan Mccoy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States and disproportionately affects the African American population with a higher incidence and mortality rate. This DNP project was implemented in a suburban primary care practice which is part of a large metropolitan health care organization. I implemented staff education about the CRC completion disparity with the African American population and communication strategies found to help improve this. My goal was for the primary care practice staff to increase their knowledge and change their practice behavior with recommending CRC screening to improve CRC screening rates amongst …

Skill Development Approach For Poverty Alleviation In India, Sameer Chandra

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

India’s Poverty Profile revealed that over 65% of the poor reside in rural areas. This study examined the effectiveness of the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) skill development program in alleviating poverty in Uttar Pradesh, India. Guided by Sen’s capability approach, a quantitative cross-sectional design employing logistic regression analyzed the relationships of candidate qualifications and trade categories, predicting the likelihood of successful job placement. The study analyzed 4,789 randomly selected cases from 14 high-poverty districts in DDU-GKY’s database. The job placement rate within cases was 28.2%, with 71.8% not placed. Candidate qualification significantly predicted the likelihood of job …

Increasing The Physician Workforce In Rural Hospitals, Tagny Isabel Diaz Solis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rural hospitals experience challenges in supplying the physician workforce, leading to poor organizational and population health outcomes. The purpose of this integrative review was to determine factors that affect physician recruitment and retention in rural hospitals and provide strategies for administrators to support sufficient physician staffing. The review question was used to identify effective strategies to improve physician recruitment and retention in rural hospitals. An integrative review was completed using empirical and nonempirical research published between 2019 and 2024. The results of the literature demonstrated components affecting physician motivation and job satisfaction. Five main themes surfaced: (a) professional education, (b) …

Cancer-Related Stigma, Attitudes, And Cultural Beliefs On Intentions To Receive Lung Cancer Screening In African American Female Smokers, Sonia M. M Salmon-Gayle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, lung cancer is responsible for killing more people than prostate, breast, and colon cancer combined. African Americans are at a greater risk of dying from the disease due to the infrequency of early detection achieved through screening. This research focused on African American female smokers (AAFS) in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia between the ages of 50 and 80 with a 20-year pack history and who were smoking or had quit within the past 15 years. A quantitative correlational research design was employed with a sample of 101 participants to explore the relationship between …

Staff Education: Antihypertensive Medication Adherence In The Primary Care Clinic, Shannon Leigh Hilling

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

I completed a staff education project in a primary care clinic focused on increasing staff knowledge of antihypertensive medication adherence. More than 1 in 3 adults in West Virginia (or 41% of the adult population in the state) has hypertension, which is equal to about 602,000 adults. The project question was developed to investigate the extent to which education on hypertensive medications will enhance staff knowledge and their ability to educate patients in the primary care clinic. The staff education project was implemented via PowerPoint, pre-/post education testing, and measurements using an online percentage gain calculator. Findings revealed an overall …

Perceptions And Role Of Cultural Competency In Clinical Social Work Practice, Vivian Adelaide Aba Dadzie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In practice, social workers are expected to translate cultural competency skills and knowledge they have acquired to handle diverse clients whose gender, racial, ethnic, religious, and personal beliefs and orientations can conflict. Using a qualitative research approach, the study addressed perceptions and roles of cultural competence in social work practice. Three research questions guided the study. The Campinha-Bacote framework of culturally competent healthcare was used for this study. The study involved employing thematic analysis to analyze research questions. It was determined that social workers must meet clients where they are culturally, respecting and learning from them to adapt interventions accordingly. …

Executive Summary: Clinical Practice Guideline Primary Care Management Of Overweight/Obesity In Adult Women, Getrude Tate Nguatem

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice project was a clinical practice guideline project focused on overweight and obesity management of adult women in primary care. The practice problem identified was the lack of an evidence-based clinical practice guideline to manage overweight/obesity in adult women. It was important to address this problem because overweight and obesity were significant health concerns at this clinical site in the United States and the world. The practice-focused question was the following: “Does the evidence support the development and Appraisal of Guideline for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument quality scoring of a clinical practice guideline on …

Leadership Development In Millennial Corporate Employees With Nonnative Accents, Clara Philor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employees with nonnative accents sometimes avoid leadership roles, engage less in the workplace, and perform poorly. Organizational leaders need to understand how the challenges of individuals with nonnative accents specifically affect millennials. Grounded in attribution theory and social identity theory, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how millennial employees with nonnative accents experience leadership opportunities in the corporate workplace. The participants were 10 millennial corporate employees in the United States with nonnative accents working toward or already holding leadership positions. Data were collected using in-depth interviews for thematic and interpretive phenomenological analysis. Seven themes emerged: (a) challenges …

Software Developer, Analyst, And Consultant Communication Strategies In Enterprise Resource Planning Projects, Martin Gene Culberson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software projects have an alarmingly high failure rate, with communication challenges cited as a major contributing factor. Poor communication during ERP development and implementation can ultimately reduce return on investment (ROI) for organizations. IT technical and functional specialists have a vested interest in improving communication strategies to enhance ERP success, ensuring business continuity, operational efficiency, and professional growth for project participants. Grounded in actor-network theory, the purpose of this pragmatic inquiry was to examine communication strategies used in ERP software projects among software developers, analysts, and consultants. The participants were eight ERP developers, analysts, and consultants …

Jamaican Tertiary Education Lecturers’ Perceptions Of Repurposing Paper Instructional Materials For Blended Learning, Bobsie Sophia Levy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Transitioning from paper-based instructional methods to blended learning has rapidly been implemented across higher education institutions in Jamaica. The problem that was addressed through this study was that little is known about the perceptions of Jamaican lecturers regarding their experiences towards repurposing instructional materials for blended learning. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of Jamaican tertiary education lecturers regarding the experience of repurposing paper instructional materials into digital form for blended learning. The framework for the study was Davis’s technology acceptance model. For this basic qualitative study, seven semistructured interviews were conducted, and a thematic …

Leaders’ Experience Of Spiritual Leadership Concerning Followership In Brazilian Organizations, Livia Mandelli

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Spiritual leadership has been the focus of scholars since 2003. Researchers have demonstrated the relevance of spiritual leadership as a new leadership model. Researchers have yet been able to understand the practice of spiritual leadership in Latin America. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to describe the leaders’ lived experiences concerning followership, taking into consideration the meanings they ascribe to the relationship with their followers and the description of the subjective lived experiences of adopting spiritual leadership practice. The nexus between leaders’ lived experiences and their meaning regarding followership was given special consideration. This was a qualitative research …

Medical Readmissions In Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Patients And The Correlation With Physician Communication, Megan Vandyke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rising costs in healthcare is a social problem in the United States with medical errors contributing to the rising costs; communication has been identified as a key contributor to medical errors. The purpose of this quantitative study was to further examine if there was a correlation between the independent variable of doctor communication scores and the dependent variable of readmission rates of coronary artery bypass graft surgery patients. This research could contribute to the social problem of rising healthcare costs specifically by identifying variables that may be contributors to costs due to errors. The theoretical framework was Donabedian’s theory of …

The Relationship Between Remote Followers’ Perceptions Of Leader’S Emotional Intelligence And Followers’ Psychological Safety, Gender, And Tenure, Jeanine P. Stroud

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This quantitative study explored the relationship between remote workers’ perceptions of their leaders’ emotional intelligence and their self-reported psychological safety, with gender and tenure as moderating variables. Data from 172 remote employees using a cross-sectional online survey revealed that perceived leader emotional intelligence was a significant predictor of psychological safety, both as a composite measure and across its four dimensions of emotional intelligence: self-emotional appraisal, others’ emotional appraisal, regulation of emotion, and use of emotion. Gender moderated the relationship with the combined interaction of worker and leader gender in female leader–female follower dyads. Tenure with the leader did not moderate …

Agile Culture As Experienced By Scrum Masters In The Financial Sector, Andrew John Haigh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a high failure rate for software development projects, even those that have adopted an Agile approach, despite the United States spending more than $250 billion yearly on developing 175,000 software projects costing $2,322,000 on average. Scrum masters on software development projects with an Agile approach need to adopt more than just the process and procedures; they need to adopt the Agile culture. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to explore the implementation of the Agile culture experienced by scrum masters in the financial sector. The Scrum software development framework is the most popular variant of the …