Digital Commons Network^™

Teacher’S Perspectives Regarding Kindergarten Students’ Behaviors And Social Skills Post-Pandemic, Latalia Middlebrook Robbins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Kindergarten teachers and support professionals in the social-emotional community within a local school district experienced changes in student behaviors and social skills since returning to in-person schooling following the pandemic. After COVID-19, teachers found themselves engaging students who presented a lack of social skill development, contributing to the behaviors within the classroom microsystem. This study used Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory to support research efforts to examine how learning environments and interactions contributed to students’ preparation for Kindergarten. The research explored 12 Kindergarten teachers' and support professionals' perspectives concerning Kindergarten student behaviors and social skills. The research design was an …

African Immigrants’ Perceptions Of Employee Performance And Organizational Cultural Barriers In Fortune 500 Companies., Opeyemi Oluwakemi Adebayo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The frequent underemployment of African immigrants and lower job earnings continues to be a problem in the United States. African immigrants in the United States struggle to effectively navigate the U.S. organizational culture system due to cultural barriers. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore perceptions of African immigrants regarding their employee performance and cultural barriers in terms of communication within Fortune 500 companies in Houston, Texas. Research questions involved how African immigrants navigated and adapted to cultural expectations within Fortune 500 companies and how adaptation influenced their perceptions of job satisfaction and performance. The study was …

International Methods Of Offender Profile Construction, Standardization, And Effective Criminal Investigative Processes, Savannah Peoples

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Offender profiling is a tool used within criminal investigations to infer offender characteristics according to evidence collected from a crime scene. The practice of offender profiling has been applied since the Roman era, empirically developed, and recently popularized in media depictions. Existing studies demonstrate that there is a lack of peer reviewed literature that examines current methods of criminal profile construction, opportunities for standardization, and effective criminal investigative processes. Motivation for this study came after reviewing research that revealed high rates of serious and violent international serial offending, noted as a major challenge for law enforcement agencies, and a significant …

Teacher’S Perspectives Regarding Kindergarten Students’ Behaviors And Social Skills Post-Pandemic, Latalia Middlebrook Robbins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Kindergarten teachers and support professionals in the social-emotional community within a local school district experienced changes in student behaviors and social skills since returning to in-person schooling following the pandemic. After COVID-19, teachers found themselves engaging students who presented a lack of social skill development, contributing to the behaviors within the classroom microsystem. This study used Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory to support research efforts to examine how learning environments and interactions contributed to students’ preparation for Kindergarten. The research explored 12 Kindergarten teachers' and support professionals' perspectives concerning Kindergarten student behaviors and social skills. The research design was an …

Increasing Charitable Giving To Nonprofit Organizations, Raynia T. Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nonprofit leaders often experience a reduction in funding for various reasons, which can jeopardize the organization's financial sustainability and even its continued existence. As a result, securing reliable funding is a primary concern for nonprofit leaders, as a lack of funding could lead to the organization’s closure. Grounded in the hierarchy of effects theory, this qualitative multiple case study aimed to explore strategies nonprofit leaders use to raise funding from charitable giving sources. The participants were five nonprofit leaders with experience in increasing charitable giving for their nonprofit organizations. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, review of available organizational documents, …

Effective Strategies To Improve Job Satisfaction And Reduce Property Manager Turnover, Rita Khan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High turnover rates among property managers disrupt service quality, increase operational costs, and diminish tenant satisfaction. Despite these negative impacts, there is limited research on effective retention strategies within the industry. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies that property management leaders use to improve job satisfaction and reduce turnover. Six experienced property management leaders from the Midwestern United States who have successfully implemented retention strategies participated in this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed using Braun and Clark’s six-phase thematic analysis, revealing four key themes: work-life balance …

Executive Summary: Staff Education Project Staff Education On Mental Health First Aid To Improve Staff Knowledge Of The Identification, Understanding, And Response To Patients Experiencing Mental Health, Vashawn Mosley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Summary This evidence-based staff education project on Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) was implemented to improve staff knowledge on how to recognize, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders. Current annual training for mental health staff covers response techniques when patients experience mental health crises that have already escalated to the point of physical aggression. The MHFA education program helps staff understand mental health and substance abuse disorders, ultimately improving chances of preventing escalation. The practice-focused question for this project was: Among mental health professionals at a rural mental health organization, what is the impact …

International Methods Of Offender Profile Construction, Standardization, And Effective Criminal Investigative Processes, Savannah Peoples

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Offender profiling is a tool used within criminal investigations to infer offender characteristics according to evidence collected from a crime scene. The practice of offender profiling has been applied since the Roman era, empirically developed, and recently popularized in media depictions. Existing studies demonstrate that there is a lack of peer reviewed literature that examines current methods of criminal profile construction, opportunities for standardization, and effective criminal investigative processes. Motivation for this study came after reviewing research that revealed high rates of serious and violent international serial offending, noted as a major challenge for law enforcement agencies, and a significant …

Increasing Charitable Giving To Nonprofit Organizations, Raynia T. Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nonprofit leaders often experience a reduction in funding for various reasons, which can jeopardize the organization's financial sustainability and even its continued existence. As a result, securing reliable funding is a primary concern for nonprofit leaders, as a lack of funding could lead to the organization’s closure. Grounded in the hierarchy of effects theory, this qualitative multiple case study aimed to explore strategies nonprofit leaders use to raise funding from charitable giving sources. The participants were five nonprofit leaders with experience in increasing charitable giving for their nonprofit organizations. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, review of available organizational documents, …

The Effect Of School Closings On Juvenile Delinquency In Detroit, Denise Gray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Education and delinquency are two social issues that can impact youth's social and educational success. From 2007 to 2018, 17,597 public schools closed in the United States, affecting three million students. This study focused on the influence of juvenile crime and students' educational experiences in urban communities where a disproportionate number of public schools closed. The problem was limited research on how school closing impacted juvenile delinquency. This qualitative study explored the influence of public school closure on juvenile delinquency through the lens of defense attorneys. Travis Hirschi's social control theory and Robert Agnew's strain theory were used as the …

Effective Strategies To Improve Job Satisfaction And Reduce Property Manager Turnover, Rita Khan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High turnover rates among property managers disrupt service quality, increase operational costs, and diminish tenant satisfaction. Despite these negative impacts, there is limited research on effective retention strategies within the industry. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies that property management leaders use to improve job satisfaction and reduce turnover. Six experienced property management leaders from the Midwestern United States who have successfully implemented retention strategies participated in this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed using Braun and Clark’s six-phase thematic analysis, revealing four key themes: work-life balance …

Special Education Teachers' Perceptions Regarding Inadequate Transition Planning Services For Students With Severe Intellectual Disabilities, Jennifer Garcia Villanueva

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed in this study was that students with severe intellectual disabilities (SwSID) enrolled in life skills settings are not receiving adequate transition planning services at local rural public schools in a southwestern state. The purpose of this study was to investigate special education teachers’ (SET) perceptions about transition services for SwSID and explore SETs’ suggestions about how to improve delivery of transition planning services. The conceptual framework for this study was Schlossberg’s transition model. For this basic qualitative design, 12 semistructured interviews with SET of SwSID were conducted. Data analysis was conducted using open coding, axial …

Fall Prevention Staff Education For Nurse Preceptors' Utilization In Nursing Orientation, Angela Green

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project involved the creation of a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) staff education project for nurse preceptors to utilize in nursing orientation. The project was to increase the nurse preceptors’ knowledge, awareness, and competencies of the hospital’s fall prevention plan. The gap in nursing practice issue was an increase in fall occurrences throughout the hospital. The hospital’s key performance indicators for fall events demonstrated a significant increase in fall rates. The practice-focused question for this project addressed whether a staff education project on fall prevention provided to nurse preceptors would result in a decrease in the number of the …

Hospital Location, Socioeconomic Factors, And Obesity Impact On Patient Readmission Rates 30 Days Post-Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, Mazalo Looky

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is associated with a high rate of readmissions within 30 days after discharge. Patient variables such as obesity and socioeconomic status (SES) are modifiable, whereas hospital factors such as location indicate the need for a better regional needs assessment. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of hospital location, SES, and obesity (independent variables) on the 30-day readmission rate post-CABG (dependent variable) among US patients. Secondary data sets available from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Society of Thoracic Surgery websites were analyzed to assess the impact of location, …

Deputy Sheriffs’ Experience With Inmate Suicide, Tiffany Buco

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Deputy sheriffs working in correctional facilities are responsible for enforcing rules and regulations of the facility, supervising inmates, ensuring security, and preventing inmates from escaping. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of deputy sheriffs experiencing an inmate’s death by suicide. The sample for this study consisted of six deputy sheriffs who had been a deputy sheriff for at least 3 years and experienced an inmate suicide. The theoretical foundation applied to this study is the personal construct theory because it requires constructs that are used to make sense of people’s experiences, in this …

Special Education Teachers' Perceptions Regarding Inadequate Transition Planning Services For Students With Severe Intellectual Disabilities, Jennifer Garcia Villanueva

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed in this study was that students with severe intellectual disabilities (SwSID) enrolled in life skills settings are not receiving adequate transition planning services at local rural public schools in a southwestern state. The purpose of this study was to investigate special education teachers’ (SET) perceptions about transition services for SwSID and explore SETs’ suggestions about how to improve delivery of transition planning services. The conceptual framework for this study was Schlossberg’s transition model. For this basic qualitative design, 12 semistructured interviews with SET of SwSID were conducted. Data analysis was conducted using open coding, axial …

Fall Prevention Staff Education For Nurse Preceptors' Utilization In Nursing Orientation, Angela Green

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project involved the creation of a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) staff education project for nurse preceptors to utilize in nursing orientation. The project was to increase the nurse preceptors’ knowledge, awareness, and competencies of the hospital’s fall prevention plan. The gap in nursing practice issue was an increase in fall occurrences throughout the hospital. The hospital’s key performance indicators for fall events demonstrated a significant increase in fall rates. The practice-focused question for this project addressed whether a staff education project on fall prevention provided to nurse preceptors would result in a decrease in the number of the …

Deputy Sheriffs’ Experience With Inmate Suicide, Tiffany Buco

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Deputy sheriffs working in correctional facilities are responsible for enforcing rules and regulations of the facility, supervising inmates, ensuring security, and preventing inmates from escaping. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of deputy sheriffs experiencing an inmate’s death by suicide. The sample for this study consisted of six deputy sheriffs who had been a deputy sheriff for at least 3 years and experienced an inmate suicide. The theoretical foundation applied to this study is the personal construct theory because it requires constructs that are used to make sense of people’s experiences, in this …

Hospital Location, Socioeconomic Factors, And Obesity Impact On Patient Readmission Rates 30 Days Post-Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, Mazalo Looky

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is associated with a high rate of readmissions within 30 days after discharge. Patient variables such as obesity and socioeconomic status (SES) are modifiable, whereas hospital factors such as location indicate the need for a better regional needs assessment. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of hospital location, SES, and obesity (independent variables) on the 30-day readmission rate post-CABG (dependent variable) among US patients. Secondary data sets available from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Society of Thoracic Surgery websites were analyzed to assess the impact of location, …

Integrating Corpus Linguistics In Vietnamese English Education: A Qualitative Inquiry Into Scholarly Perspectives And Practices, Thi Thuy Tran, Trut Thuy Pham, Thanh Thao Le

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objective: Our qualitative study investigated the integration of corpus linguistics in English education research among Vietnamese scholars, focusing on the experiences and perceptions across different career stages.

Methods: Employing semi-structured interviews, we engaged nine linguistics scholars, including novices as well as those at mid-career and near-end career stages, from two prominent Vietnamese institutions.

Results: Thematic analysis revealed three key themes: (1) challenges in incorporating corpus linguistics into teaching practices, (2) perceived benefits in enhancing language proficiency, and (3) the importance of institutional support for corpus linguistics research. The findings indicated that despite recognizing the pedagogical benefits of corpus linguistics, scholars …

Factors Of Police Decision-Making Of Veterans In Crisis, Paul N. Guzman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since 9/11, the need for veteran crisis intervention has increased. Police agencies often respond to veterans in crisis by deploying officers who have completed Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, and many of the officers are prior military. However, little research has focused specifically on the factors influencing police officers’ decision-making when responding to veterans in crisis. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the association and predictability between event type, veteran behavior, police officer military experience, police officer CIT, and the disposition of veterans as measured by arrest, referral for mental health services, and the use of force. …

Factors Of Police Decision-Making Of Veterans In Crisis, Paul N. Guzman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since 9/11, the need for veteran crisis intervention has increased. Police agencies often respond to veterans in crisis by deploying officers who have completed Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, and many of the officers are prior military. However, little research has focused specifically on the factors influencing police officers’ decision-making when responding to veterans in crisis. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the association and predictability between event type, veteran behavior, police officer military experience, police officer CIT, and the disposition of veterans as measured by arrest, referral for mental health services, and the use of force. …

Empathy And Academic Achievement Among Black/African American College Students In An Hbcu, Hyung Nam Kim

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Empathy is the ability to understand the thoughts, behaviors, and feelings of others. In addition to fostering strong relationships and overall personal growth, empathy plays a crucial role in college students achieving positive academic outcomes. However, a knowledge gap exists concerning the role and impact of empathy among college students, particularly Black/African American students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). This research aims to address this gap by examining those students’ empathy levels and their association with academic achievement. The study found relatively low levels of empathy and a negative association between empathy and academic performance. Further research is …

Factors Of Police Decision-Making Of Veterans In Crisis, Paul N. Guzman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since 9/11, the need for veteran crisis intervention has increased. Police agencies often respond to veterans in crisis by deploying officers who have completed Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, and many of the officers are prior military. However, little research has focused specifically on the factors influencing police officers’ decision-making when responding to veterans in crisis. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the association and predictability between event type, veteran behavior, police officer military experience, police officer CIT, and the disposition of veterans as measured by arrest, referral for mental health services, and the use of force. …

Occupational Therapy Faculty Mentorship And Degree Type As A Predictive Relationship With Student Satisfaction Scores, Gwen R. Morris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education outlines criteria for occupational therapy graduate programs by degree type but does not require pedagogic knowledge for either degree type. The problem addressed through this study was that the predictive relationship between occupational therapy faculty mentorship in the first 3 years of teaching and degree type with student satisfaction is unknown. The study was grounded by constructivism and occupational adaptation. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to determine if there is a predictive relationship between occupational therapy faculty mentorship and degree type (independent variables) with student satisfaction (dependent variable) among occupational …

Educating Staff To Use The Teach-Back Method Towards Improving Adherence To Antipsychotic Medication, Elizabeth Adebayo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

My goal for this staff education doctoral project was to improve adherence to antipsychotic medication among patients in a mental health facility through an education initiative for psychiatric intensive care unit staff focused on the teach-back method. The facility had reported a 20% increase in medication noncompliance among post-discharge patients within the past year, primarily attributed to nurses’ lack of adequate patient teaching strategies. I addressed the issue of effective patient education using the teach-back method in improving medication adherence in an inpatient mental health setting. Teaching objectives, content, and test questions were developed based on a substantial body of …

Strategies For Driver Retention At Small Trucking Companies, Dariell Kendrick Cooper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The trucking industry faces a critical driver shortage, which threatens the stability of supply chains and the economy at large. This issue is particularly challenging for owners of small trucking companies, as they form the backbone of the industry. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, this qualitative pragmatic inquiry aimed to identify the strategies small trucking company owners used to retain drivers and sustain their operations. The participants included five small trucking company owners from the southeastern United States. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, public records, and company websites. Thematic analysis was used to …

Executive Summary: Development And Validation Of A Clinical Practice Guideline For Improving Colorectal Cancer Screening, Katie Nguyen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Colorectal cancer is one of the top three killers of adults globally. The age to be screened for colorectal cancer for average-risk individuals has been lowered from 50 to 45 years of age; however, for those with a familial history of colorectal cancer, or a personal medical history of other gastrointestinal diseases, the age to be screened has been lowered from 45 to 40 years of age or younger. A clinical practice guideline (CPG) that supports the screening, identification, and referral of patients at risk has the potential to improving colorectal cancer screening in at-risk patient populations. This was identified …

Undocumented Hispanics' Trust In Municipal Law Enforcement, Kendel Cole

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of the quantitative causal-comparative study was to examine the extent to which undocumented Hispanic immigrants in the United States trust municipal law enforcement differently based on whether they live in a sanctuary city or a non-sanctuary city. The research question (RQ) asks if there are significant differences in trust in municipal law enforcement among undocumented Hispanic immigrants in sanctuary cities compared to non-sanctuary cities. The Narrative Policy Framework was the theoretical foundation for the study. The study occurred in sanctuary cities and non-sanctuary cities. Sanctuary city status was the independent variable in the RQ, reflecting the self-identification of …

Lived Experiences Of Black, Indigenous, And People Of Color (Bipoc) Helping Professionals, Shairee Lackey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was focused on the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) professionals in helping professions. The goal of the research was to understand the challenges BIPOC helping professionals face due to systemic racism, burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress. These factors significantly impact the well-being and effectiveness of BIPOC professionals and are often overlooked in existing literature. Grounded in critical race theory, the study used a phenomenological research design, gathering data through semistructured interviews with 13 participants. The findings revealed challenges such as microaggressions, stereotypes, discrimination, lack of representation, and cultural invalidation. Participants showed resilience …