Digital Commons Network^™

Challenges Faced By Information Technology Project Managers When Adopting Network Automation, Joshua Allen Kerley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Automating network services is vital for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to remain viable and competitive, but implementation has challenges. Without evidence-based strategies to help IT project managers curb those challenges, the transition to automating network services could be hindered. Grounded in Lewin’s change model, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore the methods used by IT project managers in network engineering to curb the challenges they face when automating network services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 10 IT project managers from non-governmental SMEs in Florida, US. The data were thematically analyzed, and …

Impact Of Toxic Leadership On The Mental Health Of Employees In Texas State Agencies, Dr. Monika Diaz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study investigated the impact of toxic leadership on the mental health of employees within Texas state agencies, utilizing betrayal trauma theory (BTT) as the theoretical framework. The study was conducted using a qualitative approach, specifically through semi-structured interviews with eight employees who have experienced toxic leadership firsthand. These interviews aimed to uncover the psychological effects of such leadership on employees, with particular attention to symptoms of stress, anxiety, and job satisfaction. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings revealed that toxic leadership was significantly associated with increased psychological distress among employees. This distress manifested as heightened anxiety, depression, …

Military Sexual Trauma And The Psychological And Emotional Well-Being Of Gay Men, Alisha Simmons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have found that male survivors of military sexual trauma (MST) may not report their assaults due to a combination of stigma, embarrassment, and fear of further assault and of being labeled a betrayer of the military. The stigma and discrimination that these gay males may face in the military culture may lead to intensifying their trauma, making it harder to recover. The goal of this study was to explore the reported psychological and emotional well-being and quality of life of gay males who experienced sexual assault while serving in the military. Freyd’s theory of betrayal trauma and institutional betrayal …

Communication Characteristics Between Secondary Special And General Education Teachers On Implementation Of Individualized Education Plans, Rylee Daniel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As more students consistently access the general education classroom as their least restrictive environment (LRE), the responsibility of Individual Education Plan implementation (IEP) is up to the general and special education teachers. Previous studies indicated that communication characteristics between general and special education teachers lead to miscommunication and inadequate IEP implementation in inclusion classrooms. Systems and ecological theory identified barriers between communication systems. Secondary general and special education teachers described the communication characteristics that lead to inadequate IEP implementation in inclusion classrooms. A basic qualitative research design provided in-depth descriptions of communication characteristics from 31 participants. The study's purpose was …

Mental Health And Well-Being Of People Aged 60 And Older Due To Covid-19, Holly Grayson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Few studies have focused on the experiences of people aged 60 and older during the COVID-19 pandemic. The extent to which COVID-19 affects people 60 or older and their mental and physical health and overall well-being was the focus of this project. This project’s framework and research design was the theoretical framework of gerotranscendence developed by Tornstam and qualitative research methods with 20 open-ended interview questions. The questions focused on different aspects of life to determine the participants’ perceptions of the effect that the COVID-19 pandemic has on mental health and well-being. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded to …

Relationship Between Healthcare Information Systems And Physician Productivity, Thomas Seth Crouch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Poor physician productivity is a significant problem for healthcare administrators and physicians as it can lead to decreased patient satisfaction, increased wait times, and, ultimately, lower revenue. Grounded in the Delone and McLean information system model, this quantitative correlational study examined the relationship between the perceived quality of EHR systems, the level of system support, and physician productivity. Secondary data (N = 973) from KLAS Arch Collaborative were collected from physicians’ responses. The results of the multiple linear regression were statistically significant, F(2, 869) = 552.8021, p < .001, R2 = .56. The predictor variables perceived quality and system support both contributed the model significantly, with perceived quality providing a higher contribution (ß = .61), than system support (ß = .26). A key recommendation is for technology managers to be proactive in designing and supporting specific EHR requirements needed for enhanced quality and system support for physician preferences. The implications for positive social change include the potential to enhance and increase the efficiency of healthcare delivery to patients, leading to better health outcomes and overall satisfaction with the healthcare experience.

Clinical Nurse Manager Fatigue And Its Personal And Professional Impacts, Carlene Galanopulo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace fatigue has been empirically linked with errors, injuries, and chronic health issues that negatively impact the healthcare worker, patients, and staff with whom that person comes in contact, as well as the organization for which that person works. The experience of fatigue in clinical nurse managers (CNMs) has been understudied. The purpose of this study was to understand the individual experience of fatigue and its professional and personal impacts as more fully described by CNMs. The research question that guided this study involved the professional and personal impact of fatigue as described by CNMs. The occupational fatigue in nursing …

Minnesota Public Assistance Program Utilization Frequency Among Jurisdiction Types, Heather Ann Winkleblack

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the 2014 creation of the Minnesota Public Assistance Program (MPAP), no taxpayer program studies covering the 2014-2017 years have been conducted on how the program was distributed for evaluating the communities impacted and determining if there was a difference between years, threshold changes, and jurisdiction type. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of the MPAP for the 2014-2017 years across three different types of jurisdictions: tribal, urban, and rural to assess resource allocation. The study’s theoretical framework was based on Kingdon’s multiple streams theory. A quantitative quasi-experimental approach was used to examine under MPAP (a) …

Teachers’ Use Of Screencast Feedback To Improve Secondary Students’ Writing, Safwa Abdul-Aziz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many students struggle with decoding and implementing feedback given to them on writing assignments. Researchers and instructors have used various technologies and strategies to improve students’ uptake of feedback given on written assignments, one of which is a form of video feedback called screencasting. Research has been conducted on students’ perspectives of screencasting feedback at the university level but has been more limited at the secondary level. The purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to explore screencast feedback as a strategy to support secondary students in their effort to improve their writing. The feedback triangle by Yang and Carless …

Human Resources Strategies To Promote Employee Retention And Reduce Turnover, Brenda Tucker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee voluntary separation is potentially hindering the growth and stabilization of small- to mid-sized organizations. Grounded in Bandura’s social cognitive theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies successful HR leaders use to promote employee retention and reduce employee voluntary separation. The participants consisted of five HR leaders of small- to mid-sized service worker industry organizations in several counties within the state of Maryland who demonstrated success in promoting employee retention and decreasing employee turnover. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, worksite reports, fiscal strategic plans, and results-based accountability reports. Through thematic analysis, five themes …

Graduate-Level Occupational Therapy Educators’ Experiences And Barriers While Implementing Trauma-Informed Approaches, Sean Michael Brim

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Traumatic events can alter the brain structure, affecting cognitive capacities and academic performance. Educators at all grade levels are responsible for supporting students through trauma-informed approaches. Previous trauma-informed research focused on K–12 education levels. Graduate-level occupational therapy educators’ experiences and barriers when applying trauma-informed approaches to improve student learning had not been explored. This general qualitative study explored the experiences and barriers of occupational therapy educators utilizing trauma-informed approaches. The conceptual framework was the trauma-informed care model. Ten graduate-level occupational therapy educators with at least 1 year of teaching experience were recruited and participated in semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed …

Strategies For Small Business Sustainability For Restaurants, James Harold Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many small restaurant business owners in the United States industry lack effective leadership strategies to sustain their business operations. For small restaurant businesses, the survival rate from 1994-2018 was 15 years. One-third of all small businesses are sustainable to 10 years without successful business sustainable leadership strategies. Grounded in authentic leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore sustainable leadership strategies five small restaurant business owners use to sustain their business for 5 years and longer. The participants were five small business restaurant owners in Arkansas and Tennessee. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews, member checking, …

Racism In The Military And Black Servicemembers’ Experience: A Phenomenological Study, Elimene Merizier

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research indicates that racism remains a persistent social issue within American society and continues to permeate many institutions, including the military. While the issue of racism in the United States has garnered awareness, the pervasive and persistent psychological effects of racism on Black and African American service members have not been adequately researched. A qualitative descriptive phenomenological study was conducted to collect data from 16 participants through in-depth semi-structured interviews to examine this topic. Critical race theory and race-based traumatic stress theory were the theoretical frameworks for this study. Findings indicated that racial encounters and discrimination continue to be persistent …

Effectively Managing Communication After A Crisis: A Phenomenographic Study On Public Health Crises In The Country Of Jamaica, Jehan Donnique Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Effectively managing communication after a crisis is the starting point of successful public policy and administration when handling a public health crisis. Jamaica has dealt with several public health crises over the span of its existence; this study compared SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and influenza, two major Jamaican public health crises during the period from 2019 to 2022. This study’s research questions addressed (a) what specific communication strategies were used by Jamaica during the influenza outbreak as compared to the COVID-19 pandemic and (b) how the specific communications strategies used during the influenza outbreak and COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the development of …

Previously Incacerated Women's Emotional Experince Of Giving Birth In A U.S. Prison, Brigit Ichard-Henderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previously Incarcerated Women’s Emotional Experience of Giving Birth in a U.S. Prison by Brigit Ichard-Henderson MA, Walden University, 2018 MA, Texas A&M University-Central Texas, 2014 BS, Excelsior University, 2009 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Human Services Walden University May 2024   Women have been giving birth while incarcerated since the advent of confinement as a punishment for crime. There is a plethora of information on incarceration rates, pathways to incarceration, access to health care and education while incarcerated, and reasons for recidivism among women. However, little is known about women’s experiences …

Knowledge, Health Beliefs, And Attitudes Toward Dementia Risk Reduction Among Rural Older Adults: A Qualitative Study, Jayanti Ray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Dementia, characterized by compromised memory, reasoning, and problem-solving, is one of the major health concerns for older adults in rural areas. Literature has indicated that there are gaps in knowledge about what older adults in rural communities know about dementia and its risk factors. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the knowledge, health beliefs, and attitudes toward dementia and its risk factors among older adults in rural areas. This study aimed to determine gaps in older adults’ knowledge of dementia and its risk factors and to identify their understanding of lifestyle factors and strategies that were likely …

Contributing Factors Affecting Health Care Access And Utilization Behaviors By Black Men In The United States, Alonzo Pendleton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Generational racism, historical abuses, and mistreatment related to health care have long contributed to a lack of trust among Black Americans in the U.S. health system, as well as disproportionate health status due to inadequate medical care-seeking behavior. Black American men have been particularly affected, with worse health and a higher mortality rate than men and women of other U.S. ethnic groups. The causal factors that manifest and sow distrust of the medical community among Black men are not thoroughly understood. The purpose of this study, which had the health belief model as its theoretical framework, was to explore the …

Podiatrists' Experiences With Telemedicine During Covid-19, Jeavon Inniss

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Telemedicine was one of the most beneficial technologies to improve patient access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telemedicine has been well-researched in the hospital and primary care setting. There is a paucity of research that has focused on the experiences of specialty providers such as podiatrists. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand podiatrists’ perspectives on the value of telemedicine as a method of delivering care. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology was used as a theoretical framework to aid in identifying which factors are necessary for acceptance and continued use of telemedicine in …

Effective Strategies To Manage Nursing Shortages, Pamela Banks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nursing shortages present a global challenge, placing strain on nurse managers, increasing the workload, and impacting the quality of patient care. Grounded in leadership-member exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore and identify strategies used by nursing managers to manage nursing shortages. The participants were eight nurse managers who work for a specific healthcare organization in Midwest states and have been in their roles for 2-3 years, contributing to efforts mitigating nurse shortages. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, newsletters, and employee handbooks. Through thematic analysis, three themes were identified: (a) recruitment strategies, (b) …

Perspectives Of Administrators On Practices Leading To Discipline Disproportionality Among African American Students With Disabilities, Delicia Goodman-Lee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Discipline disproportionality among African American students with disabilities is well documented in empirical research; however, there are limited studies about school administrators' perspectives on practices leading to disproportionality for this population. The purpose of this study was to examine school administrators' perspectives on practices and issues leading to discipline disproportionality in a large southeastern U.S. state. Social justice leadership, coupled with disability studies and critical race theory, served as the conceptual framework. A basic qualitative design with open coding and thematic analysis was used to answer the three research questions. Data were collected via virtual semistructured interviews with six administrators …

Evaluation Of Health Information Exchange Policies In Hospitals When Using Electronic Health Records, Deltalyn West

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Health Insurance Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) policies have transformed how health information is currently exchanged. Health information is exchanged through health information exchange portals, which require technical and physical safeguards. Protected health information must be secure at all times in an acute or outpatient hospital setting. Registered Health Information Administrators (RHIAs) review updates provided by HIPAA and HITECH to ensure that patient data are not exchanged inappropriately. There is a research gap in the lack of evaluation for health information exchange (HIE) policies in hospitals, as well …

Innovation In Practice: Embracing Multilingualism In An Intensive English Programme, Hengzhi Hu, Lu Zhang

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: The purpose of this article is to delineate and substantiate the adoption of multilingualism within an intensive English programme (IEP) conducted at a public Malaysian university. The target audience comprises international students categorised as English as a Foreign Language learners.

Innovation: A model encompassing multilingualism was formulated and applied in the specific context, involving various stakeholders. While acknowledging the primary purpose of IEPs is to develop English language proficiency, this model transitions from monolingualism to multilingualism by raising participant awareness of multilingualism, adopting translanguaging strategies, encouraging comparisons of different languages, and facilitating target language production that acknowledges the role …

Strategies For Building Supply Chain Resilience And Sustainability Within Law Enforcement, Vladimir Walter Jankov

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Insufficient supply chain management expertise among law enforcement departments during black swan events may hurt the operationality, functionality, and effectiveness of their purpose to keep the communities safe. Grounded in black swan theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies for building supply chain resilience and sustainability within law enforcement. Data were collected from 11 command staff personnel from three law enforcement departments in South Carolina through semi-structured interviews, member checking, and assessments of organizational documents related to departmental supply chain policies and procedures. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis framework. Six …

Medicare Expansion And Access To Quality Care In A Rural Long-Term Care Hospital In Tennessee, Lashunda Shaw

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research problem addressed in this study is that it was not known whether differences in 30-day readmission rates among the elderly exist between urban and rural long-term care hospitals in Tennessee. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to determine whether such differences exist. The conceptual framework that guided this study is the Donabedian framework. The research question was addressed that focused on the difference in the rate of potentially preventable hospital readmissions 30 days after discharge and on the difference in the potentially preventable 30-day readmission rates compared to the national preventable 30-day readmission rates. Data were …

High School Teacher Perceptions About Reading Strategies That Support African American And Hispanic Students, Sherrie Sudler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed by the study was African American and Hispanic students’ literacy scores remain the lowest of all ethnicities at high schools in a district, despite the implementation of numerous initiatives and curricular platforms. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate how high school teachers perceive their implementation of instructional strategies in reading to support African American and Hispanic students’ academic achievement. Using Freire’s theory of critical pedagogy, high school teachers’ perceptions of their implementation of instructional strategies in reading were explored. Data were collected using semistructured interviews of 10 participants who met the inclusion criteria …

Human Service Professionals Perceptions About Support From Supervisors During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ericka Booker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States Department of Human Services provided information about how to administer services remotely to human service organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic, but multiple challenges arose including lack of support, ethical concerns, and difficulty in building a rapport with clients remotely. The problem that was addressed in this study was the negative impacts on clients due to the issues with human service professionals providing virtual services during the pandemic. This generic qualitative study aimed to explore perceptions about the support human service professionals received from their supervisors during the pandemic. Bandura’s self-efficacy theory was used to explore participant perceptions …

Exploring Spanish Translation Accommodations For English Learning Students, Lea Mendoza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem is that translations of language in standardized mathematics tests are not provided, which reduces the achievement scores of native-Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) in Grades 4 and 8. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of language translation for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to uncover strategies of language translation to support the math scores of Spanish-speaking ELLs in fourth and eighth grades in a northeastern state. Underpinned by Krashen’s theory of comprehensible input, this study addressed the research question regarding how teachers of ELLs perceive language translation strategies for the …

Nigerian Secondary Physics Teachers’ Perceptions Of Factors That Challenge Information And Communication Technology Integration, Hemamalini Srinivasan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Challenges to integrating technology into educational institutions pose a significant issue that impacts students’ performance and accomplishments. The research problem addressed through this study was that secondary school physics teachers were challenged to integrate information and communication technology (ICT) in a southwestern state of Nigeria. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore secondary physics teacher perceptions of the factors that challenged ICT integration in the southwestern state of Nigeria, so that schools could be provided with research-deduced recommendations to take informed steps forward toward developing technology-integrated student-centered pedagogies. In this study, the unified theory of acceptance and …

Financial Strategies For The Survival Of Immigrant Latinx-Owned Small Businesses, Brenda Rios Brombacher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Latinx small business owners have the lowest rates of financial access when starting and growing their businesses in the United States, hindering national economic resilience and growth. Grounded in the pecking order theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore financial strategies that six Latinx small business owners in Houston, Texas, used to grow and sustain their small businesses. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and reviewing public and participant-supplied documents such as their business plan, financial statements, and budget forecast reports. Five themes emerged from thematic data analysis: (a) filling a market gap and leveraging …

Lived Experience Of Burnout And Self-Efficacy In Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurses Caring For Covid-19 Patients In U.S. Hospitals, Trixie Alohilani Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the physical and mental health of intensive care unit registered nurses (ICU RNs). Burnout in ICU RNs existed long before the pandemic; however, the massive increase in critically ill patients and the scarcity of supplies and qualified staff to care for these patients put RNs in a dangerous situation. Research addressed this topic early in the pandemic but were primarily quantitative, with minimal qualitative studies appearing later. There remained a gap in examining ICU RNs in rural hospitals in the United States. The research question for this hermeneutic phenomenological study explored the interpretation of the …