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Government And Nongovernmental Collaboration To Build Community Resiliency Against Terrorism In Oklahoma City, Kimberly K. Heltz Jan 2018

Government And Nongovernmental Collaboration To Build Community Resiliency Against Terrorism In Oklahoma City, Kimberly K. Heltz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The way communities build resiliency and prepare for acts of terrorism is ambiguous in the United States; best practices remain unclear. Due to mobility and advancements in communication technologies, individuals and organizations share information, incite anger, recruit, and act on ideological grievances with ease. Such grievances are bolstered by the political and social exclusion of disparate groups through poorly designed policies and ineffective government structures. Using a combination of social constructivism and systems thinking theories, this case study explored collaboration efforts between government agencies and nongovernment experts in Oklahoma City, OK, identifying best practices as a result of lessons learned …

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Evaluating A Discharge Bundle For Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Sharon Scardina Jones Jan 2018

Evaluating A Discharge Bundle For Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Sharon Scardina Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of hospital readmissions within 30 days. Frequent readmissions negatively affect hospital reimbursements and patient outcomes. Creative strategies, such as COPD care bundles, have been shown to reduce readmission rates according to existing studies. A COPD discharge bundle was developed and implemented at 1 community hospital in response to an identified problem with COPD readmissions. Evaluation of this quality improvement initiative was the purpose of this project study. The practice-focused question was: Have 30-day readmission rates changed following the implementation of a COPD discharge bundle prior to …

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Meeting Learning Needs Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Elementary Education, Sally Partlo Jan 2018

Meeting Learning Needs Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Elementary Education, Sally Partlo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a southeast school district, students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are taught by elementary general education teachers despite their lack of training to meet the needs of such students. To provide effective education that supports the learning needs of students with ASD, exploration of the problem was needed. The intended outcome of this qualitative case study was to provide information to district administrators that could be used to develop interventions to help general education teachers meet the learning needs of students with ASD. The Iovannone, Dunlap, Huber, and Kincaid model of effective educational practices for students with ASD grounded …

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Challenges Of Aging With The Hiv Virus And Comorbidities, Rommie Navylia Abele Jan 2018

Challenges Of Aging With The Hiv Virus And Comorbidities, Rommie Navylia Abele

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since the introduction of antiretroviral therapy, the survival rate of infected HIV patients has been on the rise with a predicted increase by 2030. The longer a person lives with the virus, the more prone to HIV-associated chronic diseases he or she becomes, but it is not clear whether these diseases are solely from aging with the virus or from long-term use of antiretroviral therapy. Scientists demonstrated that the introduction of antiretroviral therapy led to an increased life expectancy yet early onset of comorbidities; however, they failed to address the challenges that people 50 years old or older face, as …

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The Lived Experience Of Daughters Who Have Absent Fathers: A Phenomenological Study, Sibhon Jolette Brown Jan 2018

The Lived Experience Of Daughters Who Have Absent Fathers: A Phenomenological Study, Sibhon Jolette Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that this study focused on was the difficulties and challenges experienced by daughters who had absent fathers. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of daughters who grew up with absent fathers, and the effects on them as adults at home, in school, in their neighborhoods, and in their decision-making processes. The sample consisted of 20 daughters who grew up with absent fathers. Data were collected using face-to-face semi-structured interviews, and analyzed using 5 phases of Hycner's (1999) phenomenological research. Results indicated that participants' lived experiences of home life were characterized by …

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What Matters Most To Mayors Making Interlocal Agreement Decisions, Douglas C. Haney Jan 2018

What Matters Most To Mayors Making Interlocal Agreement Decisions, Douglas C. Haney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Local governmental units in the United States are struggling to cope with dwindling public resources and surging public demands. They often turn to interlocal agreements (ILAs) as a collaborative means by which to more effectively serve their constituents. Unfortunately, many ILAs never materialize or fail prematurely. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of 13 purposefully selected mayors in the State of Indiana to discover what factors they considered important when making their ILA entry and continuation decisions. It utilized a conceptual framework based on the transaction costs theory, as informed by the utility maximization, …

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Perceived Usefulness And Perceived Ease Of Use Impact On Patient Portal Use, Dasantila Sherifi Jan 2018

Perceived Usefulness And Perceived Ease Of Use Impact On Patient Portal Use, Dasantila Sherifi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patient portals are web-based tools that provide patients with access to their health records and enhance communication with providers. Despite the efforts in expanding their use and patients interest in using them, patient portal usage remains low. Higher use of portals is associated with greater patient engagement and better healthcare quality and outcomes. This study investigated the impact of perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEU) on patient portal usage. The conceptual framework was based on the Technology Acceptance Model, which suggests that PU and PEU of a system affect attitude and behavioral intention toward using the system, …

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Kansas City, Missouri, Inner City Schools' Parent Involvement Policy, Practices, And Accreditation Problems, Gena L. Ross Jan 2018

Kansas City, Missouri, Inner City Schools' Parent Involvement Policy, Practices, And Accreditation Problems, Gena L. Ross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2012, the Missouri Board of Education took away Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) accreditation status. For over 40 years, KCPS has struggled with poor academic achievement, decreased enrollment and budget, and numerous leadership turnovers. Although KCPS regained provisional accreditation in 2014 and earned enough points on the annual performance report for consideration to become a fully accredited school system, state education officials first want to ensure that the district can sustain its new performance level before granting full accreditation. The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to explore parents' perceptions about how the KCPS' parent involvement policy and …

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Does Cybersecurity Law And Emergency Management Provide A Framework For National Electric Grid Protection?, Matthew Ryan Ziska Jan 2018

Does Cybersecurity Law And Emergency Management Provide A Framework For National Electric Grid Protection?, Matthew Ryan Ziska

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. government is responsible for protecting the country's energy and technology infrastructure. Critics argue the United States has failed to prepare, protect and respond to incidents involving the national electric grid leaving communities vulnerable to prolonged power outages. Protection of investor owned utilities' critical infrastructure is vulnerable to cyber and physical harm from the absence of criminalizing the intrusion of private sector computer networks, the lack of cybersecurity threats in emergency management, and the absence of cyber-intelligent leadership supports this argument. The purpose of this study was to introduce an electric grid protection theoretical concept, while identifying whether cybersecurity …

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Nursing Faculty Perspectives On Support In Technology, Learning Management Systems, And Self-Efficacy, Diane Burling Jan 2018

Nursing Faculty Perspectives On Support In Technology, Learning Management Systems, And Self-Efficacy, Diane Burling

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Past literature has shown that nursing programs reported educators were at the novice or beginner level regarding use of technology and that there was a critical need for faculty development. There was a lack of current information on the perspectives of nurse faculty utilizing learning management systems. Learning management systems are being used within nursing education, faculty should be proficient implementing the technology, if not, students and faculty suffer. The purpose of this study was to understand how nursing faculty perceive the use and support for integrated online Learning Management System (LMS) technology, along with levels of self-efficacy, at the …

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Self-Disclosure Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Status In Personal Relationships: Perceptions Of South Africans Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Delile Gertrude Langeni Jan 2018

Self-Disclosure Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Status In Personal Relationships: Perceptions Of South Africans Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Delile Gertrude Langeni

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite enormous research on the experience of living with HIV, many questions remain regarding self-disclosure of HIV status to sexual partners by people living with HIV (PLWHIV), which is essential to reducing further infection. In this study, a phenomenological approach captured the experience of self-disclosure among South Africans living with HIV in Louwsburg, South Africa. The health belief model served as a theoretical framework, and in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 PLWHIV (8 women, 4 men) who self-disclosed their HIV status to their sexual partners. Their experiences were explored, discovering their illness, motives for self-disclosure, feelings regarding disclosing, responses of …

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Streamlining Hospital Administrative Procedures To Reduce Costs, Dr. Claret Onukogu Jan 2018

Streamlining Hospital Administrative Procedures To Reduce Costs, Dr. Claret Onukogu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Americans spent nearly $2.6 trillion, or $8,000 per person for medical and administrative costs in 2010. By 2015, healthcare spending in the United States increased to 5.8% reaching $3.2 trillion or $9,990 per individual. By tackling healthcare administrative costs, it is estimated that healthcare providers could reduce these costs by $20 billion yearly. This case study explored strategies for streamlining hospital administrative procedures to reduce costs. The business process reengineering model formed the conceptual framework for this study. Data were gathered through semistructured face-to-face interviews guided by open-ended questions with a purposeful sample of 4 hospital managers in Atlanta, Georgia. …

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Complementary Infant Feeding Practices In Afghanistan, Hasibullah Na Niayesh Jan 2018

Complementary Infant Feeding Practices In Afghanistan, Hasibullah Na Niayesh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children are at greater risk of malnutrition in Afghanistan than they are in many other countries. Malnutrition impairs the mental and physical growth of more than 50% of children in Afghanistan. It also exacerbates the risks of mortality by 45% in infants and children in Afghanistan. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between mothers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding complementary feeding and malnutrition in children in Afghanistan. The precaution adoption process model served as a theoretical framework in this quantitative cross-sectional research study. Data analyzed were collected from 306 mothers and children at 6 randomly selected …

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Management Of Chronic Kidney Disease By Advanced Practice Nurses, Anthony C. Amagwu Jan 2018

Management Of Chronic Kidney Disease By Advanced Practice Nurses, Anthony C. Amagwu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite best available care, uncontrolled chronic kidney disease (CKD) - a complex disease that impacts millions in the United States, will eventually progress to end stage renal disease which is associated with high morbidity and mortality. New evidence suggests management of earlier stages of CKD is effective in delaying disease progression. This project evaluated the impact of a CKD class, led by a nephrology nurse practitioner, on preventing disease progression in advanced CKD patients with diabetes and hypertension. The purpose of the class was to validate the need for the advanced practice nurse (APN) in the care continuum of CKD. …

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Colorado Middle School Principals' Transformational Leadership Characteristics And Colorado's Standardized Test Scores, Wayne Wolf Jan 2018

Colorado Middle School Principals' Transformational Leadership Characteristics And Colorado's Standardized Test Scores, Wayne Wolf

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have documented that high expectations do not always result in higher achievement, but the reason for varying results has not been clearly understood. This correlational study was done to find out if the degree of presence of principal leadership characteristics can predict when high expectations are effective and when they are not. Expectancy and transformational leadership theories provided the framework for identifying 9 principal leadership characteristics that might influence student scores on Colorado statewide testing. Existing student testing data were considered the dependent variable, while survey data on the leadership behaviors of Colorado middle school principals were used for …

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Increasing Knowledge About Food Allergy Management In The Preschool Setting, Katherine Mizell Crow Jan 2018

Increasing Knowledge About Food Allergy Management In The Preschool Setting, Katherine Mizell Crow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of food allergies is a growing concern in the United States. Approximately 8% of the pediatric population has some form of food allergy. Many of these children are either in the preschool and primary school setting, which is where the majority of allergic reactions occur. If the symptoms of a food allergy reaction are not treated within minutes of exposure, the results can be damaging or fatal. Evidence continues to demonstrate that preschool and school personnel do not feel trained or prepared should a severe reaction arise. The purpose of this evidence-based project was to determine if the …

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Association Between Altitude And Bronchopulmonary Cancer, Hung Ching Jan 2018

Association Between Altitude And Bronchopulmonary Cancer, Hung Ching

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As a validation study, this study addressed an under-researched area of bronchopulmonary cancer mortality and incidence. The association between altitude and bronchopulmonary cancer mortality and incidence was investigated using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research. The theoretical framework for my study was Bronfenbrenner's ecological model. This model emphasizes the relevance of social and physical environments that influence patterns of disease and injury and shape responses to these patterns of disease and injury. The age-adjusted bronchopulmonary cancer mortality and incidence rates per 100,000 people in the highest elevation and lowest elevation states …

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Socioeconomic Status And Cancer Risks In Employer-Insured Cancer Survivors, Christine Clinton Jan 2018

Socioeconomic Status And Cancer Risks In Employer-Insured Cancer Survivors, Christine Clinton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic illnesses such as cancer continue to be among the costliest for employers who provide health insurance to their employees. Despite efforts to incorporate health improvement programs in the workplace, there are concerns about the effectiveness of these programs that do not always deliver a positive return on investment. Little is known about the specific socioeconomic status of employees for whom these workplace health improvement programs are designed for. Guided by the social-ecological model, this study sought to understand the relationship between cancer health risks about socioeconomic factors among cancer survivors in the employer-insured population. Data were extracted from the …

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Nursing Leadership And Employee Satisfaction Perception In A Virtual Work Environment, Angelique Duffy Jan 2018

Nursing Leadership And Employee Satisfaction Perception In A Virtual Work Environment, Angelique Duffy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Virtual team leaders in health care must have the right resources available to help them effectively perform their jobs. Better performance from the leader may lead to greater employee satisfaction. The problem addressed by this study was the impact of leadership style on employee satisfaction of virtual nurses. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to investigate the relationship between the leadership styles of virtual nursing environment leaders as perceived by virtual employee nurses and the nurses' satisfaction as measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire-short form. Building on the theoretical foundation of Bass's 1990 work, this study examined the …

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A Phenomenological Study On The Challenges Experienced By Kinship Adopters, Allyson Foster Hamlin Jan 2018

A Phenomenological Study On The Challenges Experienced By Kinship Adopters, Allyson Foster Hamlin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This research addressed the social and emotional challenges kinship adoptive families have encountered when their adopted child's trauma symptomology surfaces. The unique relationship between the adoptive relative and the kinship child offered a different view on the coping techniques used by kinship families and uncovered areas where resources could support permanency. In this phenomenological study, 12 interviews with relative adoptive parents guided by the attachment and family system theories, offered insight to what fosters or degrades the bond with the adopted child. Using post-adoption resource events, service agencies, and community resources, this study recruited participants through flyers posted on websites, …

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Creation Of A Diabetic Health Literacy Program For Staff Of A Rural Federally Qualified Healthcare Center, Cathy Jones Jan 2018

Creation Of A Diabetic Health Literacy Program For Staff Of A Rural Federally Qualified Healthcare Center, Cathy Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adult residents in rural communities have a higher incidence of chronic diseases. This fact coupled with low health literacy and a lack of primary and specialty care services makes the management of diseases such as diabetes difficult. The purpose of this doctoral project was to develop a diabetic health literacy program for staff of a rural federally qualified health care center (FQHC) that is the largest primary care center within a 5-county area in a rural mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Most residents have difficulty understanding diabetic information as it is presented to them, which leads to an increase …

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Length Of Pretrial Detainment For Inmates With Mental Illness, Maria Pereira-Sosa Jan 2018

Length Of Pretrial Detainment For Inmates With Mental Illness, Maria Pereira-Sosa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There has been an increase in the number of individuals with mental illness being housed in correctional facilities over the last 50 years. In this study, the length of pretrial detention was compared for inmates who have a mental illness and are compliant with psychiatric medications, inmates who have a mental illness and are noncompliant or not prescribed psychiatric medication, and inmates with no mental illness. I also examined if inmates who have a mental illness have less severe charges and if there was a difference in the classification of mental health diagnoses for inmates who are and are not …

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Breastfeeding Perceptions, Rates Of Initiation, And Duration Among Urban And Rural Women, Shaunta N. Rutherford Jan 2018

Breastfeeding Perceptions, Rates Of Initiation, And Duration Among Urban And Rural Women, Shaunta N. Rutherford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Breastfeeding is the optimal feeding method for infants up to the age of 2. Breast milk is suited to fulfill the nutritional needs of infants while providing immunological and neurological benefits. Breastfeeding rates of initiation and duration are low in the United States, especially in the state of Georgia. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate how breastfeeding initiation and duration, self-efficacy, perceptions, and community breastfeeding resources differ based on geographical location. The social ecological model was used as the theoretical framework for this study. An online and in-person survey that combined the Iowa Feeding Attitude Scale, Breastfeeding …

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Cultural Perspectives On African American Adolescent Sexual Risk Behavior In Central Mississippi, Debra Suzette Smith Jan 2018

Cultural Perspectives On African American Adolescent Sexual Risk Behavior In Central Mississippi, Debra Suzette Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2015, Mississippi had the 3rd highest adolescent birth rate in the United States, high rates of sexually transmitted diseases, and enduring racial disparities between African American and White teenagers. Few researchers have described the immediate cultural environment to determine how it may influence the sexual behaviors and attitudes of African American teens. The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic study was to describe the sociocultural environment of African American adolescents in Mississippi that influences their sexual behavior by exploring the knowledge, feelings, experiences and beliefs of African American adults. The social cognitive theory was used as a theoretical framework to …

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Clinical Practice Guideline For Differentiating Risk Factors For Avoidable And Unavoidable Pressure Ulcers., Vivian Suarez-Irizarry Jan 2018

Clinical Practice Guideline For Differentiating Risk Factors For Avoidable And Unavoidable Pressure Ulcers., Vivian Suarez-Irizarry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Pressure ulcers (PUs) present intrinsic risk factors that are not consistently identified by clinical assessments. The objective of this project was to develop a clinical practice guideline (CPG) to provide nurses with guidance in identifying and differentiating how intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors are associated with populations at risk for developing avoidable and unavoidable PUs. CPG development followed a systematic method to search the literature, organize findings, and assess the strength of the resulting evidence and its applicability to the CPG. Quality of the CPG was assessed by a panel of 8 health care professionals using the Appraisal of Guidelines …

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Improving Outcomes For Congestive Heart Failure Patients, Diana Lee Collins Jan 2018

Improving Outcomes For Congestive Heart Failure Patients, Diana Lee Collins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Managing patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF) requires coordination with subspecialties and frequent outpatient monitoring. The lack of communication among health care providers and patients can result in a gap in practice when managing patients with CHF in the outpatient setting. Guided by the chronic care model, this quality improvement project was an initiative to develop and implement a 6-week self-care management program provided by nurse practitioners in an outpatient primary care practice. The goal of the project was to improve the day-to-day self-care management of patients with CHF and addressed the practice-focused question of whether a 6-week CHF …

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Association Of Dietary Intake With Suicidal Ideation Or Suicide Attempts In Adolescents, Zenobia J. Bryant Jan 2018

Association Of Dietary Intake With Suicidal Ideation Or Suicide Attempts In Adolescents, Zenobia J. Bryant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Suicide is among the leading cause of adolescent deaths worldwide and thus a significant public health concern. Risk factors for suicidal behavior include drinking alcohol, smoking, and engaging in risky sexual behaviors. One area of concern is dietary patterns and their association with depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Bandura's social cognitive theory emphasizes the assumption that one can perform specific actions to bring about desired outcomes. The primary research questions for this quantitative, retrospective, cross-sectional study concerned whether there is a statistically significant interaction between fruit and vegetable intake and suicidal ideation or suicide attempts. Data from 71,776 adolescents in …

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Executive Succession In Community Action Agencies In A Southern State, Johnnie Faye Campbell Jan 2018

Executive Succession In Community Action Agencies In A Southern State, Johnnie Faye Campbell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Without adequate succession planning (SP) for executive directors, nonprofit organizations risk losing their mission and direction and their ability to sustain the quality of program and services and maintain superior leadership. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which SP was being developed and implemented in community action agencies (CAAs) in a southern state. This study also focused on the challenges that these organizations experienced from not implementing SP. This single case study design was based on the theoretical framework of organizational change, using Lewin's 3-stage model. Identified through purposive and snowball sampling, 17 participants from …

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Examining New Teachers' Perceptions Of Preparedness, Allison Cugini Jan 2018

Examining New Teachers' Perceptions Of Preparedness, Allison Cugini

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Attrition rate is high for beginning teachers in an urban school district in the Northeast United States. Without a proper support system in place, new teachers struggled transitioning from their preparation programs into the classroom. This study focused on recent graduates from a teacher preparation program at a large local university. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of preparedness of recent graduates from the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) accredited preparation program. The TEAC standards provided the conceptual framework which informed the interview guides. The research questions focused on the perceived readiness of new teachers, the …

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Prekindergarten Teachers' Experiences Teaching Preliteracy To English Language Learners, Sangeeta Dwarka Jan 2018

Prekindergarten Teachers' Experiences Teaching Preliteracy To English Language Learners, Sangeeta Dwarka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Pre-K teachers in Metro Georgia have little to no training in working with English language learner/dual language learner (ELL/DLL) students, nor do they know how to instruct these students to meet Pre-K preliteracy criteria. As Pre-K classrooms contain increasing numbers of ELL/DLL students, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore teachers' need to support emergent literacy for ELL/DLL students in the Pre-K setting. The theoretical foundations for this study included Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and Kreshan's theory of language acquisition. Thirteen teachers participated in the study. Selection criteria was (1) having 2 years of teaching experience and (2) …

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