Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of A Transformative Intercultural Experience On Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Teachers' Instructional Practices, Alison Binger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers are being asked to implement cultural awareness into their instruction in the 21st century classroom, yet many lack the requisite knowledge and skills to accomplish this. The purpose of this inquiry was to explore the perceptions of teachers who are returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCV) regarding what in their long-term international experience influenced them to include cultural awareness in their instruction. Bennett's developmental model of intercultural sensitivity and Mezirow's transformative learning theory were the conceptual frameworks. The research questions for this qualitative study asked how a long-term international volunteering experience impacts teachers' pedagogy and what instructional practices RPCV teachers …

Effects Of Menafrivac® Introduction In The African Meningitis Belt, 2010-2017, Andre Arsene Bita Fouda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Meningococcal meningitis is a burden in the African meningitis belt. Before 2010, Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A (N. meningitidis A) was the predominant pathogen causing deathly epidemics. MenAfriVac® vaccine protects against N. meningitidis A. It was introduced in 2010 into highest meningitis risk health districts. There was limited data on the effects of MenAfriVac®, mainly on the degree of relationship between N. meningitidis A and the MenAfriVac® immunization. The social ecological model was used as a theoretical framework for this study. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess the effectiveness of MenAfriVac® from 2010 to 2017 in 21 out …

Predictors Of Conviction: An Examination Of Arson Trial Outcomes In Florida, Timothy York

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The influences that crime control, due process factors, and individual demographic characteristics have on the criminal trial outcomes of accused arsonists was unknown. Absent this knowledge, it was not clear if public policy ensures justice for the accused, particularly for the disadvantaged. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate, using Packer's due process and crime control model as the theoretical framework, the relationship between time to trial, number of defense and prosecution witnesses, access to fire origin and cause experts, legal representation type, age, race, education, and gender and criminal arson case outcomes. A sample size of 165 …

Social-Sexual Autonomy, Person-Centered Planning, And Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities, Earlie Simone Brown-Hall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Sexual autonomy is the right and capacity of each individual to decide and make choices

about whom, when, and how they express themselves sexually. Individuals with

intellectual disabilities have frequently been marginalized, oppressed, and left out of

discussions about sexuality placing them at risk of abuse, unsafe sex practices, and

unplanned pregnancies. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the

usefulness of person-centered planning techniques in the development of an individual

service plan that address the social-sexual needs of individuals with intellectual

disabilities. Purposeful sampling was used to select 8 participants for this study. Specific

participants were …

Increasing Referrals Of Hospitalized Obese Patients, Tammy Elaine Cabrera

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The rate of obesity continues to rise in the United States and globally, placing populations at

increased risk of obesity related conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer,

and other disease states. Literature review shows that there have been many different methods

utilized to halt obesity's progression, however rates continue to increase. The United States

Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF), American Heart Association (AHA), and other

agencies recommend obesity screening and counseling at every patient encounter, but most

hospitals do not have a current obesity policy in place to accomplish this task. The purpose of

this project is to …

Usefulness Of Medication Scanners In Clinical Practice: A Systematic Review, Laura Leonard Cure

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Thousands of people die each year due to preventable medication errors. Barcode medication administration (BCMA) systems can reduce medication errors at the point of care, thus increasing patient safety. The purpose of the project was to gather evidence regarding BCMA usefulness in reducing medication errors. Kurt Lewin's 3-step change theory was used to guide this project. The nature of this project was a systematic review of the literature pertaining to the effectiveness of using BCMA systems to reduce medication errors in at the point of care in the hospital setting. The Johns Hopkins nursing evidence-based practice model and tool kit …

Impact Of The Centering Pregnancy Model On Sustaining Normal Gestation Weight Gain, Hyacinth Dennis-Crooks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity during pregnancy has increased in prevalence over the last decade and is associated with adverse outcomes for mothers and babies, especially Black mothers. In the local setting of this project, the group-centered centering pregnancy model (CPM) was implemented to improve outcomes of pregnancy. The model had not been evaluated for its effectiveness in reducing weight in Black pregnant women; therefore, there was a need for an evaluation of the effectiveness of the CPM in decreasing excessive gestational weight gain (EGWG). The health belief model was used to guide the project, which compared mothers' weights early in the 2nd trimester, …

Perceived Quality Of Care And Burnout In Psychiatric Caregivers Working With Offenders, Latoya Brown Gage

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Perceived quality of care and burnout affects psychiatric care workers profession-ally and physically. Psychiatric caregivers working in forensic facilities encounter negative changes with perceived quality of care and burnout when working with offender patients. Recognizing the variables that lead to burnout and perceived quality of care may assist professionals and organizations with the information needed to prevent burnout and poor perceived quality of care among psychiatric caregivers. Using self-efficacy theory as a framework, this correlational design examined whether years of experience, self-efficacy, and caseload complexity predict burnout and perceived quality of care. A total of 148 psychiatric caregiver participants completed …

Sustainability Strategies For Small Business Survival Beyond 5 Years, Tanesha Lynett Ford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Owners of small retail businesses who fail to implement adequate managerial strategies experience reduced profits and sustainability challenges. Small businesses account for 85.3% of the market, and 66% of small businesses fail within the first 5 years due to low sales and personnel issues. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the managerial strategies that owners of successful small retail businesses implemented to sustain their operations for longer than the first 5 years. The population for the study included owners of 3 small retail businesses in the southeastern region of the United States, who successfully implemented managerial …

Marketing Strategies For Small Business Sustainability, Stetson Samel Jacque's King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The restaurant industry is the second largest employer in the United States; however, only 33% of restaurant owners sustain profits longer than the first 5 years from inception. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore marketing strategies that owners of small business restaurants use to sustain profitability for longer than the initial 5 years. Aaker's brand equity model was the conceptual framework used to ground this study. Purposeful criterion sampling was used for the study. Participants included 3 owners of small restaurants operating in the southern United States. Data analysis involved using Yin's 5-step data analysis process …

Health Seeking Behavior In African American Women, Lorretta Larmond-Hyman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disparities exist in the health-seeking behavior of African American (AA) women in the United States. Specifically, AA women 40 years and older often do not adhere to guidelines for breast cancer screening because of demographic and socioeconomic factors that have impacted health disparities. The purpose of this study was to research negative health-seeking behavior toward early-stage breast cancer detection in AA women 40 years and older. The main research questions addressed whether there is a relationship between negative health-seeking behavior, operationally defined as lack of a personal doctor, lack of health insurance, and lack of doctor visits within the past …

Successful Strategies Ministers Use To Obtain And Manage Foundation And Government Grants, Rebecca I. Payne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ministers need a strategy for applying for the millions of dollars in grants available to churches for programs that will benefit communities. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that Christian ministers use to obtain and manage government and foundation grants. The conceptual frameworks were an emergent strategy and the ladder of accountability. Data were gathered from semistructured interviews with 4 Christian ministers in New York State and reviews of sample monthly and quarterly grant accountability reports. Selective coding was the data analysis process. The 3 major themes that emerged from the data analysis were …

Using A Quality Workbook Committee To Improve Nurse-Sensitive Patient Indicator Scores, Nicole Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health care providers gather and track quality patient indicator scores to monitor patients' safety and outcomes and decrease the number of adverse events. Nursing leaders implemented a Quality Workbook Committee (QWC) within a hospital setting to improve patient outcomes and the facility's reported scores for nurse-sensitive patient indicators. The practice-focused question for this quality improvement evaluation project examined whether the implementation of the QWC improved nurse-sensitive patient indicator scores. Watson's theory of human caring was used to evaluate the gap in practice, and Rosswurm and Larabee's model for evidence-based practice change provided guidance for planning the project. Sources of evidence …

A Policy Feedback Theory Approach To Food Assistance Program Distribution Mechanisms, Ahmad Sabbagh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many families that experience hunger in the United States rely on Food Assistance Programs to meet their daily nutrition needs. However, these programs do not always meet the needs of these individuals, as has been the case for individuals living under higher than expected levels of poverty in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Using policy feedback theory (PFT), the purpose of this case study was to explore the experiences of individuals from a county in the Great Lakes region of the United States, who depend on the federal Food Assistance Program, with particular attention given to evaluate …

Small Business Owners' Search For Profitability Under The Affordable Care Act, Alton Simpson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health care costs for small businesses have been rising annually for the past few decades. Congress voted to pass the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to lower the cost of health care in 2010. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore small business owners' experiences in implementing ACA requirements and how the ACA affects small businesses as their owners work to make these organizations profitable. Complex adaptive systems theory formed the conceptual framework for this study Data were gathered during face-to-face and telephone interviews with a sample of 20 small business owners in the Philadelphia region. The research questions …

A Phenomenological Analysis Of Changing Prejudice Among Defectors Of Closed Faith, Leah Zitter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prejudice research shows that most psychologists focus on moderate prejudice in superficial settings, rather than extreme prejudice in real-life situations. The present study used an interpretive phenomenological analysis guided by social constructivism on 21 biographies to investigate how the authors voluntarily disaffiliated from their groups and altered their prejudice. The narratives were retrieved from popular and academic book and journal memoirs, digital and print interviews and articles, podcasts and video clips of members of closed faith societies who were socialized to resent outsiders, with their resentments turning into violence. The analysis used Willig's 4 stages: immersion in material, identifying core …

Evaluating Parents' Decisions Regarding Recommended Childhood Vaccinations, Jennifer Kline

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Vaccinations are among the greatest accomplishments of public health. However, many parents are choosing not to vaccinate. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between social media influence and parents' decisions to vaccinate their children. The health belief model indicates that individuals' likelihood of engaging in a health-related behavior is determined by their perceptions of susceptibility, severity, benefits, and barriers. The research questions addressed whether there is an association between parents' perception of their children's disease susceptibility and their decisions about vaccination, and whether there is an association between exposure to messaging from social media and parents' …

Cross Contamination In Levered Endoscopes, Ernest Lowell Thomason Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Contamination is a prevalent issue with reprocessed levered endoscopes. The number of infections caused by resistant enterobacteriaceae in patients due to contaminated endoscopes increased to the point that the United States Food and Drug Administration released a safety alert to health care facilities that perform endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The purpose of this descriptive project was to evaluate if levered endoscopes used in ERCP procedures met high level disinfection criteria, were properly processed, and were germ free after reprocessing. The project was supported by 2 theories: the middle range theory of patient advocacy and the germ theory. Data (counts and …

The Lived Experiences Of Counselors Who Work With Female Intimate Partner Violence Victims, Lekesha Levette Thomas-Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global health concern that affects victims, families, and the communities. Master's level counselors, who work in mental health settings, are in key positions to provide identification and intervention services to female victims of IPV with mental health issues. This study explored the lived experiences of master's level counselors who worked with female victims of IPV to gather a deeper meaning into the values, attitudes, and beliefs that master's level counselors hold in working with female victims of IPV. This study was conducted as a hermeneutic phenomenological study through a feminist poststructuralist lens to guide …

Principal Leadership Style, Teacher Motivation, And Teacher Retention, Willie E. Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem of teacher turnover in the United States has received significant attention from policymakers and district leaders. Improving teacher motivation is a concern and challenge for principals because they are faced with retaining highly qualified and capable teachers in the classroom. Researchers have indicated that principals can play a crucial role in motivating teachers. This nonexperimental correlational study used Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory and the leadership theories of Burns, Avolio, and Bass as a framework to address 2 research questions. The first research question examined the relationship between principal leadership style and teacher motivation, and the second question …

Small Business Marketing Strategies For Physical Therapy Practice Owners, Matthew Lane Daugherty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States economy depends on small businesses, which represent 99% of all businesses in the United States, yet approximately 50% of small businesses cease operations in the first 5 years. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the marketing strategies used by owners of small businesses to develop and maintain their organization through the initial 5 years of business operation. The population included 5 physical therapy business owners in northeastern Florida who had sustained their business for a minimum of 5 years. The conceptual framework for this study was the brand equity model, and data were …

Strategies For Improving Correspondent Banking Cross-Border Remittances, Titilola Olufunke Falaiye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over $25 billion have been levied against banks annually in recent years for infractions and noncompliance with cross-border regulations. Huge costs affect banks' performance, and implementing working strategies that reduce significant costs is valuable. This single case study using systems theory was designed to explore strategies that bank leaders with correspondent banking relationships adapt to reduce costs from penalties and fines in cross-border remittances.Through the process of methodological triangulation, data collected from internal policy and procedural documents supplemented data collected from semistructured interviews. Yin's 5-step qualitative data analysis process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding was applied to collected …

A Service-Learning Project And Civic Engagement For At-Risk Elementary Students, Jennifer Flores

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An urban elementary school in the city of Phoenix showed little evidence of using active learning even though active learning is a best practice to create engaged citizens. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether participating in a 3-week service-learning project improved civic engagement among at-risk elementary students. The theoretical foundation for this study was the constructivist learning theory, which states that students learn and create meaning by being active participants in their own learning. The research questions asked if completing a 3-week service-learning project showed a statistically significant difference in civic engagement for at-risk tutorial students at …

Exploring Disaster Preparedness For The Aging Population, Gladysmarie W.R. Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Older adults are encountering harsh recovery after disasters, and compounding this problem is the lack of research on older adults' perceptions on disaster preparedness as aging affects the ability to react to emergency situations. To partially address that gap, the purpose of this general qualitative research study was to use Rotter's spectrum of locus of control theory to examine the level of preparation regarding disaster preparation of older adults who were living independently in single-family homes in a state affected by Hurricane Sandy. Data were collected through a qualitative survey distributed to adults aged 65 to 80-years (N=88) and publicly …

Predictors Of Nutritional Counseling Among Adolescents By Physicians In California, Jean Kigozi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of obesity in the United States was stable at 17% from 2011-2014 among approximately 13 million children and adolescents 12-19 years of age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nutritional counseling has been recommended, and while most physicians agree that it is necessary, it is not happening consistently. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between dietary intake, physical activity, and body mass index (BMI) characteristics of youth 12-17 years old in California and the receipt of nutritional counseling. Social cognitive theory guided this quantitative cross-sectional analysis of archived data from 814 …

Strategies That Small Business Leaders Use To Motivate Millennial Employees, James Alvaro Nilo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Millennial workers occupy the majority of employment positions worldwide, which is a concern to business leaders in the United States related to having knowledge and ability to train, motivate, and retain millennial employees. Using Gilbert's behavior engineering model as a conceptual framework, this multiple case study explored the strategies that business leaders used to motivate their millennial employees. The study population included 4 leaders of small restaurant businesses in eastern North Carolina. Data were collected from semistructured, face-to-face interviews using 7 open-ended questions and review of company documents, websites, and social media. Data were coded and analyzed following Morse's method …

Strategies For The Successful Management Of Human Resource Planning In It Projects, Michael Pierorazio

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Information technology (IT) projects are often inadequately resourced with human talent. Researchers found that 70% of all IT projects worldwide fail. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore the strategies used for the successful management of the human resource planning of IT projects. Using purposeful sampling, 5 IT project managers and 5 IT directors from organizations located in the northeastern region of United States were selected for this study. The resource-based theory provided the conceptual framework. Data were collected using semistructured interviews conducted face-to-face and by telephone. For this study, data triangulation included project documents to strengthen …

Stress Reduction Strategies For Improving Private Security Officer Performance, Khalil Ibrahim Al-Mulla

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The impact of occupational stress on employees' health and work performance costs U.S. companies $300 billion annually; work-related stress is an issue for private security organizations all over the world. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies private security organizational leaders used to mitigate private security officers' occupational stress. The study participants were 4 leaders of a private security organization in Bahrain who had a minimum of 5 years of experience in the private security field and had addressed occupational stress successfully. The human capital theory was the conceptual framework used for this study. Data were …

Nonprofit Fundraising Strategies To Provide Quality Sustainable Services, Karen Cobb Love

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nonprofit organizations are essential in providing goods and services to the under-resourced in the community. Nonprofits have experienced a growth rate of 47% in 2014 and yet 53% of nonprofits reported less than 3 months cash on hand needed to meet the demands of their clients. This explorative and descriptive study analyzed nonprofit fundraising strategies for providing sustainable quality services. The purpose of this study was to determine what strategies successful nonprofits used to increase funding as it relates to the delivery of quality sustainable service and what conditions influenced fundraising effectiveness. The methodology consisted of a qualitative, thematic research …

Cesarean Births Rates After Implementation Of Labor Management Guidelines, Margie Allyn Bridges

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cesarean birth rates are associated with increased maternal morbidity. This project evaluated a quality improvement (QI) initiative implemented to reduce cesarean births among Nulliparous Term Singleton Vertex (NTSV) obstetric populations, the largest contributor to cesarean births. Variations in labor management practice contribute to cesarean birth rate; implementation of labor management bundles have been endorsed to influence practice- and system-level changes in the promotion of vaginal births. The problem addressed in this project was an organizational NTSV cesarean section rate of 30%. The purpose of the project was to use secondary data to evaluate a previously implemented labor management bundle at …