Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating How Families Experience School Criminalization, Monique Tate

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public school students across the United States have been criminalized for minor youth behavior issues such as truancy, defiance, and minor fighting incidents. The presence of law enforcement is expanding in school spaces, increasing the likelihood of young students facing court systems for minor offenses. Criminalization of students is counterproductive considering schools are designed to promote student growth and development. Little is known about how students and parents experience school criminalization. The purpose of this multi-case study, based on Freire's conceptual framework of critical consciousness, was to investigate how a small group of families experienced school criminalization. Three families of …

Managing Effective Communication After A Crisis, Enid Alane Thompson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the effects of natural disasters on small business owners, the owners' communication strategies to alleviate loss to their companies' profitability remain problematic. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive multiunit case study was to explore what communication strategies some small business owners developed and implemented for facilitating resuming their business operations after a natural disaster. The targeted population consisted of 2 small business owners located along the Belmar Boardwalk in Belmar, New Jersey. The conceptual framework for this study was Coombs' situational crisis communication theory. The case data collected were from semistructured interviews and company documents. Employing member checking and …

Health Care Team Members' Perceptions Of Changes To An Electronic Documentation System, Carol Von Michaelis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Policy makers view electronic medical records as a way of increasing efficiency in the U.S. health care system. However, hospital administrators may not have the clinical background to choose a documentation system that helps the health care team safely increase efficiency. The purpose of this case study was to examine health care team members' attitudes and perceptions of quality of care and efficiency amid a documentation system change. The theory of change was the theoretical foundation for the study. The 6 research questions were designed to elicit information about what the health care team experienced when a documentation system changed …

An Evaluation Of Individuals' Construction Of Personal Trust In Organizations, Colin Edward Armour

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Trust is in decline within organizations resulting from poor management and ethical indifference. Failing to address trust perceptions has led to stress between management and employees. Researchers have studied organizational trust as a constant quality within groups but have neglected the uniquely individual constructs of trust that inhibit trust-building efforts. The purpose of this quantitative study was to evaluate how personal constructs of trust may affect outcomes at the organizational level among workers and managers in hierarchal structured organizations. The topics of the research questions addressed the extent which cultural values and the relative trust situation affected individuals' perceptions of …

Differentiated Instruction, Teacher Immediacy, And Students' Mathematic Success, Katherine Ann Albanese-Benevento

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study investigated the role of both arts-integrated instruction (art activities as part of math instruction) and teacher immediacy (teacher caring behaviors) levels on students' math achievement. Although students from low socio-economic culturally diverse school districts have shown improvement in academic test scores, their scores are still significantly lower than scores of students from other school districts. Research has shown that when there is an increase in teacher immediacy, students' academic success increases. Despite this known correlation, there is a lack of literature on the ways that arts integration, combined with teacher immediacy, can affect academic success. Constructivist theories, experiential …

The Effects Of A Reading Comprehension Intervention Package On Increasing Third Grade Students' Comprehension Skills, Marilyn P. Card

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increasing students' reading comprehension involves the use of targeted strategies and effective instruction. Previous research has shown that instruction in individual skills such as vocabulary acquisition, reading fluency, writing, and story mapping help increases students' reading comprehension. However, few studies have explored combining these skills and their cumulative effects, if any, on reading comprehension. The purpose of this quasi-experimental secondary analysis study was to examine the effects of adding a reading comprehension instruction package (RCIP), which includes vocabulary acquisition, reading fluency, and writing, to instruction in story mapping alone. Constructivist theory was used as the theoretical framework for this study. …

African American High School Graduates' Perceived Academic Success Factors, Paula Williams Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A large number of African American students attending a low performing, urban high school in Tennessee demonstrated a lack of understanding in reading/language arts by scoring below proficient on the end of course (EOC) exam in reading/language arts. The purpose of this case study was to examine the perceptions of 10 African American graduates who scored proficient on the reading/language arts EOC exam to seek factors they associated with their academic success. This study was guided by Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory. The research question addressed the perceived factors that African American graduates associated with their academic success. Purposeful sampling …

Health Information Technology Implementation Strategies In Zimbabwe, Nixjoen Mandaza Mapesa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The adoption rate of health information technology (HIT) remains low in developing countries, where healthcare institutions experience high operating costs and loss of revenue, which are related to systems and processes inefficiency. The purpose of this case study was to explore strategies leaders in Zimbabwe used to implement HIT. The conceptual framework of the study was Davis's technology acceptance model (TAM). Data were gathered through observations, review of organizational documents (i.e., policies, procedures, and guidelines), and in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 10 healthcare leaders and end-users from hospitals in Zimbabwe who had successfully implemented HIT. Transcribed interview data …

Female Circumcision: A Phenomenological Study Of Somalian Immigrant To The United States, Emmanuel Fai Tatah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Female circumcision (FC) is the partial or total removal of the female genitalia for nonmedical reasons. This study was designed to examine the lived experiences of Somali women who underwent FC before coming to the United States. FC is widely carried out in Somalia with a prevalence of 98%, making Somalia the country with the highest percentage of circumcised women. There are short- and long-term consequences associated with FC such as bleeding, infection, and death. Therefore, it is important to understand how Somali women who underwent FC think and feel about circumcision, why they would continue the practice, and whether …

Small Business Strategies For Sustainability Beyond 10 Years, Gabriel E. Warren

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses are vital to the health of the United States economy, as they account for approximately 50% of all jobs and 99% of all firms. Historically, there has been a problem with small businesses being able to sustain their operation beyond 10 years. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the business strategies some small business owners used to sustain their company beyond 10 years of operation. The sample consisted of 3 small business owners who have been in operation for 10 or more years in Birmingham, Alabama. The conceptual framework for this study was the …

Frontline And Middle-Level Nursing Leader Transition Within The Military Health System, Rudolph George Newman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Healthcare delivery within the military requires a multifaceted approach to achieve the desired outcomes of safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable health care. The prospect of maintaining a cycle of continuous process improvements within military clinical settings hinge on frontline leaders and middle-level managers who must be prepared to execute the mission and motivate, supervise, coach and mentor the staff. This project showcases a review of current literature translated into the development of an evidence-based Transformational Leadership Induction Program (TLIP) module that consisted of 4 subsections: the environment of care, clinical decision support systems, human resources management, and change …

What Are The Perspectives Of Osteoporosis Screening Among Black Women?, Angela Alsberry Wilkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Osteoporosis is a serious disease which often brings pain, disability, hospitalization, and even death. An increasing number of studies have been conducted on the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in White women, yet a paucity of research exists to explain disparities in screening and treatment of osteoporosis in Black women. This narrative study describes the perspectives of Black women regarding individual barriers to osteoporosis screening. The purpose of this study was to better understand the perspectives of Black women regarding prevention of and screening for osteoporosis. Selections included purposive, criterion sampling of 10 Black women who were 50 years and …

The Impact Of Religiosity And Gender On Attitudes Toward Juvenile Sex Offenders, Angela Marie Barteau

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Personal characteristics of mental health professionals can impact their attitudes toward juvenile sex offenders (JSOs) and affect treatment. The correlation between mental health professionals' religiosity and their attitudes has not been examined, and there is limited research about the correlation between professionals' gender and attitudes. The purpose of this study was to examine how mental health professionals' religiosity and gender related to their attitudes toward JSO treatment. Labeling theory provided the theoretical foundation for this study. This theory posits that individuals label certain populations, such as sex offenders, as deviant and this labeling perpetuates a cycle of criminal behavior. Using …

Hospital Profiling Of The Cesarean Delivery Procedure For The State Of Georgia, 2012, Denise Frances Giles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 35.1% of live births for the state of Georgia were delivered by the cesarean delivery procedure with significant variation among hospitals. The purpose of this research was to develop a population-based hospital profiling methodology for study of the cesarean delivery procedure. This was a retrospective, observational design, using a 2012 linked dataset that included maternity deliveries from all nonfederal hospitals. The research was guided by Robson 10 Group Classification System, propensity score methodologies, and ethical precepts, for the development of hospital profiles and the study of variations in the cesarean delivery procedure. Key research questions aimed to determine whether …

Job Satisfaction, Life Satisfaction And The Unemployed Spouse, Julie Anchustigui

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The recent economic recession has led to a large number of dual-income families losing their second income or having a smaller overall household income as a result of hourly wage cuts. Previous research has examined how job satisfaction can spill over into home life satisfaction; however, literature on how life satisfaction can affect job satisfaction is scarce. Based on theories of job satisfaction, personality, conservation of resources, and affective spillover, this study examined whether job satisfaction of the working partner was affected when the other became unemployed. Measures of job satisfaction, life satisfaction, personality, spousal status, and some demographic data …

Predictors Of Excessive Alcohol Consumption Among U.S. Business Travelers, Jennifer Clore Barrickman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Excessive alcohol consumption (EAC) is an important public health problem. Several researchers have examined work-related influences on EAC, but few have investigated the predictors of EAC related to business travel. This study measured the association between EAC and frequency of business travel, duration of business travel, and job industry among U.S. business travelers. Research was conducted within the social-ecological theoretical framework. Snowball sampling was used to gather data from 187 business travelers. Data were evaluated using bivariate analysis to assess the association between measures of EAC and each independent variable. Multiple logistic regression was used to adjust for covariates. Respondents …

The Association Of Cancer Development In Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Rose Michelle Coley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Association of Cancer Development in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus by

Rose Michelle Coley

MPH, Walden University, 2011

BS, University of Mount Olive, 2008

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Public Health

Walden University

March 2016

Both cancer and autoimmune diseases have been associated with numerous factors that may independently lead to the development of either disease. When these factors overlap the difficulty in assessing association is compounded. The numerous factors that are thought to cause systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which leads to the development of cancer, makes the study …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Children's Experiences During The Therapeutic Process, Katherine Destefano

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Billions of mental health care dollars for millions of children and adolescents in need has garnered significant attention within the behavioral health industry to reduce costs while improving treatment efficacy through the identification and implementation of evidence based practices with youth populations requiring therapeutic services. This hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative research approach in the field of psychology is a consumer driven one in the world of business. Line by line context and discourse analyses, which included both a prior and inductive coding, of the verbiage and phraseology of 10 boys and 10 girls, aged 8-12, actively engaged in outpatient psychotherapy, formed …

A Study Of Satisfaction With Online Learning In Workplace Training, M. Anita Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The American workplace and American culture have rapidly transitioned to online learning and are now more dependent on technology. Yet, in spite of a multitude of studies that explored online learning, it has not been established whether managers are satisfied with application of technology to training. The purpose of this study was to examine receptiveness as expressed by satisfaction with effectiveness of online training among managers to determine if a relationship exists for age, position, and length of service. The research was based on theoretical foundations of Herzberg's theory of motivation and Herzberg's theory of job satisfaction. The goal of …

Public Sector Leaders' Strategies To Improve Employee Retention, Michael D. Izard-Carroll

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics consistently reports significant employee turnover in the public sector, including the federal, state, and local levels. High turnover results in compromised public goods and services provided to a community. The widespread nature of the problem and the scarcity of literature focusing on employee retention strategies in the public sector merited this case study. Public sector leaders from Western New York who had implemented employee retention strategies in a public organization comprised the population for the study. Cost-benefit theory, human capital theory, and social capital theory provided the conceptual context for developing and executing …

Training And Experiences Of General Educators Who Have Students With Externalizing Behaviors, Sheila Ruann Lachelt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In California classrooms, general education teachers have experienced stress due to an increasing number of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). This study used a hermeneutical phenomenological inquiry approach to explore teachers' perspectives of their pre-service professional development (PD), in-service PD, and classroom experiences with students who have externalizing EBD. The theoretical framework centered on social constructivism. Research questions addressed the teachers' perceptions of their pre-service and in-service PD on students with EBD and their experiences with students' externalizing behaviors. Twenty California general education teachers, each from a different school district, volunteered to participate in face-to-face interviews. Stratified purposeful …

Behaviors Related To Hiv Infections In Rural Versus Urban Regions Of Nigeria, Michael Ifeanyi Okeke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Efforts by the Federal Republic of Nigeria and international nongovernmental agencies to reduce the impact of HIV in Nigeria have not yielded the anticipated results. This study focused on the association between attitude, religious beliefs, knowledge of HIV, sexual risk behavior, and HIV epidemiology in rural and urban Nigeria. This quantitative study used social-cognitive theory and problem theory. The study was based on the Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2013 data including a sample of 33,006 participants. Specific covariates including gender, sexual partners over the past years, age at first sexual encounter, socioeconomic status, and literacy level were obtained …

Development Of A Guide To Successful Onboarding Of New Nurse Graduates, Jacquelyn Estelle Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The literature indicates that serving as a preceptor for new nurse graduates can be challenging and stressful without proper training in this role. Many organizations appoint preceptors without providing training and support for the role, which negatively impacts both the new nurse and the preceptor. Evidence shows that a preceptor workshop can cultivate the knowledge and skills needed to train and precept new nurse graduates. Further, there is evidence that preceptorship programs ease new graduates' transition to practice, increase employee satisfaction, and improve the quality of care provided to clients. The purpose of this developmental project was to develop a …

Knowledge Management And Innovation On Firm Performance Of United States Ship Repair, Cynthia Jane Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the decreasing labor forces throughout the United States, if leadership of the ship repair industry does not incorporate knowledge sharing and innovation into their daily business practices, knowledge will be lost during employee departures and turnover of teams from project-to-project, resulting in decreasing firm performance within their organizations. This was a correlation study to determine if there was a correlation between knowledge management, innovation, and firm performance. Data were collected from 69 CEO/Presidents, Human Resource personnel, or members in leadership positions of the Virginia Ship Repair Association in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The theoretical framework for …

Standardized Assessments, Care Planning, And Improved Quality Of Life For Residents Of Adult Family Homes, John A. Rogers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Quality of life for adults living in adult family homes requires further attention as the elderly population continues to grow and moves from minority to majority. There is a lack of data on residents in adult family home settings and their quality of life. The purpose of this project was to identify if individualized nursing care plans had an impact on the residents' quality of life in the adult family home. In this study, a registered nurse assessed the residents to create an individualized nursing care plan that would be implemented to improve quality of life. These care plans were …

Age Cohorts Impact On Public Employee Job Satisfaction Through Motivation, Isaac Edwin Perry, Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One of the most critical issues facing government over the next decade will be filling management positions vacated by Baby Boomers. The purpose of this quantitative correlational research study was to examine how intrinsic and extrinsic motivations affect job satisfaction among different age cohorts in the public workforce. The public workforce is comprised of Baby Boomers (born 1946- 1964), Generation X (born 1965- 1980) and Generation Y (born1981 to 1996). The theoretical framework for this study was Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. A random sample of 213 participants: Generation Y = 40, Generation X = 77, and Baby Boomers = 96, participated …

Examining Barriers To Retention Of Adult Learners In Rural Education Programs, Tiffany Minyon Spivey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The retention of adult learners in rural educational settings throughout the United States is challenging for adult education instructors. Adult learners in rural areas encounter internal and external barriers, including lack of self-efficacy and minimal transportation. Research exists regarding the retention of adult learners, but little is known about the barriers to persistence among adult learners in rural areas, or the motivations experienced by students and instructors. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify perceived barriers to retention at a rural adult learning center in Georgia and to provide suggestions to improve adult education and literacy initiatives. …

Examination Of The Mediating Role Of Student Engagement On The Relationship Between Personality And Academic Success For Hispanic College Students, Fernando Chapa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Traditionally, college and universities have relied on achievement indicators to estimate students' potential for success. More current researchers have demonstrated that other noncognitive factors provide incremental predictive validity to traditional achievement measures in predicting student success. This study is intended to contribute to the scholarly work in this regard by examining the mediating role that student engagement has on the relationship between Big Five personality traits and student success for Hispanic, two-year college students. First factor analysis derived four factors of engagement: Mental Activities, School Opinions, Collaborative Learning, and Student Services. Mediation models showed that there was a negative relationship …

Effect Of Modeling Instruction On Concept Knowledge Among Ninth Grade Physics Students, Devin Alan Ditmore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A basic knowledge of physics concepts is the gateway to success through high-paying careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Many students show little understanding of concepts following traditional physics instruction. As an alternative to current lecture-based approaches for high school physics instruction, Piaget's theory of cognitive development supports using real scientific experiences to lead learners from concrete to formal understanding of complex concepts. Modeling instruction (MI) is a pedagogy that guides learners through genuine scientific experiences. This project study analyzed the effects of MI on 9th grade physics students' gains on the test measuring mastery of physics concepts, …

Bedside Nurse Recognition Of Delirium In The Medical-Surgical Setting, Bridget Ann Denzik

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Delirium in adults aged 65 and older is a common occurrence in the acute care setting and is often unrecognized by bedside nurses. Delirium can trigger a negative cascade of events resulting in an increase in morbidity and mortality, functional decline, longer length of stay, and high rates of post hospital institutionalization and has a significant socioeconomic impact. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to establish a solid foundation using scholarly literature to support the development of a delirium prevention, recognition, and treatment program in the medical-surgical acute care setting applying the program logic framework. The goal was …