Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of Technology Pilot Training To Reduce The Number Of Senior Citizens Victimized By Computer Fraud Scams, James Eric Johnston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is need in the public sector to help people 60+ years of age in the safe, practical use of technology for business, personal use, and family interaction. This age group is targeted more than others involving technology fraud. The current study focused on which topics need to be part of Technology Fraud Pilot Training to reduce the victimization that is put upon seniors 60+ years of age. The project included measures that may improve understanding and safe usage of basic technology that is frequently used. These searches came from public administration, technology, government, city government, state sources, and others …

Challenges To Inclusive Education For Students With Disabilities In Japanese Higher Education Institutions, Karina Dyliaeva, Steven B. Rothman, Nader Ghotbi

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objective: The purpose of the study was to elucidate the current challenges to inclusive education (IE) at the university level in Japan, thereby addressing the gap between policy and the provision of inclusion.

Method: This qualitative case study of a private university supporting inclusive policies in Japan included content analysis of data collected through semi-structured interviews to ascertain themes.

Results: The four identified themes were: inclusion practices as a conceptual challenge, conflicting practice of reasonable accommodations, inclusion management gaps, and barriers to and opportunities for inclusive education.

Conclusions: There is a significant disconnect between legal obligation and actual implementation of …

Evaluating Safety, Permanency, And Well-Being Outcomes For Adolescents In Family Home Program Care, Tami C. Soper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Policy decision makers have restricted the use of residential behavioral health services for youth involved in child welfare and juvenile justice systems, threatening their existence. Family Home Program (FHP), an evidence-based residential model, is an example of a program at risk of extinction because of negative characterization. While in-home, community-based, and foster care levels of child welfare services are assessed for conformity with federal outcomes using the federal Child and Family Services Review (CFSR), residential care does not receive this review. The purpose of this study was to bridge the evaluation gap between in-home and community-based child welfare programs and …

Nurse Relationships, Techniques, And Turnover With Female Nurses In Nigeria, Judith Obirieze Oparaocha

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse understaffing relates to reduced quality and safety of care in the healthcare sector, which substantially risks the nation's future health. With issues such as faculty shortage, burnout, increased workload, retirement, and increased turnover, the nursing sector has been unable to sustainably have adequate staffing to satisfy patients' needs. Nurse leaders, directly and indirectly, influence the rate of nurse retention and turnover mainly by affecting the work environment, workload, and staff motivation. Based on the leader-member exchange model, this research stipulates that an amicable and supportive relationship between leaders and followers promotes staff retention and increased productivity. The study aims …

Social Enterprises And Evidence-Based Practices Of Sustainable Development, Gregory Rogers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some managers of social enterprise organizations lack strategies to improve business operations and profitability in a social business inside a private market. Social enterprise managers must implement successful strategies to improve business operations and profitability; otherwise, businesses may fail, causing a loss of jobs, increased social injustices, and weakened communities. Grounded in the competing values framework, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies used by managers of social enterprises to improve business operations and profitability. The participants comprised six social enterprise managers who implemented successful strategies for at least 3 years to improve business operations and …

Strategies To Engage Multigenerational Workforces, With A Focus On Millennials, Talisha T. Turner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A problem that continues in the blue-collar industry is the lack of strategies to keep a multigenerational workforce engaged, especially millennials. The purpose of this basic qualitative descriptive design was to learn how to engage the millennial workforce in the blue-collar industry. The study examined the generational shift in the workplace leading to high turnover in the construction blue-collar industry. The goal was to enhance understanding of the effects of the generational shift in the blue-collar industry and show the impact that millennials have and will have on the blue-collar industry. The two research questions addressed (a) how experienced supervisors …

Investigating Effective Instructional Strategies To Increase Reading Comprehension Of Ells, Caroline Kosho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High school classroom teachers with English language learners (ELLs) assigned to their classrooms might not be using effective instructional strategies to increase reading comprehension scores of ELLs. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the use of strategies that high school classroom teachers use to teach cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) to ELLs who have difficulty reading for understanding. The conceptual framework guiding this study was Cummin’s second language acquisition theory. The basic qualitative research design was guided by two research questions intended to determine the effectiveness of strategies used by the high school classroom teachers to …

U.S. Health Care Leaders' Perceptions Of A $15 Living Wage And Its Influence On Organizational Outcomes, Mary Trenice Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, paying employees a living wage has been a salient topic for organizations, social advocacy groups, and politicians in recent years. Advocates have introduced a $15 per hour wage as an appropriate living wage. There is existing research on living wages; however, research is limited on perceptions of living wages among leadership in the health care industry. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore leaders' perceptions of a $15 living wage and its influence on organizational outcomes in the health care industry. The efficiency wage theory provided the theoretical framework for the investigation. A …

Community Nonprofit And Small Business Partnerships - The Impact On Community Well-Being, Tracye D. Bryant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In this study, the challenges impeding the establishment of sustainable partnerships between small businesses and nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in South Fulton, Georgia, and their potential impact on community development were explored. Drawing upon existing literature and employing a qualitative research approach involving ten community leaders from NPOs and ten small business (SB) owners, the perceived barriers hindering successful partnerships were examined through thematic coding in NVivo. The findings revealed a range of obstacles, including inadequate funding, limited financial capacity, divergent interests, uneven benefits, and challenges arising from the COVID-19 economic landscape. The study included insights into the potential for stronger …

Nonprofit Leadership Strategies For Maintaining Tax-Exempt Status, Joelander Wheeler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) have benefited communities by providing goods and services not filled by government and private organizations. Noncompliance with operational requirements imposed on tax-exempt organizations can cause NPOs to lose their tax-exempt status and hinder their ability to provide much-needed services to underserved communities. Grounded in general systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case was to explore strategies some NPO leaders use to ensure compliance with the state and federal regulations required to maintain tax-exempt status. The participants were leaders from three NPOs in Tennessee who implemented plans to ensure adherence to local, state, and federal laws to …

High School Administrators’ Perspectives On Reducing Chronic Absenteeism Among African American Male Adolescents, Torrie Siemone Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research problem for this study was that school administrators in an East Coast urban public school district in the United States inconsistently implemented leadership strategies to reduce the chronic absences of African American male high school students. Chronic absenteeism rates had led to decreased graduation rates and higher drug use and school dropout rates in the district. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore high school administrators' perspectives on implementing situational theory strategies to address the challenges of reducing the chronic absenteeism of African American male high school students. Hersey and Blanchard’s theory of situational leadership …

The Lived Experience Of Transformation In Cam Providers Trained In Trauma-Informed Care, Alane Lucht

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public and professional awareness of the nature and consequences of psychological trauma has resulted in a greater interest in becoming trauma informed. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) providers have begun to incorporate trauma-informed care in their practices. However, there is a lack of research exploring how training in trauma-informed care (TIC) personally and professionally transforms CAM providers. This descriptive phenomenological study explored the lived experience of transformation in CAM providers who participated in TIC training. Transformative learning theory (TLT) was used as the conceptual framework. Nine participants were interviewed, and their experiences of personal and professional transformation were analyzed using …

Effects Of Inclusive Prekindergarten Programs On Developmental Skills Of Typically Developing Children, Danita Duhart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 set forth guidelines for inclusionary practices to ensure that students with disabilities were educated with their nondisabled peers. In early childhood education, there was a paucity of information that addressed, in quantifiable terms, the effect of inclusion on the developmental skills of typically developing children. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental, nonequivalent study was to examine to what extent the prekindergarten program delivery setting, inclusion versus noninclusion, effects the developmental domains of typically developing children. The theoretical framework was based on Arnold Gesell’s maturational theory of development. The developmental domains for typically …

How Physicians’ Perceptions Of Satisfaction And Morale Affect Retention, Ernest George Britton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Physician turnover affects care delivery and contributes to costs, emphasizing the need for retention to minimize unnecessary costs of hiring, training, and lost productivity among healthcare organizations. Healthcare leaders tend to be concerned about the negative affects that physician turnover has on patient care, profitability, and organizational viability. The U.S. healthcare system may benefit from reduced expenditures associated with retention. Grounded in Ellenbecker’s job retention model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies healthcare organizational leaders use to retain employed primary care and internal medicine physicians. The participants comprised six physician leaders from three healthcare organizations …

Evidence-Based Leadership Practices Of Reentry Program Leaders To Reduce Recidivism Among African American Women, Mabrey Raymond Duff

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The rate of recidivism among African American women is disproportionately higher than among European American or Latino women in a southeastern state. The problem identified was the high prevalence of recidivism among African American women despite undergoing reentry programs. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the practices of reentry program leaders in a southeastern state that reduce recidivism among formerly incarcerated African American women. Evidence-based leadership development provided a conceptual framework for assessing the results of practices in the reentry program. Current reentry program leaders in a southeastern state were asked to describe the leadership practices …

Private Sector Staff’S Lived Experiences With Gamified Onboarding Programs, Willa Thorpe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although gamification is an emerging area of study, it is still a relatively new concept in workplaces. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lack of existing literature on the topic of an interpretative, phenomenological analysis approach of private sector staff when gamification is utilized in onboarding processes. Data were collected via 12 individual semistructured interviews of full- or part-time employees at a partner organization in the information technology sector in India. Self-determination theory was used as the conceptual framework of this study. The research questions explored the lived experiences of staff with gamified onboarding programs and …

Leadership Development Strategies For Sustaining Organization Performance Through The Upper Echelon Theory, Marjorie Mccants

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational leaders within the Department of the Army in the Military District of Washington frequently experience turnover that necessitates a new leader's transition into a position. These new leaders sometimes experience challenges in successfully transitioning into the organization to maintain the continuity of operations. Grounded in the upper echelon theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies senior leaders use to transition new subordinate leaders into their organization successfully. The participants included eight military and civilian leaders with more than eight years of knowledge and experience in employing effective strategies for developing midlevel managers. Data were …

High School Principals’ Perspectives Of Job Stressors That Influence Job Satisfaction, Lonice Priester

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The role of the school principal has become increasingly stressful and the problem is that school principals in a large school district in Maryland experience multiple job stressors that are contributing to low job satisfaction. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore high school principals’ perspectives of stressors that affect their job satisfaction as well as what support systems they believe are necessary to increase their job satisfaction. An additional purpose was to identify methods that could be used to reduce such stress. Herzberg’s theory of motivation, which outlines how job factors motivate workgroups, was used to …

Perceptions Of Financial Exploitation Among Older African American Women In The Black Church, Patricia Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Perceptions of Financial Exploitation Among Older African American Women in the Black Church by Patricia Jackson MS, Walden University, 2016 BA, Langston University, 1977 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Social and Behavioral Sciences, Family Studies and Intervention Walden University February 2024

Executive Functioning Of Kindergarteners As Predicted By Parenting Style, Parental Warmth, And Parents’ Socioeconomic Status, Kimberly D. Barrow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An academic achievement disparity exists between children from low-income and high-income households, and this gap progressively expands over time. A child’s executive functioning skills and interactions with their parents can contribute to this deficit. This static group comparison and quantitative correlational research study was conducted to examine the effects of parental warmth, parenting style, and parents’ socioeconomic status (SES) and the impact on kindergarten students’ working memory and inhibition executive functioning skills. The research was guided by Bandura’s social learning theory and Baumrind parenting style theory. The data sources were online self-reported surveys completed by parents with children in kindergarten. …

Race-Related Stress, Medical Mistrust, Covid-19 Worry, And Covid-19 Vaccination Behavior Among African Americans, Lisa A. Cash

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, nearly 104 million cases and over 1.1 million deaths from novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) have been reported overall, but African Americans have been disproportionately affected. Nevertheless, this population has demonstrated the lowest intention to be vaccinated and lowest vaccination rates of all racial/ethnic groups in the United States. The research problem addressed by this study is African American COVID-19 health disparities. The purpose of this investigation was to examine factors that influence COVID-19 vaccination behavior among African Americans, which is important to better understand how to achieve health equity. Using the health belief model …

Self-Forgiveness As A Moderator Between Moral Injury And Posttraumatic Growth Among Veterans, Mario S. De Souza Ferreira

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The process of reintegration after military combat service is a difficult path for many veterans. Countless studies have been conducted examining the effects of trauma secondary to military service that result in posttraumatic stress disorder and other related consequences. However, moral injury (MI) related to the shame and guilt experienced by veterans has been of particular interest among mental health providers. Researchers have investigated the effects of forgiveness as a moderator between MI and posttraumatic growth (PTG). Gaps remain in the current mental health literature regarding the effect of self-forgiveness as a moderator between MI and PTG among combat veterans. …

Challenges That Educators Face When Providing English Language Arts Instruction To K-5 Elementary Students In Title 1 Schools, Shari A. Clarke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students in Title 1 school districts continue to fall far behind their peers academically in comparison to neighboring suburban districts. School reform has unsuccessfully attempted to improve test scores by consistently changing reading curriculums and mandating the use of various resources that fail when implemented. Struggling school districts must use research-based strategies that include educators’ perspectives to best identify how to successfully increase student achievement. Test scores reveal that schools in a Title 1 school district in northern New Jersey are lacking proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA). The purpose of this study was to examine the challenges that educators …

Criminal Justice Employees’ Perspectives On Barriers To Successful Prosecution Of Sex Crimes Against Women: A Qualitative Descriptive Study, Stephen Dahnkwii Paye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Criminal Justice Employees’ Perspectives on Barriers to Successful Prosecution of Sex Crimes Against Women: A Qualitative Descriptive Study by Stephen Dahnkwii Paye MA, Keiser University, 2018 BS, Strayer University, 2015 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Criminal Justice Walden University January 20 2024 Postwar Liberia remains particularly challenged in prosecuting sexual crimes against women. As a result, women remain vulnerable to sexual assault against their person. This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore how individuals working in the formal and informal criminal justice systems in postwar Liberia describe the barriers to …

Stress, Resiliency, And Burnout Among Counseling Leaders, Adriana Bovee

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Leaders in the counseling profession face many demands. The purpose of this quantitative regression analysis study was to determine if there was a predictive relationship between the independent variables of stress and resiliency and dependent variables of burnout, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment among leaders in the counseling profession. Transformational leadership theory and resilience theory were applied as the theoretical framework of this study, and the cross-sectional data collection method was used. Data were collected through anonymous online surveys from a purposive sample of 75 counseling leaders. Data analysis methods included descriptive statistics and multiple linear regressions. Results indicated …

Social, Cognitive, And Teaching Presence As Predictors Of Online Student Engagement Among Msn Students, Mark Littler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The dynamics of higher education have changed as a result of online learning. However, it can be challenging for teachers to effectively engage students online. Furthermore, limited research about the relationship between presence and online student engagement is a social problem that impacts the quality of online nursing education. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative research study was to examine the relationship between social presence, cognitive presence, teaching presence, and online student engagement among MSN students. The community of inquiry (CoI) framework was used to guide this study. The research question addressed the relationship between social presence, cognitive presence, teaching …

Strategies For Reducing Dropout Rates Of First-Generation College Students, Tanya Washington Bostic

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At a community college in the state of Florida, student retention has become a critical concern because more than half of the first-year first-generation students fail to graduate. That rate is four times higher than for other first-year students. Guided by Tinto’s Student Integration Model as the conceptual framework, this intrinsic qualitative case study was conducted to investigate factors that students, faculty, and staff perceive to contribute to the high dropout rates among first-generation students at the local site. Additionally, this study was conducted to identify strategies to reduce first-year, first-generation college student dropout rates. Data was collected from participants …

Some Nonprofit Leaders Lack Strategies To Support Financial Change Management In An Organization For Sustainability, Ebony Billups

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University College of Management and Human Potential This is to certify that the doctoral study by Ebony S. Billups has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Meridith Wentz, Committee Chairperson, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Dr. Peter Anthony, Committee Member, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D. Walden University 2024 Some nonprofit leaders lack strategies for financial change management, resulting in long-term organizational health and sustainability challenges. Grounded in general systems theory, …

Evaluation Of Emotional Well-Being In Hospitalized Children Using Their Own Drawings, Alev Üstündağ

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Hospitalization can influence a child’s psychological well-being. This study aimed to evaluate the emotional well-being of hospitalized children using their own drawings. Sixty hospitalized children between the ages of 4 to 13 were used for this study, and data were collected using the pictures drawn by the children. The content analysis method was used to analyze data. Data analysis showed that hospitalized children generally did not show age-appropriate developmental characteristics at the drawing development stage; hospitalized children in the younger age groups used more colors and drew happier human figures; and older hospitalized children used fewer colors, and the emotions …

Transition Education Designees’ Perceptions Of Implementing Effective Transition Services For High School Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cynthia Kososki

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project study focused on the inconsistencies in transition planning for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) by teachers serving as transition education designees (TEDs) in a specific local region of a southern state. Guided by Schlossberg’s transition theory, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the perceptions of teachers serving as TEDs in a southern state regarding the challenges and resources needed for transitioning students with ASD in that region. The research questions addressed in this study included the TED’s perceptions of implementing effective transition services for students with ASD and the perceived challenges they …