Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Employee Turnover In The Healthcare Industry, Gloria Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover is a challenging issue many organizations face resulting in lost productivity, profitability, and sustainability. Nursing leaders are concerned with employee turnover because patient quality of care and safety could suffer adversely. Grounded in the context emergent turnover theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies nursing leaders used to reduce employee turnover. The participants were six nursing leaders of healthcare organizations in New York State. Data were collected using semistructured virtual interviews conducted by telephone and Zoom, reviewing an organization document, and company public websites. Data were analyzed using methodological triangulation to identify …

Social Networks And Self-Efficacy Among Hawaiian Homeless, Blake Shavers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractHomelessness affects over half a million people in the United States and millions worldwide. While permanent supportive housing initiatives like Housing First have successfully improved homeless wellbeing, recent research has shown that housing alone is not a solution; it requires add-on programming to assist in mitigating the causal factors. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the social networking and self-efficacy of currently homeless and those who have successfully transitioned to supportive housing in the unique social and geographical environment of O’ahu, Hawai’i. A phenomenological study design using criterion sampling for semi structured interviews of four houseless …

Understanding The Lack Of Communication Between Communities And Law Enforcement Through A Community Policing Program, Patrick B. Skoczek

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Inequitable treatment by law enforcement officers has deeply impacted minority communities in the United States. Public incidents of abuse of power, discriminatory treatment, and excessive use of force have received increased attention, creating increased community mistrust of law enforcement officers. To help bridge the gap between communities and law enforcement agencies, this qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to examine the use and impact of the Policing and Public Safety Problem-Solving Programs. Data were collected through interviews with 12 retired police officers and 12 community members. Interview questions were related to participants’ perceptions regarding a breakdown in trust between law …

An Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Special Education Teachers Engaged In Mentoring Programs For Novice Teachers, Donna M. Sowerby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract Beginning special education teachers often leave the field within the first 3–5 years of employment. There is ample research available on mentoring programs for beginning teachers. However, limited research exists on mentoring programs for beginning special education teachers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of novice special education teachers in urban schools to broaden the current understanding regarding their perceptions of mentoring. Self-determination theory was the conceptual framework for examining the mentoring relationships and the participants’ perceptions. Using a phenomenological approach, in-depth face-to-face interviews were used with a purposeful sample of 10 novice …

Black/African American Men’S Lived Experiences Of Workplace Colorism Bullying, Dr. Benjamin K. Spady Ph.D

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bullying in the U.S. workplace is an ongoing issue that transcends industry boundaries due to perpetrators’ ineffectiveness in viewing all coworkers as equals. The purpose of this qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis study was to explore the lived experiences of Black/African American men who endure workplace colorism bullying. Critical race theory provided the conceptual framework, which labeled racism as an omnipresent systemic force. Semistructured interview data were collected from six Black/African American men who resided in the United States and who were bullied in the workplace within the past 20 years. Data were coded via open coding to discover themes. The …

Mental Health Professionals’ Perceptions Of Referrals To School-Based Mental Services Among Elementary Students, Dr. Adrienne L. Stephens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractBarriers exist to the referral process for mental-health services among elementary-school students from the perspective of school-based mental-health service professionals. The problem addressed in this study was that lack of mental-health referrals can delay or prevent treatment of mental-health issues, causing those mental-health problems to worsen over time. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of school-based mental-health service professionals regarding these barriers to mental-health referrals. Pescosolido’s theory of the revised network model was the guiding conceptual framework for this study. The study was guided by research questions focused on how school-based mental-health professionals perceived …

Examining Psychosocial Characteristics Of Female Serial Murderers, Rachael Strebel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous studies of serial murderers have focused primarily on male serial murderers.The reason for this is unknown, but is primarily reflective of media patterns, gender roles, and social norms that often exclude females from conversations surrounding female serial murder. This study focused on the psychosocial characteristics of female serial murderers. Both solo female serial murderers and serial murderers who worked with one partner were studied. Using a grounded theory approach, based on the review of 11 secondary data case studies, 12 female serial murderers were studied; six who murdered individually and six who murdered within a team. Six main themes …

Exploring Care Recipients’ Health Conditions Influence On Caregivers And Caregivers’ Meaning Of Care Dependence, Yolanda Suarez-Calvo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Little is known about the ways in which caregivers are affected or influenced by their care recipients’ health conditions. Additionally, the meaning of care dependence for caregivers is also understudied. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to examine caregivers’ affection/influence due to the physical and psychosocial health conditions of the individuals for whom they care. Further, the meaning of care dependence, from the perspectives of the caregivers, was sought. The theoretical framework to further this research was Montgomery and Kosloski’s (2009) caregiver’s identity theory The research question addressed the ways caregivers are affected or influenced by the care …

Relationship Between Strategic Dexterity, Absorptive Capacity, And Competitive Advantage, Ifechide Monyei

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) manufacturing executives and managers are concerned with the rapid technological changes involving artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and big data. To compete in the global landscape, effectively managing digital and artificial intelligence changes among SME manufacturing executives and managers is critical for leaders to compete in 2023 and beyond. Grounded in the dynamic capabilities view theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to examine the relationship between strategic dexterity, absorptive capacity, and competitive advantage. The participants were 66 executives and managers of SME manufacturing organizations who use big data and analytics daily and …

Parenting From Juvenile Confinement: Adults’ Reflections On Their Juvenile Experience, Lakeasha R. Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMass incarceration in the United States has resulted in an estimated 19.7 million youth living in fatherless homes. Incarcerated juvenile fathers are contributing to that number. Juvenile fathers who are incarcerated is a socially pertinent topic with significant implications, yet child developmental scholars understudy it. This phenomenological qualitative study was conducted to fill this gap by exploring the lived experiences of adults who, as juveniles, were incarcerated fathers and how they coped with social and emotional stressors while attempting to balance adolescence and defining fatherhood. Five adult males were interviewed and asked a series of four demographic and 18 semistructured …

Organizational Continuity Planning For Small Nonprofit Organizations, Lucy Castro

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Natural and manufactured disasters may negatively affect a nonprofit organization’s ability to meet its mission. Organizational continuity planning is one tool to help an organization remain practical and mission focused when faced with a natural or manufactured disaster. This qualitative case study explored the essential elements of organizational continuity planning for small nonprofit organizations. Disaster management theory and emergency management theory were used to frame the study. Three research questions guided the study exploring the internal organizational infrastructure challenges organizational leaders face during natural or manufactured disasters; the ways organizational continuity planning assisted nonprofit leaders in providing needed services during …

Individuals’ Lived Experiences With Pharmaceutical Patient Assistant Programs, Marcia Clarke-Burke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPharmaceutical patient assistance programs (PAPs) were introduced as an alternative to address patients’ inability to obtain necessary prescription drugs. However, individuals were not fully exploring the beneficial nature of PAPs due to a poor understanding of the programs. Additional research is needed to understand how PAPs impact patients’ outcomes and costs of care. Grounded in Andersen and Newman’s model of health care utilization, this qualitative research was guided by the hermeneutic phenomenological research design. Data were collected during interviews with 11 participants located in various states regarding their participation in PAPs and their lived experiences in using PAPs. Collected data …

Factors Related To The Perceptions Of Academic Honesty Among Campus-Based And Online Undergraduate Students, Robert Defranco

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Academic dishonesty poses a challenge for the online and campus-based learning environment where technology and assessment at a distance may encourage easy and innovative ways of cheating. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess campus-based and online students’ attitudes and perceptions toward academic dishonesty. Data were collected via the Student Academic Honesty Survey to measure student perceptions of academic dishonesty to determine the following: (a) whether biological males and females differed in their perceptions of academic dishonesty, (b) the predictive relationships between perceptions of academic dishonesty and locus of control after controlling for type of school, and (c) …

Riders’ Lived Experiences About Ride-Sharing On The Concept Of Customer Trust In The Choice Of Rides In Dallas, Texas, Winston Randolph John

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A business’s long-term success is dependent on the ability to build and maintain customer trust. Failed projects within the sharing economy, which ride-sharing is part of, suggest distrust of the services and products of sharing economy companies. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of riders using ride-sharing regarding the concept of customer trust in Dallas, Texas. The conceptual framework for this study was the theory of planned behavior. Interview data were gathered from 15 participants who met the inclusion requirements of being a rider with Uber or Lyft with ride experiences before, during, …

An Educational Intervention For Perioperative Nurses On Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis, Joann Mcghee-Evans

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractResearch has demonstrated that enhancing a nurse’s knowledge and awareness may result in positive patient, provider, and organizational outcomes. In a local organization, there had been a 25% increase of postoperative venous thromboembolisms (VTEs) within the last 12 months. The purpose of this doctor of nursing practice (DNP) project was to determine whether an educational intervention focused on VTE and the standards of care for VTE prevention increased knowledge and awareness among perioperative nurses working in the local organization. Benner’s novice to expert theory and King’s goal attainment theory provided the framework for the DNP project. Thirty-eight nurses were invited …

Reducing Same-Day Procedure Cancellations At An Interventional Spine And Pain Management Center, Adriene Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractReducing Same-Day Procedure Cancellations at an Interventional Spine and Pain Management Center by Adriene Smith

Walden UniversityOctober 2023   Abstract The practice problem at a local interventional spine and pain management center was that the nurses lacked sufficient knowledge of the facility’s preoperative screening tool. The problem resulted in inadequate patient preparation for surgical procedures that led to a 33% same-day surgery cancellation rate. A staff education project was conducted to educate the nurses on how to properly use the facility’s preoperative screening tool and assess their knowledge of common blood thinner medications included in the preoperative screening process. Failure to …

Healthcare Organizational Strategies For Designing And Implementing Economic Think Tanks, Robert Worthington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A lack of focus on organizational strategy impedes the development of successful healthcare think tanks. Healthcare leaders are concerned about the lack of strategies and their importance in combating fraud, reducing errors, enforcing practice guidelines, and improving patient healthcare services. Grounded in the four trajectories of industry change theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies healthcare management leaders use to develop successful healthcare think tank organizations. The participants were three healthcare professionals in senior leadership positions for a healthcare think tank organization. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, a review of organizational documents, and …

Sharing Strategies Between Higher Education Administrators And Their Information Technology Leaders, Larita Brewster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some senior administrators in higher education institutions lack strategies to share leadership decision-making with their information technology (IT) leaders in the quest to sustain and improve organizational performance, which is often of concern to leverage technology and improve organizational performance. Grounded in the Bolman and Deal four-frame model of leadership, the purpose of this qualitative, multiple-case study was to explore strategies used at four higher education institutions by four IT leaders and four senior administrators, to improve organizational performance in Alabama. The participants were four higher education senior administrators and four IT leaders in Alabaman higher educational institutions. Data were …

Vicarious Trauma And Elementary School Counselors, Erin M. Duduit

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Vicarious trauma has been a focus of scholars for many years and demonstrates that vicarious trauma effects professional behaviorally, personally, and physiologically. This quantitative cross-sectional study explored the relationship between vicarious trauma and occupational exposure (caseload size) disrupting the cognitive structures of empathy, control, and esteem. The theoretical framework for this study was the constructivist self-development theory, which described how helping professionals develop vicarious trauma after exposure to traumatic stories. The social cognitive theory was also used for this study, explaining how elementary school counselors can increase their capacity for empathizing through modeling and experiencing empathy from others. The study …

Evaluating Church Hurt In The Black Church, Sheriyse Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Black Church has been a significant source of support for many African Americans and has served as a protective factor while meeting religious and spiritual needs. However, some studies have suggested that the Black Church can also be a source of trauma, betrayal, and abuse for some African Americans. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects between emotional manipulation, gender discrimination, spiritual bullying, and spiritual neglect on outcomes associated with church hurt and understand occurrences of church hurt using betrayal trauma theory. A nonexperimental, quantitative, correlational research design was used evaluate data from 155 African …

Improving Nurse-Patient Communication Through Motivational Interviewing In A Step-Down Unit, Ana G. Becker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPatient satisfaction is an essential component in assessing the quality of nursing care. Often monitored through patient satisfaction surveys, this doctorate in nursing practice project (DNP) was developed to improve the problem of low Press Ganey nurse-patient communication scores for a medical-surgical step-down unit. The aim of the project was to develop a staff education program for the purpose of introducing motivational interviewing as an intervention to improve nurse-patient satisfaction scores. Lewin’s change model, Knowles’ adult learning theory, and the analysis, design, develop, implement, and evaluate (ADDIE) model were used to guide the development of the DNP project. Conducted over …

Perceived Multicultural Self-Efficacy As A Predictor Of Competency In Social Justice Advocacy Among U.S. School Counselors, Damon D. Chambers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School counselors who engage in advocacy work may experience barriers when attempting to challenge oppression; hence, they need specific skills to advocate efficiently and effectively. Despite the trend in conceptual articles surrounding school counselor advocacy, little is known about how school counselors’ multicultural self-efficacy predicts school counselors’ social justice advocacy practices. This study addressed this gap in the literature by exploring factors related to school counselor social justice advocacy; that is, multicultural self-efficacy. Multicultural self-efficacy and advocacy competence have had an integral role in fostering school counselors’ abilities to identify and support the needs of diverse student populations within the …

Experiences And Perceptions Of Hospital Social Workers Regarding Discharge Planning And Readmission, Kenshara Cravens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services created the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program in 2010 to decrease the problem of hospital readmissions. This program reduces hospital reimbursements from Medicare or Medicaid when patients with specific diagnoses are readmitted within 30 days of discharge. This generic qualitative study explored hospital social workers’ experiences and perceptions of the impact of discharge planning on hospital readmission. Meleis’s transitions theory provided the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 10 female medical social workers. Data analysis entailed categorizing and classifying the data into emerging themes to answer the research …

An Analysis Of Client And Employee Satisfaction Surveys For A Public Organization, Jennifer Davidna Derisse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The need to analyze surveys to understand clients and improve services has been a focus of scholars. It is missing in literature the best methods to analyze surveys. Researchers have yet been able to establish the need of surveys in public organizations. The problem was that the Sunshine House (SH) needed to analyze surveys to understand clients and improve services. Surveys were analyzed to apply alignment, effectiveness, and action orientation. The purpose of this study was to analyze perceptions of clients and staff in surveys concerning the effectiveness of services. Research questions were the following: (a) employee satisfaction and employee …

Assessing The Impact Of Domestic Violence Upon The Lives Of African American Women, Meleh Duarto

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Domestic violence is a public health problem in the United States. It can be associated with physical, mental, emotional, and psychological problems for the victims. African American (AA) women experience this type of violence more than any other ethnicity or race. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study is to identify and report AA women’s lived experiences of domestic violence. Even though research devoted to understanding domestic/intimate partner violence’s consequences is limited, this problem has devastating consequences for AA women. This problem needs immediate attention. Likewise, there is limited empirical research done on the topic: Why do African Americans experience …

Perceptions Of Active Social Media Adults’ Mental Health After Participating Online With Uncivil Political Discourse With Out-Group Members, Bridgette Eastman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Online incivility that occurs in the comment sections of social media sites has become increasingly prevalent. Much of this incivility occurs in the context of political debate. Previous research has indicated that heated political debates online can lead to increased levels of emotional distress and that individuals have the capacity to become addicted to a variety of activities that take place on the internet. Using the theoretical lens of the social identity model of individuation effects, this study explored the impact of online political incivility on the mental health of individuals who engage in this type of behavior. This study …

Public Company Ceo Strategies For Navigating A Global Economic Shock, Trevor Lee Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Covid-19 has been the most significant economic shock of the 21st century, evidenced by the S&P 500 index plunging over 30% in early 2020. Business leaders who fail to prepare for black swan events are at a high risk of failure. Grounded in Taleb’s black swan theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies some public market CEOs use to defend share price returns during economic shocks. The participants were five CEOs of five publicly traded companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange who generated positive investor returns since the pandemic began. Data were collected …

How Elementary School Principals Manage Their Workload, Cynthia Ann Mccabe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Elementary school principals in a suburban, Mid-Atlantic public school system may face challenges when balancing their workload. This problem is significant as an elementary school principal’s workload could contribute to ineffective leadership. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore how these principals balance their workload and obtain their perceptions of the administrative support required to meet the daily challenges of their job. The conceptual framework is Gronn’s distributed leadership model which is based on the purposeful sharing and disseminating of leadership responsibilities. The research questions explored how elementary school principals describe the challenges they have in balancing …

The Underreporting Of Educator Sexual Misconduct In K-12 Schools, Nina Cordella Kornegay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Educator sexual misconduct continues to present a problem in U.S. K–12 schools. Asmandatory reporters, K–12 educators must report any suspicion of educator sexual misconduct, but despite state and federal laws regarding reporting, educator sexual misconduct often goes unreported. The purpose of this exploratory phenomenological study was to learn more about how U.S. K–12 educators perceive underreporting of educator sexual misconduct. The integrated change model served as this study’s conceptual framework. Semistructured interviews were conducted to collect data from eight educators in K–12 schools in two school districts in North Carolina. Coding analysis was used to identify themes. Five themes related …

How Supply Standardization Affects Non-Emergent Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Costs And Length Of Stay, Marc Lopez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was conducted to identify if there were practices that could be implemented to decrease costs in the operating room without negatively effecting patient outcomes. With the cost of healthcare in the United States consistently increasing, studies that focus on cost-reduction measures such as this one are crucial to ensure health systems continue to operate with a neutral or positive margin to remain available to provide patient care. This was a retrospective quantitative research study built on the diffusion of innovation theory. It focused on motivating factors such as differences in cost between surgical cases that used a standardized …