Digital Commons Network^™

Cloud Adoption Decision-Making Processes By Small Businesses: A Multiple Case Study, Francis Blay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cloud services have emerged as a compelling technology with immense benefits, but many companies still have concerns about cloud services adoption because of several failures that have occurred, including mistakes by service providers, exploitation of security flaws by hackers, and immature policies and procedures. The specific problem is how small businesses often lack the understanding of the ramifications of their respective decision-making processes to adopt cloud services. There is little understanding of the decision-making processes managers use in cloud services adoption. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the decision-making processes of 3 small businesses in …

A Phenomenological Study: Police Officers’ Lived Experiences With The Use Of Ceds, Gustavo Alejandro Escalante

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of conducted energy devices (CEDs; e.g., TASER) in the U.S. has increased significantly since their endorsement by the police in the 1990s. Police administrators have struggled with CED placement in use of force continuums, and citizens have voiced concerns regarding their disproportionate use and health effects. An increase in understanding of the value of CEDs, specifically the devices’ role when used as a threat only, provides police administrators with more significant insights regarding their appropriate placement in department policies, which leads to more proportionate use by police officers. This phenomenological study explored police officers’ lived experiences involving displaying …

Low-Income Household Adults Sustaining Affordable Housing In Affluent Neighborhoods, Edward Brian Flournoy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public housing policy continues to exacerbate the concentration of poverty for low

income household adults (LIHA), preventing their mobility to achieve or sustain

affordable housing in low-poverty affluent neighborhoods. Successful design and

implementation of public housing policy for LIHA has been elusive for policymakers

seeking to address socioeconomic self-sufficiency problems in the United States.

Wilson’s spatial mismatch theory on social transformation of the inner city was the

theoretical framework for this study. This qualitative study utilized policy analysis and

key interviews to explore the importance of public policy design and implementation in

how the Moving to Opportunity (MTO) program influenced …

Pulmonary Rehabilitation: A Quality Improvement Evaluation, Michelle Groth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

COPD is a progressive, multifaceted, chronic disease with steadily increasing worldwide rates of prevalence, morbidity and mortality, making improved COPD care a global health priority. Current practice guidelines are in place, but the literature continues to demonstrate inadequacies in practice, for example the inconsistent use of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). The purpose of the project was to conduct a quality improvement initiative evaluation of the PR program at a hospital in south-central Idaho. The practice-focused question was: What impact has implementation of a PR program had on COPD care in the area? Donabedian’s framework for healthcare quality evaluation was the theoretical …

Work-Life Balance Best Practices, Amy Marie Higgins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Poor balance between workplace and family life has been shown to increase stress and impact emotional well-being. Nurses continue to report burnout and high stress levels from time spent in the workplace which contributes to an inability to balance work with life. The gap in nursing practice leadership is the lack of knowledge and tools for supporting the emotional well-being of managers and direct care nursing staff. The purpose of this systematic review was to compile a summary of rigorous evidence-based literature on programs and strategies that nursing leaders can use to provide support in achieving work-life balance for nursing …

Effects Of Transformational Leadership On Direct Home Healthcare Employee Turnover, Lisa K. Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective leadership and excessive direct home healthcare workers’ intent to resign may decrease home healthcare worker satisfaction, increase workplace accidents, and hinder the quality of patient home healthcare. Home healthcare leaders have a problem of retaining direct home healthcare workers and can benefit from comprehending the factors that enhance leadership and mitigate the turnover of home healthcare workers. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between the perception of transformational leadership behaviors and direct care intent to resign. The population consisted of direct home healthcare workers who reported to frontline …

Strategies To Integrate Technological Innovations For Caribbean Small- And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Deborah J. Mahabir-Yearwood

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Up to 59% of managers in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) fail to integrate technological innovation (TI) strategies. Restricted access to sophisticated technology, limited capital, and discontinuous collaborations between SMEs and government organizations hamper the successful integration of TI by managers of Caribbean SMEs. Managers of SMEs in the Caribbean region must exploit strategies for improved efficiencies in operational capacity, continuous development in business profits and growth, and surviving hyper-competition. Grounded by the theories of diffusion of innovation and adopter-based instrumentalist, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that 4 operation managers of SMEs …

Special Education Teachers’ Instructional Practices For High School Students With Developmental Disabilities, Suzann Farmer Mohacsi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with developmental disabilities (DD) require intensive instruction from special education teachers to obtain functional skills. At the high school level, special education teachers’ instructional practices for this significant population have rarely been studied by researchers. Using Vygotsky’s social development theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how special education teachers implement instructional practices for high school students with DD. Participants were 10 public high school special education teachers who had skills and experience implementing instructional practices for students with DD. Data were gathered through open-ended, face-to-face interviews. Analysis of the data …

Public Health Leadership In The Philippines: Effective Approaches In Malaria Surveillance, Gethro Nullan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leadership traits that affect and shape cost-effective practices ensure the long-term

growth and success for any organization. The purpose of this single case study was to explore leadership traits that may contribute to cost-effective approaches in a malaria surveillance program in the Philippines. The National Health Service Leadership Framework provided the conceptual framework for this study. The participants included 12 public health leaders/managers who have worked or been involved in malaria surveillance programs with budgetary oversight. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and document analysis. Values coding was used for data analysis, in which participants’ perspectives were coded using the …

Educational Engagement In A Workplace Setting, Rodney Rountree

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At a local setting in the Southwestern United States, 44% of adults elected not to participate in the organization’s free nonmandatory educational programs. There was a lack of understanding of the reasons for why this phenomenon existed, which is inconsistent with the rising trends of adults returning to formal degree or certification programs. The discrepancy between educational engagement at the work organization and current educational trends among adults may signal a practice gap in the way the organization markets its educational curriculum. The purpose of this study was to explore why some adults at the local setting elected not to …

Systematic Review Of Loss-Frame Messaging And Change In Health Behavior, Eddie Jean Simmons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recent analysis estimates Type II diabetes affects 23.4 million people in the US. Approximately 30% of these patients are not in optimal control of their diabetes, raising risks for blindness, amputation, and cardiac disease. A gap in diabetes education practice is that traditional positive-framed messaging has not persuaded many patients to modify their self-management behaviors. There is a need for alternative ways to communicate the risks of not managing the disease to patients who may have different health beliefs. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the best available evidence regarding the efficacy of loss-frame messaging when used …

Assessing Pain-Related Factors As Predictors Of Distress During Transitional Musculoskeletal Pain Experience, Gary Robert Ahlstrom

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

During people’s pain experience, certain difficulties may emerge within individuals’ psychological and social domains that can confound and exacerbate the frequency of their pain-related distress episodes. Previous research has consistently found psychosocial factors evident during the first months of unresolved pain are reliable predictors of pain chronicity and disability at 12 months. This exploratory descriptive quantitative multivariate study included 2 nationwide online surveys that examined the frequency of moderate-to-severe symptoms of distress within the anxiety-depression spectrum, and the extent that 8 pain-related factors influenced and predicted episodes of anxiety and depressed mood, which included 2 demographic risk factors (age range …

Leadership And End-Of-Life Planning Among Elderly Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease, Elizabeth R. Armstrong-Fears

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More than 8-million people in the United States possess no kidney function. The purpose of this quantitative casual-comparative research study is to examine the relationship between ethnicity status of African American and European American patients suffering from end-stage renal disease, and advanced care planning and end-of-life decision-making among patients who are 55 years of age and older. The health belief model is the selected explanatory framework used to examine (a) whether ethnicity status is a significant predictor of whether decedents had written end-of-life care instructions, (b) whether ethnicity status is a significant predictor of whether treatment decisions were made, and …

A Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Ghanaian Women In Leadership, Dorothy Roseline Appiah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Underrepresentation, inequities, and career advancement to senior leadership positions continue to present obstacles for Ghanaian women, affecting their performance in organizations. This qualitative descriptive phenomenological study aimed to explore and understand the lived experiences of Ghanaian women leaders pursuit of professional careers in 5 different organizations and how best to improve them. The conceptual framework used was Eagly and Karau's role congruity theory of prejudice and Scheim's leadership and organizational culture theory. The research question explored the experiences of Ghanaian women leaders pursuit of professional careers in organizations. Fifteen purposefully selected Ghanaian women leaders with at least 10 years of …

Experiences Of College Freshmen Women Who Eat In A Social Environment, Kylie Cowens Blodgett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The social cognitive theory suggests that social surroundings influence health behaviors, and social modeling literature supports that eating behaviors are influenced by social norms. Eating decisions are especially vulnerable to social influence during the transition to college, although current interventions do not address social influence in the context of the eating environment itself or consider how men and women may experience this environment differently. This generic qualitative study explored how freshmen women perceived their experiences eating in a cafeteria setting. The research questions investigated freshmen women’s perceptions about social influence on self-efficacy, self-regulation, outcome expectations, and modeling of normative information …

Hispanic Nursing Students’ Perspectives On Student-Clinical Instructor Relationships And Learning, Inela Brito

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Non-Hispanic students are more likely to be successful in their nursing school studies than Hispanic students. Facilitators and barriers to classroom success for Hispanic students has been studied; however, few studies have addressed the academic clinical experience and the clinical instructor’s role in Hispanic students’ success. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the perspectives of undergraduate senior Hispanic nursing students regarding how student-instructor interactions in the clinical setting influenced students’ ability to learn and succeed in completing their studies. The research questions were guided by an adapted institutional support model and were used to explore how …

Strengthening Mental Health Awareness Of University Students Using An Online Training Module, Lavern Rosemarie Bourne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Canadian youth pursuing postsecondary education are facing a major mental health crisis. There are substantial gaps between the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a web-based mental health educational intervention was an effective tool with which to increase mental health awareness and help-seeking behaviors of university students. The theory of planned behavior, the help-seeking model, and the technology acceptance model were the theories that guided this study. Using a quantitative quasi-experimental research design, data were collected from 329 undergraduate students in the Faculty of Health Sciences at a university in Eastern …

The Experience Of Latina Victims Of Domestic Violence In Seeking Support Services, Jeanine Chuya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that influence the decisions among Latina victims of domestic violence as to whether to seek support services after experiencing domestic violence. Various studies have found a higher rate of domestic violence among Latinas than other ethnic minority groups. A review of the contemporary literature demonstrated that little is known about factors influencing these women’s decisions about whether to seek support services post domestic violence experiences. Intersectionality and structural violence theory constituted this study’s framework. The research questions explored the lived experiences of Latina victims of domestic violence in seeking help …

Association Of Social Support And Depressive Symptoms Among African Americans, Jacketta Renee Cobbs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Depression affects over 120 million individuals worldwide; in the United States, depression is a leading cause of disability for individuals’ ages 15-44 years. Social support can affect both physical and depressive symptoms; therefore, most patients with heart failure (HF) need support from family and/or friends to effectively manage their health condition. This indicates family and/or friends are expected to be the core support system for long term care of those with HF. The purpose of this study was to determine whether social support contributes to depressive symptoms among African Americans with HF. The research questions examined the experience of different …

Employee Engagement And Job Satisfaction’S Impact On Productivity In The Distribution Industry, Jessica Copeland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Productivity deficiencies in distribution services are detrimental to profitability, annually causing billions of dollars in reporting losses industry-wide. Understanding employees’ motivating factors in meeting metric-based expectations is essential to enhancing overall performance. Grounded in the motivation-hygiene theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationships among employee engagement, job satisfaction, and productivity within the distribution industry. Electronic survey data were analyzed for 47 participants who completed the Mensah Employee Engagement Survey, Mensah Job Satisfaction Survey, and Utrecht Work Employee Engagement Survey. The results of the multiple linear regression were significant, F(2, 44) = 36.84, p = .001, …

An Interpretive Qualitative Study Of Idaho Head Start Families Facing Food Insecurity, Sherry Deiter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this basic interpretive qualitative study was to examine food insecurity among Idaho Head Start enrolled families, focusing on barriers and deterrents to accessing available nutrition assistance programs. The social-ecological model (SEM) was used as the theoretical foundation for this study. Based on this model, the research questions were designed to explore experiences of participants related to individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, policy, and educational factors that influenced food insecurity. Parents who had children enrolled in Idaho Head Start programs that met purposeful sampling criteria were recruited for the study. A total of 11 parents, all who had experiences …

Examining The Impact Of An Afterschool Program On The Lives Of At-Risk Youth, Hazel Green-Dunston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences, and the impact mentoring has on at-risk youths between the ages of 11-14 years of age in afterschool programs in the southeast region of the United States. It addresses if afterschool mentoring programs reduce juvenile delinquency in at-risk youths. The theoretical framework of this qualitative study is Bandura’s social learning theory in which individuals have a chance to reproduce a desirable behavior outcome. The social learning theory suggests that when exposing at-risk youths to positive behaviors, they have a lower probability of engaging in delinquent activities. The …

Instructor Perspectives On Case-Based Learning And Student Engagement In Occupational Therapy Curriculums, Pamela Lewis-Kipkulei

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students who are not engaged in the classroom become clinicians who are not successful in clinicals and entry-level work. This prompted occupational therapy (OT) educators to explore active teaching and learning strategies that have proven successful in various professional programs. This study explored OT instructors’ perceptions and experiences of case-based learning (CBL). This single case, qualitative study utilized content and thematic analysis to analyze interviews, brainstorming activities, and reflective journals from eight participants. Participants were OT professors who utilized CBL strategies. First and second cycle coding was used to categorize data then codes were reviewed for emerging themes. Content analysis …

Effectiveness Of An Educational Intervention To Reduce Preanalytical Specimen Errors, Carol Ann Lineberry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A rejected blood specimen can be very costly to a hospital as well as to the patient. Many errors occur in the preanalytical phase in which nurses and assistive personnel are often involved because they are usually not trained to do so. This staff education project was designed to decrease the number of laboratory rejections of blood specimens in a local hospital setting. Knowles’s adult learning theory was combined with the knowledge translation framework, proposed by Fredericks, Martorella, and Catallo, so that evidence-based changes in practice could occur more readily. There is a 20-minute in-service educational intervention followed by an …

Job Satisfaction And Turnover Among Millennial Nurses In Public Hospitals, Gwen Mancuso

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study addressed turnover of millennial generation behavioral health nurses (MGBHNs). Because retention strategies mitigate the consequences of turnover, the purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to examine job satisfaction (JS) and anticipated turnover (AT) intention among MGBHNs employed in U.S. public hospitals. Research questions were focused on determining what, if any, correlation exists between AT and JS. The theoretical frameworks were Herzberg’s theory and person in environment theory. A multiple linear regression and 5 Spearman’s rho correlation analyses were used to analyze data from a convenience sample of 65 MGBHNs to understand the relationship between the independent variables …

Staff Education On Heart Failure Guidelines And Self-Care Management Practices, Mary Mitcheltree

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States with heart failure (HF) being one of the more prevalent diseases associated with heart disease. HF is reported to have a high mortality rate and presents an economic burden to the U.S. healthcare system. To improve patient outcomes and reduce the costs of treatment for HF-related symptoms, infusion nurses need adequate education and training. The purpose of this project was to train home infusion nurses on self-care management practices based on current HF guidelines. The Donabedian model, known for quality assurance, provided the framework to support the educational …

Evaluating Integrated Treatment On Recidivism For Female Offenders In Criminal Justice System, Oyin T. Popoola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The burden of co-occurring disorders (CODs) among offenders in the criminal justice system (CJS) in the United States, particularly among the female population, is threatening the communities. About 80% of women in the CJS were diagnosed and treated for CODs, and 63% tend to be rearrested. The study examined the possible influence of CODs, integrated treatment of CODs, and gender, on recidivism while controlling for other demographic factors. The study was based on the conceptual framework of integrated dual disorder treatment (IDDT) and feminist criminology theory. Cross-sectional quantitative study design was applied on a secondary dataset from the 2017 Treatment …

Case Analysis Of Acute Care Guidelines For The Prevention Of Pressure Ulcers, Carle Ray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prevention of pressure ulcers (PUs) in acute care settings is an attempt to avoid adverse events (AE). Literature shows that wounds such as PUs are the most prevalent complication for spinal cord injury patients (SCI) including quadriplegic individuals (QI). SCI and QI bring important pressure ulcer (PU) prevention knowledge to the hospital which involves teamwork and participation by nurses, organizations, and patients. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the effectiveness of acute care guidelines for PUs by drawing insights from multiple sources including interviews with QI, healthcare clinicians, care providers, family members, and an online search of …

Evaluating The Impact Of Nurse Leader Professional Development, Celeste Rogers Romp

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A health care organization’s success is impacted by its leaders’ knowledge, confidence, and training. A quality improvement (QI) project was undertaken by a 300-bed acute care medical center to determine the impact of providing nurse leaders with education and training in increasing the leader’s knowledge and confidence in their role and in improving nursing satisfaction, catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rates, and fall rates. The FOCUS-PDSA QI model and the nurse manager leadership collaborative learning domain framework were used to guide the QI project and its evaluation. There were four primary sources of evidence. A nurse leader professional development pre- …

Use Of Managerial Epidemiology By Healthcare Leaders In Ambulatory Settings, Chantelle Schenning

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite many health reforms, the United States continues to struggle with limited healthcare access, exponential healthcare costs, and poor quality of care. Overcoming these challenges requires healthcare leaders’ effective navigation of industry transformation towards population health and a shift in patient volume to ambulatory healthcare settings. Research has demonstrated that the use of managerial epidemiology, an application of epidemiology tools and principles to management decision-making within healthcare organizations, can better serve the health of the population and could improve the triple aim of inadequate access, high costs, and poor quality. However, the adoption of this practice is weak and its …