Digital Commons Network^™

African American Women’S Experience Of Wearing Natural Textured Hair, Tammy White-Jolivette

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women’s (AAW’s) experiences of wearing natural textured hair are underrepresented in the literature. This issue, and hair discrimination more broadly, is a form of social injustice that underscores the cultural and social significance of natural hair as a symbol of heritage, identity, and resilience in African American communities. Guided by social comparison and self-concept theories, the purpose of this study was to examine how wearing natural hair influences AAW’s self-perception. The research question was: How do AAW describe their experiences of wearing natural textured hair? The qualitative method featured interpretative phenomenological analysis. Data were collected by conducting in-depth …

The Lived Experiences Of Police Officers’ Responses To Stranger And Familial Child Abductions, Kennedy Pierce

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

When the media covers stories of child abductions, a common misconception is who the abductor is. Despite what the news broadcasts, a child is more likely to be abducted by a family member or acquaintance than a stranger. This qualitative study was conducted to explore the lived experiences of police officers’ responses to stranger and familial abductions using a phenomenological approach to determine how schemas may shape police officers’ perceptions, specifically concerning responding to child abductions. Schema theory suggests schemas are formed based on an occurrence between an individual and their surrounding environment. Nine interviews were conducted of police officers …

Medical Laboratory Technologist Labor Market And Industry Initiatives To Address Labor Shortages, Jarvis John Surriga

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The demand for laboratory testing has increased, requiring more medical laboratory technologists/scientists (MLTs/MLSs) in the United States. However, the supply of qualified MLS workers has decreased, which has caused a critical labor shortage. The purpose of this integrative review was to determine the best practices and strategies for improving the staffing and retention of clinical laboratory staff (CLS) given the growing demand for laboratory services. A search of empirical and nonempirical literature published between 2019 and 2024 yielded 1,935 articles, and exclusions resulted in 66 articles that addressed the problem. The additional examination resulted in 26 articles chosen for further …

Principal Perceptions Of Advising For The Adoption Of Social Media As An Instructional Application, Ben Hudson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Secondary school principals are seeking to meet students where they are by integrating social media into school curricula to enhance student learning. However, little has been published about principals’ perceptions of the value of social media as an instructional tool or the advising processes they employ to facilitate the adoption of social media as an instructional application. The problem this study addressed was principals’ perceptions of social media as an instructional application and how those perceptions influence decisions to advise for the adoption of social media for instructional purposes. Guided by Rogers’s diffusion of innovations theory and Davis’s technology acceptance …

Residence, Education, Wealth, And Hiv/Aids Prevention Knowledge Among Nigerian Adults, Chinedu Nwaobia Nwaru

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

HIV has remained the most prevalent and deadliest epidemic affecting humanity. It is pertinent to note that, despite the number of years since the first case was reported in the early 1980s in the United States, and concerted efforts by local, national, and international governmental and nongovernmental agencies at curbing it, the level of knowledge of HIV transmission and the disease prevention, especially among Nigerians, is still not encouraging. Nigeria, the most populous country in Sub-Saharan Africa ranks second globally as the country with the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS, which is currently estimated at 3 million. In …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Urgent Care Clinic Providers’ Experiences With Patients With Mental Health Concerns, Teresa L. Hodges

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With mental health concerns on the rise in the United States and around the world, there has been a call for non-traditional avenues for the treatment of patients with mental health needs. Existing research indicates that in the current post-pandemic era, urgent care clinic providers have begun playing a pivotal role in the treatment of patients with mental health concerns. However, there is a lack of research currently available on the lived experiences of urgent care clinic providers treating of patients with mental health concerns. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of urgent care …

Perspectives Of Residential Treatment Center Staff On Organizational Climate And Rehabilitation, Erika Drayton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Residential treatment centers (RTCs) within the juvenile justice system (JJS) are commonly used as an out-of-home placement for adjudicated youths who require more individualized care. Several researchers studied the JJS; however, few explored RTCs or the direct care staff. Probation officers and detention facility staff have been the focus of previous studies. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of RTC staff on organizational climate and rehabilitation of adjudicated youths. The participants included 12 direct care RTC staff age 18 and older who had worked with adjudicated youths for one year or more. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological …

The Roles And Motivation Of Volunteers In State Correctional Facilities, Sherlyn Kimberly Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have demonstrated that volunteers play a vital role in supporting the needs of those incarcerated in state correctional facilities, but the researchers fell short of elaborating on what stimulates the volunteers’ motivation, chosen roles, and selected areas for their contributions. Understanding the motivation of this group is valuable to ensure ongoing commitment for this important community role. The purpose of this study was to explore lived experiences of community state prison volunteers to better understand what motivates them. Dutta-Bergman’s theory of unified responsibility formed the framework for this generic qualitative study. Narrative data from interviews with six participants were …

Perceptions Of Clinically Depressed Individuals: Social Media Use, Depressive Symptoms, And Interpersonal Relationships, Rachel N. Fullen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recent literature has shown an association between social media usage and depressive symptoms, but there remains a gap regarding the perceptions of individuals with clinical depression on their social media usage and their interpersonal relationships. This qualitative study was conducted to uncover how people view social media and their clinical depression as well as the quality of their interpersonal interactions through social media platforms. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 individuals who were diagnosed with clinical depression, used social media for 2 hours daily, and lived with their significant other/partner. The theory applied to this study was Blumler and Katz’s …

Relationship Between Self-Silencing And Self-Neglect Behaviors And Disordered Eating And Stigma Toward Seeking Behavioral Health Support Among Black Women Who Adopt The Superwoman Schema, Veanda Hemphill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Self-silencing and self-neglect behaviors, key dimensions of the superwoman schema (SWS), function as protective coping mechanisms in response to psychosocial stressors. However, these behaviors often perpetuate self-sacrifice, leading to an increased risk of physical and mental health decline. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between self-silencing and self-neglect behaviors (independent variables) and disordered eating and stigma toward seeking support from behavioral health services (dependent variables) among Black women who adopt the SWS. The theoretical and conceptual frameworks of silencing the self and intersectionality guided this study. The 78 participants who self-identified as Black and …

Internet Addiction And Academic Fatigue, Engagement, And Performance Among Undergraduates In Southwestern Universities In Nigeria, Mensah Prince Osiesi, Olutoyin Olufunke Fajobi, Sikeade Mercy Adegboyega, Abiodun Adesope Fadiya, Olaitan Titilayo Akinola, Folasade Oluyemisi Olayinka, Muyiwa Sunday Ajimuse, Sunday Nnamdi Okocha, Tolulope Oluwatoyin Olayiwola-Adedoja, Oladipo Adeyeye Olubodun Phd, Atinuke Titilope Babalola, Valentina Grion

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objective: Internet addiction among university undergraduates may deeply impact their academic lives. This study investigated the association between academic fatigue, academic engagement, academic performance, gender, and internet addiction and how the variables jointly and relatively predict internet addiction among undergraduates in southwestern universities in Nigeria.

Method: The correlational research type of the non-experimental research design was adopted for this study. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 1,157 students. The main variables were the Internet Addiction Test (r = 0.82) and the Academic Fatigue Questionnaire (r = 0.85; both adapted), as well as the Academic Engagement Scale …

A Document Analysis Of School Shooting On College Campuses, Kevin Lavelle Childs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite media outcry and societal outcry, gun violence on college campuses in the United States continues to be an unresolved problem. Prior to on-campus shootings, college campuses were safe locations that were conducive to learning. Sadly, this is no longer the case. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the key characteristics of mass shootings on college campuses so that officials would be provided with information that would enable them to create safer campuses. Using a rational choice theory as the conceptual framework, which focused on the perpetrator’s behavior, a document analysis was conducted to identify and understand …

Lived Experiences Of Police Use Of Force In Western Utah, Kenny Augustin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of force by police officers toward African Americans has been a tense subject in the United States Although statutory law grants the police officers the right to use force, the level and the type of force used by police officers can be seen as problematic. In this study, the lived experiences of African Americans and police officers’ use of force were explored. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore whether the lived experiences of African Americans differ from police officers concerning the use of force in Utah and how fear, trust, and confidence influenced behaviors. A …

Staff Education Program To Reduce Burnout Using Mindfulness Techniques In A Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic, Miriam Ambe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Burnout is becoming more common among nurses, which has a negative impact on the well-being of nurses, patients, and organizations. The practice problem for this DNP project was the need for more awareness about burnout and associated strategies to address nurse burnout among outpatient nurses in a psychiatric clinic. This DNP project was a staff education program to teach nurses how to identify burnout in themselves while offering them mindfulness techniques to prevent or mitigate burnout. This project’s guiding practice-focused question and framework was, “Will a staff education program on mindfulness techniques to prevent burnout lead to nurses’ identification of …

Comparison Of Levels Of Usage Of Summit K-12 And Language Acquisition Of Emergent Bilingual Students, Paula Cushanick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School districts are required to identify emergent bilingual (EB) students, provide appropriate bilingual education programs, and assess language acquisition progress to ensure equal educational opportunity. The problem investigated in this study was that, in 2022, only 38% of the EB student population in Southwestern School District (SSD, a pseudonym) demonstrated progress in achieving English language proficiency in the composite scores of the TELPAS assessment that included listening, speaking, reading, and writing language domains. The Summit K-12 computerized intervention program was instituted by SSD to address EB student language development. Guided by Sparrow’s holistic biliteracy framework, the purpose of this quasi-experimental, …

Skill Development Approach For Poverty Alleviation In India, Sameer Chandra

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

India’s Poverty Profile revealed that over 65% of the poor reside in rural areas. This study examined the effectiveness of the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) skill development program in alleviating poverty in Uttar Pradesh, India. Guided by Sen’s capability approach, a quantitative cross-sectional design employing logistic regression analyzed the relationships of candidate qualifications and trade categories, predicting the likelihood of successful job placement. The study analyzed 4,789 randomly selected cases from 14 high-poverty districts in DDU-GKY’s database. The job placement rate within cases was 28.2%, with 71.8% not placed. Candidate qualification significantly predicted the likelihood of job …

Leadership Development In Millennial Corporate Employees With Nonnative Accents, Clara Philor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employees with nonnative accents sometimes avoid leadership roles, engage less in the workplace, and perform poorly. Organizational leaders need to understand how the challenges of individuals with nonnative accents specifically affect millennials. Grounded in attribution theory and social identity theory, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how millennial employees with nonnative accents experience leadership opportunities in the corporate workplace. The participants were 10 millennial corporate employees in the United States with nonnative accents working toward or already holding leadership positions. Data were collected using in-depth interviews for thematic and interpretive phenomenological analysis. Seven themes emerged: (a) challenges …

Cancer-Related Stigma, Attitudes, And Cultural Beliefs On Intentions To Receive Lung Cancer Screening In African American Female Smokers, Sonia M. M Salmon-Gayle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, lung cancer is responsible for killing more people than prostate, breast, and colon cancer combined. African Americans are at a greater risk of dying from the disease due to the infrequency of early detection achieved through screening. This research focused on African American female smokers (AAFS) in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia between the ages of 50 and 80 with a 20-year pack history and who were smoking or had quit within the past 15 years. A quantitative correlational research design was employed with a sample of 101 participants to explore the relationship between …

Jamaican Tertiary Education Lecturers’ Perceptions Of Repurposing Paper Instructional Materials For Blended Learning, Bobsie Sophia Levy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Transitioning from paper-based instructional methods to blended learning has rapidly been implemented across higher education institutions in Jamaica. The problem that was addressed through this study was that little is known about the perceptions of Jamaican lecturers regarding their experiences towards repurposing instructional materials for blended learning. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of Jamaican tertiary education lecturers regarding the experience of repurposing paper instructional materials into digital form for blended learning. The framework for the study was Davis’s technology acceptance model. For this basic qualitative study, seven semistructured interviews were conducted, and a thematic …

Increasing The Physician Workforce In Rural Hospitals, Tagny Isabel Diaz Solis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rural hospitals experience challenges in supplying the physician workforce, leading to poor organizational and population health outcomes. The purpose of this integrative review was to determine factors that affect physician recruitment and retention in rural hospitals and provide strategies for administrators to support sufficient physician staffing. The review question was used to identify effective strategies to improve physician recruitment and retention in rural hospitals. An integrative review was completed using empirical and nonempirical research published between 2019 and 2024. The results of the literature demonstrated components affecting physician motivation and job satisfaction. Five main themes surfaced: (a) professional education, (b) …

Software Developer, Analyst, And Consultant Communication Strategies In Enterprise Resource Planning Projects, Martin Gene Culberson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software projects have an alarmingly high failure rate, with communication challenges cited as a major contributing factor. Poor communication during ERP development and implementation can ultimately reduce return on investment (ROI) for organizations. IT technical and functional specialists have a vested interest in improving communication strategies to enhance ERP success, ensuring business continuity, operational efficiency, and professional growth for project participants. Grounded in actor-network theory, the purpose of this pragmatic inquiry was to examine communication strategies used in ERP software projects among software developers, analysts, and consultants. The participants were eight ERP developers, analysts, and consultants …

Scientific Evidence: Impact On A Jury, Thomas B. Scavone

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The goal of this qualitative study was to better understand the impact of scientific evidence ‘s influence on a jury’s verdict. The presence of scientific evidence has the potential to convict the defendant or overturn a guilty verdict as seen in cases involving the innocence project. The theoretical framework for this qualitative study was Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory which postulates heavy exposure to television has the potential to influence the individual’s perception of the world. The researcher implemented an exploratory research design using purposive sampling. A total of 68 participants (prior jurors) applied for the study, 66 from an advertisement placed …

Preservice Elementary Educators’ Perceptions Of Teaching Proficiency Within A Blended Curriculum Context, Vincent M. Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was investigated through this study is that preservice elementary teachers struggle to incorporate blended learning pedagogy. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate preservice elementary teachers’ perceptions on instructional opportunities and primary concerns when incorporating blended learning pedagogy. The conceptual frameworks for this study were Rogers’ theory for educational technology and Garrison and Archer’s community of inquiry. For this basic qualitative design, eight semistructured interviews with preservice elementary teachers were conducted. Interviews were coded with a priori, open, and axial codes and then thematically analyzed with the following themes emerging: Preservice teachers (a) see the …

Agile Culture As Experienced By Scrum Masters In The Financial Sector, Andrew John Haigh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a high failure rate for software development projects, even those that have adopted an Agile approach, despite the United States spending more than $250 billion yearly on developing 175,000 software projects costing $2,322,000 on average. Scrum masters on software development projects with an Agile approach need to adopt more than just the process and procedures; they need to adopt the Agile culture. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to explore the implementation of the Agile culture experienced by scrum masters in the financial sector. The Scrum software development framework is the most popular variant of the …

Public Policy And Trust In Artificial Intelligence Decision Making, Avril A. Bunbury-Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Technology is largely unregulated at present, which raises a safety issue for the automated decision-making process of multiagent systems (MAS) using AI applications. This study was conducted to explore whether a policy-making rule for decisions can protect the public from the social implications of biases, challenges, risks, and uncertainty while exposing a trust gap. Computers can dominate life, and this research was conducted to explore how to trust the decision-making process of MAS, mainly when there are no guardrails or regulations to manage the system. As a result, the generic qualitative inquiry was used to explore how concerned computer users …

The Relationship Between Anthropometric Sizing, Fit Issues, And Return Rates In Plus-Size Women's Apparel, Cassondra Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Retail business owners remain concerned with apparel sizing and return sales, as sizing is a frequent predictor of apparel returns and decreased revenue. Grounded in new product development theory (NPD), the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between anthropometric apparel sizing standards, sizing and fit issues, and return sales. The participants were 89 women’s bridal apparel owners and leaders within the retail business sector who completed a 5-point Likert-type survey. The results of the multiple linear regression were significant, 3, 85) = 32.301, p < .001, R2 = .533. In the final model, there were two predictors which were significant, sizing and fit (t = 9.718, p = <.001, ß = .735) and sizing standards (t = 2.478, p = .01, ß = .205). A key recommendation is for retail business leaders to acknowledge the growth in the U.S. female apparel consumer. Further, the alignment of sizing standards and product offerings provides functional apparel and mitigates return sales due to sizing. The implications for positive social change include the potential for the apparel industry to acknowledge the growing complexity of women’s sizing, which is influenced by diverse cultural backgrounds and body types. This shift could promote greater inclusivity, enhance consumer confidence, reduce return rates, and foster broader acceptance of diverse female body types within the industry.

Stories Of Pastors' Wives, Their Responsibilities, And Their Mental Health, Marsha Patrice Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Church ministry has many written and unwritten rules, responsibilities, and expectations for those who choose to serve in pastoral roles. Some responsibilities and expectations cause church pastors to experience stress and burnout, which has residual effects on their wives and families. Many church leaders or congregations are not aware of or consider the emotional impact of unwritten rules and expectations on the pastors’ wives. The purpose of this narrative research was to explore the stories of Protestant church pastors’ wives and highlight how their various supportive roles in marriage and ministry impacts their emotional and mental health. With a feminist …

Social Media Influence On African American Women Mental Health And Self-Image, Terressa Sanchez Gamble

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women’s perspectives on the influence of social media content on their mental health (i.e., moods, thoughts, and behaviors) and self-image were explored in this qualitative study. The theoretical framework chosen for this study was Festinger’s (1954) social comparison theory, which was used to examine whether there was a logical connection between the study topic and the framework presented. Data were collected through semistructured interviews that were conducted via Zoom. The data from 10 participants’ interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach, resulting in the following two emergent themes: (a) pressure to compare and emulate and …

Violence Among Nigeria’S Female And Predictors Of Help-Seeking Behavior Using Technology, Abayomi Karunwi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The decision-making autonomy of female intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors to make financial transactions is a stronger predictor of help-seeking behavior that is not yet fully explored. Despite the plausibility of using the mobile phone for financial transactions, it is yet to be explored as a predictor of help-seeking behavior after IPV events through digital financial inclusion. The dataset from the 2018 Nigerian Demographic Health Survey was used to explore if digital financial inclusion could predict help-seeking behavior instead of the severity of abuse among ever-partnered Nigerian female IPV survivors (aged 15 to 49 years) who use their mobile phones …

Executive Leadership Practice Through The Lens Of Religiosity And Ethics, Christopherlie Roger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The specific research problem addressed through this study is executive leadership religiosity and decision-making that leads to unethical behaviors and practices that could result in corporate corruption at Fortune 500 companies in the United States region of New York State. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study research was to explore executive leadership religiosity and decision-making through three research questions, for example, how executive leadership perceives unethical leaders' behaviors and practices that could result in corporation corruption. This study's conceptual foundation and key concepts included religiosity, ethics, decision-making, and the theory of planned behavior. The participants comprised nine executive …