Digital Commons Network^™

Teacher And Coach Perspectives Regarding The Role Of Preschool Literacy Coaches In Developing Preschool Teachers’ Literacy Pedagogy, Marilyn Grigsby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAccording to the National Assessment of Education Progress, students in one state in the midwestern United States showed little change in reading scores despite the use of literacy coaches. The problem of focus in this study was inadequate primary students’ reading achievement in the focus state. Bandura’s social learning theory was used in this basic qualitative study to increase understanding regarding the perspectives of five preschool literacy coaches and five teachers regarding the role of preschool literacy coaches in developing teachers’ literacy pedagogy. The research questions focused on how preschool teachers and preschool literacy coaches each described the role of …

Teaching Environment, Instructional Coaching, And Perceived Organizational Support On Educators’ Quality Of Work-Life, Patrick Terrell Hall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the field of education, work-life challenges are becoming a source of concern, especially during the recent global pandemic. This study sought to identify relationships between teaching environment, instructional coaching, perceived organizational support, and work-life quality. The variables in the study were measured using the following validated instruments: classroom environment scale; coaching evaluation scale; perceived organizational support scale; and the work-related quality of life scale. This research was informed by the ecological system theory, which served as the theoretical basis for the investigation. Elements of the ecological systems theory express a complex system of relationships that affects multiple levels of …

Educators’ Perception Of Their Psychosocial Support Of Elementary Students In Gabon, Africa, Michel Ikamba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although educators internationally have often provided care to vulnerable students who struggle to meet the needs of nutrition, health, protection, and access to essential social services, no formal social systems exist in Gabon to aid educators who work with these students. In the absence of relevant local research and drawing on Dewey’s theory of progressive education as a conceptual model, this basic qualitative study asked about educators’ perceptions in limited resource elementary schools in Gabon of the social needs and strategies employed with students who demonstrated signs of disengagement and alienation. Qualitative data collection included semi-structured recorded interviews with 12 …

Perceived Health/Safety Risks And Critical Thinking Skills In College Students Using Social Media Networking, Denise Mary Makri-Werzen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe 21st century has brought about an increase in the popularity of social media networking usage on a global level, especially among college students. Social connectivity has become a vital part of the daily lives of college students, providing connections with their educational, personal, and social lives. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the actual experiences and self-reported perceptions of health/safety risks in college students using social media networking sites and to assess whether critical thinking skills were employed. The sample size of the targeted population was 23 volunteer college students, recruited from the Walden University Participant …

An Evidenced-Based Nursing Education Discharge Plan For Prescription Opioids, Josephine J. Messelmani

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The reported number of prescription opioid overdoses justifies the need for providing patients with opioid discharge information and follow-up care as recommended. To prevent any misuse of prescription opioid drugs, it was critical for patients to receive a thorough review of their medications prior to being discharged. The purpose of the project was designed to educate nurses on the importance of delivering essential information to patients prescribed opioids. Implementation of an opioid discharge plan integrated with the teach back method increased patients’ understanding of how to properly take prescription opioids compared to the patients who did not receive opioid education …

Strategies For Developing Sustainable Supply Chain Links With Local Producers, Edwin Che Ngwa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Failure to sustain agriculture supply chain links with local producers may lead to supply chain disruptions affecting the flow of products and materials. Successful strategies are essential for agribusiness supply chain managers to maintain profitability. Grounded in the value-based supply chain model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies agribusiness managers used to develop sustainable supply chain links with local producers to maintain profitability. Semistructured online interviews were conducted with six Cameroon agribusiness managers who developed sustainable supply chain links with local producers for more than 5 years. Data analysis of the interviews and administrative …

Educating Providers About Integrated Treatment For Individuals With Co-Occurring Disorders, Ihuarulam Chidiebere Okoroji

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe problem identified by this staff education project was the providers’ lack of knowledge on integrated treatment for individuals with co-occurring disorders (CODs). Integrated treatment is the gold standard for working with individuals with CODs. Providers knowledge gap and barriers were addressed by educating them on integrated treatments. This project used the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE) model in planning, implementation, and evaluation. The participants were 20 providers in a residential addiction treatment facility which include one physician, three nurse practitioners, eight counselors, one registered nurse, and seven licensed practical nurses. This project used a pretest to determine …

Life Experiences Of Head Start Teachers In A Midwestern Region Pursuing Higher Education, Jeanette O. Keyes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe 2007 Head Start Reauthorization Act mandated that all Head Start teachers have at least an associate degree and 50% of teachers within each Head Start program should have a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education. The problem addressed in this study was that Head Start teachers from a Midwestern region encountered barriers as they pursued higher education to meet mandated requirements to continue employment. The purpose of this study was to explore the life experiences, barriers, coping strategies and views of support needed by Head Start teachers who were completing their degrees. Tinto’s academic and social integration model and …

Lived Experience Of Albanian Migrants Who Became Obese After Moving To The United States, Briseida Xhelaj

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem of obesity is significant in the United States, and more information is needed about the factors that increase the risk for obesity among migrant populations like Albanian Americans. The purpose of this study was to discover the lived experience of Albanian migrants who became obese after moving to the United States. This study was guided by the social ecological model. The research questions were used to examine how individual, relationship, community, and societal level factors impacted lifestyle changes and obesity for Albanian American migrants after moving to the United States. This qualitative study involved the use of a …

The Homelessness Crisis In Los Angeles, California, Kaitlin Butulan

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal of my social change portfolio is to implement intervention and prevention strategies that lead us one step closer toward eradicating the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles.

Significant Findings: Los Angeles is the home of one of the largest unhoused populations in the United States. The leading causes to becoming homeless include lack of affordable housing, unemployment, pathological illnesses, and necessary resource impediments (National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, 2015). This social change portfolio discusses the risk and protective factors of the unhoused on a range of levels viewed in the lens of a social-ecological model. …

Pornography A Public Health Crisis In Utah, Candace A. Green

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal is to reduce Utah’s teenage pornography consumption by 25% through the implementation of an in-home program where parents and guardians can learn communication skills, teach their children about the risk factors and dangers of pornography addiction, and apply prevention strategies and protective measures in their own home.

Significant Findings: Pornography use is more prevalent now than at any other time in history. Much of this can be attributed to our cell phones and the 24-hour internet access we have at our fingertips which makes viewing sexually explicit material a few seconds away at all times. Utah …

Excessive Drinking In Perry County, Missouri., Jamie Brown

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: This prevention program aims to reduce the percentage of self-reported excessive alcohol consumption among adults aged 18 and older in Perry County, Missouri using prevention-focused programs, education, and community awareness.

Significant Findings: Perry County, MO, is a rural community within Southeast Missouri. Missouri is within the top 10 % of states with the highest reported adult excessive drinking. Perry County is one of the top counties for excessive adult drinking within Missouri (County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, 2018). Excessive drinking is a community health concern due to its multitude of adverse effects on mental and physical health. Educating …

Increase Awareness Of Adolescent Depression And Suicidal Ideations In Orleans County, Vermont, Nicole Corbett

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: Collaborate with Vermont SPC and NAMI chapter of Vermont as well as school behavior team and school-based clinicians to implement a mental health /suicide prevention program for the local middle school and high school to be implemented during the 2022-2023 school year with a minimum of four contacts/events.

Significant Findings: This social change portfolio was developed to increase awareness of the mental health needs of adolescents in Orleans County, Vermont, and to investigate the next steps in building a prevention program to support this population. Adolescent depression and suicidal ideation affect the lives of over a quarter of …

The Problem Of Vaping In Berkeley County Youth, Germaine Gauthier-Schwarz

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal of my Social Change Portfolio is to establish a prevention program that can be initiated in middle schools and other community sources here in Berkeley County, to help educate our youth on the negative effects and consequences of vape use. I would also like to reduce the use of vapes in middle school through high school-age students by 2% every year for the next six years. I will help accomplish this goal by providing educational classes to both parents and students at least two times a year during special events like red ribbon week and spirit …

Middle School Teachers’ Experiences Using Internet-Based Technology In Literacy Instruction, Shelly Butler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractResearchers found that the integration of internet technology into K–12 classrooms can improve student outcomes. Self-reported statements from 15 teachers and district survey results at the local setting, a rural school in a Southern state, indicated that sixth- through eighth-grade English Language Arts (ELA) teachers were not making effective use of research-supported internet resources in literacy instruction and assessment, and it is not known why. The purpose of this explanatory, qualitative case study, which included Knowles’s theory of adult learning as a framework, was to understand how ELA teachers were using internet resources in literacy instruction. The research questions were …

Teacher Perspectives On Integrating Technology Into Social Studies Instruction, Karen Diane Caldwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social studies instruction is vital to connecting students to the world and learning 21st- century skills needed for college and careers. Teachers’ knowledge and skills are essential for effective technology integration in instruction. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore the perspectives of teachers in an urban elementary school district on the use of instructional technology in terms of the potential for properly integrating technology in studies instruction. Roger’s Diffusion of Innovations theory was the conceptual framework that guided this study. The research questions focused on teachers’ interpretations of their knowledge of laptop computers, their communication …

Technology Strategies To Sustain Small Business Enterprises Beyond 5 Years, Eunice Colon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSmall businesses employ over half of the U.S. labor force, yet only 50% of small businesses survive beyond five years. Small business owners who do not sustain their businesses force employees to seek new employment and adversely impact the local economy. Grounded in Porter’s five forces model, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore technology strategies used by small businesses to achieve and maintain sustainability beyond the first five years of operations. The participants were four small business owners from Maryland who implemented successful technology strategies to achieve and maintain sustainability for more than five years. …

Abstract Immigration Policies Of The Obama And Trump Administrations Focused On Alien Arrests, Levino Lorenzo Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractImmigration policy has been a growing concern for the United States, but it was unknown what differences had been experienced between President Trump and President Obama’s implemented immigration policies. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to determine if any statistically significant differences existed between the number of “criminal aliens” arrested for removal versus non-criminal aliens arrested with victimless crimes during the Obama and Trump administration. This cross-sectional study was guided by punctuated equilibrium theory and data were gathered by available public, archival data. The total number of documented/undocumented non-criminal alien arrests during the Obama Administration from January …

Predictors Of Health Literacy Scores In The Adolescent Oncologic Population, Amber N. Jenkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recent research showed a relationship between low health literacy in adult oncology patients, poor communication with providers, misconceptions about disease and treatment options, and the inability to adhere to treatment plans. Comparative literature addressing adolescent health literacy contained insufficient evidence of these relationships. The purpose of this exploratory cross-sectional quantitative study, based on the health literacy skills framework, was to assess the health literacy of adolescents treated in the oncology department at an academic children’s hospital in Missouri to determine whether there was a significant relationship between individual health literacy scores of this population based on age, sex, number of …

Workaholism Development As A Self-Efficacy Behavior Among Black Women In The Workplace, Tiffany Nicole Johnson Lemon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Understanding how workaholism develops in Black women and the role organizational culture plays in its development, specifically individuals who work in predominantly White organizations, is needed to address this phenomenon. Data were gathered from individuals who identify as Black women and are self-proclaimed workaholics who work in settings comprised predominantly of White employees. Understanding workplace culture and the events that may lead to behavioral changes has been limited, specific to the minority group of Black women. The key research questions investigated the development of workaholism in Black women who work in predominantly White organizations and the role organizational culture plays …

Exploring African American Experiences With Police In Cleveland, Ohio, Hamza Khabir

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to previous research, African Americans in Cleveland, OH, reported having more negative experiences with the Cleveland Police Department (CPD) than any other demographic in the city. Furthermore, The U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, determined that the CPD had regularly engaged in excessive force by police officers. This study's purpose was to understand African Americans' experiences in Cleveland regarding the CPD. This study's research question focused on African Americans' experiences in Cleveland and their relationship with the Cleveland police. The study used a general qualitative design to conduct interviews with 10 African Americans between the ages of 18 …

Exploring Relationship Marketing Strategies For Increasing Student Retention In For-Profit, Online Higher Education, Shirin Khosravian

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For-profit, online, higher education institutions have lower student retention rates than institutions in other categories. Higher education leaders are concerned with low retention as it adversely impacts financial and student outcomes. Grounded in Morgan and Hunt’s relationship marketing theory, the purpose of this qualitative, exploratory, multiple-case study was to explore marketing strategies for-profit, online, higher education marketing leaders use to increase student retention. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with five marketing leaders from three online, for-profit, higher education institutions in the United States and a review of social media posts and the institutions’ websites. Four themes emerged from thematic …

Using Agile Strategies To Improve Project Success Rates, Tim Kirkland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Project failures can be costly to businesses, but on average, program managers’ (PMs’) success rates for managing information technology (IT) projects is less than 35%. Organizational cultures struggle to adapt to agile project management (APM) that provides stakeholder flexibility for dynamic environments. Grounded by project management theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies project managers use to reduce IT project failures. The participants consisted of nine project managers in the northeastern United States with APM experience managing successful IT projects. Data were collected from virtual semi-structured interviews and journal notes. Ten open-ended interview questions …

Technological Employees’ Experiences Of Psychological Contract Breach: A Phenomenological Study, Dr. Uganda Knapps, Ph.D.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The aim of this study was to understand the importance of employee relations, ethics, and values; how psychological contracts form through the lenses of ethics, values, organizational justice, and perceptions; and how a psychological contract breach (PCB) may occur in certain situations. The psychological contract is imperative for positive employee relations. The foundation on how psychological contracts form and how psychological contracts may be breached and, in extreme circumstances, violated is based in theory by Argyris and in Rousseau’s theory to differentiate between psychological contract breaches and violations. An interpretive phenomenological analysis approach was used in this study to understand …

Understanding Police Decision-Making With Firearms: From Training To Real-Life Deployment, Alex S. Kondos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Modern efforts involving police reform have created a need for police administrators and policymakers to address various elements of policing. Administrative and punitive policy reforms have had little effect on decreasing police shootings. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand the experiences of officers who have been involved in deadly force encounters in order to identify where their past training methods led to success or failures in real-life situations. The theoretical framework for this study was Janis and Mann’s conflict model of decision-making. This study involved answering the question: From the perspectives of police officers involved in shootings, …

Covid-19 Ethical Decisions Encountered By Healthcare Professionals In Southwest Ohio, Joshua Lader

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the world and medical community. Treating individuals during a worldwide pandemic is nothing short of heroic. With limited supplies and treatment options, healthcare professionals were forced to make ethical considerations when treating patients with COVID-19. The pandemic exposed stress in the healthcare system, leading to difficult ethical decisions such as providing access or denying access to treatment. Knowing these ethical considerations can assist healthcare professionals with practical policies for future pandemics. The key research question in this study explored how healthcare professionals in Southwest Ohio made ethical decisions related to who and how …

Officers' Perceptions Of The Ontario Provincial Police Framework For Police Preparedness For Indigenous Critical Incidents, Armand P. La Barge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractResponding to First Nation occupations and protests is one of the most challenging duties that police officers in Canada undertake. Over the last 30 years, these types of incidents have resulted in deaths and injuries to police and protesters, and millions of dollars’ worth of damage and financial loss. After the 1995 shooting death of an unarmed Indigenous protester by police at the Ipperwash occupation, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) introduced an unconventional operational approach for protests known as the OPP Framework policy. That approach was built on the concepts of peacekeeping, patient negotiation, mutual respect, and the minimal use …

Mental Health-Medical Crisis Team Impact On First Responder Outcomes On Persons With Mental Illness, Mary Josephine Lakey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Persons with mental illness (PMIs) are 16 times more likely to experience harm when interacting with police than individuals without mental illness. This inequity has recently become prominent in American discourse due to the ubiquitous use of cell phones and social media, where videos of incidents between police and PMIs circulate. In this generic qualitative research, members of a collaborative mental health and emergency medical service professionals (EMSPs) team in an urban area were interviewed to assess the team members’ perceptions of the impact of the program on frequency of adverse outcomes during interactions with PMIs. The theoretical framework for …

Perceptions Of The Strengths And Challenges Of 1:1 Learning In The Early Elementary Classroom, Desiree Lynn Larson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The need for technology use has become a necessity in 21st-century classrooms. To accomplish this, more districts have been implementing 1:1 technology initiatives. In a 1:1 technology classroom, every student has their own device, such as a Chromebook or iPad. Although districts are increasing their 1:1 initiatives, little research has been done on early elementary teachers’ perceptions of the use of 1:1 devices to support their current pedagogy and teaching in their classrooms. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to use Koehler and Mishra’s technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework to investigate how Midwestern public school early elementary …

Improving Patients' Engagement And Retention In Intensive Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment, Leo W. Lavender

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Substance use disorder continues to be a major health crisis in the United States. Thousands of people die yearly due to substance use and related criminal activity. Substance abuse treatment is a remedy to the disorder and treatment centers admit thousands of patients yearly to address the dilemma. Throughout the years retention has been an ongoing barrier to successful treatment. This study explored significant obstacles to retention: motivation and engagement. The Baldrige Excellence Framework was utilized to assess the training, supervision, procedures, and leadership roles at an intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment center. This study utilized a qualitative approach case …