Digital Commons Network^™

U.S. Teachers' Perceptions Of School Violence Prevention Programs, Natakie Tamu Chestnut

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In response to high profile violent incidents and crimes, many schools have developed plans that address school discipline to create a school climate and culture wherein everyone is valued and treated with respect. The problem that prompted this study is teachers are struggling with effectively implementation prevention program. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of teachers about school violence prevention programs. Guided by Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, this study examined the connection among school violence, environment, discipline and prevention programs; and it explored approaches to creating safe communities in schools. The research questions focused on teachers' …

An Examination Of African American Women With Hiv And Health Care Barriers, Robert Salvatore Petralia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For over 40 years, HIV has been seen as an epidemic and problem on health care that disproportionately affects the African American women (AAW) and population. This epidemic represents 12% of the total U.S. population, yet accounts for 37% of the commutative HIV cases, and 45% of the new HIV cases reported since 1998. Research in this case was needed for increased understanding to this health care problem, between AAW and HIV. A review in the literature indicated the problem and found new alternatives that helped support aspects on today's health care. The purpose of the study was to help …

Examining Data Privacy Breaches In Healthcare, Tanshanika Turner Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Healthcare data can contain sensitive, personal, and confidential information that should remain secure. Despite the efforts to protect patient data, security breaches occur and may result in fraud, identity theft, and other damages. Grounded in the theoretical backdrop of integrated system theory, the purpose of this study was to determine the association between data privacy breaches, data storage locations, business associates, covered entities, and number of individuals affected. Study data consisted of secondary breach information retrieved from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights. Loglinear analytical procedures were used to examine U.S. healthcare breach incidents and …

Effect Of The Criminal Justice Curriculum On The Attitudes Of 12th-Grade Students Toward The Police, Willie Howard Bradley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While the use of criminal justice courses and law-related education programs have been shown to serve as a crime prevention and deterrence mechanism against school crime and violence, and help students to gain positive experiences and attitudes toward law enforcement, many high schools still do not offer criminal justice courses. The purpose of this quasiexperimental study was to compare the attitudes of 12th-grade students from a school district in Massachusetts who took a criminal justice course to 12th-grade students from another school district in Massachusetts who did not to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between the groups. …

Role Of Coping Self-Efficacy In Working Mothers' Management Of Daily Hassles And Health Outcomes, Sonya Kali Broadnax

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

U.S. working mothers experience frequent daily hassles, yet little is known about how working mothers have disproportionate abilities to handle stress. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the extent to which coping self-efficacy mediated the effect that cumulative daily hassles had on working mothers' health outcomes (i.e., physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health). The transactional model of stress and coping, social cognitive theory, and self-efficacy theory provided the theoretical foundations for this study. Daily hassles were used for this study as an additional theoretical approach for measuring stress. A …

Developing Sustainable Leadership Strategies To Increase Corporate Revenue, Linda Goulet Crosby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The business environment is in constant flux where stakeholders encourage organizational leaders to consider sustainable business tactics alongside corporate profits. While most business leaders recognize the importance of including sustainability into corporate goals, evidence suggested that only 10% have sustainable action plans in place. Using the honeybee leadership model as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the sustainable leadership strategies that business leaders from small- and medium- sized companies integrated to increase corporate revenue. These companies were B Corp certified which ensures a third party endorsement of sustainable practices. The data were collected …

Advanced Practitioner Provided Pre-Hospital Discharge Asthma Education, Lyndsay E. Gardner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Asthma is a leading cause of pediatric hospital admissions. Parents of children under the age of 18 with asthma require education to recognize and manage the signs and symptoms of the disease. Parent education has shown to decrease their children's hospital admission and readmission rates. The purpose of this pilot project was to develop an asthma educational module for the parents of children with asthma and obtain parent feedback on the content. Families with children under the age of 18 who had been admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of asthma, an asthma exacerbation, or status asthmaticus were invited …

Strategies Technology Development Marketing Leaders Used To Commercialize A New Product Innovation, Roxie Mooney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Strategies for commercialization of a new product innovation are critical for gaining a sustainable level of customer acceptance and financial performance. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the commercialization strategies used by 5 technology development marketing leaders from a healthcare company in Washington state. The conceptual framework for this study was commercialization of innovation theory (CoI). The data were collected through semistructured interviews and company documentation, and analyzed using Yin's 5-step data analysis process for case studies to identify and code themes. Analysis of data generated 3 major themes: strategies implemented during the prelaunch phase, strategies …

Effectiveness Of Cognitive Screening For Heart Failure Patients, Comfort Nkengla

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cognitive impairment is commonly seen in the elderly population. It is unclear if cognitive deficit in heart failure (HF) patients is a primary factor for higher hospital readmission rates in this population. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have established strict guidelines for reimbursement on readmissions that occur within 30 days. It is imperative that organizations identify and rectify issues that impact readmissions. The aim of this project was to determine if there is a reduction in HF readmission after patients are screened for cognitive impairment. Orem's self-care model guided the project by providing a framework of inquiry regarding …

Impact Of An Innovative Classroom On Bsn Students' Self-Efficacy And Academic Performance, Laurie Jo Singel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The critical shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States has led to increased enrollment in nursing schools, but the number of graduates is still decreasing, as nursing students struggle and fail in upper division courses. There is a significant gap in knowledge concerning students' self-efficacy (SE) as a factor directly influencing students' academic performance. The problem examined in this correlational study was the impact of collaborative learning in an innovative classroom setting on Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students' SE and academic performance. Framed by Bandura's theory of SE, the research questions examined the relationship between students' …

Relationship Between Nurse Training And Physical Restraints In Nursing Homes, Terah Tessier

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), approximately 1.3 million U.S. residents are residing in nursing homes. CMS enforced regulations in the Nursing Home Reform Act. Training in the use of restraints in nursing homes is monitored through the CMS standards. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a correlation between training standards of health care practitioners and their use of restraints in nursing homes based on the patterns of citations by RNs and CNAs. Data were collected from Kansas, Louisiana, and Ohio within the CMS Nursing Home Data Compendium. The key research …

Social Disorganization Theory: The Role Of Diversity In New Jersey's Hate Crimes, Dana Maria Ciobanu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The reported number of hate crimes in New Jersey continues to remain high despite the enforcement of laws against perpetrators. The purpose of this correlational panel study was to test Shaw & McKay's theory of social disorganization by examining the relationship between demographic diversity and hate crime rates. This study focused on analyzing the relationship between the level of diversity, residential mobility, unemployment, family disruption, proximity to urban areas, and population density in all 21 New Jersey counties and hate crime rates. The existing data of Federal Bureau of Investigations' hate crime rates and the U.S. Census Bureau's demographic diversity, …

The First 4 Years: A Small Business Sustainability Study, Iris Ann Cooper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses create most of the new jobs in the world, yet more than half fail before the 5th year. Small businesses contribute to the economy by originating new products and services, yet they often lack the strategies to overcome the challenges of the beginning years. When businesses fail, the community wanes from unemployment, poverty, crime, and other social dilemmas. The purpose of this single case study was to explore small business strategies for sustainability beyond Year 4, specifically in a single independent operating Ohio restaurant owner with less than 500 employees. The conceptual framework was Schumpeter's theory of the …

Use Of Social Networking Websites And Receipt Of Cervical Cancer Screening, Patricia Drayton Drayton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Pap smear screening detects cervical cancer in its earliest stages, yet thousands of women in the United States die annually from this disease. Social networking websites commonly provide information about recommended health screenings. In this quantitative study, the Health Belief Model provided the theoretical framework to determine if the use of social networking websites affected nurses' decisions to receive Pap smear screening. A convenience sample of nurses was used, with the rationale that they were knowledgeable of and receptive to participating in a relevant health study. A total of 2,336 registered nurses practicing in Durham, North Carolina were invited to …

Nurses' Perceptions Of Supports And Barriers In Transitioning To The Nurse Faculty Role, Kelly Flanigan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project study addressed nurses' perceptions of supports and barriers in transitioning from a clinician to a faculty role in a 3-year diploma nursing program located in Eastern Pennsylvania. This problem is significant at both the local and national level due to the shortage of qualified nursing faculty members. A qualitative case study design using in-depth interviews was used. The framework to guide the study was Schoening's Nurse Educator Transition (NET) Model. The guiding question addressed perceptions of new nursing faculty members regarding supports and barriers of transitioning to the faculty role. Interview questions focused on participants' identification of their …

Perceptions Of Infertility Among Arab Women In The U.S, Zena Hamdan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Infertility is a serious public health issue. Infertile couples may perceive infertility differently based on their own cultural background. There is a paucity of literature about how infertility is perceived among Arab women living in the United States. The purpose of this study was to be able to understand how Arab women who live in Dearborn, Michigan feel about infertility and to understand their concerns and worries about their health status. The primary research questions asked Arab women how they perceive infertility and how infertility may impact their future. This qualitative case study was guided by the social support theory …

The Relationship Between The Apex Program For Instruction And High School Student Academic Success, David Gordon Krosner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An alternative high school campus in the State of Georgia introduced a new program to support academic growth and engagement among at-risk students. This program, the APEX program, merges technology with content to provide students with self-paced learning facilitated by teachers with the objective of improving test scores, course completion, and graduation. The purpose of this goals-based evaluation was to examine the relationship between APEX program usage and the academic success measures of EOCT scores, course credit accrual, and graduation; it was grounded in the behavior objectives approach. The study followed a cohort of students who were enrolled in Grade …

Tacit Knowledge Capture And The Brain-Drain At Electrical Utilities, Nicholas Steven Perjanik

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As a consequence of an aging workforce, electric utilities are at risk of losing their most experienced and knowledgeable electrical engineers. In this research, the problem was a lack of understanding of what electric utilities were doing to capture the tacit knowledge or know-how of these engineers. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the tacit knowledge capture strategies currently used in the industry by conducting a case study of 7 U.S. electrical utilities that have demonstrated an industry commitment to improving operational standards. The research question addressed the implemented strategies to capture the tacit knowledge of …

The Relationship Between Juvenile Sex Offender Registration And Depression In Adulthood, Sharon E. Denniston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Accounts of sexual abuse appear daily in the media. Rightfully, this issue demands attention. Juveniles may be victims; they may also be offenders who are subject to sex offender registration and notification (SORN) policies. Growing research finds that SORN policies fail to achieve intended public policy outcomes. Little is known, however, about the unintended consequences of SORN for juvenile offenders. This study contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of these policies on this population. Merton's concept of manifest and latent functions of purposive social action and an alternate non-criminogenic form of Lemert's secondary deviance proposition provided the …

Teachers Perceptions Of Barriers To Universal Design For Learning, Mary Elizabeth Jordan Anstead

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has been identified as a contemporary instructional model for promoting inclusion and equitable opportunities for diverse and struggling learners. However, research regarding teachers' perceptions of UDL and its effective implementation is limited, making planning, implementing, and providing professional development difficult for administrators. Guided by the constructivist views of Vygotsky and Piaget, this qualitative case study was designed to understand teachers' knowledge and perceptions of how UDL can be used to promote equitable inclusive instruction, implementation barriers, educational applications for UDL, and perceived needs to implement UDL. Participants were teachers who had implemented UDL from a …

Examination Of Resource Allocation And Student Achievement, Jo Ann Neal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the raise in per-pupil expenditures, the achievement gap between economically advantaged and disadvantaged students continues to increase. Education proponents are scrambling to understand the complexities of local school funding. The No Child Left behind deadline stipulated that all students must be proficient in language arts and mathematics by 2014. The constructivist theory served as the conceptual framework for the study. Performance data were obtained from the State of New Jersey Department of Education and the United States Department of Education. This quantitative study determined whether a significant relationship exists between the allocation of fiscal resources and students' test scores. …

Blended Value Accounting And Social Enterprise Success, John Anner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social enterprises (SEs) are businesses managed by entrepreneurs who seek to improve society, and they represent an important trend in social change work. However, there is little empirical knowledge about which blended value accounting (BVA) methods are used by SE managers, and whether the use of BVA is perceived by SE managers as a critical success factor. Blended value accounting is a conceptual framework for measuring combined social and financial outcomes in SEs, and some believe that the use of BVA may be a critical success factor for SEs. This research was based on Covin and Slevin's conceptualization of entrepreneurial …

Evidence-Based Alternative Therapy To Reduce Anxiety In Ambulatory Mental Health Patients, Renee Ann Denobrega

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Evidence-Based Alternative Therapy to Reduce Anxiety in Ambulatory Mental Health Patients

by

Renee Denobrega

MS, Widener University, 2013

BS, Alvernia University, 2007

Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Walden University

January 2016

Human Trafficking: The Health Of Men Forced Into Labor Trafficking In The United States, Christina Omole

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human trafficking is a criminal act that occurs globally. It affects both women and men, but most studies have focused on female victims; few have explored trafficked men or their related health issues. Though there are many forms of trafficking, it is believed that most male victims are trafficked as forced labor. Using gender schema theory as a framework, this quantitative study examined archival data to identify the types of trafficking men are subjected to, their health ailments, and how these differ from the health ailments of trafficked women. Archival data from 124 individuals subjected to human trafficking in Florida …

The Relationship Between Physical Fitness And School Performance In Middle School Girls, Jamie Anne Donnelly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Past research has indicated a significant relationship between physical fitness and standardized test scores; however, the relationship between physical fitness and other aspects of school performance has yet to be empirically examined in a population specifically composed of middle school girls. This study examined several factors that contribute to school success, such as classroom behavior, attendance, and grades, in relation to physical fitness among a group of adolescent girls. It was specifically designed to examine the statistical relationship between physical fitness, as measured by the Fitnessgram, and quantitative data on school performance including grades, standardized test scores, school behavior, and …

An Ecological Approach To African American Adolescent Food Choices In Low Income Neighborhoods, Clarence E. Mcmillan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childhood obesity remains prevalent among African American (AA) adolescents in low income neighborhoods with limited access to a variety of foods from stores. Guided by the ecological framework, the purpose of this study was to examine the impact of neighborhood stores on food choices, and physical activity among AA adolescents in a low income neighborhood. A quantitative research design with cross sectional primary and secondary surveys was used. Participants included 176 high school students and 42 store merchants. Data sources were the 2011 New Jersey Student Health Survey with core questions from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the Hmong …

Falls And Related Injuries Based On Surveillance Data: U.S. Hospital Emergency Departments, George K. Quarranttey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Falls can lead to unintentional injuries and possibly death, making falls an important public health problem in terms of related health care cost, incurred disabilities, and years of life lost. Approximately 1 in every 3 Americans ages 65 years and older is at risk of falling at least once every year. Children, young adults, and middle-aged adults are also vulnerable to falls. The purpose of this study was to examine the epidemiology of falls and fall-related injuries using surveillance data from nationally representative samples of hospital emergency departments in United States. The study was guided by a social-ecological model on …

A Quantitative Study Of The Effectiveness Of Regulatory Policy In The Maryland Food Industry, Alphonsus C. Korie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Foodborne illness is a persistent problem in the food service industry. Restaurant inspections reveal that only 60-70% of restaurants are in compliance with health code requirements, which vary from state to state and county to county. In Maryland, 5 of the state's 24 counties have a requirement that restaurants classified as medium- or high-priority food establishments must employ certified food managers (CFMs). It is unknown how this requirement has influenced the operation of the affected restaurants and the extent to which the requirement has resulted in improved food handling safety. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the …

Strategies For Managing A Multigenerational Workforce, Ronald Lee Iden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The multigenerational workforce presents a critical challenge for business managers, and each generation has different expectations. A human resource management study of organizations with more than 500 employees reported 58% of the managers experiencing conflict between younger and older workers. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the multigenerational strategies used by 3 managers from a Franklin County, Ohio manufacturing facility with a population size of 6 participants. The conceptual framework for this study was built upon generational theory and cohort group theory. The data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews, company documents, and a reflexive journal. …

Understanding Attrition Among English As A Foreign Language Teachers In Online Training, Joseline Castaños

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Attrition among students in online courses worldwide is well-documented at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate levels. However, little is yet known about the reason for attrition among in-service teachers in online training. Online education aims to provide access to education for the masses, but with higher attrition rates, it may be viewed as less effective than traditional education. This study explored factors that influenced attrition and persistence among teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in an online teacher training environment. Tinto's Community of Inquiry framework and Short, Williams, and Christie's Social Presence Model provided the conceptual framework for …