Digital Commons Network^™

Counselor Educators' Multicultural Competencies: Understanding Relationships Between Race And Ethnic Identity Awareness, Ariel Winston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current literature explains that multiculturally incompetent behaviors demonstrated by counselor educators have negatively affected the personal and professional lives of students, clients, counselors, counselor educators, and supervisees. Using the theoretical framework of critical race theory (CRT), this study examined the relationship among race, ethnic identity awareness, and multicultural competence in counselor educators. CRT involves recognizing conscious and unconscious biases, attributed to race, that individuals might experience. Ninety self-identified counselor educators currently employed in Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) counseling programs completed online surveys containing questions concerning racial classification, adapted questions from the Multicultural Counseling Knowledge …

Job Satisfaction, Life Satisfaction And The Unemployed Spouse, Julie Anchustigui

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The recent economic recession has led to a large number of dual-income families losing their second income or having a smaller overall household income as a result of hourly wage cuts. Previous research has examined how job satisfaction can spill over into home life satisfaction; however, literature on how life satisfaction can affect job satisfaction is scarce. Based on theories of job satisfaction, personality, conservation of resources, and affective spillover, this study examined whether job satisfaction of the working partner was affected when the other became unemployed. Measures of job satisfaction, life satisfaction, personality, spousal status, and some demographic data …

Predictors Of Excessive Alcohol Consumption Among U.S. Business Travelers, Jennifer Clore Barrickman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Excessive alcohol consumption (EAC) is an important public health problem. Several researchers have examined work-related influences on EAC, but few have investigated the predictors of EAC related to business travel. This study measured the association between EAC and frequency of business travel, duration of business travel, and job industry among U.S. business travelers. Research was conducted within the social-ecological theoretical framework. Snowball sampling was used to gather data from 187 business travelers. Data were evaluated using bivariate analysis to assess the association between measures of EAC and each independent variable. Multiple logistic regression was used to adjust for covariates. Respondents …

Effect Of Whole Brain Teaching On Student Self-Concept, Heather Winona Schulte Clark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sufficient research exists indicating that the brain mechanisms involved with use of whole brain teaching (WBT) techniques will likely lead to improved academic achievement and that academic self-concept (ASC) is both a cause and consequence of academic achievement. However, it is not known if there is a relationship between WBT and ASC. Given the benefits derived from positive ASC, it becomes important to assess WBT as a predictor variable of positive ASC. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between different levels of exposure to WBT techniques and the mean difference in ASC, as measured by …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Children's Experiences During The Therapeutic Process, Katherine Destefano

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Billions of mental health care dollars for millions of children and adolescents in need has garnered significant attention within the behavioral health industry to reduce costs while improving treatment efficacy through the identification and implementation of evidence based practices with youth populations requiring therapeutic services. This hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative research approach in the field of psychology is a consumer driven one in the world of business. Line by line context and discourse analyses, which included both a prior and inductive coding, of the verbiage and phraseology of 10 boys and 10 girls, aged 8-12, actively engaged in outpatient psychotherapy, formed …

The Implementation Of Governance To Counter Islamist Militancy In Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, David Robert Diorio

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Militancy inspired by Islamists is escalating globally, and government action is necessary to protect vulnerable populations. Security professionals generally agree that governance may complement the use of force to defeat militants; however, current doctrine does not address the concurrent integration of governance in a comprehensive strategy. This interpretive case study explored Pakistan's application of governance during the 2009 Khyber operation in Swat Valley, code-named Operation Rah-e-Rast. The central research question focused on how governance activities were integrated with military operations to subdue militancy. Data were collected through interviews with 6 planners, Pakistani secondary source survey data, and government artifacts. Data …

Leader Strategies To Reduce Sales Personnel Attrition, Nicole Lea Hawkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Because sales are the primary revenue generators for insurance companies, reducing attrition of sales agents is essential to organizational success. The purpose of this single descriptive case study was to explore strategies that 6 Nebraskan sales leaders within the insurance industry used to reduce attrition. Participants had experience in sales leadership and the attrition of sales personnel and were able to provide insight into the unique perspectives on attrition in the insurance industry. Participants met the following criteria: (a) manage an insurance sales office or organization or (b) held an insurance sales leadership position for at least 1 year and …

The Effect Of Target Demographics And Emotional Intelligence On Workplace Bullying, Richard P. Himmer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace bullying has escalated among U.S. workers, and aside from its mental and physical toll, it can affect productivity, absenteeism, and turnover. Researchers have identified the primary causes of workplace bullying as envy, leadership disregard, a permissive climate, organizational culture, and personality traits. This non experimental, quantitative study investigated the predictors of workplace bullying at the target level, and specifically examined if target EI, age, gender, and/or race/ethnicity predicts experienced workplace bullying. Participants (N = 151) 18 years or older with one year of work experience were recruited from the WBI database, a newspaper column, public presentations, and a blog. …

Improving Quality Of Life In Older Adults With Depression And Diabetes Through Medication Compliance Education, Valreen Hinds-Beharrie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Improving Quality-of-Life in Older Adults with Depression and Diabetes through Medication Compliance Education

by

Valreen Hinds-Beharrie

MSN, Adelphi University, 1997

BSN, Adelphi University, 1986

Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirement for the Degree of

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Walden University

March 2016

Diabetes and depression are prevalent diseases that cause morbidity and mortality. Diabetes is a heterogeneous metabolic disease in which hypoglycemia is a central feature. Depression is associated with increased counter-regulatory, hormone release, and alteration in glucose transport function. Depression occurs in some individuals with diabetes and is associated with poor metabolic control, inadequate control of diet, …

Public Sector Leaders' Strategies To Improve Employee Retention, Michael D. Izard-Carroll

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics consistently reports significant employee turnover in the public sector, including the federal, state, and local levels. High turnover results in compromised public goods and services provided to a community. The widespread nature of the problem and the scarcity of literature focusing on employee retention strategies in the public sector merited this case study. Public sector leaders from Western New York who had implemented employee retention strategies in a public organization comprised the population for the study. Cost-benefit theory, human capital theory, and social capital theory provided the conceptual context for developing and executing …

A Study Of Satisfaction With Online Learning In Workplace Training, M. Anita Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The American workplace and American culture have rapidly transitioned to online learning and are now more dependent on technology. Yet, in spite of a multitude of studies that explored online learning, it has not been established whether managers are satisfied with application of technology to training. The purpose of this study was to examine receptiveness as expressed by satisfaction with effectiveness of online training among managers to determine if a relationship exists for age, position, and length of service. The research was based on theoretical foundations of Herzberg's theory of motivation and Herzberg's theory of job satisfaction. The goal of …

Analysis Of How Newly-Hired Nurses Are Educated To Provide Customer Service, Patricia Mcafee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As part of healthcare reform through the Affordable Care Act of 2010,

hospitals across the United States are being held accountable for

providing a positive patient experience and will lose up to 2% of

their reimbursement by 2017 if they fail to reach targeted scores.

The purpose of this quality improvement project was to review the

process used by a Georgia hospital to educate newly-hired nurses

about customer service expectations and to provide recommendations

for process improvement. Theoretical foundations supporting

customer service included the caring philosophy of Mayeroff; the

caring theories of Watson, Leininger, Boykin, and Nyberg; and

Roy's adaptation …

Factors Influencing The Use Of Physical Restraints On Children Living In Residential Treatment Facilities, April M. Minjarez-Estenson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of physical restraints in residential treatment centers for children has been shown to be detrimental to both staff and the children. Although there have been nationwide initiatives to reduce or eliminate the use of physical restraints on children, to date, researchers have not yet identified the organizational factors that predict the likelihood of using physical restraints on children. Based on the two-factor theory, in which two different types of predictors of motivation and behavior in the workplace were identified, the purpose of this quantitative non-experimental study was to examine whether satisfaction with pay, a hygiene factor, and satisfaction …

Coteaching At An Elementary School Level In A Suburban Setting, Karen Ocque

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since leaders of a Central New York school implemented integrated cotaught (ICT) classrooms, no local investigation of ICT has taken place, leaving district administrators without empirical evidence of the value and effectiveness of the ICT services. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between ICT services and student academic achievement in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics, as measured by the New York State ELA and mathematics assessments for 4th and 5th graders. Vygotsky's paradigm of cognitive development, which states that learners acquire knowledge through collaborative interactions with other students, guided this study because ICT classrooms emphasize …

Behaviors Related To Hiv Infections In Rural Versus Urban Regions Of Nigeria, Michael Ifeanyi Okeke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Efforts by the Federal Republic of Nigeria and international nongovernmental agencies to reduce the impact of HIV in Nigeria have not yielded the anticipated results. This study focused on the association between attitude, religious beliefs, knowledge of HIV, sexual risk behavior, and HIV epidemiology in rural and urban Nigeria. This quantitative study used social-cognitive theory and problem theory. The study was based on the Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2013 data including a sample of 33,006 participants. Specific covariates including gender, sexual partners over the past years, age at first sexual encounter, socioeconomic status, and literacy level were obtained …

Navy Personnel And Effects Of Select Factors On Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptomology, Thomas J. Palmer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since the establishment of the individual augmentee role within the U.S. Navy, little research has examined this nontraditional role associated with combat units. The majority of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) research has been dedicated to Army and Marine Corps personnel with little research conducted on the Navy population. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to identify the prevalence of combat-related PTSD symptomology for Navy personnel returning from an augmentee tour. The link between component and tour length and the presence of individual resilience factors on PTSD were examined. The theoretical foundation of this research included the cognitive link …

Racial Socialization And African American Students' Academic Motivation And Self-Efficacy And Likelihood Attending Graduate School, Judith Parker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Enrollment by African American students in U.S. colleges and universities has increased since 2009, but graduation and retention remains low for this group. Within the African American community, education is considered a central aspect of social empowerment; however, the effect of discrimination, bias, and stereotyping are key when considering achievement indices within a cultural framework. The coping mechanisms that African Americans have developed to combat discrimination, bias, and stereotype threat may contribute to poor performance in college. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between racial socialization and African American students' academic motivation, academic self-efficacy, and likelihood …

The Connection Between Wellness Programs And Employee Job Satisfaction In Higher Education, Donel J. Richemond

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job dissatisfaction is becoming a fundamental concern for employers. Employee engagement makes an organization more productive and can reduce absenteeism. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between employer-sponsored wellness-program participation and job satisfaction among for-profit college and university leaders. Data collection involved an online survey of 400 faculty members' from for-profit universities in the United States contacted using the Job Satisfaction Survey; 103 participants completed the survey. The theoretical framework was the need-satisfaction theory, which includes the factors that promote job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction. The results came from a multiple regression analysis that indicated …

Identifying Supportive Education Practices For College Students With Psychological Disabilities, Lekeia Shari Sears

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with psychological disabilities who enter the post-secondary environment can struggle without proper support services. Faculty and staff members typically interact with their students as much as or more than any other post-secondary personnel. This project study explored faculty and staff members' knowledge of supportive education programs and their feelings about engaging/helping these students. Guided by Bandura's self-efficacy theory for faculty and Rogers' humanistic approach to education, which supports the need for faculty involvement and training, this study explored whether faculty and staff members feel effective in addressing these issues with students. A qualitative case study design was employed to …

Student Perceptions Of Flipped Learning In A High School Math Classroom, Daniel Strohmyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Flipped classrooms are implemented in more schools each year, particularly in courses requiring increased teacher guidance for mastery. While a foundation of research related to pedagogy and academic outcomes exists, research is limited surrounding student perceptions of the social and learning culture during flipped learning. The purpose of this study was to explore high school math students' lived experiences of flipped learning related to content and instruction, critical thinking, and collaboration and interactions. A phenomenological design was employed using a conceptual framework combining cognitive load theory, sociocultural learning theory, and schema theory. Students from two public high schools in the …

Knowledge Management And Innovation On Firm Performance Of United States Ship Repair, Cynthia Jane Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the decreasing labor forces throughout the United States, if leadership of the ship repair industry does not incorporate knowledge sharing and innovation into their daily business practices, knowledge will be lost during employee departures and turnover of teams from project-to-project, resulting in decreasing firm performance within their organizations. This was a correlation study to determine if there was a correlation between knowledge management, innovation, and firm performance. Data were collected from 69 CEO/Presidents, Human Resource personnel, or members in leadership positions of the Virginia Ship Repair Association in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The theoretical framework for …

The Relationship Between Resilience And Academic Success Among Bermuda Foster Care Adolescents, Zina Denise Zuill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The primary goal of this study was to explore whether individual resiliency factors measured by the Resilience Scale (RS) influence academic success for Bermudian foster care adolescents, a population previously unstudied in the literature. Academic vulnerability is a concern for foster care adolescents, and more empirical studies need to be conducted to increase understanding of the variables that affect academic success for this population. Resiliency is a conceptual framework based on a positive developmental focus. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the relationship between resilience and academic success among 51 Bermudian foster care adolescents who attended …

Single-Gender Education At An Urban Middle School, Calvin Rogers Hooks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Several recent studies have critiqued the cognitive science behind single gender education, and social cognitive theory has demonstrated that gender inequality in the classroom may inhibit students' academic achievement. This study examined a single-gender education program for both middle school boys and girls established to remedy academic achievement deficiencies at a public charter school, to be identified as Urban Charter School (UCS), located in an urban area. The key research questions examined the trend in mathematics and reading student outcomes over a 6-year period, the relationship between gender and outcomes in mathematics and reading, and the comparison of outcomes between …

Immigration's Impact On Emerging Mental Health Issues Among Kenyans In The Northeast United States, Jane Itumbi Kabuiku

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Immigrants lose their unique psychosocial context when their experiences are subsumed under pan ethnic labels such as Hispanics, Latina/o, Asians or Africans. The stress from navigating different cultural contexts becomes problematic when immigrants operate within mainstream cultural norms that are in conflict with their traditional values. The number of Kenyan immigrants to the United States has steadily increased since the 1980s. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to study the lived experience of Kenyan immigrants by focusing on their integration experience and how the integration processes may have affected their mental health. Very few studies center on the …

Parental Beliefs About Maladaptive Eating Behaviors In Adolescents, Teresa Loar Sage

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over 25 million people in the United States are affected by eating disorders, and understanding children's eating style can help determine maladaptive eating behaviors. This study was an investigation of parents' beliefs about their children's eating behaviors in relation to parental work status. Two theoretical frameworks were used to guide the study. Symbolic interactionism focused on communication between parents and children. Social learning theory focused on adolescents possibly learning their eating behaviors from observing their parents' eating habits. The research questions and hypotheses examined if there was a relationship between the work status of parents and their beliefs about maladaptive …

Age Cohorts Impact On Public Employee Job Satisfaction Through Motivation, Isaac Edwin Perry, Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One of the most critical issues facing government over the next decade will be filling management positions vacated by Baby Boomers. The purpose of this quantitative correlational research study was to examine how intrinsic and extrinsic motivations affect job satisfaction among different age cohorts in the public workforce. The public workforce is comprised of Baby Boomers (born 1946- 1964), Generation X (born 1965- 1980) and Generation Y (born1981 to 1996). The theoretical framework for this study was Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. A random sample of 213 participants: Generation Y = 40, Generation X = 77, and Baby Boomers = 96, participated …

Standardized Assessments, Care Planning, And Improved Quality Of Life For Residents Of Adult Family Homes, John A. Rogers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Quality of life for adults living in adult family homes requires further attention as the elderly population continues to grow and moves from minority to majority. There is a lack of data on residents in adult family home settings and their quality of life. The purpose of this project was to identify if individualized nursing care plans had an impact on the residents' quality of life in the adult family home. In this study, a registered nurse assessed the residents to create an individualized nursing care plan that would be implemented to improve quality of life. These care plans were …

Struggling Adolescent Writers Describe Their Experiences, Teri A. Spargur

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Writing continues to be difficult for adolescents throughout the United States. There is little known about writing from the adolescent's perspective. This case study describes six 8th graders' thoughts and motivations on writing. The purpose of the current study was to examine the perceptions and experiences of struggling adolescent writers by taped participant interviews of six students, three male and three female, which scored below proficient on their state writing assessment. The conceptual theoretical framework for the current study is Bandura's social cognitive theory. The central research question of this study focused on the experiences of adolescents who struggle …

Junior High Latino Parents' Perceived Roles In Home And School Partnerships, Mytzy Vania Rodriguez-Kufner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A rural K-12 district in the Midwest evidenced a rise in the Latino population from 2002 to 2013, yet parental participation amongst Latino parents at the junior high was low. Low parental involvement has been linked to lowered self-efficacy, which impacts student learning. Although there is a plethora of research on the positive aspects of parental involvement, there is little research on Latino parent involvement in small rural communities. Within this instrumental case study, Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's model of parent involvement was used to explore Latino parents' perceptions of their roles and responsibilities of communication strategies within the junior high …

Examining Barriers To Retention Of Adult Learners In Rural Education Programs, Tiffany Minyon Spivey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The retention of adult learners in rural educational settings throughout the United States is challenging for adult education instructors. Adult learners in rural areas encounter internal and external barriers, including lack of self-efficacy and minimal transportation. Research exists regarding the retention of adult learners, but little is known about the barriers to persistence among adult learners in rural areas, or the motivations experienced by students and instructors. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify perceived barriers to retention at a rural adult learning center in Georgia and to provide suggestions to improve adult education and literacy initiatives. …