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Understanding The Relationships Among Students' Goal Orientations, Self-Efficacy, Anxiety, And Accelerated Academic Success In The Redesign Of Developmental Mathematics, Kelly Ann Hogan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The low success rates of increasing numbers of underprepared students taking developmental mathematics classes 'often minority and economically disadvantaged' are challenging community colleges across the United States. These students, who must start in the lowest levels of precollege mathematics courses, are unlikely to pass the first course and earn a credential. Using a mastery goal orientation theoretical framework, a quantitative, survey research design was used to ascertain any correlations between students' goal orientations, self-efficacy, test anxiety, and success in a new model of learning. Survey data were used to answer 3 research questions: (a) the relationship between success and students' …

Examining Nurse Practitioners' Perceptions And Beliefs Regarding Hospice Referrals For African Americans, Karen Jackson Mcclary

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Terminally ill patients often have difficult choices at the end-of-life, and electing to receive hospice services is one of them. Hospice has been linked to improved quality of life and death and is accessible to terminally ill patients. Despite the accessibility, African American patients often make the decision to forgo hospice services. The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore perceptions and beliefs of nurse practitioners (NPs) regarding the lack of utilization of hospice for African American patients and the feasibility of NPs for initial referral for terminally ill African American patients. The research questions addressed whether an NP's …

Effectiveness Of Testing Accommodations For Postsecondary Students With Learning Disabilities, Dana Lindsey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Learning disabilities (LDs), which are the most common diagnosis of students entering colleges, are found in approximately 3% of first-year college students. Little information is available, however, on the role of classroom accommodations on these students' academic performance. The purpose of this study was to determine whether academic performance, self-efficacy, and motivation of postsecondary LD students were influenced by extended testing time. Social cognitive theory and expectancy-value theory were used to frame the study. Fifty-three participants from a community college in the Southeastern United States who were approved to receive classroom accommodations completed a demographic questionnaire and measures of motivation …

Decision-Making On Technology Deployment For Online Programs At Historically Black Institutions, Shirley M. Mcclellan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) lag behind predominantly White institutions in their production of online courses and degree programs because of nonexistent or inadequate technology training for faculty members and limited financial resources. The purpose of this qualitative comparative case study was to obtain insight into how decisions are made on technology deployment and integration of online programs at HBCUs. Guided by Donaldson's contingency theory, this case study addressed how decisions are determined at HBCUs to integrate online learning programs into the curriculum and how the individuals who make these decisions perceive online learning programs. Survey responses were collected …

A Quantitative Quasi-Experimental Study Of An Online High School Mathematics Remediation Program, Terry Meehan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The local problem that drove this study is that a high school in an upper middle class suburban city in Pennsylvania wants to improve its student scores on its end-of-course Algebra 1 Keystone Exam. The purpose of this study was to conduct a quantitative, quasi-experimental assessment of an online high school mathematics remediation program to determine if the remediation program was successful in its endeavor to remediate students. This research study, informed by the self-efficacy and the behaviorist learning theories, attempted to determine whether students who (a) scored below proficient on the May algebra exam and were placed in the …

Ethiopian And Eritrean Businesses Growth Barriers In The Washington, Dc Area, Sereke-Berhan Meres

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prior studies have revealed that recent Asian and Hispanic immigrant entrepreneurs have made significant contributions to social change in the United States. Although African immigrant entrepreneurs have made such contributions, few studies exist about them, and there is limited knowledge about this business community. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify the barriers of growth in Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrant-owned firms in the Washington, DC area who were in business for a minimum of 3 years and represented various trade lines and geographical locations. The enhanced integrated model of ethnic business development, which proposes growth strategies by …

Factors That Contribute To Resilience Of Early Care And Education Teachers, Nefertiti Bruce Poyner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a lack of understanding of how teachers in Early Care and Education (ECE) work to overcome occupational stress and burnout. Many investigators have documented the stress and burnout that often result in high levels of attrition in ECE teachers. The purpose of this study was to determine to what degree a teacher's protective factors help in mitigating the experiences of stress and burnout often associated with working as a teacher in the field of ECE. Guided by Werner's theory of resilience, which highlights the importance of protective factors as a means of overcoming risk factors, the research questions …

Motivation For Volunteering With Older Adults In A Rural Community, Tonia Maria Truesdell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Baby Boomer generation in the United States is growing older, and the number of adults age 65 years or older is expected to double by 2050. The increase in older adults combined with the reduction in services to older adults has created a gap in available social services and volunteers are needed to fill those gaps. This quantitative, nonexperimental study was designed to identify the motivations of volunteers who served the socialization needs of isolated older adults in a rural U.S. community. The functional approach theory was utilized to explain how volunteers engage in the same volunteer activity for …

The Effects Of Parent Involvement On Student Outcomes In A Minority-Serving Charter High School, Linda Varnell Washington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have associated parent involvement in primary schools with the improvement of grades, attendance, and the decrease of negative social behaviors. Consequently, parent involvement has improved in many primary schools. However, in secondary schools, parent participation continues to be deficient, particularly among Latino and African American communities due to language barriers, low incomes, and lack of social networks. Research is needed on how parent participation affects student achievement in secondary schools with underserved populations. Social capital theory provided the conceptual framework to help determine if parent involvement could create parent-school relationships that would lead to improved student academic and behavioral …

Teaching Through The Lens Of Humane Education In U.S. Schools, Kristine Cecilia Tucker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Humane education (HE) is a specialized niche in higher education and adult learning. HE provides a curricular framework positioning environmental ethics, animal protection, human rights, media literacy, culture, and change processes as the nexus for understanding and inspiring social change. Research-derived experiences illuminating how educators conceptualize and implement HE in U.S. schools are absent from the scholarly literature. Facing this gap, practitioners and administrators of HE programs cannot access nor apply research-derived practices to inform instruction. To address this gap, a conceptual framework was advanced weaving together HE teaching experience, Freirean philosophy, hyphenated selves, reflection-in-action, transformative learning, and transformative education …

Nigerian Cancer Survivors' Perceptions Of Care Received From Health Care Professionals, Olusegun Akinsuli

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cancer patients worldwide receive care from multidisciplinary teams, and patients

sometimes have little or no knowledge about the different treatment options available, making communication with their care providers an important influence in how they perceive their care. Patient satisfaction with care is an important factor in determining survivorship. The increasing prevalence of cancer worldwide has become a huge public health issue. The World Health Organization has warned that the potential gains from combatting infectious diseases in Nigeria might be lost because of the increasing prevalence of cancer. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to obtain the perceptions of …

Motivating Factors In Al-Shabaab Recruitment In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Lorrie Flores

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over the past 5 years, a number of U.S. citizens residing in Minneapolis have been reported to have been recruited and radicalized by Al-Shabaab, organization that has played a role in major international terrorist attacks. This, in turn, creates a significant concern related to national security in the United States. Using Hirsch's social bond theory and Merton's theory of relative depravation, the purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the factors that motivate radicalization of young males aged 18 to 25 in Minneapolis. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 6 Somali American adults between the ages of …

Exploration Of Practice Managers' Decision-Making Strategies In A Managed-Care Paradigm, Lawrence Randolph Ford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Practice managers are facing challenging expectations when deploying a managed-care paradigm. The problem addressed in this study was a gap in knowledge regarding practice managers' decision-making strategies that affect, or could be perceived to affect, a climate of excellence with business and client relationships, primary health care, physicians, and patients in a managed-care paradigm. The purpose of the qualitative exploratory study was to explore practice managers' decision-making strategies affecting primary health care, physicians, and patients. Guided by Simon's ideology of decision-making strategies in a management environment, the overarching research question and 3 subquestions centered on how practice managers delineate their …

Awareness Of Clinical Laboratory Sciences And Shortage Of Clinical Laboratory Scientists In The 21st Century, Cynthia Funnye Doby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Retiring baby boomers and the lack of interest and awareness among college students to enroll in an accredited Clinical Laboratory Science (CLS) program have created a shortage of CLS professionals in the 21st century. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 18,000 CLS vacancies by 2018. However, only about 5,000 students graduate from accredited CLS programs each year. The purpose of this study was to explore students' perceptions of allied health professions and factors that influenced students and CLS professionals to select CLS as a profession. Bandura's social cognitive career theory served as the theoretical framework for this phenomenological study. …

Understanding A School's Response To Childhood Obesity, April Dawn Goins-Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childhood obesity has become a national epidemic. Although many of the consequences of childhood obesity are known, such as physical, social, emotional, and academic effects on a student's development, there is a lack of literature on the topic of childhood obesity in Native American tribes. The purpose of this case study was to explore how school personnel address the effects of obesity on students' social, emotional, academic, and physical development in an elementary school in the southwest United States where 90% of the students are Native Americans. Bronfenbrenner's socioecological model served as the theoretical foundation. The research questions explored strategies …

The Experience Of Survivorship: Quality Of Life For African American Breast Cancer Survivors, Angela L. Grimmett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American breast cancer survivors are at a greater risk of experiencing disparities in mortality, treatment, and quality of life. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the impact that breast cancer had on the quality of life of African American breast cancer survivors from a psychosocial, physical, spiritual, and economic perspective. Face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted with 9 volunteers who met the eligibility criteria of being breast cancer survivors of African American decent. The sample of survivors ranged in ages 45 to 80 and was between 6 to 30 years postdiagnosis. Giorgi's phenomenological method was used to …

Predictors For Florida Nurse Practitioners' Characterization Of Organizational Climate, Eric F. Haupt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Healthcare managers are failing to meet the increasing demand for services while experiencing a growing shortage of healthcare workers. The restrictive scope of practice regulations and organizational barriers have a negative effect on the number and growth of nurse practitioners available to meet the required demand. Researchers have focused on the organizational climate of the nursing profession in general, yet there is an absence of research regarding the perceptions of the advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs) in their local practice environment. The purpose of this study was to examine if ARNP role identification, autonomy, and collaboration were predictive of perceived …

Experiences Of Chronic Disease Self-Management Program Leaders, Laketa Monique Hillman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic conditions are public health threats. The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) is an evidence-based disease management program that addresses personal self-management of chronic conditions. The CDSMP involves peer trainers who instruct and assist with chronic disease preventive measures. Although disease management demonstrates promise to improving patient self-maintenance, previous researchers have not evaluated how the program affects program leaders. The purpose of this study was to discover how self-help leaders feel about the CDSM program. The overarching research question asked about perspectives that self-help leaders had toward the program. Through a narrative qualitative approach, the perceptions of peer leaders were …

The Experiences Of Grade 4 Public Elementary School Teachers Regarding Multiculturalism, James Hill Hill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increasing number of multicultural students are attending U.S. public schools. At a Title I elementary school in a rural region of the southern United States, multicultural students had not met academic standards as measured by state exams, and state scores had been very low for 5 consecutive years. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the instructional strategies used by Grade 4 teachers in helping multicultural students pass state tests. The conceptual framework was Vygotsky's theory of cognitive and social constructivism and Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. The foci of research questions were on identifying teachers' …

Relationship Between Firm Performance And Ceo's Stock Options In U.S. Pharmaceutical Companies, George Mwangi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The CEO's compensation policy is one of the most important factors in an organization's success. CEO's stock options are awarded to align the interests of the CEO with the interests of the firms' stakeholders. However, lack of understanding of the relationship between firm performance and a CEO's stock options could threaten the alignment of a CEO's interests with those of the stakeholders. Grounded in agency theory, the purpose of this correlation study was to examine the relationship between return on equity, return on investment, total annual revenues, and CEOs' stock options awards, while controlling for firm size, age of CEO, …

Examining Cognitive Presence And Assessment For Learning In An Asynchronous History Discussion, Gregory Sucre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Online learning, which began in the area of tertiary and adult learning and professional development, has been spreading rapidly as an alternative way for students to pursue learning in the K-12 sector. While adult learners may be expected to be more experienced students and cope with the variations in the implementation of online learning, younger K-12 students need a more structured approach to organize their online learning experiences. Formative assessment has been promoted as a means of enhancing all learning, including online learning. This study explored the use of the formative assessment process in the design and facilitation of an …

Employee Turnover In Frontline Hospital Staff, Jeanne Lynn Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover is costly in service-intensive organizations where employee-customer interactions directly affect the organization's success. The purpose of this multiple case study was to identify strategies community hospital leaders use to reduce frontline support employee turnover. The study population consisted of leaders of a community hospital in southeast Louisiana. The conceptual framework for this study is Kahn's model of employee engagement. Semistructured interviews were conducted with eight hospital leaders in southeast Louisiana who were selected through census sampling. Interview transcripts were analyzed and coded following Yin's case study analysis process. Methodological triangulation allowed for a comparison of the findings of …

Entrepreneurial Qualities For Successful Development And Sustainability Of New Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Brock Allyn Zehr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Entrepreneurial small businesses are significant to the U.S. economy, as they represent 99% of employer firms and employ 49% of the private sector. Nearly half of new businesses fail within the first 5 years of operation. While external factors beyond the control of business owners account for some failures, many occur because of managerial inadequacies. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of successful entrepreneurs to understand the qualities needed to create and sustain new small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) beyond 5 years. The sample consisted of 21 entrepreneurs from Northeastern Indiana who created and …

Breastfeeding Education For Women With Diabetes, Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension And Multiple Gestations, Oluwapelumi Adefunmike Adeboyejo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Breastfeeding is considered a public health concern due to increased maternal/infant mortality and morbidity rates associated with persistent low rates in breastfeeding. Providing early breastfeeding education for women with diabetic, pregnancy-induced hypertension and multiple gestations can result in higher persistence rates and a decrease in maternal and infant mortality and morbidity rates. This quality improvement project provided early prenatal breastfeeding education for women with diabetes, pregnancy-induce hypertension and multiple gestations at a private clinic in Long Beach, Southern California. Evidence-based literature reviews were conducted through CINAHL and Medline (2009-2014). The descriptive study used for the project was made up questionnaires …

Psychological Stress In Critical Care Nurses, Oladele Augustine Odunayo Akinwolere

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increased levels of stress in the workplace have led the American Psychological Association to predict a looming public health crisis. Critical care nurses (CCNs) are highly exposed to stressors in the workplace, more than other nurses. Tens of billion dollars were reported lost in productive work time yearly due to ill health from depression alone. An important gap remains in understanding the relationships of stressors with the amount of stress. Supported by the biopsychosocial stress theory, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between frequencies of perceived stressors (IVs) as a source of perceived levels of stress …

Characteristics Of Adult Icu Patients With Device Associated Nosocomial Infections, Doramarie Arocha

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nosocomial infections are a cause of concern for hospital patients and the incidence rates of these infections are greater in intensive care units (ICUs) due to the invasive nature of treatments, additional risk factors and comorbidities, and therapies used. Invasive devices, such as vascular central lines, Foley catheters, and mechanical ventilators pose a risk for critically ill patients in the ICUs to develop device-related, healthcare-associated infections (HAI). The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiological characteristics of patients who developed device-related HAIs within 3 ICU units (medical-surgical, cardiovascular, and neurosurgical) of an academic medical facility. The ecosocial theory …

Using Early Alert Data To Increase Success Rates Among U.S., Donald Michael Ball

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More U.S. students are attending college than at any time in history, but many of these students are poorly prepared for college coursework. Higher education institutions are challenged to increase the overall student success rate. The study community college implemented an early alert system to identify students with potential course performance concerns, but it is not known whether other student data might also predict academic performance at the study site. Guided by Tinto's and Astin's respective works on student persistence, the purpose of this correlational study was to investigate the relationships between students' demographic, background, and environmental variables and course …

Community And Patient-Centered Medical Home In The Care Of Chronically Ill Patients, Victor A. Carrillo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Large portions of the US population live in poor inner-city communities. Health needs assessment data have shown that these communities have disproportionately high rates of chronic illnesses. The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model was developed to address the gaps that exist in the primary care system, and emphasizes a redesign of primary care that is patient centered, utilizes multiple levels of healthcare professionals, information technology, and care coordination. However, little evidence exists on the value of this model which may explain why it has not gained wide acceptance by primary care providers. Therefore, this study was designed to examine the …

Phenomenological Study Of Career Advancement Experiences Of Ethnic Female Migrant, Evelyn Oghogho Brisibe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the 2006 census, Statistics Canada recorded that 23% of immigrant women aged 15 and over had a university degree at the bachelor's level or above. These women could help sustain an organization's competitive advantage and respond to labor shortages posed by an aging population. This phenomenological study highlighted self-initiated migration journey and career advancement experiences of migrant women. Through LinkedIn and referrals from non-profit organizations, a sample of 20 women was recruited. All women had migrated to Canada between the ages 32 to 50, all had 5 to 10 years of residence in Canada and all had college degrees …

Police Officer Perception Of Wellness Programs, Ellen M. Chism

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police officer applicants need to be in top physical condition and must pass a physical

ability test in order to be accepted into the police academy. However, many police

departments do not require incumbent police officers to take such tests after passing the

academy, even though the job requirements may not change. Research has documented

the importance of police officer fitness and its applicability to their work. Separate

studies have also shown the benefit of organizational wellness programs to employees.

There is a gap in the literature, however, regarding police officer perceptions of physical

fitness as it relates to police …