Digital Commons Network^™

Talent Retention In Organizations Facing Staff Reductions Via Layoffs, George Edward Lightfoot

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High voluntary attrition threatens the future of downsizing organizations. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how employee layoff announcements reduces the perception of organizational commitment to experienced, skilled workers in central Wisconsin. The conceptual framework integrated stress response theories including Cannon's cognitive activation theory of stress. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 journeyman level artisans who had witnessed the layoff process within 50 miles of Wausau Wisconsin. These interviews were analyzed via the modified van Kaam method to code, cluster, and group the findings into significant themes. Nine themes emerged from the analyses suggesting layoff implementation strategies …

Knowledge, Attitude, Lifestyle Practices, And Quality Of Life In Sporadic Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Patients, Shahpar Vafamand

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare lung disease recognized by abnormal growth of smooth muscle cells proliferating in lungs parenchyma, developing benign tumors, migrating to the other organs, and ultimately leading to respiratory failure and death. Despite existing literature mainly on clinical aspects of LAM, there is a gap of literature in regards to the knowledge, attitude, and lifestyle practices (KAPs) of LAM patients and their effects on their quality of life. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the KAPs of the sporadic LAM patients as measured by the Bristol Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Knowledge Questionnaire, Beliefs and …

A Predictive Model For Dementia Risk In Elderly Adults With Prediabetes, Susan Elizabeth Alford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Dementia is a serious public health concern in the United States, with a prevalence of 5.2 million. There is currently no effective way to prevent or cure dementia, and the precise etiology is unknown, but it appears there are multiple risk factors. Prediabetes (PD) has been identified as a risk factor although the scientific evidence is conflicting. This study is important to those at high risk for dementia and to healthcare professionals who lack substantiated dementia prevention strategies. The purpose of this case control study was to determine whether PD is associated with dementia in adults aged 65-95 years and …

Perspectives Of Parents Of Students With Disabilities Toward Public And Homeschool Learning Environments, Angie Marie Delaney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Homeschool delivery to students is on the rise, particularly in regards to the education of students with disabilities. At this time, there is a lack of research on homeschooled students with disabilities. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how parents choose a model of education for their children with disabilities. A purposeful sample of 3 distinct groups comprising 13 parents of children with disabilities was assembled: (a) parents who are homeschooling their child with a disability, (b) parents who have decided to enroll their child in the public school system after previously homeschooling, and (c) parents who …

A Narrative Inquiry Of Successful Black Male College Students, Malou Chantal Harrison

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite a growing enrollment of Black males in colleges and universities in the U.S., the nationwide college degree completion rate for Black males remains at disproportionately low numbers as compared to other ethnicities and to that of Black females. The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to evoke and promote the voices of successful Black male students and to understand their perspectives on factors that contributed to their college success. Findings from this research provide insight into college experiences and interventions that have positive implications for Black male college student success. Valencia's (2010) work on educational attainment served as …

Impact Of Online Versus Face-To Face Instruction On Appraisal Student's Morality Levels, Samuel Martin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The financial markets have been in a state of chaos for a number of years. Some of the chaos was attributed to appraisers bending under unethical pressure exerted by lenders. The purpose of this study was to explore whether mode of instruction affected appraiser morality when participating in a Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course, as measured by Rest's Defining Issues Test (DIT-2). The research question examined the difference between the effect on the morality schema of continuing appraisal students taking the 7-hour USPAP CE course online versus students taking the course in a face-to-face environment. The research …

Advanced Nurses' Perspectives On The Drug Addiction Treatment Act, 13 Years Later, Dorothy L. Were

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States experiences opioid addiction at epidemic levels. In 2012, the National Institute of Drug Abuse reported that 23.1 million Americans were in need of addiction treatment services, although only 2.5 million were enrolled in treatment. Following an amendment to the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-310), advanced practice nurses were qualified as providers who could bridge the healthcare gap in treatment access. The purpose of this project was to determine the interest of advanced practice nurses in (a) prescribing buprenorphine and (b) establishing guidelines that would allow them to do so. This quantitative project used …

High School Student Athletes And Nonathletes' Disciplinary Referrals And Grade Point Averages, Jack Willard Calhoun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High School Student Athletes and Nonathletes'

Disciplinary Referrals and Grade Point Averages

by

Jack Calhoun

MEd, Georgia Southwestern State University, 1998

BS, Georgia Southwestern State University, 1997

Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Education

Walden University

December 2014

This quantitative study investigated how athletic participation in public high schools influenced students' academic achievement and positive social behavior. Disciplinary referrals are on the rise in American schools and are a cause of concern for teachers, administrators, parents, and community members. School personnel currently implement programs designed to curb discipline problems in the …

Enhancing Strategies To Improve Workplace Performance, Francine Williams Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

When employees become dissatisfied at an organization, they may develop negative behaviors that can impede profits and productivity. The purpose of this single case study was to explore what strategies are essential for organizational leaders to improve workplace performance. Maslow's hierarchy of needs served as the conceptual framework for this study. Data collection involved face-to-face, semistructured interviews of 20 managers, floor employees, and clerical staff from a business organization in Southwest Georgia. Participant selection was based on employees' tenure of at least 1 year of experience within the organization. Interviews were transcribed and then coded for common patterns and themes. …

Grounded Labels From The Behavioral International Economic Development Growth Path Model On Economic Development Patterns From 2002-2012, Kenneth Thomas Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Economic models generally fail to adequately measure positive and negative growth paths in development through agrarian, industry, and service economies. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to design a new model that could accommodate both directions of growth and better measure development paths with particular attention to labors contributions. The theoretical foundation for this study was Walt Whitman Rostow's 5 economic stages of growth classifications. This Study attempted to find the most common economic growth path. While most development models use three to five classifications, this study used nine new classifications giving it a unique and specific look …

Developing A Lifestyle Modification Toolkit To Prevent And Manage Hypertension Among African American Women, Julia Ugochi Ugorji

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hypertension is a global public health issue affecting many people in the United States. African American women remain the highest in percentage by race and ethnicity for developing hypertension with poor risk awareness. Hypertension has costly implications for the health care system. Through lifestyle modifications in the form of a nutrition plan called Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension and increased physical activity, hypertension could be prevented. Among African Americans, the incidence of hypertension increases in their late thirties. The purpose of the project was to develop a toolkit of resources for African American women between the ages of 20 to …

Direct-To-Consumer Advertising Of Drugs And Patients' Health Care Seeking Behaviors, Patricia Elaine Kennedy-Tucker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Known as direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA), pharmaceutical companies in the United States are permitted to advertise prescription drugs directly to consumers. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if an association exists between DTCA and health care-seeking behaviors. The theoretical framework for this study involved social learning theory, information integration theory, and prospect theory. The research questions identified if exposure to DTCA (a) is associated with physician office visits, (b) influences a patient/physician conversation regarding a prescription, (c) influences requesting a prescription, and (d) has an impact on patients' ratings of the overall interaction with the physician. Data were …

Voice Over Internet Protocol (Voip), Video Games, And The Adolescent's Perceived Experience, Geoffrey J. Nugent

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Video games are an everyday experience for adolescents and have changed how adolescents interact with one another. Prior research has focused on positive and negative aspects of video game play in general, without distinguishing Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIPing) as the mode of play. Grounded in entertainment theory, motivational theory, and psychological distress theory, this cross-sectional, correlational study examined the relationship between VOIPing and quality of life (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory), Yee's motivation to play video games, and resilience (Child and Youth Resilience Measure). A series of linear regression and multivariate canonical correlation models analyzed self-report responses of 103 …

African American Women's Perception Of Subprime Lending Practices On Their Home Buying Knowledge And Behaviors, John Howard White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The subprime mortgage lending practices from 1995 to 2007 were disproportionately concentrated on minority and low income neighborhoods of the United States. Despite the negative effects of subprime loans, these loans are regaining popularity. The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to bridge the gap in knowledge about their effect on African American women by exploring the home buying knowledge and behaviors of African American women between 2004 and 2007 in a southern state. Ajzen and Fishbein's theory of planned behavior served as the theoretical framework of this study, which explored factors that motivated African American women to buy …

Employee Locus Of Control And Engagement In Nonprofit Organizations, Jacqueline Myers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Transformational leadership and employee engagement have been studied in the private sector, yet research in the nonprofit sector is scarce. Addressing this gap is important to improve nonprofit practices, as nonprofit organizations contribute to a myriad of social issues critical to positive social change. Using Burns's theory of transformational leadership, which places emphasis on motivating and inspiring performance through a shared vision and mission, the purpose of this quantitative study was to analyze the effects of transformational leadership on employee engagement in nonprofit organizations. The study also assessed whether locus of control acted as a mediating variable on employee engagement. …

An Examination Of Perceived Discrimination And Stress In Interracial Relatinships, Sharon Sirmons Conger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An Examination of Perceived Discrimination and Stress

in Interracial Relationships

by

Sharon Sirmons Conger

MS, Troy University, Florida Campus, 2006

BA, Baptist College of Florida, 2003

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

General Psychology

Walden University

February 2015

There is a potential increase in stress for White women in interracial relationships with Black men due to perceived racial discrimination that may not have been previously experienced. The purpose of this quantitative study was to measure stress before and after the relationship due to perceived racial discrimination for these women. Guided by …

Gestational And Pregestational Diabetes In The Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Meta-Analysis Of Maternal And Fetal Outcomes, Saulat Jahan

Harold L. Hodgkinson Award for Outstanding Dissertation

Pregestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes including increased caesarean section rates, macrosomia, and perinatal mortality. Despite the high prevalence of GDM and PGDM in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), most of the published studies examining the association between GDM/PGDM and adverse pregnancy outcomes have small sample sizes, low statistical power, and few adverse outcomes with conflicting results. The purpose of this study was to determine the association of GDM/PGDM with adverse pregnancy outcomes among women in the EMR, by using a meta-analysis research design. Following the conceptual model of the epidemiologic …

Perceptions Of Teachers And Administrators In Private Christian School Settings Regarding Spiritual Formation Programming For Millennials, Anne Puidk Horan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One mission of Christian schools is to foster teenagers’ spiritual formation so that they are equipped to confront challenges and contribute to their communities as Christians after high school. A private Christian school identified inadequate spiritual formation in its teenagers and a need to implement a spiritual formation program. Using a nonexperimental, mixed methods study, the purpose of this study was to (a) investigate spiritual formation programs used by private Christian schools and (b) explore educators’ perceptions of the most effective ways to bolster spiritual formation. The framework that drove this study was adolescent Judeo-Christian spiritual development. A questionnaire containing …

Teachers' Expectations And Reading Achievement Of African American Middle School Students, Gloria Denise King Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A local and national concern in education is the persistent achievement gap between African American and Caucasian middle school students. Despite numerous reforms, the gap continues to show African American middle school students performing lower in reading. The purpose of this mixed methods study, framed in the theoretical perspective of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, was to examine teachers' expectations and the relationship between those expectations and the educational outcomes of African American middle school children. Data were collected to identify pedagogical practices, examine teacher expectations, and determine the relationship between those expectations and student Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) scores. Nineteen …

Beginning Teachers' Perceptions Of A Teacher Mentoring Program, Irish Phaletta Mccollum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The decline in teacher retention is a growing problem in the 21st century. Beginning teacher turnover rates have grown by 50% over the past decade, with the national rate increasing to over 20%. Beginning teachers entering the profession are leaving within their first 3 years, with half leaving the profession in the first 5 years. To meet their growing needs, districts and states spend billions of dollars to recruit, hire, and try to retain new teachers. The purpose of this case study was to examine beginning teachers' perceptions of their teacher mentoring program located in an urban school district. Bandura's …

Increasing Hpv Vaccination Rates Among Adolescent Males: A Toolkit For Parents, Lance Everette Hadley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are approximately 14 million new cases of HPV diagnosed each year (men and women combined). The rate of vaccine administration among adolescent males is much less than it is among females. As a result, the CDC has urged health care providers to work with state and local health care providers to improve the utilization of the HPV vaccine. The purpose of this scholarly project was to develop an educational toolkit, one guided by Ajzen and Fishbein's theory of reasoned action, regarding the value of the HPV vaccine. The toolkit …

Collaborative Trust: A Case Study Of Trust Evolution In A Public/Nonprofit Partnership, Maria Stella Odumodu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of trust between nonprofit organizations and the communities in which they are located is a well-documented problem in the academic literature. The nature of this mistrust is far less understood, and little is known how community-nonprofit collaborations can overcome these gaps in trust. Guided by Simmel's theory of trust, this study examined the role of collaborative trust between public and non-profit organizations with a focus on better understanding how trust evolves. The research questions focused on how trust was defined and the factors that enhanced and inhibited trust evolution within the context of collaborations between nonprofit organizations and communities. …

Physician Well Being And Patient Satisfaction Among Employed Physicians, Deanna Santana-Cebollero

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Understanding physician well-being may help prevent physician burnout, improve the quality of care they provide to their patients, reduce medical errors, and improve patient satisfaction. Using the biopsychosocial-spiritual theory as the conceptual framework, this quantitative study examined the relationship between: (a) physician well-being and patient satisfaction, (b) physician gender and physician well-being, (c) primary care providers' and specialists' well-being, (d) patient satisfaction based on physician specialty, and (e) the duration of practice and physician well-being. All of the 87 employed physicians in a Florida regional hospital were invited to respond to a physician well-being questionnaire; a response rate of 58.4% …

Evaluation And Improvement Of An Advisory Program, John Walter Van Ornum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Evaluation and Improvement of an Advisory Program

by

John W. Van Ornum

MS, Brigham Young University, 1989

BS, Brigham Young University, 1987

Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Education

Walden University

December 2014

This project study investigated the effectiveness of a student advising program at a rural high school in Hawaii. The advisory program was implemented to help students track their progress and prepare them for post-high school college and career choices, yet the program's implementation had not been evaluated. Guided by Erickson's theoretical framework, this quantitative study examined advisory participants' …

The Impact Of Vaccination Schedules On Infants' And Children's Physio-Psychological Health: A Qualitative Investigation, Dina A. Alsalih

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many people may have become increasingly concerned about the risks associated with vaccines. At the same time, there is a lack of qualitative research on the impact of various vaccinations schedules on individuals' physio-psychological health. In addition, "mandatory" versus "nonmandatory, but recommended" vaccines are still under debate in some Western countries. The purpose of this ethnographic study was to provide an in-depth understanding of the beliefs, experiences, and perceptions of adolescents, parents, and health care providers regarding different vaccination schedules. The health belief model was used as the theoretical framework. The sample consisted of adolescents and parents from different vaccination …

Implicit Category Priming Capacity, Edward Paulus Hahn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Past research has shown that accessing a memory allows faster subsequent access to the memory activated as well as to related information (priming). There has been much research devoted to implicit category priming (unintentional priming of a category of information), but this research has not determined the number of categories that can be implicitly primed simultaneously. The goal of the present quantitative study was to address that gap. Twenty participants (ages 27-54 years, M=44 years), who volunteered through an online participant pool, were presented with 2 tasks over the Internet. A scrambled phrase task implicitly primed 5 unrelated categories and …

Mission Statement Clarity And Organizational Behavior At An Art-Focused High School, Michael Allen Mitchell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many new institutions struggle with issues of identity and purpose, which can create instability and lack of growth. Mission statements are often used to clearly identify the characteristics that make an organization unique. This study was informed by theories of organizational management, art integration constructivism, and Bronfenbrenner's cultural ecology. The literature indicates that there is a strong connection between a clear and concise mission statement and the organization's behaviors. This study examined a small Southeast Michigan charter school devoted to integrating arts and academic curricula to determine how the stated mission was understood and implemented by its stakeholders. An applied, …

Correlates Of Asthma Among The Minority Population In South Bronx,New York, Veronica Chibumma Uwanaka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Asthma among children has become an inherent problem in many communities in the United States, especially among the minority population. The South Bronx has a large minority population and a high prevalence of asthma. However, no study to date has explored the factors associated with this high prevalence rates in this population. Drawing from theories of social ecology and environmental health, the objective of this quantitative cross-sectional study is to investigate the correlates of asthma among children in the South Bronx by studying the sociodemographic and environmental risk factors, including parental occupation; neighborhood and housing characteristics, air quality, and poverty. …

Motivations For Volunteering In A Faith-Based Mentoring Program, Trudy Weatherspoon Willis-Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Adolescent males are being suspended or expelled at high rates. Faith-based organizations have developed programs to address these problems by using adult male volunteers to mentor high-risk youth; however, recruiting sufficient mentors is a problem because organizers lack an understanding of the factors that motivate men to volunteer. If this problem can be alleviated, then faith-based organizations will be better able to recruit volunteers to serve students. Guided by the functionalist theory, the purpose of this study was to determine what demographic characteristics and motivating factors discriminated between volunteers and non-volunteers. A causal comparative design was employed and the …

Church-Based Hiv/Aids Prevention For Adults, Hattie Acheampong

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) disproportionately affect African Americans in the South; given that population's high rate of church attendance, churches have been one potential avenue for HIV/AIDS education. Research has shown the importance of HIV/AIDS education in reducing risk behavior and infection, although church-based HIV/AIDS prevention programs for adults have received little scholarly attention, including the impact of such programs on attitudes, behavioral control, and intention to engage in safe sexual practices. Using Ajzens' theory of planned behavior as a foundation, the purpose of this quantitative study was to explore whether there is a statistically …