Digital Commons Network^™

Friendship In Young Adult Heterosexual Romantic Relationships, Billy Kidd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Friendship is one of the pillars that supports satisfying, long-term, romantic relationships and marriage. Yet little is known about how romantic friendship is contextually experienced. This lack of knowledge limits the options of researchers and therapists. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to further substantiate a romantic friendship construct. The research question asked how friendship is experienced in heterosexual romantic relationships. Participants in two West Coast metropolitan areas, ages 18 to 29, were selected by convenience sampling. As per Giorgi's phenomenological method, themes were abstracted from the transcripts of focus group and individual interviews. The themes were then shortened …

Educators' Perceptions Of Characteristics Of Male And Female Bullies, Melissa Marie Cafaro

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Educators perceive female bullies differently than male bullies. Despite evidence that bullying is a serious problem within schools in the United States, there is little research which focuses on how educators perceive differences and similarities of adolescent bullies based upon the gender of the bully. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine how educators perceive male and female bullies when they are described as exhibiting identical behavior. Goffman's theory of frames formed the theoretical foundation for this study. The independent variable of this study was gender of bully, and the three dependent variables were internalizing behavior, externalizing behavior, …

Intrinsic Motivation Of Students With Disabilities In The General Education Setting: What Teachers Should Know And Be Able To Do, Beverly Stinson Faircloth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) requires that students with disabilities (SWD) be educated in the least restrictive environment, while the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires that these students meet minimum criteria on statewide testing by 2014. This sequential explanatory mixed methods action research study, situated in Bandura's self-efficacy and Atkinson's drive theories, examined the effects of teacher training and subsequent implementation of strategies on the intrinsic motivation of SWD. Intrinsic motivation was measured using the Children's Academic Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (CAIMI) before and after the training. A repeated measures t-test analyzed the mean difference in the students' …

Student -Teacher Relationships And Their Effect On Student Achievement At The Secondary Level, Cheryl Dix Modlin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research has demonstrated that adolescent learning increases with a proactive type of student-teacher relationship. However, due to the lack of common expectations for a positive student-teacher relationship, a disconnection occurs for some students, who then may become disengaged at school and may not reach their full potential academically, socially, or developmentally. This mixed method sequential, exploratory design focused on a Midwestern secondary school of approximately 250 students. The disconnection between students and teachers was addressed by investigating positive student-teacher relationships; student achievement; and the connection between student-teacher relationships and achievement. Qualitative data were collected using focus groups of students …

The Effects Of Prayer And Glossolalia On The Mental Health Status Of Protestants, Recco S. Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The resurgence of prayer and glossolalia (speaking in tongues) within Protestant denominations in the United States of America has stimulated widespread psychological and theological debate. Previous research has indicated that religiosity has both a negative and positive effect on mental health functioning. However, there remains an important gap in the current literature regarding the relationships between specific religious practices and mental health. Therefore the purpose of the proposed study is to report on the growing number of religious persons who pray/glossolate and the conflicting messages in the literature regarding the relationship between religiosity and mental illness. A total of 10 …

Academic Incentives Impact On Increasing Seventh -Graders Physical Activity During Leisure Time, Jeffrey Scott Brinker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recent research clearly demonstrates that a decrease of physical activity has occurred among young people. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine the impact of external motivation on physical activity. Drawn from self-determination theory, the specific research question examined if academic incentives effectively motivated 7th grade students to participate in a 3-week fitness program. A quasi-experimental pre-post design examined treatment and control groups drawn from a sample of 24 students from three physical education classes. The treatment group received academic incentives whereas the control group received no external incentives but were asked to complete the same fitness Program. …

Beliefs, Perceptions, And Preferences For Treatment In Latinas With Breast Cancer, Barbara Ann Kreling

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research documents that breast cancer is the leading cause of death in Latina females. The exact numbers are unknown, but studies reveal that Latinas with breast cancer underuse recommended follow-up chemotherapy, decreasing their rates of survival. Although several factors may be responsible, cultural influences are a possible barrier. However, there is a gap in the literature about how culture affects decisions about breast cancer treatment. This focused ethnographic study examined the role of cultural beliefs and perceptions in the decision-making process for Latina women about whether or not to receive chemotherapy following a breast cancer diagnosis. Drawing from Douglas' cultural …

The Relationship Between Learning Style Preference And Achievement In The Adult Student In A Multicultural College., Matilde E. Roig

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Minority college students have varied learning styles and process information from distinct background and cultural perspectives, which influences their learning. Accordingly, the way faculty approach teaching affects student achievement. Few minorities are in scientific fields, with a shortage of scientists predicted. A problem exists in understanding the relationship between learning style preferences and achievement of minority college students. The purpose of the study was to investigate this relationship in adult minority students in a South Florida college's biology courses. Research questions pertained to relationships between learning style preferences, race, ethnicity and grades. This quantitative study used the online Felder-Soloman Inventory …

Psychological Effects Of Massage On Running, Attila Szabo, Mária Rendi, Tamás Szabó, Attila Velenczei, Árpád Kovács

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

The effects of massage on psychological affect and on running-effort were studied in 30 women (M age = 20.83 yrs, SD = 1.23), from the English East Midlands, who were tested in two experimental test sessions, involving "pre-event massage" and flexibility (counterbalanced sessions), and a subsequent bout of exercise at self-selected workload. In the massage session the participants received massage for 10 min that was composed of light, rapid strokes to the legs and to the back by a qualified massage therapist. The flexibility session involved active stretching exercises for 10 min; both test sessions were followed by 20 …

Do Control Beliefs Mediate The Relationship Between Social Exchanges And Health? Examining A Mediational Model Across The Lifespan, Heather Renee Frederick

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Social exchanges and control beliefs are each associated with heath yet rarely considered together. This research examined whether control beliefs are a plausible mechanism linking domain specific social exchanges (both supportive and unsupportive) to health. The sample consisted of 2,348 adults drawn from the Midlife in the United States Survey (MIDUS). All participants were married or in a cohabitating relationship; they were primarily White and educated. Structural equation modeling was used to test multiple meditational models. When the model was tested for the entire sample, control beliefs were found to serve as a mediator, significantly mediating the relationship between social …

Children’S Goal Profiles And Perceptions Of The Motivational Climate: Interactive Association With Self-Determined Motivation And Affective Patterns In Physical Education, Sam Carr, Daniel A. Weigand

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Developing an understanding of youngster’s motivation for physical education (PE) is becoming increasingly important. This study examined the interactive effects of children’s multiple goal profiles and perceptions of the motivational climate on indices of self-determined motivation and affect in 429 students (201 boys, 228 girls; M age = 11.2, SD = .39) in northwest England. MANOVA results revealed a significant (p < .05) main effect for goal profiles and perceived motivational climate. Moreover, a significant interaction between goal profiles and perceived climate was found: Children with high mastery/high performance profiles had high levels of intrinsic motivation and identified regulation, regardless of the climate. In contrast, other profile groups (i.e., high mastery/low performance, low mastery/high performance, low mastery/low performance) were more likely to have high levels of intrinsic motivation and identified regulation from exposure to a perceived mastery climate. These results are discussed in terms of the contribution they appear to make to recent analyses of multiple goals.

Psychosocial Determinants Of Childhood And Adolescent Obesity, Manoj Sharma, Melinda J. Ickes

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

The purpose of this article was to identify psychosocial determinants of childhood and adolescent obesity. Some of the determinants were considered non-modifiable such as genetics, sex, age, and race. The risk of developing obesity started early on in life, with high birth weight, rapid growth in infancy, maternal smoking during pregnancy, and lack of breastfeeding indicated as positive predictors. Family food environment and dietary behaviors were considered modifiable determinants and included: consumption of unhealthy foods, portion sizes, snacking, and number of family meals. Physical activity was also considered a protective factor against the development of obesity, with overweight children significantly …

Women And Their Relationship To Leader, Follower Commitment, And Job Performance: Netherlands, Belgium, And North Carolina, Anita Maria Cassard, Joseph Charles Hamel

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Transformational leadership has become a major initiative in organizational change, yet research on the impact of the similarity of leadership styles between leaders, and women who directly report to them, specifically in international settings, is lacking. Presenting the findings of two studies showed that (a) leaders, and women directly reporting to them sharing similar leadership styles, is a strong predictor of organizational commitment and improved job performance, and (b) emerging themes revealed that external pressures on women to conform to unwritten codes when in position of power are strong. Using quantitative data analysis for the Netherlands and Belgium study, and …

The Relationship Between Self-Directed Informal Learning And The Career Development Process Of Technology Users, Ronald D. Paige

Harold L. Hodgkinson Award for Outstanding Dissertation

Few new studies plus theoretical stagnation mark the inattention of educators to self-directed informal learning during career development in technology. Therefore this study explored the relationship between self-directed informal learning and the career development process among everyday technology users. Supporting questions addressed how self-directedness related categorically and holistically to informal learning during career development. This qualitative study used multiple narrative case studies to collect, analyze, and describe the results of life-story data recovered from 13 technology users purposefully selected using a sampling strategy grounded in the literature. Individual lifestory narratives surfaced tacitly held perceptions and social identities associated with career-related …

Predictors Of Middle School Girls' Engagement In Suspendable School Offenses., Barbara Harlow Cavanaugh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite research evidence that social context and personal characteristics are related to girls' violent behavior, little is known about the relative contribution of such antecedents. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the relative strength of predictors of school violence among a sample of middle school girls. Of special interest were the intervening variables, because knowledge of their relative strength could enable schools to design targeted interventions to reduce school violence. Social learning theory formed the theoretical foundation for the study. A four-part survey consisting of sociodemographic items, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, an amended version of the Attitudes …

Intimate Partner Violence Among Male And Female U.S. Community College Students, Shakiera Benson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate partner violence affects a significant portion of college-aged individuals, but researchers know little about how the intersection of age, race, class, and gender influence intimate partner violence among community college students in the United States. In this quantitative correlational study, I examined the relationship between intimate partner violence and gender, race, age, class, marital status, and past abuse among community college students using the intersectionality theory. I used the Abusive Behavior Inventory and a demographic survey to collect data via a convenience sample of the target population of men (n = 220) and women (n = 330) attending a …

The Gap Between What We Know And What We Do About Childhood Obesity: A Multi-Factor Model For Assessment, Intervention, And Prevention, Kim Hiatt, Linda Riebel, Harris Friedman

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Childhood obesity in the United States has increased alarmingly and much is becoming known about multiple factors that contribute to this epidemic. These include environmental (e.g., prevalent junk foods), behavioral (e.g., inactivity), intrapsychic (e.g., depression), interpersonal (e.g., parenting style), as well as biological, socioeconomic, and cultural factors, to name just a few. A comprehensive multi-factor model of childhood obesity is presented based on extant research and its implications for assessment, intervention, and prevention are explored. Emphasis is placed on the importance of developing sound assessment approaches, on the potential value of treatment matching using interventions focused on assessment results on …

Pretreatment Variables For The Innovative Application Of Urine Alarm Treatment For Young Children In Fourteen Outpatient Clinics In Israel, Bettina Shapira, Pamela K.S. Patrick

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

The influence of specific pretreatment variables (i.e., age, gender, birth order, number of children in the family, and family history of enuresis) on outpatient urine alarm treatment outcomes was examined. A total of 186 Israeli children between the ages of 4 to 7 participated in the study, and of those, 55 children were 4 years old. The entire sample was used to test the age-related pretreated variable, and all other pretreatment variables were solely analyzed using the sample of 4-year-old children at the time of treatment. The data were derived from two different sources: (a) treatment files from a clinical …

Risk And Protective Factors For Drug Use Among Polydrug-Using Urban Youth And Young Adults, Gary J. Burkholder, Jean J. Schensul, Raul Pino

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of traditional risk and protective factors for drug use on six different popular drugs on a population that is primarily Black and Latino between the ages of 16 and 24. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the relative importance of risk and protective indexes, and their interaction, in predicting drug use. Findings suggested: (a) traditional risk and protective factors, as well as situationally specific factors such as gang involvement, predicted drug use; and
(b) the relative contribution of risk and protective factors toward explained variances differs substantially among the …

Relations Of Changes In Self-Efficacy, Exercise Attendance, Mood, And Perceived And Actual Physical Changes In Obese Women: Assessing Treatment Effects Using Tenets Of Self- Efficacy Theory, James J. Annesi, Jennifer L. Unruh, Ann C. Whitaker

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Obese and sedentary women ( N = 76) initiated an exercise and nutrition program based on self-efficacy theory. Significant within-group improvements in body fat, waist size, and body mass index were found over 6 months. Changes in Physical Self-Concept (task self-efficacy) and Exercise Self-Efficacy (self-regulatory efficacy) scores, together, accounted for a significant portion of the variance in exercise session attendance, R2 = .24, F = 11.67, p < .001, with both significantly contributing to the overall explained variance. Exercise attendance was significantly related to changes in Body Areas Satisfaction (β = .39) and Total Mood Disturbance (β = -.27) scores. Findings suggested a path from increased self-efficacy, to exercise attendance, to improvements in body satisfaction and overall mood. Suggestions for replication and extensions were given.

Effects Of The Youth Fit For Life Protocol On Physiological Factors, Mood, Self-Appraisal, Voluntary Physical Activity, And Fruit And Vegetable Consumption In Children Enrolled In Ymca After-School Care, James J. Annesi, Avery D. Faigenbaum, Wayne L. Westcott, Alice E. Smith, Gayle M. Dixon

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Changes associated with the Youth Fit For Life physical activity intervention were assessed with 5- to 12-year-old children in after-school care ( N = 477). Body mass index (BMI), strength, and flexibility significantly improved over 12 weeks. Initial BMI was negatively related to observed changes, r = -.29, p < .001. Significant within-group improvements in tension, vigor, and physical self-concept scores, and levels of voluntary moderate-to-vigorous physical activity/week were also found in the 9- to 12-year-olds (n = 91). Multiple regression analysis indicated that changes in physical self-concept, exercise self-efficacy, and general self scores explained a portion of the variance in changes in voluntary physical activity that approached significance, R2 = .08, F = 2.55, p = .06. Revisions and extensions of the protocol were suggested.

Public Humiliation As A Mitigator In Criminal Sentencing, Barbara Benoliel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study examined the relationship between the public humiliation and shaming of offenders in the sentencing portion of a criminal trial and the subsequent severity of the sentence the offender receives. Judicial moral shaming of offenders is returning to popularity in the courts, influencing the final sentence outcome as an under-identified mitigator, that substitutes for judges’ other punitive sanctions. Support for this shaming is found in Heider’s attribution theory and in Homans’ theory of social exchange; however Braithwaite found this form of shaming is overly punitive and ineffective. This four phase study used a sequential, mixed method, exploratory research design. …

A Study Of The Decision To Remove Children From Their Parents By Child Welfare Supervisors, Charles F. Lorbeer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A STUDY OF THE DECISION TO REMOVE CHILDREN FROM THEIR PARENTS BY CHILD WELFARE SUPERVISORS

by Charles F. Lorbeer

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Aqueil Ahmad

Committee Members: Dr. Aqueil Ahmad, Dr. Robert Butters, and Dr. Ashakant Nimbark,

The goal of this study was to analyze the decision by child welfare supervisors to remove children from their parents. This was accomplished by studying the effect that three specific factors have on that decision. The three factors were 1) physical abuse, 2) domestic violence and substance abuse, and 3) availability of services to help the family.

Decision theory provided the conceptual framework for …

Information-Processing Skills Related To Working Memory In Individuals With Asperger's Disorder, Nancy Lynn Musarra

Harold L. Hodgkinson Award for Outstanding Dissertation

The present study examined information-processing (IP) deficits specific to the ability of individuals with Asperger's disorder (AD) to interpret and respond to nonverbal and verbal information inherent in social relationships as it relates to working memory capacity. Sixty boys between the ages of 11.0 and 15.7 years (30 diagnosed with AD [Group A], and 30 typically developing, same-age peers [Group T]) were assessed using the Working Memory Test Battery for Children (WMTB-C). The present study combined theories from cognitive, neurological, and clinical psychology, isolated specific working memory components, and identified a connection between working memory capacity and the social skill …

Psychological Resilience: The Influence Of Positive And Negative Life Events Upon Optimism, Hope, And Perceived Locus Of Control, Michael Philip Hand

Frank Dilley Award for Outstanding Doctoral Study

The purpose of this study was to clarify the optimal levels of optimism, perceived locus of control, hope, and degree of adversity experienced in life, in the development and maintenance of psychological resilience. A sample of 328 male and female students from Walden University and Washington State University completed either online or paper versions of a questionnaire consisting of the Life Orientation Test-Revised, Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, HOPE Scale , and the Life Experiences Scale . A series of bivariate correlation and multiple regression analyses tested the relationships between and among the five variables. As predicted, the bivariate analyses …

A Narrative Inquiry Into The Experiences Of Individuals In The Midst Of Organizational Change: A Shift From Systems To Stories, Stanley M. Amaladas

Harold L. Hodgkinson Award for Outstanding Dissertation

This study explores how individuals understand and make meaning of their experiences while in the midst of radical organizational change. Empirical materials for this research were obtained though written stories and interviews of two groups of managers within the Canadian public sector who were themselves in the throes of organizational change. The findings of this study were analyzed through a three-dimensional-narrative-inquiry-space framework.

The results of this study (a) support the postmodernist notion of a recursive relationship between metaphors and stories, and (b) between metaphors/stories and experiences, namely that they dialectically inform, structure and maintain the other. It was also discovered …

The Relationship Of Consideration And Structure Leadership Styles To Employee Job Satisfaction In Nonprofit Child Care Organizations, Stephanie L. Brooke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study examined the relationship between leadership style, as measured by the Leadership Opinion Questionnaire, and job satisfaction, global job satisfaction, and satisfaction with supervision, as measured by the Job Satisfaction Survey. Past research suggests that leaders with a considerate style of leadership are associated with greater job satisfaction compared to leaders who initiate structure. Although many studies of leadership style have been conducted in for-profit organizations, the objective of this research was to better understand the relationship of leadership style to job satisfaction in nonprofit child care centers. Eight directors in nonprofit child care centers in Rochester, New York, …

Nursing Students' Experiences Of Workplace Violence And Aggression: Making Sense Of The Phenomenon For Educators, Bonnie Jean Beardsley

Frank Dilley Award for Outstanding Doctoral Study

This phenomenological study explored female nursing students' perceptions of their experiences of workplace violence and aggression, their methods for coping with and adjusting to the violence, and the implications for nursing education.

A notice soliciting volunteers was posted on student bulletin boards in multiple schools of nursing throughout Illinois. Ten participants were selected from a pool of volunteers who met predetermined criteria. Open-ended interviews each lasting approximately 60 minutes were conducted and tape-recorded. Four interview questions that guided the process changed as the narrative unfolded, and in some cases, probing became necessary to gain a rich description. Data analysis was …

Beliefs About The Appropriate Degree Of Directiveness In The Management Relationship, As Related To Demographic Characteristics, Educational Background, And Organizational Position, Janet L. Pershing

Harold L. Hodgkinson Award for Outstanding Dissertation

Correlations between beliefs about management and age, gender, nationality, level of education, education field, functional area, and hierarchical level were examined. Analyses were conducted at the ecological level and focused on beliefs regarding appropriate degree of directiveness in the managerial relationship. Two thousand staff members of an international intergovernmental organization received an electronically distributed written survey. Factor analysis was used to develop summated rating scales for each independent variables. Differences between subgroup means were then examined using ANOVA or t tests. The strength of the association between the independent variables and a common scale was assessed using eta squared. Directiveness …

Effectiveness Of A Relaxation Technique To Decrease The Memory And Behavior Problems Of Alzheimer's Patients, Stella Maris Verna

Frank Dilley Award for Outstanding Doctoral Study

This study explored the effects of instruction in a relaxation technique on patients diagnosed with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). The two-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was implemented with 34 pairs of AD patients and caregivers in a group setting. It was hypothesized that treatment patients, compared with controls, would show (a) increased mental functioning, measured by their scores on the Annotated Mini-Mental State Examination (AMMSE) (Folstein, Folstein, & McHugh, 1975); and (b) decreased memory and behavior problems, measured by caregivers' scores on the memory and Behavior Problems Checklist (MBPC) (Zarit, Orr, & Zarit, 1985). Treatment subjects were instructed in …