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Burnout Theory, Pandemic Teaching And Teacher Efficacy: What Is Lost When Schools Return To “Normal”?, Katy Farber, Penny A. Bishop

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Our qualitative study examined educators’ perceptions of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of burnout theory. Using the three components of burnout as theorized by Maslach and Leiter (2016), we analyzed teachers’ self-reports of emotional exhaustion, cynicism/depersonalization, and reduced sense of professional self-efficacy. We interviewed 16 teachers who taught through the emergency remote-learning phase of the pandemic in March 2020 and remained in the same district when prepandemic practices returned. We conducted semistructured interviews in person and on Zoom with special educators, integrated arts teachers, school counselors, and general classroom teachers. We describe the unanticipated finding that teachers …

Understanding Georgia Child Welfare Case Manager’S Perspective, Practicum Experience, And Retention, Takierra Dawson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Child welfare workers have high turnover rates and low retention rates. While there is well-documented research on reasons for turnover, no research was found on how a case manager's practicum experience impacts turnover rates. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore child welfare case managers' perspectives on retention and to understand how their practicum and internship experiences influence retention. The theories that ground this research include systems theory by Bertalanffy and social constructivism by Vygotsky. The two research questions for this generic qualitative study were: What are the experiences of child welfare case managers during their internship and …

Strategies It Managers Use To Manage Remote Teams In The Medical Industry, Sonia Raj Gandham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Healthcare IT managers experience significant challenges while leading remote teams, as they must maintain secure communication practices and regulatory compliance while achieving high-performance standards. Organizations without proper strategies face data breaches and productivity losses that harm operational performance and patient care, leading to legal troubles and reputational harm. Grounded in adaptive structuration theory (AST), this qualitative pragmatic study explored successful remote team management strategies among U.S. healthcare IT managers with five or more years of experience. AST provided the theoretical lens to examine how technology and organizational structures interact in distributed work environments. Interviews with six participants were analyzed thematically …

The Lived Mental Health Experiences Of African American/Black Mothers With An Infant In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit During Covid-19, Dr. Shewonyui S. Lurker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American/Black (AA/B) women are more likely than other women in the United States to give birth prematurely. Experiencing premature birth and infant hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) during the COVID-19 pandemic may have negatively affected AA/B mothers’ mental health and led them to experience elevated rates of increased posttraumatic stress disorders, depression, anxiety, and postpartum depression. The purpose of this study was to understand the lived mental health experiences of AA/B mothers of infants in the NICU during COVID-19. Feminist theory provided a lens for understanding intersectionality in the experiences of AA/B mothers. Semistructured interviews were …

Relationship Between Dynamic Capabilities Characteristics And Organizational Performance In Specialty Health Care Organizations, Raymond Deloyd Hall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As the environment undergoes rapid changes—like shifting patient needs, new regulations, evolving work dynamics, and increasing competition—the specialty health care organizations in the United States are experiencing noticeable declines in their organizational performance. For health care leaders, grasping how these external factors relate to organizational performance is essential to uphold service quality and ensure effectiveness. Grounded in dynamic capabilities theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between sensing, seizing, transforming capabilities, and organizational performance. The participants were 77 executives and managers from specialty health care organizations in the Southwestern United States. The results of …

The Experiences Of Adolescent Caregivers Of A Parent With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Barbara Thornton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In many families in the United States, minor children fulfill care duties for sick or disabled family members living within the children’s homes. Although there is extensive research and established support systems for adult family caregivers in the context of long-term illness, children in this caregiving role have been largely overlooked, resulting in a lack of support services to meet their unique needs and challenges. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of children who serve as caregivers for parents with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive and terminal …

Exploring Strategies For Improving Employee Engagement In Large Technology Companies, Antonio Evocatio Montiero

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A lack of effective employee engagement strategies is a pressing concern for large technology companies aiming to stay competitive and profitable. Business leaders are concerned about this issue, as ineffective engagement can jeopardize both the company's financial health and its ability to retain talent. Grounded in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to identify and explore strategies that large technology company leaders use to effectively engage their employees to remain competitive and profitable. The participants were six leaders of large technology companies in the United States who had success with engaging their employees. …

Examining Firefighters’ Perspectives On Critical Incident Stress Debriefing, Olivia O'Hare

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Firefighters are routinely exposed to critical incidents, potentially resulting in mental health consequences. Critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) is a common postcritical incident intervention used among fire departments in the United States to address these mental health impacts. Understanding the perspectives of firefighters’ experience with CISD can contribute information to the social work profession, may engage firefighters in the discussion surrounding their mental health needs, and could provide effective postcritical incident coping strategies. The purpose and research questions of this study were focused through a vicarious trauma lens was to understand firefighters’ perspectives and experiences of CISD, explore CISD trauma …

Staff Education On Evidence-Based Interventions To Reduce Fall Rates Among Hospitalized Adult Psychiatric Patients, Blessing Rita Ugbor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A staff education initiative was implemented in an inpatient psychiatric facility in the Southern United States to address the significant practice problem: inadequate knowledge of fall prevention strategies among psychiatric nurses. The identified knowledge gap impairs the nurses’ ability to recognize fall risk factors and apply evidence-based interventions. Psychiatric inpatients are particularly vulnerable to falls, which compromise patient safety, increase health care costs, and contribute to poor outcomes. The project was guided by a practice-focused question addressing whether staff education on evidence-based fall prevention strategies would enhance nurses’ knowledge and reduce fall rates. The purpose of the project was to …

Hospital Unit Leaders’ Strategies In Maintaining Safe Work Environments, Karen Jeffrey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Unsafe working conditions in hospitals can lead to increased turnover among nurses, which can disrupt patient care and the overall stability of the organization. This is a pressing issue for hospital executives, leaders, and nurses on the front lines, as workplace safety is essential for keeping staff, controlling costs, and ensuring high-quality care. Grounded in the job demands-resource theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study was to explore strategies hospital unit leaders use to create a safe work environment. The participants were six hospital unit leaders from different hospitals in the United States. Data were collected through semistructured …

Cybersecurity Strategies For Effective Proactive Response To Cyber Attacks, Tony L. Perry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Malicious cybersecurity attacks threaten the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of organizational data. This issue concerns organizational leaders and cybersecurity professionals who must address these threats to prevent operational disruptions, financial losses, reputational damage, and declining stakeholder trust. Grounded in organizational learning theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore the strategies information technology security professionals use to proactively respond to evolving cybersecurity threats. The study involved 16 cybersecurity professionals, each with a minimum of five years of experience in implementing both offensive and defensive cybersecurity strategies within their organizations. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and a …

Technology Manufacturing Organizations’ Strategies For Achieving Sustainability, Kate Cheney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sustainability remains a challenge for technology manufacturers struggling to integrate environmental priorities into core operations. This issue is critical for technology manufacturing managers who must embed sustainability into organizational systems and decision-making processes to meet rising expectations from regulators, investors, and consumers. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study is to identify and explore effective strategies used by technology manufacturing managers in the western region of the United States. The data collected from seven semistructured interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. The five themes that emerged were (a) leadership and company culture, (b) collaboration, …

Non-Profit Mental Health Organization: Overcoming Employee Turnover With Retention Strategies, Navpreet Brar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This professional administrative study explored the root causes of employee turnover at a nonprofit mental health organization, where turnover had reduced treatment consistency, increased emotional distress among clients, and decreased staff morale. The purpose of this study was designed to develop effective strategies to enhance retention, improve employee engagement, and support high-quality patient care through an application of the social exchange theory. The study addressed four practice-focused questions: (a) What are the underlying causes of turnover at this organization? (b) How can effective strategies be developed and implemented to reduce turnover? (c) How can the organization enhance employee engagement to …

Strategies Health Care Leaders Use For Telemedicine Utilization And Subsequent Revenue Enhancement, Wesley Raymond Wingate

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health care leaders face challenges in increasing the utilization of alternative synchronous health care platforms, such as telemedicine, which enable real-time virtual consultations, which can influence in-person clinic visits and impact organizational revenue. Rising demand for accessible health care, and ineffective telemedicine implementation limits patient access and overall organizational sustainability, increasing the need for evidence-based strategies critical for health care leaders to improve both service delivery and financial outcomes. This qualitative pragmatic inquiry, grounded in the health belief model, aimed to explore strategies used by health care leaders in the South Texas region to implement telemedicine effectively. The participants included …

Examination Of Evidence-Based Practices Implementation And Perceived Job Satisfaction With Mental Health Providers, Rafael Montoya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job satisfaction among mental health providers continues to be an important area of inquiry, particularly in relation to professional development and training. However, limited studies have evaluated whether training in evidence-based practices (EBPs) is associated with different levels of job satisfaction compared to traditional training models. The purpose of this cross-sectional, quantitative study was to examine whether a statistically significant difference in job satisfaction exists between mental health providers trained in EBPs and those trained using traditional approaches. The study was guided by Spector’s multidimensional job satisfaction model, which categorizes job satisfaction into nine key domains. Data from 81 mental …

“You Learn To Control What You Can Control”: A Mixed-Methods Examination Of Burnout In Rural Pk–12 Administrators Using The Pillar-Integration Process, Brooke Hildebrand Clubbs, Eu Gene Chin, Rollin D. Nordgren

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Teacher burnout is a growing concern among educators and the communities they serve, due to a nationwide shortage of teachers. Burnout of principals and other school administrators, however, is relatively unexamined. This mixed-methods study of pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade (PK-12) administrators in rural Midwestern school districts found that contributors to burnout included safety concerns and student behavior, lack of resources and support, and mandatory assessments of student learning. Factors that mitigated burnout included choosing to protect personal energy, getting support from colleagues and administrators, and making a difference in students’ lives. Forty-three administrators completed a survey adapted from the Maslach …

Law Enforcement Officers’ Perceptions About Antipolice Sentiment And Social Media As A Force Multiplier, Edward Peter Pope

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As a newly emergent form of mass communication, social media platforms can act as a force multiplier in fomenting negative and critical attitudes or viewpoints toward law enforcement officers and agencies. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perceptions and lived experiences of law enforcement officers about antipolice sentiment and social media as a force multiplier. Amid growing concerns regarding public opinion and the impact of social media on law enforcement practices, more research was needed on how officers navigate and interpret these challenges. Data from in-depth interviews with 10 law enforcement officers were thematically analyzed to …

Staff Education To Educate Healthcare Providers On Effective Communication And Support Strategies For Child Sexual Abuse Victims, Njideka Ajemba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With this project, I sought to enhance the quality of care provided to child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors by improving healthcare providers’ skills in trauma-informed communication and support strategies. The project was undertaken at a large, private behavioral health facility located in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, where an assessment of the practice environment revealed a critical gap in provider training. This gap often resulted in missed indicators of abuse, limited emotional support, and poor therapeutic outcomes for children affected by sexual abuse-related trauma. To address this, the project implemented a targeted educational intervention grounded in current evidence …

Effective Strategies To Leverage Organizational Culture To Enhance Employee Retention, Tavares E. Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee retention is a critical issue for healthcare organizations, with the average tenure in the U.S. being only 3.8 years. High turnover contributes to staffing shortages, increased costs, and compromised patient care. Hospital administrators and healthcare leaders are particularly concerned, as sustained turnover threatens organizational sustainability, care quality, and long-term profitability. Identifying strategies to retain employees is essential to improving workforce stability, maintaining service excellence, and securing financial viability. Grounded in Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies healthcare managers in private medical healthcare systems used to leverage organizational culture to enhance employee …

Probation Officers’ Perspectives Of Outside Services In Reducing Recidivism, Karla Murguia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has underscored the critical role of probation officers in improving rates of recidivism. However, the literature on the comprehensive impact of outside services on recidivism was sparse and underdeveloped. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how probation officers in court services and a community corrections agency in Garden City, Kansas perceived the utility of outside services in reducing adult recidivism for probationers. Ecological systems theory was used to guide the study. Eight probation officers recruited via purposive sampling participated in semistructured interviews. Transcribed data were analyzed using a six-step thematic analysis protocol. Findings revealed that probationers …

Strategies To Improve Nurse Staffing And Workforce Management In Home Health Agencies, Kelechi Lillian Wabeke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Home health agencies continue to grapple with challenges in nurse staffing and workforce management. This integrative review explored effective strategies to address these challenges and improve operational efficiency. The review focused on identifying best practices for enhancing nurse recruitment, retention, and scheduling processes within home health settings. Guided by the transformational leadership framework, the study examined 30 empirical and theoretical articles published over the past 5 years. The selected articles were further assessed for relevance and quality using the Johns Hopkins evidence-based practice model. Through an in-depth thematic analysis, five primary themes and 10 supporting subthemes emerged. The key themes …

Identifying And Exploring Successful Leadership Strategies To Improve Nurse Retention, Jennifer Triggs Rickerson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse turnover has become a critical concern in healthcare, as low retention rates lead to decreased patient care quality and increased operational costs. A critical issue for hospital stakeholders is that many nursing leaders lack strategies to improve nursing retention. Grounded in the leader-member exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to identify and explore successful leadership strategies used by nurse managers in the Pacific South region of the United States to improve nurse retention. The study included interviews with six nurse managers who successfully implemented retention strategies. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and publicly available …

Gender Differences In Regretted Consensual Sexual Experiences And Problematic Alcohol Use Among First-Year College Students, Shannon Shen, Soyoung Kwon, Sukho Lee

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Regretted sexual behaviors and alcohol use often occur in tandem for college students; however, few studies have examined their interrelationships or the variance across gender. This study tested gender differences in how regretting a consensual sexual experience is related to college students’ alcohol use. One hundred and forty first-year students (63% women, 69% Hispanic) surveyed in 2018 and 2019 reported their sexual behavior and alcohol use (following the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index [RAPI]). Twenty-one percent of men and 16% of women reported a regretted sexual encounter. Interaction effects from regression models revealed that men with sexual regret had a significantly …

Exploring Strategies In Manufacturing To Reduce Loss Of Workers And The Costs Associated With Turnover, Aaron Sterrett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High employee turnover rates in the U.S. manufacturing firms create significant operational and financial challenges. Leaders of U.S. manufacturing firms seek to address employee turnover, which threatens productivity, profitability, and long-term sustainability. Grounded in the competing values framework, this qualitative pragmatic inquiry project aimed to identify and explore manufacturers' efficient management strategies to reduce employee turnover. The participants were five individuals who work in different management roles within the manufacturing industry and have assisted in developing successful employee retention strategies. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of organizational information. Four themes were identified during qualitative coding analysis: …

Impact Of Military-Related Moves On Spousal Perinatal Depression Screening And Mental Health Services, Chambraia Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Maternal depression, including perinatal depression (PND), poses significant public health risks to women, infants, and families. Although routine PND screening is recommended, limited research has examined screening and referrals among military spouses, an underserved population affected by frequent relocations and deployments. This study examined how permanent change of station (PCS) frequency affects PND screening and referrals to mental health services. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s socioecological model and the CDC’s social ecological model of health, eight research questions explored associations between PCS frequency, PND screening, referrals, and the moderating roles of military branch and deployment status. A quantitative cross-sectional design was used …

Novice Early Childcare Educators’ Experiences Applying Pre-Service Education Knowledge And Theories In Practice At Childcare Centers, Jodi Mcbride

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some novice early childhood educators (ECEs) experience barriers to applying knowledge gained during their pre-service education in practice and experimenting with their roles at childcare centers. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore novice ECEs’ experiences of barriers to applying knowledge gained during their pre-service education in practice at childcare centers. Mezirow’s transformative learning theory grounded this study by describing adult learners’ personal transformation from obtaining and understanding new knowledge to applying it in practice. For this study, eight adult learners who completed an early childhood education program, had up to 5 years’ experience, held a current …

Lived Experiences Of Black African Non-Denominational Pastor’S Perceptions, Attitudes, And Beliefs Of Mental Health, And Their Referral Practice In The United States, Esther Paul

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The high frequency of mental health issues within the Black African Christians communities and the insufficient use of mental health resources, was the driving forces for this study. This qualitative study aimed to explore the attitudes, beliefs, and lived experiences of non-denominational Black African pastors on mental health and identified potential barriers to mental health care and create culturally appropriate solutions by investigating their experiences. The theoretical basis of this study was centered on Goffman’s social stigma theory, which was created by Erwin Goffman, the social identity theory (SIT), and the role identity theory, the latter which served as the …

Staff Education Project On Genetic Testing In A Psychiatric Facility, Chinenye Vivian Akpuaka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The project was an educational DNP project that aimed to improve staff knowledge on genetic testing. The practice focused question was “Will an education module on best practices for genetic testing increase self-reported knowledge among health care professionals in a mental health clinic?” The purposes of genetic testing in psychiatry are to improve pharmacological therapy through better prescription of the right medications (Pinzón-Espinosa et al., 2022). The implementation of genetic testing at the project site is limited due to gaps in knowledge and attitudes as well as efficacy of this intervention. The leaders at the practicum site supported the potential …

Predictive Study Of The Relationship Between Self-Care And Professional Quality Of Life Among Licensed Counselors Impacted By Covid-19, Maria G. Billings

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for mental health professionals, significantly increasing burnout and secondary traumatic stress while reducing available resources and limiting opportunities for compassion satisfaction. The purpose of this cross-sectional, quantitative survey study was to determine whether self-care engagement predicts levels of burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction among counselors. Grounded in Stamm’s theoretical framework on compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue, the Self-Care Assessment Worksheet (SCAW) was used to measure self-care engagement, and the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-V) was used to assess burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction. The sample included 59 licensed …

Teaching Cultural Awareness To Dental Hygiene Students Through Project Based Learning, Jennifer Fehrenbacher

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

I implemented a cultural awareness project (CAP) to enhance dental hygiene students’ understanding of diverse cultural needs and beliefs related to oral health. This 2-year quality assurance project aimed to assess student perceptions of the CAP.

Two cohorts of 23 junior students each participated. I collected data via post-project surveys adapted from the Student Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ) instrument after obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and consent. Both cohorts (n = 23 each) demonstrated positive perceptions of the CAP, with mean scores of 4.9 and 4.8, respectively (p = .024). These data suggest that the CAP …