Digital Commons Network^™

Therapists' Experiences Of Domestic Violence Among African American Lesbians, Barbara Camille Bryant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Historically, African American lesbians (AALs) experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) have received little or no support from therapists due to stigmas concerning the same-sex relationships of AALs in particular, who have been racially marginalized. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences, attitudes, and perceptions of therapists who provide counseling for AALs who have experienced IPV. The findings of this study may help to better understand the challenges, perceptions, and attitudes of therapists regarding their experiences in working with AALs in domestic violent relationships because existing research was limited on mental health therapists' perceptions of working with AALs …

Educating Oncology Nurses About The Emotional Impact Of Cancer Diagnosis, Jonnell Ortiz Zayas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Anxiety and depression are common mood disorders in cancer patients, regardless of mental state prior to diagnosis. A gap in the education of oncology nurses in an eastern Caribbean island was discovered regarding their ability to identify anxiety and depression symptoms and to help patients who suffered from these disorders. The purpose of this project was to improve oncology nurses' assessment skills by reviewing appropriate use of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) tool and familiarizing nurses with resources to help patients who score high on the HADS. The Levine conservation model was the theoretical framework for this project. …

Strategies For Assessing The Effectiveness Of Certification Programs For Youth Workers, Allen R. Turner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders of youth intervention programs provide a significant social service by redirecting at-risk youth onto a productive path. The standards for youth-serving organizations are inconsistent from 1 organization to another across a wide range of youth-worker training certification programs in the United States. A single-case study was conducted to explore the strategies that 3 leaders of a nonprofit organization located in Minnesota, use to select, collect, and analyze data to assess the effectiveness of training certification programs for youth workers. The 2017-2018 Baldrige Excellence Framework provided the structure for a systems-based evaluation of the client organization; Freeman's stakeholder theory was …

Academic Role And Professional Identity Development In Counselor Education, Seth Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professional identity development occurs during graduate training through mentoring, modeling, and academic training by counselor educators. If counselor educators are to transmit this professional identity, they must possess a robust professional identity themselves. Professional identity development theory suggests that the strength of this professional identity may be threatened by a lack of belonging in academia for nontenured or contingent faculty. A correlational research design using a purposeful convenience sample was used to examine the relationship between academic role, employment status, years of experience, and professional identity among counselor educators. The participants (n=50) were counselor educators who subscribe to the CESNET-Listserv. …

Narrative Analysis Of The 3-Year Recovery Of Superstorm Sandy Survivors, Joanne Fortune

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although research has been conducted on the short-term effects of natural and human-made disasters on individuals and families, few researchers have examined the experiences of families during the recovery and rebuilding process when stressors may continue on many levels, sometimes for years later. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the experience of recovery for families during the 3-year period following Superstorm Sandy in 2012 through the theoretical lens of Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological perspective. A narrative approach was used in order to understand the experience of natural disaster recovery and the meaning of recovery and coping for these families. …

The Readjustment Experiences Of Single Women Returning From Combat In Iraq And Afghanistan, Joanie Rainey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

On January 24, 2013, the Secretary of Defense rescinded the 1994-ground combat exclusion policy to integrate women into all occupations previously closed to them, particularly special operations, infantry, and armored divisions. This change in policy required military policy makers to establish gender-neutral standards for physically demanding jobs to meet the military's needs. Extensive research exists on the readjustment experiences of male veterans and families adapting to new lives after a service member returns from combat, yet the experiences of single women returning from combat remain empirically unexplored. The purpose of this study was to fill the gap in this area …

An Ethnography Of African American Parents' Perceptions About Exiting The Child Welfare System, Clevester Moten

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Families of color in the State of Michigan, as in many other states, have been overrepresented in the child welfare system, particularly in the foster care system. The Child and Family Services and Improvement Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-288) was intended, in part, to provide community-based interventions that could rectify the inequality some African American families experienced during their journey through the U.S. child welfare system. Guided by Bronfenbrenner's human ecology theory and Shaw and McKay's social disorganization theory, the purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences and perceptions of African American parents and families about the …

Long-Term Retention Among Child Welfare Workers In Michigan: A Phenomenological Study, Andrea Vajdic-Pena

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High turnover of child welfare workers is a problem to the children and families that receive services and the child welfare organizations that lose their staff. For children and their families, turnover of their assigned worker may interrupt their ability to achieve their permanency goals. Child welfare organizations encounter high costs for hiring staff due to the turnover and the staff that remain suffer with higher caseloads and not being able to provide the quality of services that they should be able to offer. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of child welfare workers …

Understanding Parenting Styles Of Second-Generation Parents Of Residential School Survivors Within Treaty 8 Reserves, Judy Kim-Meneen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 150,000 First Nation, Metis, and Inuit children attended Canadian residential schools from the 1840s to 1996. Most residential school children had negative experiences of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse that led to parenting repercussions once these children became parents. These repercussions of residential schools led to a rate of neglect for First Nation children 12 times higher than non-First Nation children. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological descriptive study was to explore the lived experiences of second generation parents, who were schooled in residential schools as children and their current parenting styles. The conceptual frameworks of trauma theory and …

Emotional Self-Management Experiences Of Practical Nursing Students, Cindy Ko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Ontario, Canada, practical nurses (PN) are educated through a 2-year diploma program. A review of PN program curricula in Ontario suggested that emotional intelligence (EI) and the core concept of emotional self-management are not specified in curriculum outcomes or courses. The study explored PN students' lived experiences with emotional self-management in the clinical settings where they are exposed to stress related situations using van Manen's orientation to hermeneutic phenomenology. The original four-branch ability model of EI by Mayer and Salovey was used as the theoretical framework to guide the explorative and interpretative processes of the study. Face-to-face interviews were …

Perceptions Of Foster Care Providers' Implementation Of The Pstsfa Of 2014, Catherine Osilama

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Youth in foster care encounter challenges during and after they transition from foster care to adulthood. To address these challenges and prepare these youth for transitioning into adulthood, U.S. Congress enacted the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act (PSTSFA) in 2014. The problem, which has received little attention in research, concerns the challenges that the implementers of this policy encounter as they provide services to foster youth. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the challenges faced by foster care providers in their implementation of PSTSFA. Von Neumann and Morgenstern's game theory provided the theoretical framework …

Increasing Employee Retention Within The Georgia Division Of Family And Children Services, Santoria Lushell Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by

Santoria Lushell Williams

has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects,

and that any and all revisions required by

the review committee have been made.

Review Committee

Dr. Hilda Shepeard, Committee Chairperson,

Public Policy and Administration Faculty

Dr. Clarence Williamson, Committee Member,

Public Policy and Administration Faculty

Dr. Anne Hacker, University Reviewer,

Public Policy and Administration Faculty

Chief Academic Officer

Eric Riedel, Ph.D.

Walden University

2018

In Fulton County, Georgia, the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) child-welfare workers …

Social Worker Engagement Of Substance Abusing Rural Young Adults: An Action Research Study, Samantha L. Cole

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There has been a dramatic increase in opioid-related overdoses and deaths that have had extensive health impacts in Delaware County, New York. Social workers play a crucial role in working with individuals who have substance use and co-occurring disorders. The study was guided by ecological systems theory and the generalist intervention model focused on the engagement process between social workers and local young people. The current action research study explored the social work practice problem of challenges encountered by clinical social workers who engage in services with young adults ages 18-25 who have or are at risk for substance use …

Impact Of A Postcollege Service-Learning Year: From Self To Social Justice, Kelly S. Hall, Cheryl H. Keen

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

Recent college graduates in the United States are increasingly pursuing a year of service in programs such as Teach for America, AmeriCorps, and Volunteers Exploring Vocation. A cohort of 689 volunteers participating in 18 Volunteers Exploring Vocation programs across the nation was surveyed both at the beginning and end of their year of service. Principal component analysis was used to analyze the two surveys. Repeated measures captured volunteers’ motivations for entering the programs and opportunities important to them upon exiting programs. Upon entering, program participants were motivated by opportunities for discovery about themselves in relation to community and for exploring …

Leadership In Community Public-Private Partnership Health And Social Care Initiatives, Hawa Yatera Mshana, Magdeline Aagard, Cheryl Cullen, Patrick A. Tschida

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

Although the public–private partnerships in health have been adopted as the best pathway to improving health outcomes in many developing nations, implementation lacks collaborative leadership. The purpose of this empirical qualitative case study was to determine key factors that promote leadership synergy (LS) between partners that enhance ownership and accountability of community health and social initiatives in Tanzania. The diffusion of innovation theory and public–private integrated partnership module were the theoretical framework guided this study. Diffusion of innovation theory is based on the importance of effective communication to spread new ideas and foster change in behavior in a social group …

A Grounded Theory Of Millennials Job-Hopping, Deborah L. Rivers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Corporations are finding it challenging to attract and retain the top talented Millennials. Their frequent job-hopping is costing the U.S. economy $30.5 billion annually despite corporations' best efforts to retain them. The central research question concerns the decision-making process that Millennials use to decide whether to job-hop or stay with an organization. The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a theory that explains the Millennials' process for deciding whether to job-hop or stay with an organization. The conceptual framework for this grounded theory research is generational theory, Herzberg's hygiene and motivational factors, and psychological contract theory. The data …

Leadership Strategies To Reduce Employees' Occupational Stress, Ransford George Davidson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job-related aspects of the work environment, such as work pressure, workload, leadership, and management support cause occupational stress and increase costs to organizations. Grounded in the job demands-resources model theory, the purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies some bank managers use to reduce employees' occupational stress. The interview process included 5 managers employed at a bank in the Caribbean who successfully implemented strategies that reduced employees' occupational stress. The data collection and analysis process involved face-to-face, semistructured interviews and analysis of organizational documentation. Using the exploratory approach in data analysis, data were systematically integrated, evaluated, and …

Challenges For Providers Working In Assertive Community Treatment, Ngozi Nkechi Orabueze

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project explored the challenges confronting clinicians who work with the Assertive Community Treatment Program (ACT), a government-sponsored clinic-based program providing services for individuals with persistent and recurrent mental health challenges in a large metropolitan city in the southern United States. The project involved semi-structured interviews with 15 health care clinicians to explore what they perceived as challenges and their recommendations for addressing them. Themes were organized around the 6 dimensions of the the relationship-based care model: leadership, teamwork, professional nursing, care delivery, resources, and outcomes. Identified patient challenges included transportation, lack of health insurance, housing, acceptance of certified peer …

Living With Muscular Dystrophy: Sexual Education, Leanne Beers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexual pleasure and intimacy are fundamental and innate human needs. Individuals with physical disabilities often find it difficult to meet these needs because of such factors as impaired mobility and lack of knowledge about sexual health. People with physical disabilities are often seen as asexual and not capable of having sex, and sexuality is often not considered a concern among this population. These misconceptions can result in individuals with physical disabilities not receiving basic sex education or advice and guidance when issues arise. Not receiving this attention may impede disabled individuals' sexual potential and personal relationships. This study's focus was …

Investigating Relationships Among Counselors' Gender, Race, Multicultural Competency When Counseling Sexual Minorities, Laverne Marie' Boone

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Gay and lesbian individuals are marginalized, stigmatized, and can face bias in the counseling environment. There is a gap in the literature regarding research on gender, race, and multicultural competency and negative racial attitudes towards sexual minorities. This study examined whether multicultural competency (measured by the Multicultural Counseling Knowledge and Awareness Scale) moderates any associations of gender and race with attitudes towards sexual minorities (measured by Attitudes Towards Lesbians and Gay Men Scale) to examine if the role of multicultural competency differs across groups. The sample consisted of 20 White and 14 Non-White participants who were between 30-40 years of …

Strategies For Virtual Sales Leaders To Increase Productivity Of Remote Employees, Tamera Monai Gaines

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An employee's contributions toward the success of organizational results and objectives are essential to how virtual sales leaders implement strategies to improve productivity. In 2014, 21% of virtual leaders received formal training to manage remote employees, and 17% of remote employees received formal training on how to work productively. The purpose of this single qualitative case study was to explore strategies virtual sales leaders used to improve remote sales employees' productivity. The population included 6 virtual sales leaders in 1 staffing organization located in Michigan. The conceptual framework for this study included the job demands-resources model. Data were collected through …

Breaking Cycles Through Targeted Financial Literacy Education For Fifth- Through Eighth-Grade Students, Tonja Custis Brickhouse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Financial literacy education continues to be a deficiency in the U.S. education system because it is not included in most school curricula, and little is known about the efficacy of the school district programs that do include it. A former Federal Reserve Chairman identified the lack of financial literacy as a national problem, and the National Financial Educators Council described it as the #1 problem in the current generation. Using Berger and Luckmann's conceptualization of social construction as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this study was to explore how access to financial literacy education is perceived by fifth- through …

Parents' Reasons For Opting-Out Students From High-Stakes Tests, Rachael Mcloud

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increasing number of parents are opting-out their children from high-stakes. Accountability systems in education have used students' test scores to measure student learning, teacher effectiveness, and school district performance. Students who are opted-out of high-stakes tests are not being evaluated by the state tests, making their level of achievement or proficiency unknown by the state government. The purpose of this basic interpretive qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the various reasons, factors, experiences, and personal events that led parents to opt-out their children from at least one 3rd through 8th grade high-stakes test. Data were collected using …

Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program For Patients With Depressive Disorder: A Parental Perspective, Emmanuel Akpan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Psychosocial support from family is important in outpatient treatment programs for individuals with depressive disorder. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences and perceptions of parents of patients with depressive disorder regarding intensive outpatient treatment. The research question was what are the experiences and perceptions of parents of patients with depression regarding their role as caretakers in intensive outpatient treatment? The conceptual framework was a biopsychosocial framework and family systems theory. Content analysis was used to analyze data provided from interviews with parent participants (n = 8). Many participants reported high levels of involvement with …

Critical Thinking And Clinical Judgment In Novice Registered Nurses, Sheila Tyne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The health care field has become increasingly more complex, requiring new nurses to be prepared upon graduation to respond to a variety of complex situations. Unfortunately, many graduates from associate degree nursing (ADN) programs are not able to think critically upon entering the work force. This presents a major problem for the nurse and for the employer. The purpose of the study, therefore, was to gain a deeper understanding of the graduates' perceptions of their ability to critically think during their first year of clinical practice, and if they believed their program prepared them to be critical thinkers. The key …

Exploring Perceptions Of Accountability Practices Used In Social Services, Tankiya L. Williamson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As required by the Government Performance Results Act of 1993, the use of performance measurements in social service organizations to measure outcome data has increased expectations of efficient outcomes in service delivery. This study addressed the problem of inefficient service delivery in nonprofit human service organizations from the perspective of direct service staff responsible for service provision. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how direct service staff in nonprofit organizations perceive their individual contributions to the overall goal of providing efficient quality service. Principal agent theory framed the inquiry regarding how direct service staff working in …

An Assessment Of The Financial Literacy Of Undergraduates At One Community College In Texas, Melissa J. Weathersby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At a Texas community college, stakeholders wanted to strengthen the financial literacy module offered in the student development course for undergraduates. The problem was that no formative data existed on students' financial literacy, and it was not known if knowledge of financial literacy for students who participated in a prior financial literacy class in high school differed from students who had not. The purpose of this study was to obtain formative data regarding students' needs for financial literacy education and to examine whether the knowledge of financial literacy for college students who participated in a prior financial literacy class in …

Shortage Of Licensed Independent Social Workers With The Training Supervision Designation, Justa Link

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a shortage of Licensed Independent Social Workers with the Training Supervision Designation (LISW-S) in a county in rural Ohio. If there are not enough LISW-Ss, social workers may not have the ability or opportunity to work independently or gain the supervision needed to become more competent in specific areas of practice. The purpose of this project was to gain a better understanding of why some social workers in rural Ohio decide not to pursue an LISW-S credential, as well as whether there are resources or incentives that might prompt individuals to pursue this credential. This action research project …

Perceptions Of Collaboration And Mutual Respect Among Members Of Interprofessional Teams, Brenda Lankhof

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Government agencies are encouraging healthcare practitioners to work in interprofessional teams to address the complex needs of an aging population, to improve client outcomes, and to increase the cost-effectiveness of health care. However, a clearer understanding of the elements required for an effective interprofessional collaborative practice is needed. The purpose of this online, descriptive study was to focus on one component, mutual respect, and determine its relationship to collaboration among members of interprofessional teams working in family health teams (FHTs) and community health centers (CHCs) across Ontario. D'Amour's four-dimensional model of collaboration was used as the theoretical basis. This model …

Small College Title Ix Coordinators' Response To Male Complainants, David Scott Chambers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Male survivors of sexual assault face increased mental health concerns due to commonly held beliefs and lack of quality services. College and university administrators, under guidance provided by the Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Education, must respond to all incidents of sexual misconduct, no matter the gender identity of the complainant or respondent. The purpose of this multiple case study was to investigate how the Title IX Coordinators at small colleges understand and implement governmental guidelines to decrease the secondary victimization experienced by male survivors by analyzing current policies and programs. Critical theory provided the conceptual framework …