Digital Commons Network^™

Examining Personal And Organizational Factors Leading To Police Officers’ Underutilization Of Employee Assistance Programs, Michael David Leary

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police officers routinely get exposed to stressful or traumatic events throughout the tenure of their careers, which can lead to a build-up of emotions and internal stress. Consequently, research has shown that police officers have a higher suicide rate than the general public. Previous studies demonstrated that the majority of police officers have little knowledge about their provided employee assistance programs (EAP), and fewer yet have used the programs. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether a significant relationship existed between and among factors such as self-stigma of seeking help, social stigma of receiving psychological help, attitudes …

African American Blended Parent Strategies’ And The Influence On Children’S School Performance, Christine Li'chele' Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractDue to increasing divorce rates, the number of Americans living in blended family households have increased over the decades. Studies have revealed that some school-aged children who experience family structural changes due to blending families may experience stress that negatively affects their school performance. The purpose of this study was to determine what strategies African American parents in blended family units used to lessen the impact of family structure change on their school-aged children’s school performance. Bowen’s family system’s theory was used to guide this research. A generic qualitative design was used to obtain data from eight participants residing in …

Professional Nurse Attitudes Of Poverty Before And After Participation In A Poverty Simulation, Beth Mueller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Implicit bias in healthcare toward those living in poverty may contribute to inequalities in care and increase the likelihood of patient noncompliance. The purpose of this study was to determine if participation in a poverty simulation had an impact on the attitudes of professional nurses toward those in poverty. Mezirow’s transformational theory was used to guide the study by allowing the learner to examine meaning and revise perspective after participation in an online module. This module included an online poverty simulation created by The United Way of Connecticut titled Making Tough Choices as well as a pre- and post-simulation survey …

Relationship Between Criminal Behavior And High School Equivalency Program Completion, Lashawnda Cabey - Washington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High School Equivalency (HSE) Programs operate in response to the national increase in high school dropout rates. These alternative learning methods are attractive to nontraditional high school students because they are designed to accommodate students who are unable to complete their high school diploma via the traditional classroom setting. However, even though these programs continue to thrive in many communities, many students are still unsuccessful at completing these programs. Therefore, there is a need to research the possible factors that prevent students from earning the equivalent of a high school diploma or general education diploma (GED) via these programs. Grounded …

Network Function Virtualization Technology Adoption Strategies, Abdlrazaq Ayodeji Adeyi Shittu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Network function virtualization (NFV) is a novel system adopted by service providers and organizations, which has become a critical organizational success factor. Chief information officers (CIOs) aim to adopt NFV to consolidate and optimize network processes unavailable in conventional methods. Grounded in the diffusion of innovation theory (DOI), the purpose of this multiple case research study was to explore strategies chief information officers utilized to adopt NFV technology. Participants include two CIOs, one chief security information officer (CSIO), one chief technical officer (CTO), and two senior information technology (IT) executives. Data were collected through semi-structured telephone interviews and eight organizational …

Relationship Between Social Support And Childhood Trauma On Resilience, Carol Krieger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

People who have not overcome childhood trauma and who have developed mental illnesses have difficulties dealing with life challenges. The purpose of this quantitative study used a correlational design to test any relationship between childhood trauma experience levels and resilience against life challenges in adulthood. The theoretical framework used for this study was Barnes’ social support theory. Data were collected from 104 participants over a 7-week period. Participants voluntarily answered the ACE questionnaire, 2-way support scale, and resilience scale. Key results indicate that people with mental illness who receive social support are positive impacted by that support. Receiving adequate levels …

Examining The Effectiveness Of Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Programs To Reduce Juvenile Recidivism, Monte Powell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Multiple community prevention programs have been established to help reduce delinquency, but further research is required to address the gaps that exist by measuring the effectiveness of state-sponsored (Community that Cares) and private programs (D.A.R.E.). The purpose of this study was to examine these programs, which may provide pathways toward a successful and fulfilling livelihood for juveniles by preventing them from reoffending. The research questions were aimed at determining the reasons why deviant behavior is increasing and identifying effective methods for improving organizational aftercare program efficiency to reduce juvenile delinquency and recidivism. Environmental and demographical variables were examined that are …

Exploring The Employability Of Ex-Offenders: Employer Perspectives, Carolyn Diane Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Due to an increase in the number of convictions for minor crimes in Tennessee, a larger number of people are reentering society with the ex-offender label; there is a general lack of awareness among employers regarding their role in enhancing employability of ex-offenders with minor offenses, which limits employment opportunities for this population. Three main theories that explain the integration of ex-offenders into society underpinned this study: avoidance theory, social control theory, and labelling theory. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to explore the perceptions and practices of 10 human resource managers of middle-to-large companies in Tennessee related …

Strategies To Justify Resource Allocation To Corporate-Sponsored Volunteer Programs, Jolene Cantrell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increased interest in how perceptions of stakeholders and customers can affect the performance of an organization has led some scholars to study the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and financial performance. Some business leaders attempt to allocate significant time and resources towards CSR, specifically corporate-sponsored volunteer (CSV) programs, but have yet to develop the business rationale and lack strategies. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies central Florida executive level business leaders used to establish or maintain CSV programs. Participants comprised three business leaders from central Florida firms …

Exploring Community College Student Persistence In Mandated Developmental Coursework, Karen Lynn Beck

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem investigated in this study was the low completion rates of students in mandated developmental education courses at a local community college in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that may contribute to the persistence of community college students who have completed mandated developmental education courses. The qualitative study uses Tinto’s student departure theory as the conceptual framework to examine the lack of persistence of students in developmental education classes. The study included interviews with eight students who have completed at least one developmental education course in the past …

Parole Officers’ Perspective On The Needs Of Indigenous Offenders On Conditional Release, Ritesh Dalip Narayan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Indigenous offenders are overrepresented in all aspects of the Canadian criminal justice system, including corrections. Indigenous offenders are overrepresented in the prison population and are least likely to be granted an early release from prison. Indigenous offenders also disproportionately breach their conditional release orders and consequently spend more time incarcerated than non-Indigenous offenders. To understand the reasons behind the breaches, need-based theoretical lenses were used to analyze data. Sixteen parole officers were interviewed using a narrative design where participants shared their accounts on supervising Indigenous offenders while highlighting the needs which they felt were not being met by their Indigenous …

Stories Of Learning And Instructional Practices In Traditional Hawaiian Hula Education, Lynn Kaleihaunani Melena

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers of traditional hula have preserved Native Hawaiian cultural knowledge despite societal changes that led to cultural suppression in Hawaii. However, little is known about how these teachers accomplished this feat. The purpose of this study was to understand how hula instruction has evolved to transmit cultural knowledge and how past methods influenced current instructor practices in sustaining a vibrant culture. Research questions explored the instructional approaches and innovations of hula teachers past and present in one traditional hula school. The conceptual framework integrated the Native Hawaiian worldview and a Western theory of participatory creativity. A qualitative study using Indigenous …

Bullying: How We Can Do Better, Theresa Hall

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: My overall goal is to decrease the incidents of bullying among children by integrating the family of the perpetrator of aggression into the therapeutic process.

Significant Findings: Most of the research for this project either focused on the victim and the lasting effects of being bullied or the steps taken by the school to decrease incidents of being bullied. In Iowa despite the anti-bullying policies in place, bullying continued at a high rate, ranking Iowa 11^th in the nation. One of the key pieces of information was that family dysfunction was a significant risk. Another finding was …

Lived Experiences Of Police Officers And Their Roles During Opioid Overdose, Sean Banks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have conducted multiple studies regarding opioid users, opioid addicts, relatives of addicts, and health professional responses. The opioid crisis has been a focus for scholars following the first wave of prescription in 1991 (CDC, 2016). However, there is limited research that examines the lived experiences of law enforcement officers and their roles during an opioid overdose. As the opioid crisis has continued to negatively affect individuals, families, communities, cities, and countries, federal, state, and local policymakers have searched for ways to combat the opioid crisis. For many law enforcement agencies, policymakers have enacted policy that mandates patrol officers carry …

Strategies To Improve Survival Rate Among Small Businesses In The Construction Industry, Douglas Bonuke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy, yet only 50% of all small business establishments survive beyond the first 5 years of operation. Survivability is a concern for small businesses owners, as the construction industry experiences the lowest survival rates compared to other sectors. Grounded in entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies small business owners in the construction industry used to sustain their businesses beyond the first 5 years of operation. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with six small business owners in the construction industry in central New Jersey. Thematic …

College And University Accessibility For Students With Visual Disabilities, Robbie S. Huff

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed by this project study was the lack of understanding by faculty and administrators of accommodations affecting the academic environment in higher education required for success by Georgia students with visual disabilities. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how Georgia students with visual disabilities describe their experiences in higher education. Guided by the framework of the social model of disability by Oliver, which holds that people with a disability are restricted by the barriers in their community and not by the disability; the research question was used to explore of how Georgia students with …

Staff Education On Identifying Burden And Burnout In Family Caregivers, Ekeoma Cooper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe aging population in the United States continues to grow and, along with it, the need for informal caregivers. Informal caregivers provide ongoing assistance with activities of daily living to a friend or relative. Due to the sole responsibility of providing ongoing care, these individuals may experience burden and burnout, which has been defined as a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion. Given the role that informal caregivers provide as part of the healthcare delivery system, caregiver burden and burnout are a public health issue. Nurse practitioners play a significant role in identifying caregiver burden and burnout, especially among …

Impact Of Emotional Disturbance On Crime Among Latinos In Texas, Patricia Kendra Sellers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Latinos are a minority population who are largely stereotyped as violent and vulnerable to committing crimes in America. While Latinos’ vulnerability to committing crimes is attributed to multiple factors, little attention has been drawn towards the relationship between Latinos’ emotional disturbance and probability toward perpetrating or preventing crime. The rational choice theory, trait theory, and biological theory were used to show relationships between emotional disturbance and cognitive processes underlying recidivism that are common among Latinos in Texas. This study investigated the impact of emotional disturbance on decision-making processes among Latinos in Texas as a motivator or deterrent to engage in …

Insecticide Treated Nets And Malaria Control Strategy In Sierra Leone, Henry Nk Biayemi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMalaria is a deadly disease and endemic in Sierra Leone. It is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality amongst children younger than five years in Sierra Leone. Insecticide treated nets (ITNs) are not used widely despite free distribution, low health risks, and proven ability to reduce malaria. The purpose of this quantitative crosssectional study was to investigate the association between a set of independent variables (parental education, parents' economic status, household size, and residence) and the use of ITNs among children under five years of age in Sierra Leone. The study used a secondary dataset from the Ministry of …

Qualitative Examination Of Noncustodial African American Fathers' Involvement In Their Children's Education, Christy Ann Wallace

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractParent involvement in children's school experience has been shown to be important to academic success. Although African American parents approach their parenting in culturally unique ways, these have not been adequately explored or described. Many African American children grow up in a household with a single mother and an involved but nonresident father; the purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of these fathers with their grade school children's schools and education. Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory underpinned the research. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, data was collected from a sample of 10 nonresident African American fathers using …

California’S Prisoner Rehabilitation Effort: Ex-Lifers’ Perceptions On Achieving Sustainable Social Reintegration, Kimberly L. Martin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prisoners sentenced to a life term in California’s state prisons are being found suitable for parole at record-high rates. Although macro-level policy guides California’s prisoner rehabilitation process, a specific policy does not exist to guide the rehabilitation of the lifer population. Research shows a compelling relationship between public safety resulting from reduced recidivism and an inmate’s participation in rehabilitative programming during incarceration. There is a gap in the literature about ex-lifers and their ability to achieve sustainable social reintegration upon release from incarceration. Ostrom’s institutional analysis and development framework guided this study’s examination of the gap in literature and the …

African American, Adult Men Reared By Their Single, African American, Custodial Fathers, Christopher Eugene Joe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A vast number of researchers have studied the impact that African American father absence has on the developmental outcomes of African American, male children. Others have noted the steady increase of single, African American, custodial fathers and have suggested African American, male children who grow up in these households are likely to experience positive developmental outcomes. However, their research stopped short of examining how this unique family structure impacted child development from the son’s perspective. The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide an understanding of how the childhood well-being of sons was affected by growing up with a …

Social Support Of Caregiver Sons Of Parents With Dementia, Ralph Callanta Pascual

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the growing number of male caregivers, few researchers have examined social supports for caregiver sons of parents with dementia. The purpose of this qualitative interpretative phenomenological study was to contribute to the empirical literature on the social support of caregiver sons of aging parents with dementia. The research question centered on the lived experience of social support of caregiver sons of parents with dementia. The theoretical framework was the social role theory. The sample consisted of eight caregiver sons of parents with dementia. Participants were interviewed using semi-structured, researcher-developed questions. The results were generated from coding and thematizing processes, …

The Importance Of Understanding Functionality In Home- And Community-Based Care And The Impact On Costs As America Ages, Shannon Stanley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States is on a trajectory to reach 20% of citizens aged 65 and over by 2030. This hyper-aging population affects the costs of healthcare, but it is not adequately represented in current U.S. models. Studies indicate other hyper-aged nations have experienced this increase and implemented long-term care measures to counter the increase in aging populations and costs with system responsiveness. This study examined the role of Medicaid home -and community- based service (HCBS) contributions in states that have the fastest-aging populations. Using the established framework and data collected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, the study looked …

Faculty Perspectives Of Recruitment And Retention Of African American Faculty In Predominantly White Institutions, Monica Jean Lowe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite a growing population, the underrepresentation of African American faculty in predominantly White institutions (PWIs) is a growing concern in the United States. Recent studies indicate PWIs have been focused on increasing diverse student enrollment, particularly among African Americans, but not on recruiting and retaining African American faculty. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to obtain the perspectives of faculty members regarding recruitment and retention of African American faculty at PWIs. The goal was to identify faculty perspectives on recruitment and retention based upon their personal experiences. Conceptual frameworks for this study were Bell’s critical race theory and …

Faculty And Staff Mentors’ Experiences Supporting Academic Success With At-Risk Undergraduates, Francis Ellison Howard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Differences in student persistence remain between at-risk students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and those less challenged in college. There is a need to understand the perceptions of faculty and other professionals whose primary role does not focus on mentoring but who serve as mentors to low income and minority students, in order to understand how they construct their experiences as mentors as well as what promotes and impedes their success with the students they mentor. This basic qualitative study addressed the reflections of such mentors who have mentored at-risk students for at least two years at a public university that …

Former Youth Care Workers' Experiences In Residential Treatment, Sonja Yvette Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAs juvenile crime increases across the United States, so do the costs to support incarceration programs. Youth care workers play a pivotal role in supporting the rehabilitation of youth. The effectiveness of a youth residential program is critical for the long-term employment of a youth care worker. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to obtain the lived experiences of young and departed youth care workers in residential settings about leaving employment. Pragmatism was the ontology that helped to guide this study with the aim of understanding how individuals’ reality was shaped by relational dynamics that contributed to …

Ambivalence Over Emotion Expression And The Effects Of Religious Coping In African American Christians, Anya Loraine Dobbs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans are 10% more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to report having serious mental health issues from psychological stressors. Mental health concerns, such as depression and anxiety, that arise from psychological stressors, are more than likely to go untreated in African Americans. African Americans are more likely to turn to religion- their church, their pastors, and fellow parishioners to address these concerns. Religion and religious coping has influenced African Americans’ attitudes regarding help-seeking and mental health treatment, with the “Black Church” historically being a source of many things, including mental health care. Pargament’s theory of religious coping served as a …

Socioeconomic Effect Of Tourism In Nur-Sultan After Expo-2017, Dana Kurmasheva

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Experts have studied tourism as an economic or social phenomenon but have overlooked its dual socioeconomic nature, which prevents public administrators from understanding the industry’s impact on local communities. This qualitative study conducted in a city in Central Asia addressed this problem by considering the views of tourism stakeholders related to the industry’s socioeconomic impact on the city’s local community in 2017. The theoretical framework included corporate social responsibility theory and organizational economics theory. Open-ended interviews with 15 tourism stakeholders from the city’s business, NGO, and government sectors provided data that were analyzed using two-cycle coding. Themes related to business, …

Financial Illiteracy And Minority Small Business Failure, Julia Lee Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Minority small businesses are important contributors to the U.S. economy. As such, financial illiteracy resulting in the failure of minority small businesses is a significant problem. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a quantitative correlation exists between financial illiteracy and minority small business failure in the United States. The theoretical foundation consisted of administrative, systems, human capital theories and system thinking, financial, and management concepts. The research questions exhaustively reviewed secondary financial literacy and various business management research data that relate to the ability of the U.S. minority population to create wealth through sustained entrepreneurial success using …