Digital Commons Network^™

College Adjustment, Belongingness, Academic Self-Efficacy, Persistence, And Academic Success Among First-Generation College Students, Heather R. Highhouse

Dissertations

Previous research has compared the impacts of college adjustment, belongingness, and academic self-efficacy on first-generation and continuing-generation college students. However, the impacts of these factors on academic success (GPA) and persistence of first-semester, first-generation college students have not been investigated. The primary purpose of this study was to examine college adjustment and belongingness for first-semester, first-generation college students, with a focus on race and gender. This study also examined the impact of academic self-efficacy (i.e., course self-efficacy and social self-efficacy), college adjustment, and belongingness for academic success (GPA) and persistence of these students. The roles of race and gender in …

Research Utilization Of Registered Nurses In United States Army Hospitals, Deborah J. Kenny

Dissertations

The use of research findings in clinical nursing practice has been studied extensively in civilian institutions or with civilian nurses. However, little research utilization study has been done in US military facilities. Everett Rogers' theory on diffusion of innovations posits that a system's social structure and cultural norms affect an innovation's diffusion in several aspects, including innovation decisions, rate of diffusion, and the consequences of innovation (Rogers, 1995). Due to differences in organizational culture between civilian and military facilities, it is difficult to generalize the research done in civilian nursing facilities to the military organization. All nurses working at three …

"We Are Strong Women": A Focused Ethnography Of The Reproductive Lives Of Women In Belize, Carrie S. Klima

Dissertations

Belize is a small country in Central America with a unique heritage. The cultural pluralism found in Belize provides an opportunity to explore the cultures of the Maya, Mestizo and the Caribbean. Women in Belize share this cultural heritage as well as the reproductive health issues common to women throughout the developing world. The experiences of unintended pregnancy, contraceptive use and abortion were explored with women using a feminist ethnographic framework. Key informants, participant observations, secondary data sources and individual interviews provided rich sources of data to examine the impact of culture in Belize upon the reproductive lives of women.

Diffusion Of Inclusion: Measuring Willingness To Adopt Inclusive Teaching Strategies In Nursing Educational Environments, Janet A. Levey

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to: (1) examine psychometric properties of the Willingness to Adopt Inclusive Teaching Strategies (ITSinNE) instrument and (2) measure factors influencing a nurse educator's willingness to adopt inclusive teaching strategies based in universal design for instruction (UDI). Universal design for instruction (UDI) is one approach to facilitate multiple ways of learning and evaluation in various learning environments for all learners; however, it is not well known or researched in nursing education. Diffusion of innovation theory (Rogers, 2003) and universal design for instruction (McGuire & Scott, 2006) provided the theoretical framework for the study. A cross-sectional …

Let The Circle Be Unbroken: Health Of Elderly Southern Appalachian Widows, Sonya Renae Hardin

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to facilitate discovery and description of the health experience from the perspective of elderly Appalachian widows. The concepts of health, health beliefs, and health practices were explored using the qualitative research design of ethnography.

Ngos Embodying Decoloniality: Towards Emanticipatory Psychological Practice And Pedagogy In Palestine, Hana Masud

Dissertations

Abstract

The Palestinian need for aid is entirely a result of a decades long conflict with Israel. Western funders to Palestinian NGOs working in psychological services may have good intentions, but their traditional approaches to therapy and well-being may be inconsistent with a collective Palestinian identity of liberation. These colonizing therapies may stigmatize Palestinians as "traumatized", encouraging a defeated or passive mentality, undermining values of resistance, while ongoing Israeli oppression continues. The NGO policies and modes of work can also influence the worldview, practices, and motivations of Palestinian Mental health workers who are serving populations with much experience of violence …

Exploration Of Atheism As A Diversity Issue And Its Implications For Best Practice In Psychotherapy: Trajectories And Strengths, Justin Michael Lampert

Dissertations

The conceptualization of Atheism has transformed considerably over the past century, making a transition from the taboo to a new movement of outspoken activism underlined by a strong self-identification with systemic nonbelief and sense of pride. Psychological literature has only begun to reflect the larger societal changes in perception and value over the past decade. As such, research has yet to adequately examine Atheism from a cultural perspective, creating an injustice in the psychotherapist’s ability to properly understand and treat patients in a comprehensive manner. Through the examination of trajectories leading to an Atheistic belief set, the application of a …

To Plant A Garden Is To Believe In The Future: An Autoethnographic Journey Of Doubt And Restoration In A Co-Principalship, Arturo Abrego

Dissertations

This autoethnographic research study explored the circumstances and challenges I encountered as an educational leader during the inception of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. Through the use of autoethnographic vignettes, I provided an intimate account of the circumstances and conditions that led my school district to establish a co-principal leadership structure. The use of autoethnographic vignettes was not only a vehicle to tell my story but also served as an avenue for the reader to connect, conceptualize, and contextualize the circumstances and outcomes associated with this personal journey. Specifically, the stories and responses within this research are intended …

Discursive Leadership: Exploring The "Black Box" Challenge In Transcultural Leadership Studies, Christopher Patrick Brown

Dissertations

The increasingly globalized U.S. workforce includes significant numbers of adult immigrants integrating into the North American professional sphere. As such, it is important to have concrete ways to study and interpret different cultures’ thinking about teamwork, and their models of enacting shared leadership and communication in a multicultural context. Since 2006, hundreds of millions in federal grant funding has been invested in university-based language and culture programs focused on training government personnel and heritage populations in the languages and cultures of the Middle East and Central and Southeast Asia. Little is known about the performative strengths and challenges of the …

Supervisor-Subordinate Conflict Negotiation: Examining The Core Concerns In Light Of Communication Accommodation And Gender Roles, Piyawan Charoensap-Kelly

Dissertations

This quasi-experimental study examined a supervisor-subordinate negotiation of an emotion-laden conflict from the lens of the core concerns framework, communication accommodation theory, and gender roles research. Results empirically support CCF that, by accommodating or attending to the employees’ core concerns, managers can stimulate employees’ positive emotion and integrative intention. However, under- and overaccommodating the core concerns can lead to distributive intention. Additionally, the employees’ perception of manager goodwill can strengthen or attenuate the positive effect of core concerns accommodativeness on outcome variables especially for male managers. Thus, moderate accommodation is recommended for male managers. For female managers, the results show …

Validation Of A Scale To Measure Phonological And Morphological Knowledge And Skill Of Speech-Language Pathologists And Elementary Teachers, Susan S. Perry

Dissertations

Phonological and morphological skills are crucial to the process of reading. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have received advanced trained in these basic foundations of language and could be an untapped resource in our school systems for teaching beginning reading skills. The purposes of this research were to examine SLPs’ and general education elementary (K-6) teachers’ attitudes toward SLPs taking part in reading instruction, to compare the differences in phonological and morphological knowledge and skill among SLPs and teachers, and to assess the performance of the Revised Basic Language Constructs Surveywhen administered to SLPs and teachers.

Results indicated that, although fewer …

The Cultural Adaptation Experiences Of Chinese Higher Education Students In The American Deep South: A Comparison Across Disciplines, Xiaonan Song

Dissertations

In the past decade, Chinese international students have been found as one of the largest international student groups at American institutions across the country. However, the American Deep South was not less frequently studied in the past. Due to the distinctiveness of the Deep South, the researcher conducted this qualitative research on Chinese international students studying in this historically and culturally distinctive region. Mississippi was chosen as a representative state of the Deep South in the current study. The researcher collected data from in-depth interviews from three publicly funded institutions in Mississippi. Besides reporting many common issues regarding to cultural …

Mississippi Registered Nurse Perceptions When Communicating With Limited-English-Speaking And Non-English-Speaking Patients, Mary Pipper Widdig

Dissertations

Communication serves as the foundation for safe and effective healthcare practice. Effective nurse-patient communication is the cornerstone of the nurse-patient relationship and is vital for the delivery of safe and effective healthcare. Research has shown patients who are communication impaired are at a greater risk of medical error and poorer health outcomes. A review of the literature revealed various nurse perceptions of barriers when providing care for limited-English-speaking patients and non-English-speaking patients. LEP and NEP patients also identified similar perceived barriers when receiving care. Both nurses and patients revealed a distrust for interpreters and interpreter services. The literature review revealed …

Current Perspectives On The Gestalt Of Nursing Curricula, Brandi Lynne Venvertloh

Dissertations

This research study aimed to investigate the current gestalt of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) curricula in the United States. Presently there is an emphasis in nursing education on the practice–education gap in order to ensure new graduate Registered Nurses are adequately prepared for entry into practice in a dynamic and complex healthcare environment. There has also been movement in nursing education to remove nursing theory from BSN curriculum guiding frameworks and replace them with essential educational standards. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to explore the lived experiences and perspectives of faculty curriculum leaders …

Blooming Where One Is Planted: Understanding Flourishing Among Rural Nurses, Marnee Lynne Crawford

Dissertations

The reality of the challenges experienced in rural hospital-based care leave sparsely populated areas to face critical losses in nurses and healthcare services within already underserved regions of the nation. Nursing education is uniquely poised to serve as a mitigating agent against shortages in rural nursing workforce by preparing rural graduates to bloom where they are planted. This qualitative interpretive phenomenological research study explored the meaning of human flourishing as it is lived among rural nurses in the northwest region of Wyoming. The research was framed using social constructivism and the lens of rural nursing theory. Data were collected and …

Mothers' Interpretations Of Their Children's Behavior During Mother-Child Interaction, Robin Remsburg

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain understanding about mothers' motivations, intentions, and the meaning they ascribe to their children's behavior by exploring and describing mothers' interpretations of their children's behavior during interaction and how it impacts on mother-child interaction. Mothers' interpretations of their children's behavior were examined using qualitative research methodology. A grounded theory approach was used to collect, code, and analyze data with a goal to generate theoretical statements regarding the contribution of mothers' interpretations of their children's behaviors during mother-child interaction.

The Process Of Oral Academic Discourse Socialization And Workplace Enculturation Of International Graduate Students Of Business, Denise Mussman

Dissertations

This study addresses the process of oral academic socialization that learners of a second language and culture undergo to succeed in disciplinary graduate courses. The participants were students from Mainland China and Taiwan pursuing an International Master of Business Administration (IMBA) degree at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL). Guided by social constructivist and language socialization theories, this ethnographic case study investigated factors that facilitated oral academic discourse socialization of speakers of Chinese. A group of eight IMBA Chinese and Taiwanese students studied their first academic year in their home country before transferring to study abroad in the U.S. to …

Using African Cultural And Liberating Concepts, Sean Nichols

Dissertations

Abstract The purpose of this autoethnography is to explore the impact on learning for a delineated cultural and ethnographic student population when the instructional process is interwoven with a plethora of student-reflective cultural and ethnic information and knowledge gained through the process of in plethora of knowledge and valuable information of retelling rich stories of students, parents, teachers, and stakeholders conveyed from an emancipatory perspective. I believe that these stories can assist in improving the educational conditions of children of African descent in the United States and the diaspora. Throughout my life, I have wondered about the absence of my …

An Investigation Into The Conceptualisations Of Leadership Among Early Childhood Teachers In Ireland., Edel Fenlon

Dissertations

Leadership in an Irish Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) context is a new and emerging ideology at a policy and practice level. This study aimed to gain an understanding of the conceptualisations of leadership held by early childhood teachers who work directly with children in Ireland. This study explored the associations of leadership held by participants, recognition of leadership potential and attributes of effective leadership; through an interpretivist paradigm. Within this paradigm, a qualitative research design was selected to capture the lived experiences of leadership of participants. Six semi-structured interviews we completed with early childhood teachers from rural Ireland. …

The Social-Construct Of Race And Ethnicity: One’S Self-Identity After A Dna Test, Kathryn Ann Wilson

Dissertations

Self-identity—specific to race and ethnicity—is shaped by a myriad of factors, including genealogical evidence, family lore, learned behaviors and lived experiences. How these various factors affect self-identity varies greatly from individual to individual. Even those raised within the same household may hold different views of who they are. This study examines how individuals’ self-identity is affected by results from DNA testing.

This study is filtered through the lens of Social Constructivism theory and looks at many components which may have impacted how we see ourselves and develop our personal self-identification. The study used mixed methods and sources of data. Quantitative …

Using Personal-Type Relationships (Guanxi) To Attract And Retain Customers In Small Business Enterprise (Sbe): An Empirical Study In Uae, Abu Dhabi, Hadi Saif Albadi

Dissertations

Very few researchers have investigated the underlying socio-cultural formulas in the aspects of culture that affect relationships around the globe. Middle Eastern cultures give great importance to personal-type relationships (akin to the Chinese concept of Guanxi), in many different spheres of life. This research identifies the factors composing the unique forms of such relationships that are found in the context of Abu Dhabi city. The research focuses on the significant role and the effect of the cultivation in business contexts of personal-type relationships, characterized by the presence of personal trust, empathy, reciprocity, bonding, face, and affection. The aim of this …

An Exploration Of How Early Years Managers And Staff Are Responding To The Needs Of Children Experiencing Homelessness, Jacinta Corcoran

Dissertations

Homelessness in Ireland has increased rapidly over recent years with children and families making up increasing proportions of the numbers recorded whilst single parent families are representing a disproportionate number of families experiencing homelessness. Consequently many early years services are supporting unprecedented numbers of children who are experiencing homelessness to engage and fully participate in early education programmes. The experience of homelessness can permeate many levels and various aspects of a child’s life particularly when historical risks and adversities are to be factored. Within this context this study guided by an ecological framework explores the range of influences on the …

The Lived Experience Of Nursing Students In Caring For Suffering Individuals: A Phenomenological Analysis, Susan Sweat Gunby

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to illuminate the lived experience of nursing students in caring for individuals who were suffering. A phenomenological approach was utilized consisting of four iterative steps: purposive sampling, intensive interviewing, inductive data analysis using Giorgi's (1985) method, and uncovering the essential structure of the phenomenon. Using purposive sampling, 12 generic undergraduate nursing students were recruited from a large university located in the southeastern United States. Participants were interviewed and asked to describe their experiences related to caring for a suffering individual. Interviews were audiotaped and then transcribed. The transcriptions of the interviews constituted the data …

Development Of An Instrument To Measure Hope, Judith Fitzgerald Miller

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to measure hope in adults and to evaluate its psychometric properties. A forty item Miller Hope Scale was developed based on the critical elements of hope gleaned from a comprehensive review of literature, including the etymology of hope; as well as from an exploratory study of hope in persons who survived a critical illness. The instrument was critiqued by psychometric and content experts, content validity established and was pretested on 75 subjects. Psychometric properties of the refined instrument were determined by studying 522 healthy adults.

Academic Achievement And Participation In Out-Of-School Educational Robotics Competitions For High School Latino/A Students In Southern California, Jesus Ulloa-Higuera

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in academic performance in mathematics as measured by class grades between high school Latino/a students in Southern California who participated two consecutive years in robotics competitions and high school Latino/a students who did not participate. A secondary purpose was to examine the difference in mathematics academic performance between Latino and Latina students who participated in robotics competitions. A third and final purpose was to describe the experiences of Latino/a college students who participated in robotics competitions and how those experiences influenced their interest in pursuing a STEM college …

Anticipating Mothering In The Mexican Origin Woman, Susan M. Baxley

Dissertations

Not all women experience pregnancy and motherhood in the same way. There needs to be a greater understanding of how Mexican origin women experience pregnancy and anticipate mothering since Hispanics comprise the largest and fastest growing minority group in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive inquiry was to explore the meaning of attachment, commitment, and preparation during pregnancy as an anticipatory phase of mothering for the Mexican origin woman giving birth in the United States.

Educators’ Perceptions Of Restorative Justice, Care, Inclusion, And Disability: A Phen[Women]Ological Study, Jennifer Hull

Dissertations

In the State of Illinois, changes are taking effect related to classroom culture and educational policy is moving from “safe schools/zero tolerance” policies to restorative justice practices. Through a feminist disability studies lens, the focus of this a phen[women]ological study of the lived experiences of six educators from two different schools in Illinois and their perceptions of restorative justice, care, inclusion, and disability was to ask: How are educators making sense of restorative justice practices? What are the implications for students with disabilities? Five topics of significance surfaced, including (a) caring; (b) restorative justice and inclusion; (c) impact of technology; …

Managerial Caring, Multicultural Competence, And Organizational Commitment In A Department Of Nursing, Eileen A. Sullivan-Kaplan

Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the relationships among caring behaviors, multicultural competence of nursing managers, and the organizational commitment of those managers and their staff members. Additionally, a qualitative component was added in order to maximize the contributions of the staff member participants to the study.

The Contribution Of P. G. Wodehouse To The Field Of Gastronomy Through His Character, The French Chef, Anatole, Elizabeth Wilson

Dissertations

In her paper ‘A Cultural Field in the Making: Gastronomy in 19th-Century France’, Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson argues that the field of gastronomy came into existence in the middle of the nineteenth century in France. This field of gastronomy was constructed from two elements, the significance that gastronomy, defined at the time as a structured set of culinary practices, had attained in France by the nineteenth century, but also, the contribution of writers of culinary discourse who wrote about this gastronomy. These writers came from different disciplines and included the realist fiction writer Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850), whose work Ferguson describes …

Toward A Biblical Theology Of God's Presence In Christian Theology: A Study Of How Difference Interpretations Of The Divine Presence Affect Liturgy, Karl Tsatalbasidis

Dissertations

Problem

In spite of the universal agreement on the importance of the divine presence as the central aspect of liturgy, there are three conflicting ways in which the presence of God relates to liturgy. They broadly correspond to the main liturgical traditions: Sacramental (Roman Catholic), Kerygmatic (Protestant) and Charismatic (Pentecostal and Interdenominational). In our current situation, how does this universal agreement about the presence of God as the central aspect of liturgy relate to the conflicting means by which congregations assess his presence?

Purpose

The purpose of this study was (1) to describe how the three diverging views relate the …