Digital Commons Network^™

Security Research For Blockchain In Smart Grid, Lanqin Sang

Dissertations

Smart grid is a power supply system that uses digital communication technology to detect and react to local changes for power demand. Modern and future power supply system requires a distributed system for effective communication and management. Blockchain, a distributed technology, has been applied in many fields, e.g., cryptocurrency exchange, secure sharing of medical data, and personal identity security. Much research has been done on the application of blockchain to smart grid. While blockchain has many advantages, such as security and no interference from third parties, it also has inherent disadvantages, such as untrusted network environment, lacking data source privacy, …

Intelligent And Explainable Solution To Predict Infant Birthweight And Preterm Birth In The United Arab Emirates, Wasif Khan

Dissertations

Adverse pregnancy outcomes such as Low Birth Weight (LBW) and Preterm birth (PTB) are complex pregnancy challenges that can lead to high perinatal mortality and long-term morbidity for infants. Early prediction of such adverse outcomes can be useful for averting catastrophic outcomes for the mother and her baby. With advances in machine learning (ML)-based algorithms, several models have been proposed for both PTB and LBW predictions. However, the risk factors associated with these outcomes are still unknown, particularly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Furthermore, existing ML-based prediction models work in a black-box manner and lack proper interpretations for clinicians, …

Developing Mental Health And Wellness Awareness In Schools, Leah Wood

Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic increased concerns for anxiety and depression in adolescents (Jones et al., 2021). As these concerns increased, students’ coping skills and mental health declined (Meherali et al., 2021). This mixed-methods study based in improvement science sought to develop mental health supports for teachers and students in a secondary setting. A mental health team convened for the purpose of this study completed a root cause analysis for a high school to determine the barriers to mental health supports. We identified the problem and potential barriers preventing proper mental health education and supports for teachers, students, and parents. The analysis …

How Exemplary California Community Colleges Vice Presidents Of Student Services Use Conflict Leadership Strategies To Establish Common Ground And Produce Breakthrough Results: A Phenomenological Study, Ieisha Smith

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological conceptual replication study was to discover and describe how exemplary California Community Colleges vice presidents of student services establish common ground and produce breakthrough results by using the six domains of conflict leadership strategies (ethical behavior, shared interests, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication).

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study explored and described the impact of using conflict leadership strategies to establish common ground and produce breakthrough results as perceived by California Community Colleges vice presidents of student services. I was part of a thematic team of six peer researchers and faculty advisors who developed …

A Quantitative Methods Examination Of The Relationship Between Student Academic Performance And The Race And Gender Of School Administrators, Tiffaney Whitt

Dissertations

This quantitative methods study identified and tested research-based constructs of school administrators’ race and gender compared to discipline, attendance, and academic achievement. This study aimed to address inequities in educational practices, policies, and systems that directly impact student academic success in schools. The quantitative analyses included statistical ANOVAs and t-tests that examined a convenience sample of 68 elementary school administrators' annual accountability data from 68 Missouri urban elementary schools. To determine differences between the gender and race of school administrators and discipline, attendance, and student proficiency, the researcher examined secondary data from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education …

Counter Narratives: A Phenomenological Study Of Inner-City Catholic School Teachers, Staci Wadlington

Dissertations

Educational experiences of children can have positive or negative impacts on their future. This study used a method, counter-narratives, identified by Critical Race theorists to document the shared experiences of inner-city Catholic school educators during one of the most important time periods of education in our country, post Brown v Board of Education (1954). Using a qualitative and phenomenological approach, the researcher interviewed educators from an inner-city Catholic school to investigate their experiences during the post-restructuring phase, which essentially segregated a select group of schools from the larger archdiocese school system. These targeted schools were renamed, provided an alternate governing …

Student Movements, Politics, And Policy In Chile, 2001 – 2012, Leesa Rasp

Dissertations

Chile has frequently been touted as an economic miracle, the “Jaguar of Latin America”. Boasting the strongest economy in South America, due to severe neoliberal economic structural adjustments made under the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, it has long been held up as the perfect exemplar of economic growth and stability, as well as the poster child for the effectiveness of neoliberal economics. After the re-establishment of democracy in 1990, political conditions improved as well; the country enjoyed a decade of stability and peace under its first two democratically-elected governments.

Yet, beginning approximately ten years after the transition to democracy, …

Unleashing Your Power: Principal Support And Its Relation To Teacher Longevity In Hard-To-Staff Schools930, Tracy Smith

Dissertations

Teacher attrition, the percentage of teachers who leave the field of education, has been a critical issue for many years. From general education teachers to special education teachers, from elementary to secondary, from public to private schools, and from rural to urban schools, much human and monetary capital are being spent to recruit and retain quality teachers; however, with very little success. Some research reports that the turnover rate is much larger for teachers than in other professions in the United States (Ingersoll, 2001). Ingersoll exclaimed that the teacher attrition rate was “twice the rate of nurses and five times …

Faculty Perceptions Of Preparation Of Medical And Nursing Students For Interprofessional Collaboration, Jacqueline M. Loversidge

Dissertations

The effectiveness of teams comprised of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health care providers is critical to the safe and effective delivery of health care. Teamwork is necessary in the current health care environment because patient problems and health care needs have become so complex that no single practitioner can be expected to manage them effectively alone.

The Motherhood Crusade: Rural Low-Income Mothers, Support, And Empowerment, Christina Castellano

Dissertations

Previous research has shown that postpartum women with untreated mental health conditions are more likely to fail to manage their own health, have inadequate nutrition, abuse substances, experience abuse, be less responsive to their baby’s needs, have fewer positive interactions with their baby, experience difficulties breastfeeding, and question their abilities as a mother. Rural culture plays a complex role in the transition to motherhood, influencing whether mothers seek out and use resources. While more is known about location and access issues, less is known about how rural culture and, more specifically, how empowerment and social support impact postpartum experience. The …

Homegrown: Pastor Advocacy For Victims Of Sex Trafficking, Julie Heifner

Dissertations

Human trafficking consists of both sex trafficking (ST) and labor trafficking (LT) and is a growing problem for the United States. The Federal Human Trafficking Report (2019), states that Missouri is ranked ninth in the country for active criminal human trafficking cases. This issue is particularly prevalent in our churches because churches serve vulnerable populations and predators may be drawn to churches. Religious academic literature about pastor advocacy for victims of ST is lacking, while popular news sources reference case after case where pastors are the predators. This study consisted of nine Christian pastors who currently served in a pastoral …

Effectiveness Of Follow Up Phone Calls On Postpartum Women After Discharge: A Program Evaluation, Camille Williams

Dissertations

After an expectant mother gives birth, they are closely monitored for 48 to 72 hours after delivery and then discharged from the hospital. They are then typically seen by their physician for a postpartum follow up appointment within six to eight weeks for their postpartum follow up visit. Although complications during this postpartum period can still arise, postpartum women are rarely assessed during this time. Follow-up phone calls have been known to improve patient outcomes and communication between patients and providers once patients are discharged from the hospital. In January of 2020, the Mother/Baby Unit at a midwestern metropolitan hospital …

Testing And Refining An Integrated Ethically-Driven Environmental Model Of Clinical Decision-Making In Emergency Settings, Lisa Adams Wolf

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between multiple variables within a model of critical thinking and moral reasoning that support and refine the elements that significantly correlate with accuracy and clinical decision-making.

Exploring The Influence Of County Government Collective Bargaining On High-Performance Work Practices, Jay Peno

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative multicase study was to identify and describe the high-performance work practices (HPWP) of county government management lead negotiators who have negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA). In addition, it was the purpose of this study to describe the challenges and benefits of negotiating HPWP in the CBA as perceived by management lead negotiators. Lastly, it was the purpose of this study to identify and describe the strategies used by management lead negotiators to mitigate challenges when negotiating HPWP in the CBA.

Methodology: A qualitative multiple-case study methodology was used. I conducted semistructured, in-depth …

Moving Forward By Looking Back: How Family Firms Create Competitive Advantage By Embracing Their History, Adam Goldman

Dissertations

Family businesses are the engine that drives the United States economy. While extensive implications have been made in the literature about the advantages or disadvantages of family-owned businesses compared to non-family-owned businesses, the focus of this study was to show how small to medium-sized family-owned firms (FF SMEs) based in the United States can use their unique history to create a competitive advantage. Drawing on imprint theory and the resource-based view (RBV), this history-informed study helped identify the impact that founder imprints, business traditions, and storytelling have on the business performance of FF SMEs. Using quantitative methods, the findings of …

Perceptions Of And Approaches To Social Support Exchange While On Probation And Parole, Andrea Giuffre

Dissertations

The vast number of individuals on community supervision (i.e., probation and parole) remains at around 4.5 million Americans and suggests a need for research that delves deep into the nature of challenges faced by this population. Research demonstrates individuals on community supervision tend to rely on others for and provide social support to manage the challenges and conditions of community supervision. Simultaneously, many criminological theories incorporate elements of social support and speak to the importance of social relationships as predictors of criminal behavior, but less is known about the mechanisms underpinning social support exchange. Examination of the delivery and perceptions …

Implementation Of A Validated Health Literacy Tool With Teach-Back Education In A Super Utilizer Patient Population, Maribeth Lebreton

Dissertations

As health care costs continue to rise in the United States, there are associated concerns over use of services and where the utilization is occurring. Consumption of large amounts of health care resources has been attributed to a specific patient population, called the Super Utilizer patient population. An evidenced-based practice improvement project was developed and implemented in Lancaster County, called Care Connections. The purpose of the practice improvement project was to design, implement and evaluate health literacy and teach-back education in a Super Utilizer patient population.

The Impact Of Firm Size, Job Embeddedness, And Job Engagement On Turnover In Public Accounting Firms, Amy Cooper

Dissertations

Retention in public accounting firms has been and continues to be a top concern in the accounting profession. The direct and indirect cost of turnover; the decrease in accounting enrollment and graduation; the Great Resignation; and changes to work environments due to the pandemic elevate what was already a serious problem into a critical problem for the accounting profession. The size of public accounting firms is a well-used descriptor when employees talk about where they work. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the size of firm in predicting an employee’s level of job embeddedness and …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Shared Governance Experience For Nurses Working In The Pharmaceutical Industry, Adele Mueller

Dissertations

Healthcare has evolved over the past 30 years in response to exciting and tumultuous changes. Challenges encompassed innovative strategies to improve patient safety outcomes while facilitating a shared governance platform that resulted in best practice, enhanced job satisfaction, and improved patient outcomes. Nurses comprise the largest and fastest growing segment of healthcare occupations. A significant number of nurses have successfully transitioned into roles within the pharmaceutical industry to protect vulnerable patients. As a core value of nursing practice, the existence of shared governance or the change in the experience for nurses who had made this transition affects the nursing profession …

Improving Screening And Referral For Hereditary Cancers In New Breast Cancer Patients, Lisa J. Henczel

Dissertations

Breast cancer is a commonly diagnosed cancer in women. Early recognition and identification of those at risk for germline mutations have been difficult at the project site due to patients' lack of knowledge of their family cancer history, which is critical to improving access to the hereditary cancer program. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental quality improvement project was to determine if the implementation of Kiran et al.'s family cancer history nursing telephone prompt impacted screening and referral rates to the provincial hereditary cancer program among adult patients recently diagnosed with breast cancer at an urban outpatient cancer clinic located …

The Lived Experience Of Hmong Women In Leadership Roles, Nou Vang

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore and understand the lived experiences of Hmong women who have achieved leadership positions.

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experience of 12 Hmong women who have ascent to leadership roles through personal, face-to-face, in- depth, open-ended questions. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for emergent themes. Related artifacts from the participants, along with the participant interviews, were collected to triangulate data. Research findings were a result of the correlating themes based on the qualitative data analysis and research question.

Findings: The findings of the study indicated that …

K-12 Teachers’ Retention Of Arts Integrated Professional Development, Roxane Mcwilliams

Dissertations

Arts integration is an interdisciplinary teaching model in which the arts become a conduit for the contextualization and understanding of non-arts content. Research has shown this approach increases academic engagement and content retention (Rinne et al., 2011). The use of arts integration also provides gains for teachers. Teachers perceive their practice more innovative and better able to reach the needs of diverse learners (Bellisario & Donovan, 2012). For the benefits of arts integrated learning to be achieved, teachers must acquire the knowledge and techniques of this teaching model. This requires knowledge in both arts content as well as the pedagogical …

Factors Influencing The Development Of Advanced Practice Nursing In Singapore, Madrean M. Schober

Dissertations

The development of advanced practice nursing (APN) roles has become a worldwide trend as healthcare planners explore innovative options for the provision of healthcare services. The integration of these new nursing roles presents a dynamic change for healthcare professionals and the systems in which they practice. Suitable policies should ideally support the inclusion of APN roles and their practice potential, however, a review of the literature found no evidence that demonstrated relevant policymaking, these policy processes and subsequent implementation of the intent of policy. The aim of the research was to investigate APN policy development from the beginning periods of …

Factors Associated With Newly Graduated Nurses' Intent To Leave Current Position In U.S. Acute Care Hospitals: A Descriptive Research Study Using Secondary Data Analysis, Mary N. Meyer

Dissertations

This study aimed to identify the individual, unit-based, and hospital-based characteristics correlated with new nurse intent to leave their current positions (ITLcp) in U.S. acute care hospitals.

A Delphi Study Of Possible, Probable, And Desirable Futures At 4-Year U.S. Higher Education Institutions By 2035, Mary Cutia-Pluff

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify and describe educational changes at 4-year higher education institutions that are possible and probable by 2035 as perceived by a panel of experts. Additionally, the purpose was to determine the level of desirability of educational changes identified as probable by a panel of experts. Finally, the purpose was to describe actions necessary to promote the desirable educational changes by 2035 as perceived by the panel of experts.

Methodology: The Delphi method was used to survey 17 higher education experts from diverse disciplines. Four survey rounds gathered qualitative and quantitative data regarding …

Parents’ Expectations Of Developmentally Delayed Children With Special Education Needs (Sen) When Transitioning Out Of Non-Classroom Based Independent Studies Charter High Schools, Yolanda Vazquez

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe the expectations of parents of developmentally delayed special education needs (SEN) high school children regarding their children’s transition out of independent studies charter high schools. In addition, it was the purpose of this study to identify how parents perceived independent studies charter high school schools addressed the needs of their SEN children during the transition process.

Methodology: This study used qualitative methodology to gain insight into the lived experiences and perceptions of parents with SEN high school students in a NCB ISP high school transition program. Data was …

A Delphi Study Of Possibilities Of Learning By 2035: Identify And Describe The Educational Changes For High Schools In California That Are Possible And Probable By 2035 As Perceived By A Panel Of Experts, Guillermo Lopez

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify and describe the educational changes for high schools in California that are possible and probable by 2035 as perceived by a panel of experts. In addition, the purpose was to determine the level of desirability of educational changes identified as probable by a panel of experts. Finally, the purpose was to describe the actions necessary to promote the desirable educational changes by 2035 as perceived by the expert panel.

Methodology: The Delphi method was used as a mixed methods approach to build consensus among experts. Fifteen experts from diverse secondary …

Effects Of Adaptive Expertise On Counseling Self-Efficacy: The Mediating Role Of Adaptive Performance, Jiaying Meyer

Dissertations

Counseling and psychotherapy expertise research have been focused on three major areas, namely, characterization of Master Therapists, performance of Healing Involvement, and application of Deliberate Practice. The constructs of adaptive expertise and adaptive performance have never been investigated in the context of counseling or psychotherapy. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the relevance of adaptive expertise in psychotherapy by studying the relationships between adaptive expertise, adaptive performance, and counseling self-efficacy. A total of 460 psychotherapy practitioners from a variety of disciplines and experiences participated in the study, and they included counseling, psychology, social work, and others with …

Phenomenological Study: The Perceived Impact Of The Intersectional Barriers Created By Gender And Race On African American Females’ Advancement To A Senior Executive Service Within The Federal Government, Nicole Oliver

Dissertations

Purpose. This phenomenological study aimed to investigate the perceived impact of intersectional barriers created by gender and ethnicity on the advancement of African American females to the Senior Executive Service (SES) corps of the United States federal civil service. Additionally, the study sought to identify strategies used by African American females to overcome these barriers because of intersectionality and advance to the SES corps of the United States federal civil service.

Methodology. This qualitative phenomenological study used a convenience sampling method to select eight African American females who have advanced to an SES position in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. …

Leading With Cultura Y Corazón: Culturally Responsive Leadership And Latina Mid-Level Leaders In The California Community Colleges, Gabriela Lopez

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this ethnographic study was to identify and describe how California community college Latina mid-level leaders are culturally responsive in their leadership strategies, based on Horsford, Grosland, and Gunn’s (2011) culturally relevant leadership framework.

Methodology: This ethnographic study identified and described how Latina mid-level leaders within the California community colleges utilize culturally responsive leadership strategies using Horsford et al.’s (2011) culturally relevant leadership framework. The researcher was part of a thematic team of 6 researchers who developed and vetted a semi-structured interview protocol aligned with the theoretical framework. Sixteen participants were identified and selected using purposeful criterion …