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A Classical Delphi Study: Identifying The Essential Skills Educational Leadership Experts Perceive As Crucial For Novice Elementary School Principals To Support Students Towards The Every Student Succeeds Act (Essa) Goals, Jocelyn Johnson

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Classical Delphi study was to identify the essential skills educational leadership experts perceive as crucial for novice elementary school principals to support students towards the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) goals of preparedness for college, career, and life success and the key steps to acquire the identified skills.

Methodology: This descriptive, mixed-method Classical Delphi research involved gathering qualitative and quantitative data from 17 educational leadership experts regarding the most essential skills needed by novice elementary school principals to meet the ESSA goals for students’ college, career, and life success. Respondents acknowledged as experienced principals were …

The Efficacy Of The Co-Principal Model Of School Administration As Viewed Through The Lens Of The California Professional Standards For Education Leaders, Jennifer Slater-Sanchez

Dissertations

Purpose: It was the purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study to examine the experiences of K-12 school principals who participated in the co-principal model viewed through the lens of the California Professional Standards for Education Leaders (CPSELs). No such study specifically focusing on the CPSELs has been conducted, even though the co-principal model has been implemented in various forms for over forty years. It is important to determine if the co-principalship is an effective alternative for schools and districts.

Methodology: To investigate the co-principal model of school leadership in California schools and districts, this study followed a phenomenological qualitative research …

Using Online Interventions To Address Summer Learning Loss In Rising Sixth-Graders, Scott Osborne, Robert Shaw

Dissertations

Summer learning loss affects students to different degrees across curriculum areas. Traditional content review methods have often included workbooks or practice packets that lacked real-time feedback to the student. This study provided optional weekly online math and science review lessons to rising sixthgraders in two midwestern schools over the ten-week summer break. Students received both automated feedback from the online environment and teacher feedback in response to student questions or information students needed to acquire mastery. Students also had the opportunity to revise and edit their work. A test group, summer computer-based intervention group (SCBI), and a control group, completed …

The History Of The Doctoral Program In Organizational Leadership At Brandman University From An Innovation Theory Perspective: Beta Cohort 2013- Zeta Cohort 2017, Rebecca Farley

Dissertations

Purpose Statement. The purpose of this historical research study was to document the evolution of the Doctoral Program in Organizational Leadership at Brandman University from concept and design to implementation to present iterations (2013-2017). In addition, it was the purpose of this study to examine changes in vision, structure, curriculum, and the factors that influenced key leaders and decisions from the perspective of Bolman and Deal's 4-frame model, including structural, human resource, political, and symbolic frames.

Methodology. This study is part of a 2-person thematic qualitative historical study on the Brandman doctoral program, with 1 researcher studying program design and …

The Perceptions Of High School Students In Northern California On Proactive Restorative Justice Elements, Chasity Raybuck-Bonilla

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify and describe the perceptions of high school students who attend school in one Northern California district who have implemented the proactive strategies of Restorative Justice Practices.

Methodology: This qualitative case study examined and described 18 high school students’ perceptions of Restorative Practice strategies used to develop and maintain trusting relationships on a high school campus. The researcher conducted 30 minute one on one interviews with each respondent that were picked using specific criteria.

Findings: Examination of qualitative data from the 18 students participating in this study indicated a variety …

A Study Of The Impact Of Site-Based Mathematics Professional Development On Student Mathematics Achievement, Christine Attenhofer

Dissertations

Student achievement at one suburban elementary school under study dropped notably in mathematics in one school year, as measured by the state standards assessment. The purpose of this inquiry was to determine what impact ongoing, on-demand, job-embedded, site-based professional development opportunities provided by a full-time, site-base math content area specialist had on teachers' instructional practices and students' mathematics achievement. I implemented a mixed methods approach to this inquiry. I analyzed the end of the year state mathematics standards assessments for second through fifth grade students following the implementation of full-time, site-based professional development provided by a math content area specialist …

Service To American Heroes: Exploring The Experiences Of Veterans Suffering From Ptsd Transitioning From Military Service To Civilian Careers, Samuel Scaife

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the experiences of post-9/11 veterans suffering from PTSD residing in California who transitioned from military service to civilian careers within the last 3-5 years, through the lens of Schlossberg’s 4S factors of situation, self, social support, and strategies.

Methodology. A qualitative case study was used allowing for in-depth exploration. A multiple case study was selected to explore the lived experiences of PTSD veterans who recently transitioned from military service to civilian careers in San Diego, CA. The primary method of data collection was semi-structured interviews to gather the …

Elite Female Long-Distance Runners And The Impact Of Social Media On Their Lives Professionally And Personally, Elizabeth Camy

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and discover the perceptions of elite female long-distance runners on the benefits and challenges of using social media to build their personal brand throughout their athletic careers.

Methodology: This study was a phenomenological study that identified and described the lived experiences of 10 elite female long-distance runners and the benefits and challenges of using social media to build a personal brand. The sample of elite female long-distance runners were athletes that had qualified for the 2020 USA Olympic Trails in the marathon.

Findings: The study concluded that female athletes identify …

Development And Testing Of A Measure Of Patient Satisfaction With Nursing Care, Lee A. Schmidt

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to test an empirically derived measure of patient satisfaction with nursing care. Existing measures of this important phenomenon lack adequate validity and a strong theoretical base. A grounded theory study was completed with patients discharged from medical surgical units of a tertiary care facility.

Cultural Competence And Racist Attitudes Of Direct Patient Care Registered Nurses In A Midwestern State, Linda Kay Hardy

Dissertations

Racism has been implicated as one of the causes of health disparities in non-White population groups in the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe cultural competence and racist attitudes of direct patient care registered nurses (DPC RNs) in a Midwestern state. The researcher hypothesized that racist attitudes impacted cultural competence, compromised the nurse-patient interaction, and potentially led to less than optimal patient outcomes. Critical Social Theory and Leininger's Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality served as the framework for this quantitative, descriptive correlational dissertation research. Cultural competence was measured with the Cultural Competence …

Variables That May Affect Physical Activity Levels In African American Females With Type 2 Diabetes, Melanie K. Samardzija

Dissertations

Type 2 diabetes continues to pose a significant health challenge for the United States. The incidence and prevalence rates for type 2 diabetes are higher for certain at risk populations such as African American females. Personal behaviors including high-fat, high-caloric diets and physical inactivity result in obesity and insulin resistance that are associated with type 2 diabetes. Physical inactivity is particularly common in African American females, and this places them at an increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes. Certain variables have been shown to influence physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine how selected …

Stories, Ethics And The Interpretation Of Meaning: Bearing Witness To Mothers' Stories Of Their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Experience, Angela C. Blackburn

Dissertations

This study grounded in narrative perspectives was conducted to uncover mothers' experience of having a baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The purpose of this study was to describe and interpret mothers NICU experiences, and to sensitize health care professionals about the importance of mothers' personal experience stories. The NICU experience began with mothers' birth experience or the incident that led up to her infant requiring care in the NICU and her experience extended beyond the NICU with future concerns about the health and wellbeing of her baby.

Deliberate Practice Using Simulation To Improve Clinical Competency And Confidence, Sharon Lacue

Dissertations

Bridging the gap between classroom learning and nursing practice is an ongoing concern in nursing education. Multiple studies have found that students who are provided the knowledge, skills and modeling behavior, in addition to an expectation of efficacy, have an increase in their confidence of acquired skills and thus an increase in self-confidence and competence. However, patients in acute care settings have increasingly complex medical problems, which often leave nursing students with minimal hands-on care for their assigned patient. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of deliberate practice, using a repeated simulated clinical experience, on student …

The Paradox Of Respect And Risk: Six Lakota Adolescents Speak, Mary J. Isaacson

Dissertations

Adolescence is a time of turbulence as young people stretch parental boundaries, seeking where they fit in society. For many American Indian adolescents this time involves the initiation of dangerous high-risk behaviors. Potential causes posed for this are: loss of identity, loss of cultural values and traditions, lack of positive role modeling and feelings of hopelessness. Survey research has been the predominant method of data collection. Very few studies of Native American youth use storytelling, even though stories are a part of many Indian cultures. The primary purpose of this study was to describe the phenomena of respect and risk …

Contributions Of Three Nursing Leaders To The Development Of Registered Nursing Education In Jamaica, 1946-1986, Hermi Hyacinth Hewitt

Dissertations

The historical research design is used to document the contributions that Misses Ruth Nita Barrow, Gertrude Hildegarde Swaby and Julie Symes made in advancing the status of professional nursing education in Jamaica, between 1946 and 1986. Their roles in the Jamaica General Trained Nurses Association and the General Nursing Council of Jamaica in obtaining registration for nurses' education in Jamaica, reciprocal agreement with England and Wales and professional recognition from the International Council of Nurses are discussed. Since nearly two decades of Barrow, Swaby and Symes' contributions to professional nursing's development occurred while Jamaica was a British colony, the economic, …

The Impact Of Debriefing Sessions Following Viewing Of Recorded High Fidelity Simulation Scenarios On Knowledge Acquisition, Self-Confidence, And Satisfaction: A Quasi-Experimental Study, Kristen D. Zulkosky

Dissertations

The role of the nurse educator is complex and it is imperative that educators design pertinent learning activities including implementation of innovative teaching strategies while using the latest pedagogical techniques, and evaluating that learning occurred. This study utilized a quantitative, quasi-experimental, comparison group, crossover design and compared teaching strategies using simulation in the classroom. The purpose of the study was to determine if fourth semester Associate of Science in Nursing students who participated in debriefing sessions after watching recorded high-fidelity simulation scenarios in a nursing class obtained higher examination scores than those who received the same content through traditional lecture …

Hemodynamic Changes Associated With Manual And Automated Lateral Rotation In Mechanically Ventilated Intensive Care Patients, Shannan K. Hamlin

Dissertations

Objective: To investigate hemodynamic responses to lateral rotation. Design: Time-series within a randomized controlled trial pilot study.

Predictors Of Success On The National Council Licensure Examination For Registered Nurses (Nclex-Rn) In A Traditional Baccalaureate Nursing Program: A Descriptive Study, Ana Stoehr

Dissertations

A major issue for most nursing programs is how to produce graduates who will be successful in the program and on the NCLEX-RN. Providing an optimal undergraduate education is made more difficult by issues such as limited clinical space for students' experiences, and the nursing shortage, which increases the pressure on nursing programs to accept more students and graduate all admitted students. It is imperative that nursing programs accept those applicants who are most likely to graduate, and in a timely manner. This study examined variables that have been suggested as predictors of success on the NCLEX-RN.

Trying Something New: Understanding The Common Practices Of Reforming Nursing Education, Martha M. Scheckel

Dissertations

What are the common reforming practices of teachers when they reform nursing education? How is cultivating thinking an important reforming practice in nursing education that moves beyond teaching "critical thinking?" Do the Concernful Practices of Schooling Learning Teaching reveal reforming practices that illuminate engendering community as central to creating and sustaining innovation? This interpretive phenomenological and Heideggerian hermeneutical study describes two themes (common practices) of reforming nursing education: Cultivating Thinking and Enacting the Concernful Practices: Making Visible How Innovation Arises. A pattern, Unlearning and Becoming, one of the Concernful Practices, was of central importance in this study. It describes how …

An Emergency Department Patient's Perception Of Safety, Paul R. Clark

Dissertations

Because the patient's perception of safety in the healthcare system has not been adequately examined, the purpose of this study was to discover an Emergency Department patient's perception of safety so as to add an element currently absent in safe patient care provision.

The Lived Experience Of Non-English And Limited English Speaking Hispanic Persons Associated With A Past In-Patient Hospitalization In The United States: A Phenomenological Study, Jana Goodwin

Dissertations

The Hispanic population in the United States faces many challenges such as differences in language, culture, education, and socioeconomics. Research findings suggest that poor acculturation, language barriers and healthcare provider biases are associated with decreased access to care, lack of insurance or underinsurance, underutilization of services, feelings of isolation and powerlessness, which may lead to poor health outcomes. This hermeneutical phenomenological study explored the lived experience of non-English and limited English speaking Hispanic persons associated with past in-patient hospitalization in the United States.

United States Resident, Jordanian And Palestinian Women's Participation In Breast Cancer Screening, Lina N. Kawar

Dissertations

Breast cancer is a threatening disease to women worldwide. Breast cancer screening (BCS) is a key to early detection and reduced mortality. Factors predicting women's participation in BCS have been well studied in the United States (US), including among major US racial and ethnic minority groups. Factors predicting participation in BCS among immigrant ethnic groups, such as Arab women, are less well studied, especially cultural factors that may be barriers to BCS. The purposes of this cross-sectional, predictive, correlational study were to: (1) describe US resident-Jordanian and Palestinian women's psychological variables (feelings, attitudes, and habits) toward participation in BCS, (2) …

The Relationship Among School Playground Design And Conditions And Physical Activity Levels In Children, Ipuna Estavillo Black

Dissertations

Almost 20% of children aged 6 to 11 years are obese in the United States, tripling over the last ten years. The rise in childhood obesity challenges nurses in their efforts to improve community health and sustainability. A decrease in physical activity (PA) levels has been associated with an increase in obesity. Schools have been identified as a primary setting to provide children adequate amounts of daily PA, and nurses working in the area of child health promotion can work with schools to provide opportunities for children to increase PA levels. The playground is one environment where children can increase …

Impact Of An Active Learning Strategy On Learner Engagement In A Transition To Practice Program, Janiece Paulat

Dissertations

Research is abundant in the use of active learning rather than lecture. The effect on engagement on knowledge retention is also abundant. Most of the studies focus on secondary and higher education. Less research has been found on the link between active learning and engagement especially in transition to practice programs (TTP). Guidelines on content delivery in TTP is minimal. In this prospective, cross-sectional, quasi experimental project, the impact of an active learning strategy on learner engagement was studied. The sample was 14 new nurse graduates of mostly female gender of Millennial generation in a local transition to practice program. …

Trust And Leadership: How Exemplary Superintendents Build Successful Principal Teams In Elementary School Districts, Louann Carlomagno

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe behaviors exemplary superintendents practice during leadership team meetings to build and maintain trust with their principals based on the facets of trust defined by Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (benevolence, reliability, competency, honesty, and openness).

Methodology: The qualitative use of phenomenology was utilized in this study. Respondents were able to tell their stories, providing semistructured feedback in order for the researcher to gain a deeper understanding of trust building during leadership team meetings. The researcher interviewed 16 principals from Sonoma and San Mateo Counties.

Findings: Examination of qualitative data from …

Current Perspectives On The Gestalt Of Nursing Curricula, Brandi L. 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 …

The Perfect Storm: Unexpected Birthing Experiences And Perinatal Mood Disorders, Joanne G. Goldbort

Dissertations

Intrapartum nurses play a significant role in shaping the lived experience of a woman's birth. Examining the lived experience of women's birth can serve as a critical component in nursing practice as a means to improve patient care outcomes with regards to the development of a perinatal mood disorder. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine women's unexpected birth experience in order to ascertain what contributions from these women's stories might be made to enhance nursing care. Husserl's descriptive phenomenology was the qualitative research design used to examine women's unexpected birth experience, defined as any or all of …

The Experience Of Violence And Help-Seeking Among Mothers Of Adult Chronically Mentally Ill Individuals, Darcy A. Copeland

Dissertations

Mothers of mentally ill adults are frequently primary caretakers. If mentally ill individuals become violent, mothers are most often victims. In their role as primary caretakers, mothers are knowledgeable regarding their children's illnesses. They are also familiar with the mental health system, including criteria for involuntary hospitalization. Mothers can identify signs of decompensation in their mentally ill children and recognize their need for hospitalization. They cannot, however, always access mental health treatment due to their children's refusal and/or not meeting legal criteria for involuntary hospitalization. This is problematic, particularly for mothers whose mentally ill, adult children have a history of …

Evolving Self-Care Among Individuals With Schizophrenia And Diabetes Mellitus, Peggy Louise El-Mallakh

Dissertations

Diabetes mellitus is more common among individuals with schizophrenia compared to the general population, yet little is known about their diabetic self-care. This grounded theory study was conducted to identify the process by which individuals with schizophrenia and diabetes develop an understanding of the diagnosis of diabetes, identify the factors that influence the development of their diabetic self-care skills, and generate a theory that describes the antecedents and outcomes of their diabetic self-care.

The Impact Of Social Media On Improving English Learning Skills: A Case Study Of Uae, Sameer O. A Baniyassen

Dissertations

Social media are one of the current forms of media that have diverse qualities and characteristics. Today, the use of social media is growing day by day at a significant rate. It is in this domain that students can virtually meet with their classmates and their teachers. They can communicate issues that are of significance and are related to their learning process. This study aimed to explore how social media platforms could affect English learning skills and to find whether social media could improve English language skills. The current study used mixed methods involving quantitative and qualitative approaches, such as …