Digital Commons Network^™

The Predictors Of Cultural Competence In The Baccalaureate Degree Nursing Curriculum: Implications For Nursing Education, Angela E. Silvestri-Elmore

Dissertations

Health care providers are members of a helping profession and need to provide quality care to all members of society. As a result of current and projected demographic changes within the United States (U.S.), health care professionals are faced with the challenges of providing culturally competent care and fulfilling the role as the ";helping profession."; From 2000 to 2010, the Asian population increased by 43.3%, the Hispanic population grew by 43%, the Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander population increased by 35.4%, the American Indian or Alaskan Native population increased by 18.4%, and the African American population increased by 12.3%. …

The Lived Professional Experiences And Potential Impact Of Generation Z Registered Nurses, Sarah E. Abalos

Dissertations

The profession of nursing is evolving as a result of the changes in the characteristics of practicing nurses. There are currently five generations of nurses in practice: Silent Generation, Baby Boomer, Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z. Each generation of nurses possess unique characteristics as a result of the time frame in which they were born and matured, and their differing worldviews are influencing how they view and practice nursing. Although there is a significant amount of research documenting how the different generations of nurses have influenced the profession, Generation Z has yet to be studied over time because …

A Comparison Of First And Continuing-Generation Student Success And Engagement In An Online General Education English Course, Maya Scruggs Hicks, Tchule S. Moore

Dissertations

Online learning has become a significant part of the strategic plan to increase enrollment and college access (Crawley, 2012). Allen & Seaman (2013) noted that more than 65% of U.S. higher education institutions believe that online education is necessary to sustain and continue progress toward their strategic planning goals to increase enrollment. The purpose of this convergent mixed-methods study was to examine the difference between first-generation and continuing-generation undergraduate student engagement and success in a 100% online Jr. Level English course at a university located in the Midwest region. The researchers conducted independent samples (two-tailed) t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and one-way …

Reducing No-Show Appointments In The Outpatient Rheumatology Setting: A Quality Improvement Project, Callie Soltero

Dissertations

Introduction: Missed appointments, or no-show appointments, can be detrimental to the patient and office alike in the outpatient setting. No-show appointments decrease patient satisfaction, increase acute episodic visits, and decrease office revenue.

Method: This project aims to reduce no-show appointments by two percent in an outpatient rheumatology office through utilizing an existing phone call reminder system and implementing a text message reminder system.

Results: After the implementation of the text messaging reminder system, contrary to the project's aim of decreasing no-show appointments by two percent, no-show appointments were decreased by 1.1%.

Conclusion: The findings of this quality improvement project show …

The Lived Experience Of Students As English Language Learners In The Nursing Classroom: A Critical Hermeneutic Inquiry, Joann Mulready-Shick

Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of students as English language learners in the nursing classroom. The study is a direct response to the under-representation of students from linguistically diverse backgrounds in nursing education, the call for greater diversity in the nursing workforce and profession, and the issue of ever-increasing numbers of students entering college as English language learners. Employing interpretive phenomenological methodology, participants engaged, in open-ended, hermeneutic interviews which yielded new understandings of everyday concerns that impact their academic success. A critical theoretical framework applied during data analysis exposed power structures impacting student experience across language, culture, classroom …

Effect Of Implementation Of Simulation On Critical Thinking Skills In Undergraduate Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Joanne M. Knoesel

Dissertations

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the effect of simulation implementation on nursing students' critical thinking skills, as measured by Health Education Systems Incorporated (HESI) exit exam critical thinking sub-scores from cohorts of baccalaureate nursing graduates, in an undergraduate nursing education program. Benner's (1984), model From Novice to Expert, provides a theoretical framework for identifying knowledge acquisition and level of clinical expertise based on skill competency, knowledge, and experience, and underpins this study.

A Quantitative Exploration Of Strategies To Reduce Fatigue Among Nurses, Karen R. Cochran

Dissertations

The work environment of nurses places them at high risk of fatigue. The literature suggests a high prevalence of fatigue exists among nurses. Fatigue leads to reduced cognitive and physical abilities increasing the risk for personal injury and patient care errors. Nurse fatigue should be mitigated in an effort to improve safety and quality in healthcare organizations. The purpose of this study was to describe nurses' self- perceptions of fatigue and to examine nurses' willingness to engage in specific fatigue countermeasures within the workplace. Data were collected through an anonymous Qualtrics survey. A sample of 279 nurses completed the survey. …

Guided Online Coaching For Teachers Of Emergent Bilinguals In A Tesol Practicum Course During Covid-19, Dawn Thieman

Dissertations

Guided online coaching for teachers of emergent bilinguals (EBLs) is a job-embedded professional development model established from the educational policies and practices described in the No Child Left Behind Act and Every Student Succeeds Act. Having effective teachers who ensure an equitable, creative, and linguistically and culturally relevant education for all EBLs is of paramount importance in the ever-changing demography of schools in the United States. The guided online coaching for teachers of EBLs offers a collaborative, facilitative, dialogic, and reflective coaching process for positively influencing teacher transformation, thus providing a creative language teaching pedagogy for EBLs. The purpose of …

Standardized Screening For Peripheral Artery Disease In Primary Setting, Tamara Tomlin

Dissertations

Problem: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects eight million Americans and is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. in people 60-85 years of age. Veterans are at a 45% greater risk to develop PAD than non-veterans. Left untreated, PAD can progress to hospitalization for revascularization, amputation, or death. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends using a standardized screening tool for the diagnosis of PAD; however, a lack of standardized screening is problematic in veterans receiving proper intervention.

Methods: This quality improvement (QI) project utilized a descriptive, observational design. The American Heart Association (AHA) screening tool was administered by …

Teacher Leadership In The Context Of Chinese Education, Chudi Zhou, Qian Yang, Ying Dong, Xiaoying Wang

Dissertations

In response to addressing the increasing requirements to enhance the competencies of students and teachers, as well as the quality of schools in the global environment, the need for fostering teacher leadership has been proposed by many scholars and practitioners. School context is regarded as an important influence on the successful development of teacher leadership. While many studies related to teacher leadership have been reported in Western countries, a limited number of studies have been reported within the Chinese educational context. We also observed that among the limited studies, there was a lack of empirical research on how schools provide …

Use Of Strategies For The Relief Of Symptoms Of Insomnia, Marianne Homsey

Dissertations

Insomnia is a condition that leads to health problems and raises health care costs. The purposes of this Web-based, quantitative, descriptive, correlational study were to identify frequency of use and success of strategies to alleviate sleep problems, to determine if there is a relationship among strategies chosen, and to examine any patterns that emerged based on these preferences.

Collaborative Online Education: A Case Study Of An Ed.D. Program, Han Rong, Yang Zhang, Rongjing Cao, Jinge Xu

Dissertations

This dissertation discusses collaborative teaching and learning models of online courses. Four research questions guide the study: How do instructors design online courses to facilitate instruction using collaborative teaching and learning models? When instructors co-teach online, how do they utilize collaborative teaching and learning models? How do students build online learning communities from collaborative teaching and learning models? and How do instructors and students evaluate online collaborative teaching and learning models? We conducted a case study of an Ed.D. cohort of Chinese students in the College of Education of the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL). We employed a qualitative approach …

Effects Of Instructional Technology Integration Strategies In Orientation Programs On Nurse Retention In Magnet And Non-Magnet Hospitals, Sharon D. Hancharik

Dissertations

This applied dissertation study was designed to learn if the increased use of instructional technology integration strategies in nursing orientation programs resulted in an increased retention of new nurses. The study attempted to uncover the current retention rate and use of technology at the participating hospitals. The data obtained from Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals was compared.

A Model Of Factors Contributing To Perceived Abilities For Health-Promoting Self-Care Of Community-Dwelling Thai Older Adults, Porntip P. Malathum

Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to examine factors contributing to perceived abilities for health-promoting self-care of community-dwelling Thai older adults. An integration of selected concepts from Orem's (1995) self-care theory and Bandura's (1997) self-efficacy theory is established to generate a conceptual model for this study. The study variables included age, education, perceived family support, perceived friend support, chronic health problems, functional ability, perceived health status, and perceived abilities for health-promoting self-care.

Essays On The Impacts Of Extreme Natural Events On Health, Moumita Ghorai

Dissertations

This dissertation comprises three chapters that examine how extreme events impact health outcomes such as short-term illness, body mass index, probability of pre-term birth, and mortality. The study reveals the severe consequences of these events and shows that certain groups within a particular country are affected disproportionately.

The first chapter examines whether National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), India’s flagship workfare program, mitigates adverse health outcomes of a drought. This paper contributes to a growing area of research on adaptations to climate change. Using Indian Human Development Survey (2004-2005 and 2010-2011), a nationally representative panel data set, and high resolution …

Student Perceptions Of Teaching And Learning Quality In A Nursing Skills Lab, Jill F. Daly

Dissertations

While nurse educators believe their graduates are prepared for practice, experienced nurses view new graduates as inadequately prepared and needing improvement in basic psychomotor and clinical reasoning skills. This study focused on the fundamental nursing skills course, where students learn the foundational skills that are seen as lacking in the new graduates. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative correlational study was to examine whether student perceptions of the lab instructor's use of the Principles of Instruction (Authentic Problems, Activation, Demonstration, Application, and Integration) predicted the students' learning progress and mastery of the course objectives in the fundamental nursing skills course. …

How Domestic Violence Counselors With Personal Histories Of Trauma Experience Their Clients Who Were Victims Of Domestic Violence: A Heuristic Study, Janis Edralin

Dissertations

The heuristic inquiry-based phenomenological approach values focusing on a question or problem that has been a personal challenge in one’s quest to understand oneself and the phenomenon. Previous research has shown that counselors with a personal history of trauma who provide services to victims with a similar history report a range of negative consequences. The researcher utilized a heuristic research design to answer the following question: How do domestic violence counselors who have personal histories of trauma experience their clients who were victims of domestic violence? The methodology involved interviewing eight counselors, from whom four themes were identified: awareness of …

Elementary Educator Perceptions Of The Impact Breaks Have On Student Engagement, Sarah-Bo Kirchhoff

Dissertations

According to the US. Department of Labor, 1991, the United States education has shifted the focused to student performance and academic success (NCEE, 2006). School districts across the nation have increased students’ academic demands, including increased academic instruction time, while the allotted time for recess and academic breaks continuously decrease, significantly impacting the school day’s structure (Brusseau & Hannon, 2015; Ginsburg et al., 2007; Stonehill et al., 2011). However, research asserted that instructional time increase does not significantly impact student achievement. In contrast, the increase of academic instruction time could stimulate behavioral problems and sedentary behaviors, while the continuous decrease …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Impact Of Educational Reforms Implemented By Abu Dhabi Education Council On Teacher Efficacy In Al Ain Public Schools, Cherry Jean Recio

Dissertations

Teachers’ self- efficacy has been considered as one of the main contributors to quality teaching and job performance of teachers. Teachers’ self- efficacy may be influenced by factors such as educational reforms. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate teachers’ perceptions on whether educational reforms implemented by ADEC from 2005-2017 contributed to their self-efficacy and influenced their abilities to carry out their teaching jobs. The second aim of this dissertation is to investigate whether teachers’ perceptions of their self-efficacy differ in relationship to ADEC reforms based on a number of demographic factors such as gender, cycle, years of teaching …

The Influence Of United Arab Emirates National Culture On Leadership Styles In Higher Education Institutions, Hamsa Saleh Al Ammari

Dissertations

Academic institutions and universities are complicated organizations led by professionals and academics who owe their knowledge and skills to their experience in education and leadership. In a country like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), education leaders who come from different cultural backgrounds practice their daily duties within a context where the local national culture imposes certain assumptions, beliefs, norms, and attitudes on them, thereby controlling their understanding of leadership and shaping their behavior. There has been little academic research into what constitutes the national culture of the UAE, a young, cosmopolitan amalgamation of seven Emirates, viewed internationally as an Arab, …

The Alexander House Apostolate Marital Relationship Education Results: A Quantitative Study, Angel Estrada

Dissertations

According to existing literature, 27 components contribute to the concept of couple’s relationship satisfaction. Some of these components are included in non-religious and religious marital relationship education (MRE) programs. Research on nonreligious MREs spans decades; however, research on Catholic MRE programs is limited and not widely published. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of one Catholic, faith-based, couples’ MRE on impacting relationship satisfaction, and determine if specific religious and behavioral practices contributed to relationship satisfaction. The study was conducted with archival data collected from a population of mostly Catholic Latino and White couples in south central …

Impact Of Date-Pit Activated Carbon In Different Applications: Biomedical And Environment, Betty Titus Mathew

Dissertations

Activated carbon (AC) or activated charcoal are black carbonaceous porous solid material with prominent physico-chemical properties such as low volume pore size distribution, high specific surface area, and high-degree of surface reactivity for adsorption and other chemicals reactions. AC as strong and reliable adsorbent have been reported to be employed in diverse applications stretching from water/air purification, medical, sewage treatment, energy storage devices, catalyst, supercapacitor electrodes fabrication, and as biosensors component. In this current work, AC was produced from date pits, which is a common biological waste product in UAE, and used for biomedical and environmental applications instead of using …

Factors Facilitating Or Hampering Change Implementation: A Case Study On High Performing And Low Performing Cycle Iii Schools In Al Ain, Fatima Salem Al Kaabi

Dissertations

This is a qualitative multiple case study of four secondary schools’ administrators’ and teachers’ perceptions of factors facilitating and factors hampering change implementation. The sample consisted of four secondary schools in Al Ain city. Selected schools included two high performing schools and two low performing schools, according to the national inspection program reports. The four selected schools included two male schools and two female schools. Data collection methods included repeated, face-to-face semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews with selected teachers and administrators, and an open-ended survey for all staff in these schools. Data analysis revealed that the views of participants …

Processes Used By Nursing Faculty When Working With Underperforming Students In The Clinical Area: A Theoretical Model Derived From Grounded Theory, Marianne Craven

Dissertations

Clinical nursing faculty members often work with students who underperform in the clinical area. Underperforming students are those who exhibit deficits in nursing knowledge, the application of nursing knowledge, psychomotor skills, motivation, and/or interpersonal skills. The outcomes of faculty work with underperforming students have implications for patient safety and the nursing workforce, yet little is known about how faculty work with underperforming students. The purpose of this project was to develop a theoretical framework that describes how clinical faculty work with underperforming students in the clinical area.

Ready Or Not: Examining The Efficacy Of The Academic Preparation Of Bsn Students And Readiness To Enter Practice, Kathleen Anne Diatta

Dissertations

The concept of critical thinking (CT) has perplexed employers and researchers in the field of nursing for decades. The nursing profession is under intense pressure to hire clinicians who exhibit CT skills. A review of the literature has shown that the divide between bedside clinicians and nursing faculty has led to the separation of academic educators from clinical practices. As a result, new graduates come into the clinical setting inadequately prepared to meet the clinical demands of today's hospitalized patients. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of new graduate nurses from a Baccalaureate program and their …

A Glimpse Into The Multilingual Experience: A Phenomenological Study On How Nonnative English-Speaking Students Leverage Personal And Academic Support In Completing The Doctoral Journey, John Pervez

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study is to use Activity Theory to identify and describe the personal and academic supports of multilingual doctoral alumni at a private, non-profit university in California.

Methodology: This study was a phenomenological study that identified and described the lived experiences of 15 multilingual alumni that completed a doctorate program at a private, non-profit university. Participants were selected using criterion sampling. Data was collected, analyzed, and triangulated between interview data and artifacts. Data was then coded, themed, and organized with reference to Activity Theory.

Findings: Examination of the data found that multilingual …

Resilience In Helping Healthcare Workers Deal With Hiv Supply Shortages In Nigeria: Quantitative Descriptive Study, Ediri Y. Okiti

Dissertations

A quantitative descriptive study was conducted to measure whether HIV medical supply shortages relate to the resiliency levels of healthcare workers in Nigeria who care for HIV patients. Data were collected using the Resilience Scale (RS) from nurses and doctors caring for HIV and AIDS patients, in addition to reviewing archival supply requisitions and supplies received records for a ten-month period from January to October 2014 in eight hospitals in the Delta State of Nigeria. Univariate analysis was used to evaluate the data on the resiliency level of nurses and doctors and the rate of the medical supply shortages. Bivariate …

Obesity And Overweight Among Black American Adolescent Females: The Role Of Social Influences In Everyday Dietary Practices, Megan R. Winkler

Dissertations

Obesity and overweight disproportionately impact Black American adolescent females-placing them at a lifetime of elevated physical health risks. Despite this burden, the literature that explores the contributors to obesity and overweight among Black American adolescent females remains limited and unclear. This dissertation aims to develop knowledge related to obesity and overweight in Black American adolescent females, by appraising the current understanding of factors that contribute to their obesity and overweight, and explicating the everyday social influences on dietary practices. The primary study conducted for this dissertation used a mixed method, multiple case study design to examine the mother, daughter, and …

Shining A Light: Compassion Fatigue In Psychiatric Nursing And Nursing Students, Kathryn M. Chachula

Dissertations

Low levels of compassion satisfaction (CS) and high levels of compassion fatigue (CF), comprised of burnout (BO) and secondary traumatic stress (STS), have been identified as a serious concern among students within health science disciplines.

To conduct a cross-sectional survey to determine what factors are related to the development of BO and STS within a pre-licensure health studies student population of undergraduate nursing and psychiatric nursing disciplines, groups that have seldom been studied.

Evaluation Of A School Nurse-Led Intervention For Children With Severe Obesity In New York City Schools, Krista Schroeder

Dissertations

Severe childhood obesity, the fastest growing subcategory of childhood obesity, affects 4-6% of youth. Children from racial/ethnic minority groups and low income households are disproportionately affected. Severe obesity increases risk for metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, musculoskeletal problems, poor health-related quality of life, bullying, low self-worth, absenteeism, and adult obesity. One method of addressing childhood obesity is through school-based interventions. School nurses may be well-suited to lead obesity interventions because of their healthcare expertise, long-term relationships with students and families, and availability to students without financial burden.