Digital Commons Network^™

Adjustment Issues Of Saudi Arabian Students And Their Spouses In The U.S., Saleh Saeed Alshihri

Dissertations

A significant proportion of Saudi Arabians seek further studies in western countries, including the United States. The benefits of an international education come with the challenges of relationship stress for Saudi s tudents and their spouses that increase during their stay in the United States. The purpose of this study was to understand the adjustment issues of Saudi Arabian students and their spouses in the U.S. This study u sed a sample of 320 Saudi Arabian students and student spouses, 65 of which could be matched with their spouse, in the U.S. The couples were sampled from different areas in …

Factors Influencing Hispanic Soldiers Seeking Treatment For Alcohol Abuse : Secondary Analysis Of The Army Study To Assess Risk And Resilience Of Servicemembers (Starrs), Karina L. Bocanegra

Dissertations

This study examined factors that influenced whether Hispanic soldiers will elect to seek treatment for alcohol abuse. The data for this study were collected using archival data from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (STARRS) survey conducted between the years 2011 and 2013. The STARRS dataset consisted over 21,000 surveys but for this study the sample size was specific to Hispanic soldiers wi th alcohol abuse (n= 917). The impact of seven independent variables on the dependent variable of treatment seeking was examined in the final statistical model. The seven independent variables examined were pri mary …

Law Enforcement Officers' Romantic Relationships Strengths : A Mixed Methods Analysis, Mary Telisak

Dissertations

This study explores the diversity of personal and interpersonal features associated with relationship quality for law enforcement officers and their romantic partners. A concurrent, embedded, mixed methods design was used to address the central research question, "What interpersonal characteristics and work- and home-based contextual factors are associated with relationship quality for law enforcement officers and their romantic partners?" Specific efforts were made to account for the gaps left by existing literature on the romantic relationships of law enforcement officers. Participants were recruited from four Midwestern communities of similar size and demographic composition in the winter of 2018-2019. One hundred ten …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Emiratization Strategies In The Quasi-Private Sector: Multiple Case Studies From The Manufacturing Sector In The Uae., Hana Mohamed Al Mahri

Dissertations

A central aspect of the United Arab Emirates’ strategic vision for a post-oil future is to make better use of its indigenous human capital, thus securing a return on the substantial investment the government has made in education, and reducing the reliance on a largely non-national labour force. While Emiratization (a policy to replace expatriate workers with citizens) has been successful in the public sector, the private sector is still largely staffed by expatriates with citizens representing less than 5 per cent of the total workforce in this sector. Therefore, Emiratization efforts have recently been focusing on enhancing employment opportunities …

Breast Cancer Risk Perception, Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs And Screening Behaviors Of Chamorro Women In Guam, Teofila P. Cruz

Dissertations

Breast cancer is a serious public health issue in Guam and in the world. Chamorro women in Guam have the highest incidence and mortality rates of breast cancer among other ethnic groups of women living in Guam. Early detection reduces breast cancer morbidity and mortality. Little is known regarding factors associated with Chamorro women's breast cancer screening behaviors.

This qualitative descriptive study was designed to obtain a straight forward description of perspectives and insights of Chamorro women in Guam ages 45 - 65 years, about their breast cancer risk perception, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and breast cancer screening behaviors.

Predictors Of Distress During The Breast Diagnostic Period, Mariann Mayhew Harding

Dissertations

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women and the leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide (Warner, 2011). Mortality from breast cancer in the United States has been decreasing in part due to advances in therapy and the detection of the disease at earlier stages. As a result, more than 1.6 million U.S. women will undergo a breast biopsy in 2013 with approximately 232,340 of these being diagnosed with cancer. Although distress in women undergoing a breast diagnostic evaluation has been recognized as having the potential to alter treatment outcomes in those diagnosed with cancer, few …

Managing Personal Integrity: A Grounded Theory Of Elderly People Surviving Hospitalization, Cynthia S. Jacelon

Dissertations

The goal of this grounded theory research was to develop a substantive theory of the social processes engaged in by elderly people while in the hospital. The derived theory is entitled Managing Personal Integrity. Within the theory, Personal Integrity is defined as a dynamic, intrinsic quality of the self which has properties composed of physical and psychological attributes.

Gaining A Voice: A Study Of The Breastfeeding Experiences Of A Select Group Of Educated, Low-Income, Minority Women Supported By Peer Counselors, Maryanne Phyllis Locklin

Dissertations

This grounded theory study describes the experiences of a small select group of educated, low-income, culturally diverse women who were supported by peer counselors/breastfeeding advocates in their communities as they attempted to breastfeed. The study explores their issues and concerns. In-depth interview data from seventeen women (ten African-American and seven Latina) were analyzed, using constant comparative analysis. Findings from the study indicated that the perception of successful breastfeeding can have an empowering effect on women when support for their endeavors are gender--and culturally--appropriate, The five themes that emerged as primary descriptors of the experience were Making the Discovering, Seeking a …

Community Nursing Support For Schizophrenic Clients, Lora Humphrey-Beebe

Dissertations

Decreasing hospital stays necessitate various community supports for persons with schizophrenia. However, there is little research on the effectiveness of community-based nursing interventions for this population. A true experimental, post test only design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a telephone nursing intervention in increasing community survival, and decreasing the number and length of stay of rehospitalizations for persons with schizophrenia.

Sex, Drugs, And Religion: A Multi-Ethnic Analysis Of Health Behaviors, Attitudes, And Perceptions Of Childbearing Women, Robin L. Page

Dissertations

Maternal health behaviors such as substance use and sexual promiscuity can put the health of mothers and their offspring at risk. Sociodemographic factors such as low socioeconomic status are also found to correlate with health risks for childbearing women. Hispanic women—especially those less-acculturated—often have sociodemographic risk factors present, but have paradoxically positive pregnancy outcomes. Healthy behaviors in addition to religiosity have been hypothesized to contribute to such positive outcomes. Past studies offer support for the positive influence of religion on healthy behaviors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the patterns and predictors of healthy behaviors and well-being of …

Understanding Reflection From The Perspective Of Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Deborah A. Greenawald

Dissertations

Across the nation, nurse educators are seeking to meet the needs of students with diverse learning characteristics within increasingly complex academic and clinical environments. One teaching-learning strategy that has been used is reflection; however, there is a notable lack of consensus among educators and researchers about the specific nature of reflection. The purpose of this study was to describe reflection from the perspective of baccalaureate nursing students. A review of the literature provided the context for the study, and was organized into four sections: Historical Perspectives, Models and Definitions of Reflection; Reflection in Nursing Practice; Reflection in Nursing Education; and …

Implementing A Depression Screening And Referral Program In An African American Church Community, Mary S. Garner

Dissertations

The purpose of this quality improvement project was to launch a depression screening and stigma reduction program in a nondenominational church that serves mainly African Americans. Potential links between stigma, such as beliefs related to mental illness, and how education can influence help-seeking and health literacy among ministerial leaders were identified.

Effect Of Heparin Injectate Volume On Pain And Bruising Using The Roy Model, Pamela S. Stewart Fahs

Dissertations

This quasi-experimental study examined the effect of heparin injectate volume on pain and bruising using the Roy model. The study was undertaken to provide nurses with information on responses produced by two injectate volumes.

Managing My Pregnancy: A Grounded Theory Of Pregnancy And Childbearing Beliefs And Practices Of Women Of Mexican Descent, Lorena Consuelo Guerrero

Dissertations

Examples of pregnancy-specific health beliefs and practices of Hispanic women are found in the medical literature, but the findings regarding the beliefs and practices are often outdated, limited, mostly curative in nature, and are often dismissed as benign cultural practices of a mainly homogeneous cultural group. Hispanic women incorporate both conventional and biomedical practices with traditional medicine/complementary and alternative medicine in their treatment of illnesses. The findings from this study served to illustrate current pregnancy-specific health beliefs and practices of pregnant Hispanic women of Mexican origin. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the pregnancy-specific health …

A Silent Epidemic With No Voice: Alzheimer's Education In An African American Midwest Community, Sandra D. Fields

Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease is a growing crisis in this country, particularly in the African American community. Despite this awareness by the health care community and educational programs offered about the disease, a deficit in research assessing the impact of these programs exists. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to analyze the key criterion relative to the educational programs about Alzheimer’s offered by local organizations and the impact they have on a Midwest African American community.

According to research regarding Alzheimer’s disease, African Americans continue to go undiagnosed and untreated. The literature review in this study explores the synergy of three …

Barriers To Student Connectedness And Engagement: How Socioeconomic Status Affects Student Involvement, Dominic M. Manola

Dissertations

Today, as students prepare for post-secondary opportunities, a greater and greater emphasis is placed on the importance of engaging learners both in and out of the classroom. While many students are inclined to get involved, there is a growing number of young people who face barriers that prevent them from connecting and engaging in the high school experience. Importantly, socioeconomic status plays a key role in determining how engaged a student may be, as well as serving as a key identifier in what must be addressed to ensure more young people get involved in their academic and co-curricular learning. This …

Characteristics Of Collaboration In Professional Learning Communities: A Program Evaluation Informing Change Leadership And Policy Implications, Daniela Fountain

Dissertations

Educators must be provided with quality conditions for effective and meaningful collaboration. This, with teachers’ collective commitment to student learning, is necessary for all students to achieve high levels. The professional learning communities’ (PLCs') framework is examined and researched around the characteristics of collaboration using three critical attributes; learning, collaboration, and results. PLCs require a change in both teachers’ belief systems and school leaders’ ability to design and deliver professional development that improves teaching and learning. Wagner et al.’s 4Cs model is used to examine current practices and develop a vision to improve collective inquiry through collaboration. After an in-depth …

Why Am I Here? Examining The Relationship Between Purpose And Career Advancement Of First-Generation Doctoral Students, Lily Jenkins

Dissertations

Approximately 24% of the college population is comprised on first-generation students, yet they continue to deal with significant challenges when completing their degrees. Research has been done on first-generation student characteristics, challenges, and existing support programs; however, their personal evolution and success in academic achievement and career development once support mechanisms are in place has not been adequately studied. This qualitative study utilized a transcendental phenomenological research design to explore the influence of purpose on degree completion and career advancement of first-generation doctoral students. The study examined the experiences of 14 first-generation doctoral students to find qualities that led to …

Analyzing Evolution Of Rare Events Through Social Media Data, Xiaoyu Lu

Dissertations

Recently, some researchers have attempted to find a relationship between the evolution of rare events and temporal-spatial patterns of social media activities. Their studies verify that the relationship exists in both time and spatial domains. However, few of those studies can accurately deduce a time point when social media activities are most highly affected by a rare event because producing an accurate temporal pattern of social media during the evolution of a rare event is very difficult. This work expands the current studies along three directions. Firstly, we focus on the intensity of information volume and propose an innovative clustering …

What Is The Bsn Student's Perception Of Why A Nursing Course Was Failed?, Amy M. Owen

Dissertations

Nursing student success is important to students, faculty, institutions of higher education, and the healthcare needs in Texas. Despite recent research showing that cognitive indicators can predict student success, the use of these factors has not significantly decreased the number of courses failed in nursing school. The purpose of this study was to explore the Bachelor of Science (BSN) nursing student perception of why a nursing course was failed.

Attitudes, Subjective Norms, And Perceived Behavioral Control: Critical Care Nurses' Intentions To Provide Culturally Congruent Care To Arab Muslims, Stephen R. Marrone

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among critical care nurses' attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions to provide culturally congruent care to Arab Muslims. A purposive convenience sample of 208 critical care nurses participated in this investigation. Data were collected using four Likert-scale instruments. Each subject received an attitude score, subjective norms score, perceived behavioral control score, and intention score.

An Examination Of The Relations Amongst Power, Uncertainty, Self-Transcendence, And Quality Of Life In Breast Cancer Survivors, Arlene T. Farren

Dissertations

The investigator examined the relations amongst Power, Uncertainty, Self-transcendence, and Quality of Life in breast cancer survivors. The theoretical rationale linked the theories of Barrett, Mishel, and Reed with Ferrans' conceptual model of Quality of Life from the perspective of Rogers' Science of Unitary Human Beings (SUHB). The variables were operationalized using: Quality of Life Index-Cancer Version (QLI-CV), Power as Knowing Participation in Change Tool, Version II (PKPCT), Mishel's Uncertainty in Illness Scale-Community Form (MUIS-C), and the Self-Transcendence Scale (STS). Following human subjects protection approvals, a correlational, cross-sectional study with purposive sampling was conducted and 104 women participated.

The Training Of Elementary Assistant Principals, Nailya Jarocki

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the most important professional development topics and practices for preparing teachers to become elementary assistant principals, as perceived by panel of experts. An additional purpose was to identify strategies for implementing the most important practices for the preparation of teachers to become elementary assistant principals.

Methodology: A classical Delphi method was utilized to collect perceptual data from a panel of California elementary school principals and administrators at county, district offices of education, and at the university level in California that met specific criteria regarding their education, years of experience, completion …

Comparison Of Telemedicine To Traditional Face-To-Face Care For Children With Special Health Care Needs: Analysis Of Cost, Caring, And Family-Centered Care, Mary A. Hooshmand

Dissertations

It is estimated that one out of every five household with children in the United States includes a Child with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN). Families of CSHCN face many challenges including financial burdens beyond that of other families and difficulty accessing much needed pediatric specialty care. Telemedicine provides a potential solution or, at the least, an alternative to the traditional system of care, for health care providers and communities to address access and financial concerns of families of CSHCN. A quasi-experimental research design was used in this study to examine the differences in cost, caring, and family-centered care in …

Prenatal Breastfeeding Education: An Intervention For Pregnant Immigrant Hispanic Women, Jane W. Schlickau

Dissertations

This experimental study tested a one-to-one Prenatal Breastfeeding Education (PBE) intervention for primigravid immigrant Hispanic women who received prenatal care at a public health clinic. The study framework was derived from the Health Promotion Model. Specific aims were: (a) to test if the intervention increased breastfeeding initiation, (b) to test if the intervention increased breastfeeding duration and (c) to discover if breastfeeding self-efficacy mediates the effect of the intervention on breastfeeding initiation and duration.

Adult Patient Perceptions Of Nurse Listening Behaviors In An Acute Care Setting, Nancy E. Loos

Dissertations

Good listening is fundamental to effective nursing practice, critical to a healthcare professional's competence, and essential for patient satisfaction and experience. Because nurse listening has been linked to an enhanced patient experience and improved patient outcomes, it has been considered important enough that the U.S. Centers for Medicare or Medicaid Services have solicited patient perception as part of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey (CMS, n.d.). However, little can be found in the literature that describes which nursing behaviors are perceived by patients as listening behaviors. Via face-to-face interviews, this study sought to discover, describe, …

Mathematical Literacy And Video Games, Craig Carrigee

Dissertations

Mathematical literacy refers to the ability of a person to be able to comprehend and conceptualize real-world data and mathematical situations to make informed decisions. Minimal research exists compared to the explosion of video games available to the public over the past two decades. This study investigates the relationships between playing video games and the ability of a person to answer real-world questions about mathematics as well as the person’s attitude toward mathematics, including their self-confidence, perceived value, enjoyment, and motivation. Previous studies have shown mixed results related to the influence of playing video games on cognitive math ability, but …

Europe Rising (Again): A Comparative Study Of The Dynamics And Types Of Modern European Nationalisms, 1989-2018, Timea Varga

Dissertations

Nationalism is nothing new to Europe. While theoretical explanations of the catalysts of post-1989 European nationalist phenomena remain contested along material and non-material lines, this dissertation posits that it is the interaction of economic insecurities, societal fears, and populism over time that have shaped the rise and types of post-1989 European nationalisms. Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) is combined with a collective case study design to examine: 1) how forces – political, economic, societal, or other – have dominated the formation and latest surge of European nationalisms since the end of European Communism in 1989; and 2) whether different, context-dependent …

Settling In: The Consequences Of Legal Origins And Institutional Variety For Immigrant Labor Market Integration In Oecd Countries, Jennifer Kuklenski

Dissertations

Drawing upon theories of institutional variety, this research seeks to determine whether or not immigrant labor market outcomes are better in countries with 1) liberal market economies and deregulated labor markets; and 2) countries with supply-driven immigration systems. Non-parametric Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Mann-Whitney U tests are combined with parametric time series, GLS regression analysis of panel data to estimate the impact and significance of legal origins (common versus civil law systems) and merit-based immigration policy on 1) labor market participation; 2) unemployment; and 3) employment by educational attainment in 28 OECD countries between the years 2001-2016. The analysis controls for other …

The Impact Of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Read 180 Next Generation Program On Middle School Students With Disabilities, Katherine Arnold

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if reading performance of students with disabilities in grades six through eight improved as a result of one year implementation of READ 180 Next Generation program. Teacher experience, student gender and teachers’ overall satisfaction and how the READ 180 Next Generation program may influence the academic reading performance of students with disabilities. Reading performance was measured by the Georgia Milestones assessment and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Reading Inventory.

Research findings show no significant differences in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade participants after one year of implementation of READ 180 Next Generation program. A …