Digital Commons Network^™

Breastfeeding Education In University Nursing Programs, Penny R. Marzalik

Dissertations

Past goals, future goals, and current statistics regarding breastfeeding rates in the United States support the need for university programs to address the topic of breastfeeding education. Currently, exclusive breastfeeding rates are 46.3% initiation and 17.2% continuation at 6 months of age, well below the goals of 75% initiation and 50% continuation. Nurses are the largest group of health care professionals, and research has shown that their care influences women's breastfeeding experience. The literature informs us that although nurses most often have positive attitudes towards breastfeeding, they lack knowledge about breastfeeding support.

The purpose of this study was to describe …

Implementation Of Remote Patient Monitoring To Improve Medication Adherence And Efficacy In Patients With Asthma And Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Quality Improvement Project, Barbara A. Werner

Dissertations

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are long-term respiratory diseases that can adversely affect an individual's quality of life and inflict financial strain on the patient, family, and healthcare system (Kocks et al., 2018). Adherence to prescribed inhaler medication is an integral component of effective disease management. Remote patient monitoring may serve as an effective means to proactively measure adherence with inhaled medications to improve respiratory health outcomes and decrease avoidable healthcare utilization (George & Bender, 2019). An inobtrusive device attaches to the metered dose inhaler to passively monitor the use and electronically transmit the information to a digital …

A Qualitative Descriptive Study Of The Experiences Of Nurse Educators In Developing And Implementing Concurrent Enrollment Adn-Bsn Programs, Janice E. Hawkins

Dissertations

Nursing leaders have called for more bachelor-of-science-in-nursing-(BSN)-prepared nurses to meet workforce demands. There is limited capacity in BSN programs to meet the projected demand. Currently, associate degree in nursing (ADN) programs produce the majority of registered nurses. To increase the number of BSN graduates, nurse educators recommend innovative educational models for seamless progression from the ADN to the BSN. Concurrent enrollment ADN-BSN programs offer one potential model to produce more BSN graduates. The purpose of this study was to describe the process of developing and implementing concurrent enrollment ADN-BSN programs. The research question was as follows: What is the experience …

Crisis Leadership Of Exemplary Superintendents Of Urban Elementary K–8 Districts During The Covid-19 Crisis Of 2020, Raymond Andry

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to identify and describe strategies exemplary superintendents of urban elementary K–8 school districts in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties used to lead in crisis using the five critical tasks of strategic crisis leadership (CTSCL; sense making, decision making and coordination, meaning making, accounting, and learning; Arjen Boin et al., 2017) during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. In addition, it was the purpose to understand and describe the experiences of exemplary leaders during a time of crisis.

Methodology: Through a qualitative multiple-case study, interviews were obtained to collect …

Barcode Medication Administration In The Emergency Department To Mitigate Medication Errors, Holly E. Gauthier-Wetzel

Dissertations

Electronic health record systems (EHRs) have been adopted in healthcare facilities to unify the workflow process of healthcare professionals. Studies have demonstrated the addition of barcode medication administration (BCMA) software technology within the EHR has decreased medication errors within hospitals and long-term care facilities. However, limited research has been conducted to establish whether using BCMA in outpatient areas has had an influence on medication error rates. Literature reveals that many facilities have not adopted BCMA in outpatient areas. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether medication errors were mitigated after BCMA was implemented in the emergency department (ED). …

Grounded Leadership: Exploring Health And Wellness Strategies Of Company Grade Officers In The California Army National Guard, Greg Montanio

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this explanatory mixed methods study was to identify and describe what exemplary California Army National Guard (CA ARNG) company grade officers do to maintain their physical, emotional, intellectual, social, vocational, and spiritual health. Methodology: This study used a mixed methods approach relying on the collection of data to provide for a more flexible platform to triangulate multiple data sources and increase the validity of the study’s findings. The study used a quantitative survey to examine how exemplary company grade officers in the California Army National Guard rated their use of grounded leadership strategies along with follow-on …

On The Edge Of Leadership: Narratives Of Asian Indian American Women In Higher Education In The United States, Denozy Sharma

Dissertations

This study was an investigation of the experiences of Asian Indian American Women (AIAW) in higher education in the United States. The motivation of this study was to gain a better understanding of Asian Indian American Women who, in spite of their rising presence in academia and educational attainment, are noticeably underrepresented in academic leadership roles. Asian Indian American women fall far behind White females in leadership positions in higher education.

A qualitative research methodology has been conducted. The investigation involved the narratives of the five female participants (faculty members and/or administrators in U.S. higher education) who identified themselves as …

Implications Of The Improvement Science Process On Swpbis Implementation At A Title I High School, Cody Rich

Dissertations

Disparities in discipline are well documented throughout our nation as the gap continues to increase (Losen et al., 2015; Losen & Skiba, 2016; Raush & Skiba, 2004; The Civil Rights Data Collection, 2014). Though Black students comprise only 16% of the student population in the United States, they account for nearly half of school suspensions and expulsions (The Civil Rights Data Collection, 2014). In the context of RHS (location of this dissertation in practice), Black students encompass nearly 20% of the student population while accounting for approximately 30% of the total number of referrals. More alarming is that administration suspended …

The Prevalence Of Mirror Gazing Behaviors In Men, Rutuja Pramod Chinchankar

Dissertations

Muscle Dysmorphia is when the individual is preoccupied with the idea that his or her body build is too small or insufficiently muscular. This study looked at the distinct criteria of MD, which is persistently and obsessively checking one’s appearance in the mirror and being dissatisfied with it. It studied the reasons behind these repetitive mirror-gazing behaviors. This study also attempted to understand the effect of an individual’s age, educational background, religious orientation, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status on his predisposition to MD via mirror-gazing behaviors. This study used a qualitative research design. Part I of the study included participants …

Youth Organizing From Within: A Case Study Of A District Youth Equity Council, Amy Elizabeth Nelson

Dissertations

The experiences of Black, indigenous, and person of color (BIPOC) youth in our school systems often share a common thread of having to navigate deficit thinking, institutionalized racism, marginalization, and discrimination (Hammond, 2015; Ladson-Billings, 2016; Roy et al., 2019). While youth organizing has emerged as a potential counter to deficit narratives, it is rarely seen in school settings (Arthurs, 2018; Kirshner & Ginwright, 2012; Roderick et al., 2020; Roy et al., 2019). Using critical race theory as a framework, this case study examined a sample of BIPOC middle and high school students serving on a district Youth Equity Council, their …

School Leadership Through The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study, Deanna Kay Dykstra-Lathrop

Dissertations

This phenomenological study presented the lived experiences of eight high school principals who led through the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants represented eight different school from five school districts from across Colorado. Each participant’s school implemented 1:1 devices, namely Chromebooks or iPads, for each student prior to the pandemic’s onset. The research question that guided this study was: What are lived experiences of high school principals who led through the COVID-19 pandemic? Data were collected via one-hour, individual, semi-structured interviews in person or via Zoom, then transcribed and analyzed. A phenomenological approach to the data was employed while implementing bridling methods …

Transformative Pedagogy And Science Identity In Undergraduate Anatomy And Physiology, Emily Ann Royse

Dissertations

Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) courses are undergraduate biology prerequisite courses that cover many topics about human biology, including anatomy, histology, organ systems, and homeostasis. The purpose of the course is to equip students aiming to enter nursing and allied health education programs with an understanding of basic biological principles relevant to human biology and pharmacology. However, these courses have a high incidence of failure, and many students need to retake the course to progress in their competitive academic programs. Students tend to rely on memorization techniques to learn the course content, and given the nature of A&P as a discipline, …

Implementing Theory-Based Debriefing In The Clinical Learning Environment To Improve Teaching And Learning Outcomes, Adrienne Denise Wilk

Dissertations

For decades, the hallmark of nursing education has been experiential learning in a hands-on clinical environment (Kolb, 1984), allowing students to utilize clinical reasoning and decision-making skills and apply theoretical knowledge to patient encounters (Gubrud-Howe, 2020). To optimize student learning, nurse educators must develop skills to implement teaching methods that promote higher-level reasoning skills in students. One teaching method that is useful in the clinical setting and promotes higher-level reasoning is debriefing. While there were robust findings in the literature about debriefing simulated clinical experiences and the positive effect these had on students’ learning and reasoning (Cantrell, 2008; Dreifuerst, 2012; …

The Impact Of Service-Learning Experiences On Baccalaureate Nursing Alumni, Stephanie Joy Matthew

Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to explore the long-term impact of international service-learning (ISL) experiences taken by nursing students in Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs and how their current nursing practice might be affected by these experiences. A sequential explanatory mixed methods case study design was used to survey and interview BSN alumni about their cross-cultural experiences. The quantitative survey data used the Cultural Capacity Scale (Perng & Watson, 2012) to compare scores of 93 BSN alumni who did and did not have an ISL experience during nursing school. Then the qualitative portion utilized semi-structured interviews …

Post-Secondary Education Influence: College Vs. Skilled Trades, Sidney Joseph

Dissertations

Vocational education is a learning process where individuals focus on manual training with a non-academic curriculum related to a specific trade or occupation where individuals seek careers without college. According to Merriam-Webster (2019), vocational education is a type of education or training directed at a particular field and its skills. A skilled trade is any occupation that requires a specific skill set, knowledge, or ability. It is usually a hands-on job, but skilled trades are found in every career cluster. Vocational education helps create future professionals who need education and training, leading to job opportunities for plumbers, mechanics, and factory …

Transplantability In Burdened Populations: A Regional Analysis Of The Robotic-Assisted Kidney Transplant Impact On Access Given Socioeconomic And Demographic Factors, Earnest James Davis Jr.

Dissertations

Introduction/Background

The social contract of health (SCOH) in America that governs healthcare interactions has listed toward provider organizations and away from the patient. End stage renal disease treatment provides an explicatory case to examine an unbalanced SCOH. The study evaluates whether the robot-assisted kidney transplantation (RAKT) technique allows for patients with higher body mass indices and of burdened socioeconomic and sociodemographic status improved access to transplant compared to traditional open kidney transplant (OKT).

Methods

The study set combined extant data for patients transplanted at Chicago from two data sets. Investigators used independent t-tests, chi-squared tests, survival analysis, analysis of frequencies, …

An Historical Study Of Student Outcomes For School Improvement Grant Recipient Turnaround High Schools In The State Of Missouri With Emphasis On Ninth Grade Achievement, Attendance, Discipline, And Graduation Rates, Juanita Chambers

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the implementation of the School Improvement Grant using the Turnaround Model to improve student academics, by looking at attendance, and drop out and graduation rates on ninth-grade achievement in Missouri. In the United States, within our urban schools, high school drop-out has been a serious, national crisis, which effects the graduation rate. Dropping out of high school has many unfavorable results that have negative effects on the economy, such as employment, crime, personal earnings, and health, such as in the lack of insurance. Students exhibit problems before they enter high school. Thus, …

Interventional Radiology Procedures Without Sedation: The Nurse Experience, Catherine De Leon

Dissertations

Background: Many IR procedures offer a less invasive and economical alternative to some open or laparoscopic surgeries. Patients undergoing a procedure without moderate sedation are awake, alert, with heightened sensory perceptions, and vulnerable to their surroundings. There is a gap in the current body of literature relating to the IR nurse’s experience of caring for patients during procedures without the use of moderate sedation.

Purpose/Aims: The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of Interventional Radiology (IR) nurses caring for conscious patients undergoing a procedure without the use of sedation. This phenomenological study aimed to describe the …

Outside And In: Social Support's Relationship With Support While Incarcerated, Phillip Michael Galli

Dissertations

Positive social support acts as a barrier against life events. Related to crime, positive social support may improve prison institutional behavior, reentry outcomes, and reduce recidivism. Conversely, negative support may create deleterious effects for individuals as they navigate life’s challenges. This dissertation explores the relationships between indicators of positive pre-prison social support (living as a family unit, marriage, financial help) and pre-cursors to negative social support pre-prison (caregiver substance use, family criminal history, growing up in foster care, receiving welfare, living in public housing and physical/sexual abuse) and three forms of carceral social support (visitation, making/receiving phone calls, and religious …

Perceptions Of Secondary Educators Regarding The Educational Engagement Of African Immigrant Students With Disabilities, Charity Obiageli Uzochukwu

Dissertations

Despite the vital role that educational engagement has on student learning and academic achievement, there is limited research on how secondary educators perceive the concept concerning African immigrant students with disabilities. There is a significant increase of African immigrant students with disabilities in United States (U.S.) public schools. Little is known regarding how secondary educators perceive their roles and facilitate educational engagement for these students. Inadequate information about immigrant students with disabilities, further makes it difficult to support this student population in U.S. public schools. This phenomenological qualitative study investigated how secondary educators perceived their roles in facilitating educational engagement …

Transformative And Trauma-Informed Social-Emotional Learning At The Secondary Level, Jennifer Ann Santos

Dissertations

This grounded constructivist theory study explored 21 public-school teachers’ perceptions of important knowledge for implementing social-emotional content at the secondary level to diverse populations of students and students who have experienced trauma. The participants in this study represented seven unique school districts from two different states in suburban and rural settings who have taught Social-Emotional Learning for at least 2 years. One main research question and three sub-questions guided this grounded theory study: What is your perception regarding what are important aspects of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) implemented currently at the secondary level that is inclusive of all learners from all …

Attachment Style And Teacher-Student Relationships Within Residential Treatment: A Mixed Methods Approach, John Paul Richardson

Dissertations

Little is known about the characteristics of special education teachers who work in residential treatment care facilities. The quality of relation between teachers and students beset with histories of abuse, neglect, trauma, or other mental health concerns is seen to be an important aspect to the success of this work. Understanding the attachment histories of teachers working in residential treatment may illuminate the factors that prompt these individuals to persist in this challenging environment. A mixed-methods, convergent-parallel design was conducted with 31 teachers working in residential treatment using the Experience in Close Relationships (ECR) and Teacher-Student Relationship Inventory (TSRI) to …

“The Adaptanators” And “The Geode:” A Single-Case Study Of Narrative Co-Wonderfulness Interviews And The Relationship In Supervision During The First Practicum Experience, David William Matheson

Dissertations

Wonderfulness Interviews (WI) have been discussed as a meaningful entry point into the counseling relationship in Narrative Therapy with children and families (Ingamells, 2016; Marsten et al., 2016). Wonderfulness Interviews are designed to uncover and story a person’s Wonderfulnesses and reclaim “the person and the territory of the conversation from the problem” in work with children and families in Narrative Therapy (Ingamells, 2016, p. 61). WI allow individuals to enter into the therapeutic relationship through telling stories of the qualities that make them the most exemplary as human beings (Marsten et al., 2016). WI and their potential contributions had not …

Bayesian Joint Modeling For Longitudinal Outcomes Of Exponential Families And Informative Time Points, Michael Safo Oduro

Dissertations

The benefits of longitudinal data in clinical research are immense, owing to the potential to detect phenomenon changes and trends over time. An avalanche of traditional methods exist for the analysis of this data kind, most of which are predicated on the assumption of fixed time design for study individuals. This assumption however, is not always tenable. Consider occurrences that can alter the time or visit profile of subjects in a clinical trial, such as adverse events. These may result in not just irregular visit times, but also unbalanced data on subject outcomes. Hence, one can consider visit times to …

At Risk For Success: Promising Practices In Their Own Voices, Amber Leigh Mcelwee

Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study utilized high school graduate perceptions to identify pedagogical methods, educational structures, and school supports that improved their participation, inclusion, and growth within their classrooms and coursework. The research was focused on students identified at-risk to graduate high school and how educational supports affected the success or constraint in attaining their diploma. The research design applied a connected learning framework structure with a focus on student interest, relationships, and opportunities as defined by the Connected Learning Alliance. One component of connected learning was student-centered learning; therefore, an examination of John Dewey’s educational philosophy of student-centered practices and …

Mothers’ Perspectives On Language And Literacy Development In Children With Disabilities Adopted From China, Jessica B. Hovland

Dissertations

Children with disabilities and special needs make up the vast majority of those currently being adopted internationally into the United States (U.S.). China has been a leading sending country for international adoption since the 1990s and remains one of the few nations with thousands of orphaned or abandoned children, many with congenital disabilities or significant medical needs, in government welfare institutions. While most children adopted internationally (CAI), whether from China or other nations, experience developmental catch-up after adoption, children with disabilities and those who spent time in institutional settings exhibit persistent language deficits that impact literacy and academic skills as …

Are Natural Killer Cells Novel Mediators Of The Effects Of Cannabidiol On Mental Health, Sleep Quantity, Sleep Quality, And Immune Function?, Jacob Norbert Kisiolek

Dissertations

Cannabidiol (CBD) has increased in popularity since the United States Farm Bill legalized hemp production in 2018 and is now projected to become a $24.4 billion dollar industry by 2025. Since its legalization, CBD is thought to be an antiepileptic, anxiolytic, and antipsychotic, as well as an agent to improve mental health, quality of life, aspects of sleep and immune function. However, many of these claims lack scientific evidence. The purpose of this randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial was to determine the effects of an 8-week CBD intervention on measures of mental health, sleep quantity, sleep quality, and natural killer …

Effects Of Noise, Light, And Landscape On Birds In A Recently Urbanized County, Karina Alejandra Sanchez

Dissertations

Anthropogenic activities are drastically and rapidly altering ecosystems. Research has found that urban environments support less biodiversity than non-urban environments. This work has inspired recent interest investigating animal behavior and individual reproductive success in urban wildlife as mechanisms to why biodiversity is lower in urban areas. For my dissertation research, I used three key urban characteristics; noise, light, and landscape composition to study the effects of urbanization on avian species across Weld County, CO. I used these measurements to test the overarching hypothesis that urban land characteristics alter avian community structure and more specific hypotheses regarding how each factor (noise, …

Biomarkers And Factors Related To Risk Of Acute Kidney Injury, Mary Ann David

Dissertations

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with increased mortality, morbidity, length of hospital stay, and in-hospital cost. Timely intervention is needed to prevent disease progression, but the delay in diagnostic process often results in delayed treatment. Recent studies show a significant increase in novel urine biomarkers (UB), TIMP-2 and IGFBP7, has been linked to an increased risk of AKI.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among participants’ sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, including select biomarkers, care management processes, treatments, and patient outcomes in a sample of hospitalized critically ill patients in southern California.

Findings: Study …

Koh-Based Modified Solvay Process: Optimization And Kinetics Studies, Aya Abdel-Hamid Mourad

Dissertations

While desalination of seawater is important for meeting the water demand, the technology produces large volumes of reject brine and CO₂, causing environmental pollution. Solvay process (based on ammonia, NH₃) and modified Solvay process (based on calcium oxide, CaO) try to manage these wastes. However, more attention is needed to overcome different limitations of these processes such as, alkaline solubility, operating temperature, maintaining high pH value, and low sodium (Na⁺) removal efficiency, which does not exceed 35%. The aim of this work is to introduce an alternative alkaline, namely potassium hydroxide (KOH) and investigate …