Digital Commons Network^™

An Ethnographic Investigation On How Chief Nursing Officers Use Transformational Leadership To Lead And Support New Nurse Graduates, Susan Pailet

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this ethnographic study was to examine how chief nursing officers (CNOs) use transformational leadership to lead and support new nurse graduates based on the Transformational Leadership Skills Inventory (TLSi) tool developed by Larick and White (2012).

Methodology: The sample for this qualitative ethnographic study included 13 CNOs in 4 counties in California (Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside) working for hospitals and other healthcare settings. The data sources for this study included observations, interviews, and artifact reviews. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis.

Findings: 8 major findings emerged: (a) CNOs participate …

Stakeholders' Perception Of The Organizational Culture, Leadership, And Community Factors That Have Led To The Barn Theater's Sustainability In Porterville, California, Mary J. Shaw

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Stakeholders’ Perception of the Organizational Culture, Leadership, and Community Factors That Have Led to the Barn Theater’s Sustainability in Porterville, California

by Mary Shaw

Purpose: This qualitative, phenomenological research study was designed to describe the lived story of the stakeholders of the Barn Theater in Porterville, California.

Methodology: This study allowed the lives of the participants to be explored in order to determine what themes or patterns within organizational culture, leadership, and community factors contributed to the sustainability of the theater. The population of the study was 80 community theaters in California that are registered with the American Association …

An Analysis Of Transformational Leadership Skills Of Marketing, Sales, Human Resources, And Information Technology Leaders In Relation To Their Job, Ramendra Singh Dr.

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to identify transformational leadership skills exhibited by executives in mid-size companies, working in the fields of Marketing, Sales, HR, and IT. Additionally, this study also tried to identify top domains and skills for each group, and analyze the similarities and differences between groups.

Methodology: The study was structured around three research questions. As this was a quantitative study, self-rating data on 10 domains and 80 skills were collected using the Transformational Leadership Skills inventory instrument. These data were then analyzed using multiple statistical methods.

Findings: Analysis of data produced multiple findings …

Evaluating Cultural Competency: A Theory-Driven Integrative Process/Outcome Evaluation Of An Associate Degree Program, Nancy E. Peer

Dissertations

Accreditation organizations have identified specific program outcomes that each nursing program must meet to maintain accreditation, including standards on cultural competence. However, research has shown there is no consistent method of teaching cultural competence or incorporating it into nursing curriculum, so nursing programs are at risk for misinterpretations or not meeting required program outcomes.

Fine Arts Coursework And Student Achievement Among African-American Students In A Midwest Setting, Douglas Erwin

Dissertations

The researcher designed this study to investigate a possible correlation between the number of years of fine arts coursework and achievement on the American College Test (ACT). The district studied was predominantly African American; therefore, similar schools may use the results to plan strategies to reduce the achievement gap. Results included a mild positive correlation between student ACT achievement and coursework in visual arts, and a moderate correlation between ACT achievement and performing arts. The more fine arts coursework a student received, the higher his or her ACT score. The researcher conducted a z-test for difference in means to compare …

The Effects Of One-To-One Technology On Students In Schools With A High Population Of Students From Low-Socioeconomic Households, Ryan J. Persinger

Dissertations

Low socioeconomic status is widespread throughout the United States (Makarewicz, 2013). Education is one factor to help people break the cycle of poverty (Payne, 2013). This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of one-to-one technology on equipping students from low-income families with the education needed to break the cycle of generational poverty. A rural school district in southwest Missouri was selected for the study. Students, parents, and educators were surveyed to gain their perspectives concerning the efficiency of one-to-one technology. Data were gathered to assess the statistical differences in English II end-of-course exam scores, attendance rates, graduation rates, and …

Women And Men's Preferences For Delivery Services In Rural Ethiopia, Nancy K. Beam

Dissertations

This study aims to determine the combination of facility-based delivery care attributes preferred by women and men; if gender differences exist in attribute preferences; and key demographic factors associated with attribute preferences.

Community Literacy, Community College, And Community Leadership In The Rural South: A Tenuous Triangle, Denise Kay Perdue

Dissertations

This study explores a small, southern, rural community’s interrelational domains engaged in literacy development and the choices made by community leaders related to their understanding of literacy. Community domains affected by community members’ literacy deficiencies is ascertained by acknowledged sentience to the problem; however, the response to the challenges of inequitable access and denied liberties to all its members (i.e., education, employment, social strata, and governance) serves to articulate disparities in leadership for social justice and equity.

Within the context of ontological and epistemological assumptions, the transformative leadership conceptual framework by Brown (2006) of adult learning theory, transformative learning theory, …

Examining Teacher Practices Related To Student-To-Student Discourse In The Middle School Classroom, April Dawn Craft

Dissertations

As schools strive to develop 21st century learners equipped with skills in critical thinking and communication, the use of research-based teaching strategies, such as student-to-student discourse, is a necessary component of highly effective instruction. Research has shown that the way in which a teacher facilitates discourse in the classroom has a powerful impact on student learning and achievement. This case study examines the beliefs and instructional practices of a middle grades science teacher as they pertain to the use of student-to-student discourse, or students' use of a set of common language patterns in order to construct meaning or to develop …

Perceptions Of School Administrators Regarding The Benefits Of Teacher Induction Programs, Robert L. Baker

Dissertations

As rates of teacher attrition continue to increase across the United States, school districts are trying to determine effective methods of retaining quality teachers for their classrooms (Ingersoll, 2012). Comprehensive teacher induction programs have shown to decrease rates of teacher attrition when implemented over a multiple-year span (Goldrick, 2016). This has created the need for school districts to determine if the costs associated with the implementation of comprehensive teacher induction programs are worthwhile investments. This study involved an examination of the perceptions of Missouri superintendents and/or human resources designees and secondary school principals regarding the benefits of comprehensive teacher induction …

Action Research Using Entomological Research To Promote Hands-On Science Inquiry In A High-Poverty, Midwest Urban High School, Dustin Stockmann

Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods action research study was to examine to what extent entomological research can promote students’ hands-on learning in a high-poverty, urban, secondary setting. In reviewing the literature, the researcher was not able to find a specific study that investigated how entomological research could promote the hands-on learning of students. The researcher did find evidence that research on learning in a secondary setting was important to student growth. It should also be noted that support was established for the implementation of hands-on science inquiry in the classroom setting. The study’s purpose was to aid educators in their …

Perceptions Of Southwest Missouri Superintendents In Regard To School Violence And Prevention, Ahlam Mohamed Krimid

Dissertations

This research involved examination of the causes of school violence, attitudes concerning violence, and preventative measures used by schools in the United States in relation to problems and solutions found in southwest Missouri schools. The goal of this dissertation was to study perceptions of school violence in the United States to form a better understanding of what schools are doing to combat violence and why these actions are seen as necessary for the safety of students, staff, and faculty within schools. To gather relevant information for the study, a literature review was conducted, followed by a written questionnaire administered to …

Support Vector Machines And Artificial Neural Networks: Assessing The Validity Of Using Technical Features For Security Forecasting, James Dipadua

Dissertations

Stock forecasting is an enticing and well-studied problem in both finance and machine learning literature with linear-based models such as ARIMA and ARCH to non-linear Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Support Vector Machines (SVM). However, these forecasting techniques also use very different input features, some of which are seen by economists as irrational and theoretically unjustified. In this comparative study using ANNs and SVMs for 12 publicly traded companies, derivative price “technicals” are evaluated against macro- and microeconomic fundamentals to evaluate the efficacy of model performance. Despite the efficient market hypothesis positing the ill-suitability of technicals as model inputs, this …

Support Vector Machines And Artificial Neural Networks: Assessing The Validity Of Using Technical Features For Security Forecasting, James Di Padua

Dissertations

Stock forecasting is an enticing and well studied problem in both finance and machine learning literature with linear based models such as ARIMA and ARCH to nonlinear Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Support Vector Machines (SVM). However, these forecasting techniques also use very different input features, some of which are seen by economists as irrational and theoretically unjustified. In this comparative study using ANNs and SVMs for 12 publicly traded companies, derivative price “technicals” are evaluated against macro and microeconomic fundamentals to evaluate the efficacy of model performance. Despite the efficient market hypothesis positing the ill suitability of technicals as …

Using Spatialisation To Support Exploratory Search Behaviour, Clement Roux

Dissertations

Information-seekers traditionally interact with digital content through keyword-based search interfaces displaying results in list views. Well-defined lookup search tasks are performed brilliantly with these interfaces, enabling users to find relevant information and develop a relative understanding of the underlying information space. However, it is feasible to suggest that ill-defined and abstract search tasks could be better supported with a different interface that could allow the user to explore a library’s content and develop an appropriate mental model of the information space. One such approach is based on the use of visualisation, an approach to data analysis that aims to reduce …

I Am My Sister's Keeper: Considering The Experiences Of African American Women Educators Working In Predominantly White Public School Systems, Lelia L. Flagg

Dissertations

The stories of African American women educators are often not dominant narratives in the field of education. Scholarly readings often overlook, discard, or omit the perspectives and voices of African American women educators (Bloom & Erlandson, 2003); Mabokela & Madsen, 2007; Patton & Catching, 2009; Revere, 1986). Furthermore, stereotypes, misrepresentations, and misgivings about African American women are abundant in popular press and media. This dissertation served as an outlet to present the authentic storytelling of ten African American women educators (N=10) in their voices and own words. The historical omission of the voices of African American women has had wide-reaching, …

In Vivo And In Vitro Studies Of Polyamides That Are Active Antiviral Agents Against Hpv16, Edith Csiki-Fejer

Dissertations

Long-term, persistent infection with high-risk strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) is the precursor of most cervical cancers and an increasing number of the head and neck cancers. While HPV vaccines can protect patients under twenty-five years old from possible infections, no HPV antiviral drugs are available for the definitive treatment of preexisting or future viral infections. To treat current or future HPV infections, drugs that selectively block virus-specific processes, but do not damage the host cells, are needed. The compounds developed in our group are unique Imidazole-pyrrole polyamides, analogs of natural products Distamycin A and Netropsin that function by interfering …

Cop Culture: The Impact Of Confrontation On The Working Personality Of Frontline Gardai, Paul Williams

Dissertations

The unofficial, internal culture of An Garda Siochana is an area where there has been a deficit of academic research and scrutiny despite it being existential to the public discourse on garda reform, especially in recent years. It has been pointed out that the lack of data on the organisational value system of the Irish police is due in part to the nascent state of criminological research in Ireland and a reluctance on the part of the Garda authorities to co-operate in research studies. The primary objective of this study was to explore one aspect of police culture: the impact …

Vagabond: Returning To Autoethnography As A Doctoral Nomad, Karyn Mcelroy

Dissertations

Vagabond: Returning to Autoethnography as a Doctoral Nomad is a journey into what is described as a purposeful and rhizomatic inquiry of spaces and places in knowing. It prompts questioning within the author such as, “What has this doctoral journey come to mean, and where do I go now as I step outside the roots which have planted in me this need to wander? How do I navigate this struggle?” The work is a coming-to-terms piece. It is a hopeful wandering and documented artifact capturing an organic process of unlearning, relearning, and examining locations of being, while recognizing the emergent …

An Examination Of African Americans' Utilization Of Health Care, Brittany Powell

Dissertations

The study examined the relationship between perceptions of discrimination, social support, quality of health care received, and utilization of health care services among African Americans. Data was analyzed from 99 African American respondents that completed either an online or paper questionnaire. The responses demonstrated significant relationships existed between discrimination and quality of health care as well as social support and utilization of health care. Results concluded that the more discrimination one perceives, the lower quality of health care they are to expect, and therefore they are less likely to utilize services. However, the data also reflected that even in the …

Biomimetic And Vascularized 3-D Liver Cancer Model, Derek Yip

Dissertations

Anti-angiogenic drugs have failed to show significant extended mortality, except when co-administered with chemotherapy drugs in clinical trials. This should be predicted by in vitro models, and yet 2D in vitro models of liver cancer co-administered with these two types of drugs show increased cell viability, contradicting clinical trials. In vitro models should mimic clinical trials in order to accurately predict drug outcomes. 2D in vitro models fail because they lack features of the cancer environment such as presence of stromal cells and a vasculature.

In order to achieve a biomimetic and vascularized in vitro model that would better recapitulate …

Numerical Simulations Of Dense Granular Systems With And Without Cohesive Effects, Lenka Kovalcinova

Dissertations

Granular materials are collections of objects ranging from sand grains that form sand piles or even sand castles to collections of large objects such as a group of meteors in outer space. The considered range of sizes of granular particles is such that the effect of thermal fluctuations is not relevant. However, the interaction between the particles may be very complex, involving inelasticity and friction, in addition to repulsive and possibly attractive interaction forces. These interactions that may be history dependent, make the systems that consist of a large number of particles complex to analyze and difficult to understand using …

The Story In The Standards: Creating Counter-Narratives In The Common Core State Standards, Jarret Alexander Smith

Dissertations

The research question guiding this study is: How might educators create counter-narratives, particularly related to the diversity of texts, experiences and knowledge bases represented in the CCSS? The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy on the engagement in literacy acquisition of African American students in middle and high school. The basic framework for this study is situated within and informed by Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP). The study focuses on creating counter-narratives for African American students in spite of the silence of the Common Core State Standards on cultural …

To Shoot Or Not To Shoot: An Analysis Of Police Officers' Deadly Force Decision-Making Processes, Jordan Clare Pickering

Dissertations

How police officers exercise their unique power to use deadly force continues to be a topic of interest among academics and, due to recent events, has moved to the forefront of public policy concerns. A number of scholars have proposed theories as to how police officers make the decision to use deadly force, but arguably the most comprehensive deadly force decision-making framework was put forth by Arnold Binder and Peter Scharf three and a half decades ago (1980; Scharf and Binder, 1983). They posit that officers’ decision-making processes during an encounter that either includes police use of deadly force, or …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Amphiphiles For Mammalian Cell Transfection And Antimicrobial Activity, Joseph William Meisel

Dissertations

Amphiphiles are molecules that contain both water-soluble and water-insoluble components. The dual nature of these molecules engenders remarkable properties including the ability to self-assemble into ordered structures. Cell membranes are composed of amphiphilic phospholipids that organize into a bilayer motif. Synthetic amphiphiles can interact with natural membranes and influence the transport of molecules across the cell membrane. The work elaborated in this report employs amphiphiles to co-assemble with DNA and transport the genetic material across cell membranes. First, a simplified method for interacting DNA with amphiphiles was developed. Second, a series of known ion-transporting compounds were assayed for their interaction …

Investigations Of Storage Root Development In Cassava (Manihot Esculenta Crantz), Yeetoh Chaweewan

Dissertations

The tropical root crop cassava is cultivated for its large starchy storage roots. Understanding critical processes in root tuberization is essential if improvement programs are to secure future yields for farmers. Studies were undertaken to identify critical components of storage root development at the anatomical and gene expression levels. Two types of roots were identified from greenhouse-grown stem cuttings: basal roots, which develop from the stem cut end and are prolific in nature, and nodal roots, which originate from the region of the buried axillary bud. Only nodal roots develop to produce storage organs. Anatomical sectioning was performed to determine …

Health-Risk Behaviors And Bmi Percentiles, Timothy Mikando Makubuya

Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile and health risk behaviors of physical activity, dietary behaviors and sleep among high school students from the Youth Risk Behavioral Survey. The study used the 2013 National Youth Risk Behavioral Survey data from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The researcher used data for 9th to 12th graders to examine the associations between physical activity, dietary behavior, sleep and BMI percentiles among those participants using a measure of Spearman’s Rho correlation and Multiple Linear Regression analysis. There were significant indirect associations between physical activity, dietary behavior …

The Relationship Between Mobile Device Usage And Couple Satisfaction, Emily Kathryn Oliveira

Dissertations

Mobile technology has become a consistent part of the everyday lives of the majority of Americans. The effect that the constant presence of mobile devices can have on a relationship has yet to be addressed in either the couples counseling or the technology literature. This study addressed an identified gap in the literature on the presence and usage of mobile devices and couple relationship satisfaction. A quantitative design was used in order to study the constructs of: usage of a mobile device during wake time spent together with one’s partner, relationship satisfaction, physical affection, conflict related to mobile device usage, …

Another 40 Years Of Inequity: Two-Tier Schooling As The Lasting Legacy Of Desegregation Policy In St. Louis, Missouri, Renee L. Racette

Dissertations

The St. Louis Public Schools of St. Louis, Missouri were at one time the second largest segregated school district in the United States. In the years since Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954 and 1955, the school district of St. Louis has been attempting to desegregate as ordered by the courts. A group of North Side parents brought a lawsuit against the district and the State of Missouri that, after many years of litigation, found both parties to be liable for maintaining segregated schools, but an out-of-court settlement was reached. As a result of this suit and subsequent …

Best Practices In Student Persistence And Completion: A Program Evaluation Of Three Student Services Units In A Rural Community College, Antionette Sterling, Felicita A. Myers

Dissertations

Student services units in community colleges are now encouraged to assume a larger role in supporting student retention and are charged with implementing intervention strategies that improve student success and persistence. Yet, many community colleges, especially those in rural communities, struggle to define the role of student services in improving retention, especially between the first and second semesters. A process program evaluation of three student services units at a rural Missouri community college was conducted in order to assess whether the outputs (activities) identified in the logic models for each of the three units had occurred. At the conclusion of …