Digital Commons Network^™

Academic Nursing Administrators' Experiences With Social Distancing During Covid-19: A Qualitative Study, Vineta Mitchell

Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about many unpredictable challenges requiring flexible and adaptable solutions for higher education, especially in nursing academia. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged nursing academia, including academic nursing administrators (ANAs), to keep staff and students safe while mitigating the spread of the disease. The ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 and the global healthcare crisis of this generation led to the need for social distancing. As the number of deaths increased from the coronavirus, radical changes were adopted in the United States, including social distancing. The COVID-19 pandemic complicated the practical aspects of the practicum in nursing education as they questioned …

Relationship Between Social Support And Stress In Accelerated Nursing Students, Karen L. Bravo

Dissertations

Nursing program attrition rates and retention rates in the first year of professional practice are excessive due to stress. Investigating through this quantitative, correlative research study is due to the lack of information related to accelerated students and stress. Theories framing this study, the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, and Triadic Reciprocal Determinism Theory, posit that the environment, whether internal or external, affects stress reactions. The research questions included relationships of Significant Other Support, Family Support, and Friend Support to Perceived Stress Score in a two-part online survey of 116 United States participants.

The Influence Of Childhood Familial Dysfunction On Emotional Well-Being And Substance Use Behaviors In Young Adults, Margaret Bullerjahn

Dissertations

Problematic substance use in young adulthood can lead to a variety of societal and individual consequences; therefore, it is important to understand risk factors contributing to its development. Although several individual and environmental factors can contribute to the development of substance misuse, the relationship between family dysfunction and emotional functioning in the prediction of substance use has been relatively understudied within this developmental period. The current study aimed to further understand how childhood family dysfunction, emotion regulation, and emotion reactivity aid in the development of young adult substance misuse. 405 young adults were surveyed about their childhood family experiences, current …

Simulation And Improving Clinical Judgment In Prelicensure Nursing Students: A Mixed Method Approach, Lizabeth J. Reents

Dissertations

Simulation has been considered a valid pedagogy for health professionals in education and actual practice. Its proper execution is vital for proper assimilation of knowledge, skills, and attitudes within the pre-licensure students throughout their curricular journey. High fidelity and multi-patient simulation scenarios were employed for beginner fundamental and advanced senior level nursing students with significant quantitative increases in clinical judgment found between groups using an independent t test and the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR). The LCJR is based upon the Tanner's clinical judgment model and has been extensively used throughout the world demonstrating solid reliability and validity. Qualitative responses …

Nursing Students' Intention To Work With The Elderly After Graduation: A Qualitative Study, Terri Murabito

Dissertations

America's population is aging. More than one in five Americans will be over 65 by 2030. These numbers are expected to challenge existing healthcare systems. The recruitment and retention of qualified, competent registered nurses (RNs) to care for this vulnerable population have become urgent. However, undergraduate baccalaureate nurses consistently report geriatric nursing as the least preferred clinical area to in work after graduation. To understand how graduating nurses discern their career intentions, a basic qualitative study was undertaken using Ajzen's theory of planned behavior as an underlying theoretical framework. The purpose of the study was to understand and interpret nursing …

The Experience Of "Doing Well" In Older Nursing Home Residents: Bringing The Past To The Present, Ronald J. Walent

Dissertations

Though discussions of well-being and quality of life for older adults in American nursing homes have flourished over the past decade, relatively few studies have explored these notions from the perspective of older residents themselves. The purpose of this research is to understand experiences and perceptions of "doing well" in older nursing home residents.

Saudi Adults In Vaso-Occlusive Crisis Accessing Healthcare For Pain Management: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Jawhrah Alqahtani

Dissertations

Vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) require frequent utilization of healthcare services by adults with sickle cell disease (SCD). This increases the likelihood of poor care and healthcare disparities. The experiences of SCD patients attempting to access pain management have rarely been examined. An evaluation of these experiences may ease the lifelong suffering of Saudi Arabians affected by SCD.

This study explored the lived experience of Saudi Arabian adults when accessing the healthcare system for pain management in VOC.

Mixed Method - How Do Medical-Surgical Nurses Provide Compassionate Care To Patients In The Face Of Adversity?, Diane D. Kret

Dissertations

Compassion is a quality that is the very essence of nursing. Nurses, as professionals, seek to alleviate suffering. It is through providing compassionate, connected care that nurses can relieve their patients' suffering. In the midst of adversity such as taking care of ill and dying patients, especially in the Covid-19 pandemic, nurses have been challenged with providing compassionate care despite the increased toll that this may have on them. There is evidence that exposure to these events can cause compassion fatigue and burnout. When these signs of compassion fatigue or compassion burnout are not addressed, nurses have decreased job satisfaction …

Diabetes-Related Distress Experienced By Saudi Adults With Type Two Diabetes Mellitus, Ibtesam Alqahtani

Dissertations

Living with a chronic condition such as diabetes mellitus (DM) and adhering to its complex treatment regimen strongly affect patients' psychological well-being as well as their physical health. Diabetes-related distress (DRD) is a common issue, affecting 40% of DM cases, but it often goes unnoticed and untreated. Despite the high prevalence of DM in the Saudi population, DRD has received little research attention.

This study explored the lived experience of DRD among Saudi adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Racism Without Race: The Racialization Of Middle Eastern And North African Students At U.S. Colleges, Hannah Mesouani

Dissertations

Although a growing body of literature covers the experiences of international students at U.S. colleges, the stories of those who do not fit into the U.S. racial schema remain untold. This study examined how Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) students understood their racial identities given the United States’ tense history with Islam and the MENA world. Using foundational texts on critical race theory, current scholarship on Arab Americans and foreign-born students, and facets of the Ethnic Identity Scale (EIS), this study examined the experiences of MENA students who study amid a national backdrop of xenophobia and racialized Islamophobia. This …

The Journeys Of Women In Local Elected Office: From Community Engagement To Making Meaningful Contributions, Andrea Marr

Dissertations

Women remain underrepresented across every level of elected office in the United States. More than 30 years after the supposed “Year of the Woman,” women hold less than 30% of the elected positions in local, state, and federal office. In the past, researchers attributed the paucity of women in office to structural barriers, including sexism in the electorate, fundraising difficulties, and discrimination by party gate keepers. A growing body of research, however, attributes the dearth of female politicians to a lack of political ambition among women and to gender socialization that prevents women from seeing themselves as political leaders.

The …

Special Education: Inclusion And Exclusion In The K-12 U.S. Educational System, Erik Brault

Dissertations

The U.S. Department of Education defines students with disabilities as those having a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more life activities. Previous research has found that students with disabilities placed in inclusive environments perform better academically and socially compared to students with disabilities who are placed in segregated environments. Yet, we know that inclusion in K-12 general education classrooms across the country is not consistently implemented.

The purpose of this study was to better understand the effects, if any, of general education high school teachers’ personal and professional experiences and knowledge on their attitudes toward educating …

Queering Healthcare Equity: Exploring How Two Community Health Centers That Specialize In Lgbtq Healthcare Frame Cultural Competence, Tommy Royston

Dissertations

Despite increased advocacy and funding, significant inequities in healthcare access, quality of care, and health outcomes have continued to persist for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ) communities. Intersecting marginalized identities such as race, gender, and disability compound health inequities faced by LGBTQ folx. These inequities are not random; rather, they result from deeply embedded homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and racism that pervade the U.S. healthcare system. An exploratory comparative case study was completed using qualitative data collection methods (i.e., key informant interviews, focus groups, and document analysis) to investigate how two California-based Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) that specialize in …

Equalizing Postsecondary Transition For At-Promise Youth Receiving Special Education Services: A Chance To Succeed, Karla R. Sanchez

Dissertations

Postsecondary transition can be difficult for At-Promise Youth Receiving Special Education Services (APYRSES). Special educators supporting postsecondary transition often manifest traditional and institutionalized forms of oppressive education while dismissing collective values and beliefs.

This qualitative case study examined the beliefs and attitudes shared by three special education teachers after being introduced to a justice-focused, humanizing intervention to facilitate postsecondary transition for APYRSES. The conceptualized intervention was grounded in liberatory educational frameworks and drew from critical, culturally affirming, sustaining, and humanizing theories that foster cultural reciprocity, self-determination skills, and antiracist social–emotional justice learning to afford opportunities for APYRSES to succeed. The …

The Development Of The Holistic Pastoral Wellbeing Assessment: A Mixed Methods Study, Timothy Captain

Dissertations

Some pastors are clearly in crisis. Research has indicated that clergy struggle to cope with the stressors of their profession. While pastoral work is overtly spiritual in nature, day-to-day tasks include interactions with God, themselves, congregants, and the world at large. Without multi-dimensional tools to consider their wellbeing, specifically assessments that reflect their worldview and role, pastors may remain unaware of dangerously low levels of wellbeing until they reach a place of crisis. Therefore, in this mixed methods study, the Holistic Pastoral Wellbeing Assessment (HPWA) was developed and tested to offer a validated, useful tool for pastors and those who …

Utilizing New Technologies To Measure Therapy Effectiveness For Mental And Physical Health, Jonathan Ossie

Dissertations

Mental health is quickly becoming a major policy concern, with recent data reporting increasing and disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, increased substance abuse, and elevated suicidal ideation. One specific population that is especially high risk for these issues is the military community because military conflict, deployment stressors, and combat exposure contribute to the risk of mental health problems.

Although several pharmacological approaches have been employed to combat this epidemic, their efficacy is mixed at best, which has led to novel nonpharmacological approaches. One such approach is Operation Surf, a nonprofit that provides nature-based programs advocating the restorative …

Audacious Corazón: A Nuanced Art Of Care, Dianne Bermudez Torres

Dissertations

Historically, the concept of care in higher education has focused on academic achievements, neglecting the significance of building meaningful relationships between faculty and students that engage both affective and cognitive dimensions (Noddings, 1994). Teaching with the heart, or corazón, embodies care in teaching. Employed in this study was a mixed-methods, exploratory case study approach that explored the intricate art of care and how faculty foster bilingual authorization credential teacher candidates to evolve into culturally responsive educators. Pearson et al.’s (2021) cariño pedagogy serves as a model that empowers faculty’s humanizing agency. Additionally, the study also reflected on the concept of …

Becoming Restorative: Discomfort, Praxis, And Ecstasy At The Intersections Of Restorative Practices And Teacher Identity Development, Gwynn Alexander

Dissertations

Restorative justice is inclusive of a philosophy and set of practices that have challenged long-standing paradigms that perpetuate harm in schools. Through this lens, schools are recognized as interconnected communities where the well-being and dignity of all members must be valued. While the restorative movement has demonstrated great promise in cultivating the aims of justice, educators have encountered significant hurdles in their efforts toward transformation. A substantial challenge educators face is to identify effective means through which to disrupt persistent pedagogies of violence in primary and secondary education. This dissertation proposed a pedagogy of transcendence, a framework inclusive of restorative …

Covid-19 Pandemic: Lived Experiences Of Teachers Supporting Students’ Socialemotional Learning Needs Upon Returning To Face-To-Face Instruction, Valerie Cover

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of San Bernardino County elementary school teachers in supporting students' social-emotional learning needs upon returning to face-to-face instruction after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methodology: This phenomenological study identified and described San Bernardino County elementary school teachers' experiences supporting students' social-emotional needs upon returning to face-to-face instruction after the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were purposively chosen based on specific criteria of working in a public kindergarten through sixth grade setting within San Bernardino County. The participants answered 15 semi-structured questions. The transcribed data collected by the researcher during the …

Nursing Education In Complementary Alternative Modalities: A Case Study, Deborah Bird

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this embedded case study was to describe the preparation for and utilization of complimentary alternative modality (CAM) interventions by an experienced Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) prepared nurse practitioner (NP) working in an outpatient setting.

Background: Given the widespread use of CAM by the American public and the potential complications involved in combining CAM and standard medical care, a lack of educational preparation in CAM interventions by NPs delivering primary care in outpatient health care settings represents both a potential risk and a missed opportunity to provide holistic patient care. Such a lack of knowledge also …

Relationship Of Vulnerability To Coercive Control And Intimate Partner Violence (Ipv) Among Latinas, Susan D. Watson

Dissertations

IPV is the most common cause of violence-related injury to women in the United States and greater than one-third of all female homicide victims in the U.S. were killed by the victims' husband or partner. Nationally, intimate partner violence (IPV) has been identified as a public health issue, and internationally gender inequality is the number one human rights issue. In addition to risk factors identified among multicultural samples, characteristics that increase Latina vulnerability to IPV may relate to the specific cultural scripts between partners that are expected and supported within Latino culture.

From Childhood Through Adulthood To Godhood: Trodding The African Ancestral Path To Become A Shining Star Of Ourstory, Salim Kenyatta

Dissertations

This autoethnographic narrative examines the importance of conceiving and sharing liberating stories, and participating in independent communal training processes that advance young African American males' psychosocial and mental development. To bring my analyses to light, I applied the foundational frameworks of African Worldview and Critical Race Theory to my research to uncover many of the influences that helped me evolve from boyhood (nescient) to manhood (laborer) and later to Godhood (master who is in union with all).

Employing the autoethnographic methodology enabled me to share key points in my educational journey, which propelled my transformation. This contemplative engagement was a …

Growth Mindset: Exploration Of Career Development, Employee Engagement, And Disparity Among Working Professionals, Dillon Harper

Dissertations

A large body of literature has explored the beneficial impact of adopting a growth mindset and its relationship with academic performance. While the literature has provided many valuable findings as it pertains to academic settings, there is a gap in understanding growth mindset’s influence in the workplace as well as understanding if growth mindset’s effect is different for individuals who come from marginalized communities. This study aimed to close the gap by investigating if growth mindset is a predictor of higher work engagement in working professionals. Findings indicated that growth mindset is not a predictor of work engagement among working …

A Delphi Study To Determine The Organizational Supports Necessary For Middle School Counselors To Be Successful And Positively Influence Student Outcomes, Debbie Monroe

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study is to identify, from the perspective of expert counselors, the roles that middle school counselors perform during their workday, to rate the importance of the roles identified, and to identify organizational supports necessary for middle school counselors to successfully perform each of the six most important roles identified. Additionally, this study seeks to gain feedback from expert middle school counselors on how to best align the necessary organizational supports with the identified most important roles.

Methodology: The Delphi method was utilized for this study through an electronic survey that asks participants a combination …

Using Imagery Practice To Improve Airline Pilot Situational Awareness, Brian Christopher Sajdak

Dissertations

Pilot error remains the primary cause of airline airplane accidents (Federal Aviation Administration, n.d.). Airline pilots have relied on Crew Resource Management and Threat Error Management to reduce or eliminate errors (Helmreich & Foushee, 2019). Unfortunately, the worldwide accident rate continues to increase (International Air Transport Association, 2021), demonstrating the need for further research into improving aviation safety. Current regulations do not require imagery training for airline pilots to improve situational awareness (Federal Aviation Administration, 2017a). Athletes and other professionals, such as musicians and medical professionals, use imagery to improve performance (Munzert et al., 2009). Imagery practice may improve the …

Affective Commitment, Mentoring, And Anticipated Turnover Among Millennials, Keiasha Hypolite

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Millennials comprise the largest group of individuals in the workforce, yet organizations struggle to keep millennials engaged in the workplace. Millennials move from job to job, with an average stay at one employer between 12 and 18 months (Hechl, 2017). Researchers have reported that millennials cause the majority of turnover in the workplace. Globally, human resources practitioners experience difficulties retaining millennials (Sahraee et al., 2021). Previous studies have researched millennials, affective commitment, mentoring, and turnover. However, no known research has used all four factors to solve a global problem. In their discussion of the highly competitive labor market, Ramírez …

Post-Racism As Ideology: Character Construction And Placement, & Narrative Structure In Dear White People, Mphatso Kaufulu

Dissertations

My project looks at post-racism as ideology. Through my chosen text – the Netflix streamed television series called Dear White People – I examine the ways in which post-racism is persists through representational abstractions which reformulate race as largely sets of interpersonal and intercultural, person-to-person social problems rather that a more general condition rooted in institutional or structural social, political and economic arrangements which organize society and produce its cultural dispensation.

To do this, I applied some of Stuart Hall’s ideas – on identity, ideology and commodification – and Bonilla-Silva – specifically in the area of obfuscations or abstractions of …

The Use Of Grounded Theory To Develop A Framework For Understanding Student Retention In Community College Nursing Programs, Kimberly S. Priode

Dissertations

Gaining admission into pre-licensure nursing programs has proven to be quite difficult for the average college student. Topping the list of crucial priorities for many academic institutions is the retention of these nursing students. Yet, the reality is that many students decide not to complete their course of study for reasons other than academic failure. The retention of nursing students is essential to securing competent, well-educated nurses to care for society in years to come. Current research has indicated that the enrollment of students pursuing an Associate Degree of Nursing within the Community College systems has greatly increased; however, attrition …

The Speech-Language Pathologist & Emotional Labor, Stress, And Compassion Fatigue, Patricia Martin

Dissertations

Employees in service professions often utilize emotional labor strategies. The purpose of this quantitative study was to evaluate speech-language pathologists’ (SLPs) experiences regarding emotional labor and the extent to which emotional labor is possibly related to job stress, compassion satisfaction, and compassion fatigue. This study also considered the SLPs’ occupational settings in relationship to emotional labor.

A pilot study was conducted and minor revisions were made to the instrument prior to the final study. The researcher collected and analyzed data using an online survey comprised of three validated instruments, ELS, SLPSI, and ProQOL-5. The participants were 270 certified speech-language pathologists …

Empowerment Agents: How Student Affairs Professionals Facilitate The Persistence Of Undocumented Students, Tiffany Paige

Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated how student affairs professionals (SAPs) assist undocumented students in their designated institutional roles, and how their support empowers undocumented students to persist. This research sought to document and assess how student affairs professionals—who interact with undocumented students— identify and respond to the issues they face in their work. Built on the theoretical frame of social capital, and using a thematic analysis design set forth by Braun and Clarke (2012), the researcher interviewed seven SAPs and used a phenomenological approach to design the study and to collect and analyze the data.

Two findings and five corresponding themes …