Digital Commons Network^™

Emerging Elements Of Leadership In A Complex System: A Cognitivist Approach, Kirsten Suzanne Hanson Edd

Dissertations

As our world grows increasingly complicated at an intensified pace, leaders must be facile managers of complexity if organizations and society are to productively and peacefully evolve. Today’s global corporations are microcosms of complexity and have the potential to affect life for almost all other species. However, many organizations have not yet become aware of themselves as “living” and still operate as industrial age institutions with rationalist thinking traditionally dominating management practice. Many factors impact an organization’s overall effectiveness. Yet, executive leaders are seen as having the ability to influence change and play a vital role in helping people navigate …

A Concerns-Based Adoption Model Study Of University Instructors Engaged In Faculty Development For Enhancing Learning With Technology, James W. Julius Edd

Dissertations

For over a decade, theorists have suggested that higher education institutions are in the midst of a shift from an emphasis on student access to instruction to student success in learning. Digital technologies are one “lever” increasingly touted as a means to improve teaching and learning in higher education. Because serious efforts at technology integration not only require competence with the technologies, but also often result in changes to instructional methods, colleges and universities are urged to consider faculty development needs. This study detailed how instructor change unfolded in response to a faculty development program intended to enhance the use …

The Lived Experience Of Wives And Husbands With Coronary Heart Disease, Patricia A. Bradley Phd

Dissertations

The purpose of this feminist hermeneutic study was to discover the meaning of living in the community with a husband who has coronary heart disease (CHD). Ten women, aged 47-74 who were married from 4 to 55 years, participated in unstructured face to face interviews. The women were interviewed 6 to 18 months after their husbands were diagnosed with medically or surgically treated CHD. Audio recorded transcribed interview data were analyzed to identify the essential themes and sub-themes. Texts were interpreted guided by hermeneutic phenomenology (Gadamer 1960/1989; 1976) and van Manen's (1990) research activities. A feminist lens was applied to …

Transition To Nursing Home Of Korean-American Elders, Myungja Kim Hahm Phd

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore factors affecting Korean-American (KA) elders during the transition to nursing homes in the first month following admission. The three aims of this proposed study were (1) to explore culture specific factors that affect KA elders' perspectives during the transitional period to a nursing home, (2) to identify thoughts and feelings of KA elders about their admission into a nursing home, (3) to describe the adjustment process associated with admission to a nursing home. A grounded theory design was utilized to explore KA elders' perceptions/experiences associated with adjustment to a nursing home. Open-ended, …

Validating The Experiences Of Male Mexican American Community College Transfer Students Studying At Catholic Universities, Eliazer Ayala-Austin Edd

Dissertations

California's community colleges and public and private universities must collaborate to address the Tidal Wave II student enrollment surge composed mostly of Hispanic/Latinos and Asian students in order to meet the educational needs of community college transfer students (CCTSs). Avoiding the issue will result in continued neglect of CCTS within public and private institutions; possible outcomes include delayed graduation and potential attrition of at-risk students. Using Rendón's (1994) theory of student validation as the theoretical framework, this qualitative study uncovered the validating and other university experiences of male Mexican American CCTSs. This qualitative study included individual interviews of six CCT …

Examining Stage Theories And The Predisposition To Lead Within The Homosexual Community, David Robert Blair Edd

Dissertations

An application of homosexual stage-based self-integration theory suggests that until gay individuals have become fully self-integrated, their capacity for leadership within the community is diminished. Unfortunately, now more than ever before, leadership is needed in dealing with such pressing community issues as the disproportionately high suicide rate among gay teens, the ongoing struggle for gays to become fully self-integrated individuals, bringing equal rights to the gay population, and of course, developing a base of strong gay leaders to meet the ongoing challenges facing this population. To test the self-integration-leadership hypothesis, this study surveyed 150 men in gay Internet chat rooms …

What’S So Hard About Algebra? A Grounded Theory Study Of Adult Algebra Learners, Michael Steele Reese Edd

Dissertations

In California community colleges, fewer than half of students who enroll in basic algebra courses finish with a grade of C or better. Such a low success rate creates an intense demand on institutional resources, including faculty efforts, tutorial services, classroom availability, and financial aid. Furthermore, students who do poorly in algebra also tend to struggle in other quantitative courses. While research suggests that child algebra learners tend to exhibit specific misconceptions, not much is known about misconceptions held by adult algebra learners. Research does indicate, however, that certain general learning characteristics are common among adult learners. The present study …

Fabricating Freddy Vs. Jason: Understanding A Motion Picture As A Social Encounter Between Fans And Filmmakers, Jason M. Rapelje

Dissertations

The break in the mass communicative chain, which separates producers and receivers from one another in both time and space, impedes researchers from studying motion pictures as social encounters. As with face-to-face encounters, producers and receivers of motion pictures depend upon the use of "rules of relevance" (Goffman, 1961) and "typifactory schemes" (Berger & Luckmann, 1966) for their encounters to take place. I examine the social encounter that takes place between some of the filmmakers and fans of Freddy vs Jason through the use of these concepts, as well as a revision of John B. Thompson's (1990) methodological framework of …

Effects Of Detectable Warnings On Individuals With Mobility Impairments, Helen Lee

Dissertations

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that environmental and architectural barriers, such as curbs, be removed to enableindividuals with disabilities to travel about in the community with increased mobility. While installation of ramps benefit individuals with mobility impairments, the absence of curbs results in the loss of information used by individuals with visual impairments for street detection. As a result, truncated domes detectablewarning surfaces were developed to alert visually impaired travelers of potential hazards and vehicular pathways. Research to date is limited and inconclusive regarding the impact of detectable warning surfaces on individuals with mobility impairments. Further, no research …

A Comparative Study Of Learning Styles And Job Satisfaction To Medical Specialty Chosen Among Physician Assistant Graduates, Eric H. Vangsnes

Dissertations

Since the mid-1980s, a trend has developed whereby Physician Assistants (PAs) are making a transition into medical and surgical specialties (Hooker, 1992). In 1984, 18% of PAs worked in medical and surgical specialties; by 1991, this proportion had risen to 22%; and by 2006, 43% of all PAs worked in medical and surgical specialties ( American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) Census Data 2006 , 2007; Hooker, 1992). One development that may have increased the number of PAs entering specialties was the creation of post-graduate residency programs.

This research examined possible associations between learning style and medical specialty, medical specialty …

The Effects Of Post-Secondary Education On State Troopers’ Job Performance, Stress Levels, And Authoritarian Attitudes, Carl J. Lafata

Dissertations

This study was designed to determine the effects of post-secondary education on police officers' job performance, stress levels, and levels of authoritarianism as measured by Altemeyer's (1996) Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale questionnaire. It involved the analysis of data voluntarily and anonymously submitted via an internet-based survey by 356 of the Michigan State Police's approximately 1,800 enlisted members (those members who are state-certified police officers), along with information collected from informal personal interviews held with a select group of seven of the department's senior leaders. Subsequent analysis of the collected quantitative data revealed no statistical support for the project's first two hypotheses, …

Fluency In Pigeons: The Effects Of Response Rate On Learning, Matthew L. Porritt

Dissertations

Instructional procedures that build high response rates are purported to have significant benefits over procedures that do not focus on fast responding (Binder, 1996). However, much of the research exploring rate-building procedures is confounded by two variables: rate of reinforcement and number of exposures (Doughty, Chase, & O'Shields, 2004). In six experiments, the present study examined the effects of three variables, rate of reinforcement, number of exposures, and rate of responding, on learning under rate-building procedures in pigeons. In Experiment 1, rate-building produced significantly better learning outcomes when compared to a rate-controlled condition with number of exposures held constant. In …

Conceptual Change Resulting From Experiential Learning With Business Enterprise Software, Thomas F. Rienzo

Dissertations

This study examined business process concept changes in undergraduate business students through an active learning experience with commercial software that is used by industrial companies to optimize and control their business transaction processing. Students that participated in this study were enrolled in an introductory information technology course that employs enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to demonstrate interactions among business processes involved in purchase and sales processing cycles. Specifically, business process comprehension was examined through three interdisciplinary lenses: (1) conceptual change from the discipline of science education, (2) learning styles from the discipline of business management, and (3) technology acceptance from …

Scholarly Art: The Writing Experiences Of Student Affairs Professionals, Wanda L.E. Viento

Dissertations

Special issues of the major student affairs journals recently have reflected on the scholarship of the profession (Blimling, 2001; Roper, 2002). The focus of these recent reflections, as well as prior publications on student affairs scholarship (e.g., Davis & Liddell, 1997; Engstrom, 1999; Hunter, 1986; Hunter & Kuh, 1987), largely has been on mentoring research, describing scholarship trends, critiquing existing patterns, and/or envisioning the shape of future scholarship. While the profession of student affairs acknowledges the critical need to promote scholarship and the dissemination of information, little has actually been done to help people get there. Only a few articles …

Psychometric Testing Of The Walker's Feelings And Thoughts About Weight Scale In Taiwan, Shu-Wen Chang Phd

Dissertations

Background: The majority of women do not return to their pre-pregnant weight after six weeks postpartum in Taiwan. Excessive postpartum weight retention or gain can lead to long-term obesity and increase a woman's risk of major health problems. Trends among Taiwanese women reveal an increasing prevalence of obesity. Limiting postpartum weight retention is important for preventing long-term obesity development. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of postpartum weight gain among Taiwanese women using the modified Thriving Model (Walker & Kim, 2002) as the guiding conceptual framework and to examine the psychometric properties of a Chinese Version …

Symptom Burden At End Of Life In Patients With Terminal And Life-Threatening Illness In Intensive Care Units, Peggy G. Kalowes Phd, Msn, Rn, Cns

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the symptom burden and severity of symptom distress reported by ICU patients at high-risk for death and to compare patient-rated symptoms and distress for concordance with symptoms reported by a family member. A prospective, correlational design with two data-points was used to study a convenience sample of 80 patients and 53 family members. The Condensed Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (CMSAS) was used to gain patient/proxy report of symptoms on the first and third day after admission to the ICU. The majority of patients were symptomatic (98%), reporting an average of 10.23 symptoms. …

Navy Nurses' Experiences During Operation Unified Assistance Aboard The Usns Mercy: A Grounded Theory Study, Angelica L.C. Almonte Phd

Dissertations

On December 26, 2004, the most powerful earthquake in 40 years erupted under the Indian Ocean triggering a deadly tsunami that devastated 11 Asian and African countries and killed more than 280,000. The US Navy responded through Operation Unified Assistance (OUA). In a historic first on the hospital ship USNS MERCY, the U.S. Navy deployed one team with members from the Navy, the U.S Public Health Service, a non-government organization (NGO), and a civilian mariner crew to provide humanitarian aid. Despite these efforts, there is a dearth of scholarly research work published on nurses' experiences during the disaster. The purpose …

All Children Are Our Children, Tania Giordani

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to talk to parents who “fight attitudes and perceptions that date back centuries and a school system whose resistance to change is unparalleled” (Fine, 1993, p. 692) and see how they persevere as they try to transform this system. Narrative inquiry, using semi-structured interviews, was used to explore the common characteristics and motivations of parents who are advocating for changes within their children’s school. All the participants in this study were mothers of children enrolled in public schools.

The findings suggest that these women are: (1) influenced by others who have a legacy of …

A Composite Cognition Instrument For Nursing Care Of Combat Casualties, Patricia Frohock Hanes Phd, Msn, Maed, Rn

Dissertations

In the course of caring for military and civilian combat casualties, military nurses must make rapid, accurate decisions. When developing methods to teach nurses essential content for combat casualty care, it is important to understand the cognitive and learning processes involved in acquiring that knowledge. Measures to examine how military nurses think and learn have significance, especially when applied to the high-stress, high-stakes practice arena of combat causality care. Use of these measures in evaluating educational strategies will help answer the need for better deployment readiness for military nurses. The purpose of this study is to develop an instrument to …

Isolating Student, School, And Community Effects On School Weapon Carrying, Adam Michael Watkins

Dissertations

Much prior research has alluded to the importance of community conditions in shaping levels of violence in around and schools. It is interesting to find, therefore, that few studies have systematically examined the effects of broader contextual characteristics (e.g., economic disadvantage) on levels of student misbehavior in schools. This research filled a part of this void in the school violence literature by using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to identify whether social conditions in schools¿ attendance areas were statistically related to levels of student weapon carrying across a national sample of 55 high schools. Multilevel models …

Organizational Orientations Of K-12 School Leaders In The Columbia Union Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Rose Tooley Gamblin

Dissertations

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study was to examine the organizational orientations--structure ,human resource, political, and symbolic --of the K-12 school leaders in the Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and the relationship, if any, to their personal variables of age, gender, experience, and their professional variables of grade levels served, educational attainment, enrollment, support, feelings of success, and job satisfaction.

Method

A self-administered Organizational Orientations survey instrument, based on the multiple orientation framework of Bolman and Deal, was used to gather information about the school leaders. The population surveyed provided 56 usable responses, which were analyzed …

The Impact Of Violence Exposure On Sexually Abusive Behavior In Types Of Adolescent Sex Offenders, Emily Sarah Edlynn

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Demonstrating Experiential Learning At The Graduate Level Using Portfolio Development And Reflection, David Winslow Rausch

Dissertations

Problem. Various guidelines for assessment have been developed in an effort to promote academic quality and integrity for educational programs that recognize experiential learning. The purpose of this present study was to determine the extent to which experiential learning and assessment, through portfolio development, help adult students in a graduate-degree program demonstrate graduate-level learning and competency.

Method. This qualitative single-case study used the assessment processes and outcomes elements of the Jackson and Maclsaac process model to analyze the use of reflective practice and the use of portfolios in a graduate education program. Data were triangulated using individual interviews and the …

Empathy And Cognitive Flexibility As Correlates Of Forgiveness, Rebecca Bennett Katovsich

Dissertations

Problem. For the past three decades, there has been a growing body of literature related to the topic of forgiveness. The idea that empathy, consisting of both emotional and cognitive aspects, plays an integral role in the process of forgiveness is widely supported in the literature, although there is limited empirical evidence for this claim. Beyond interest in examining the relationship between forgiveness and empathy, this research also aimed to explore the role of cognitive flexibility in the forgivenessprocess, considering both the intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions of cognitive flexibility.

Method. The Enright Forgiveness Inventory, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and the NEO …

Wherry Revisited: An Empirical Examination Of The Nonperformance Factors That Influence Variation In A Performance Rating, Raymond B. Roll Edd

Dissertations

In a perfect performance rating system, both the recall and rating of an individual's behavior would precisely mirror the performance of that ratee. However, the reality of performance rating systems is that often times the rater's recall and subsequent rating fails to reflect the true performance of the individual. The difference between actual and perceived performance has been attributed in the literature to conscious or unconscious rater bias. In 1952, Wherry developed a rating theory based on a series of mathematical equations that precisely defined the relationship between the performance of the ratee and the recall of that observation. Key …

Teacher Success, Assessment, And Evaluation Practices In Service-Learning Composition Courses, Faith-Ann Abiola Mcgarrell

Dissertations

Problem. Over the last 15 years, service-learning in first-year composition has emerged as a critical area of study. Service-learning in composition places students in writing environments within the community, encourages reading and writing about social issues, and provides the opportunity for students to participate in community projects. A significant problem with this approach is the alignment between outcomes of the discipline and those of service. Practitioners feel that a clear understanding of compatibility between the two areas of study would result in better practice and further buy-in by those who do not teach from a service-learning perspective.

Method. In service-learning …

The Use Of Play Therapy With Adult Survivors Of Childhood Abuse, Mary J. Roehrig

Dissertations

Problem. A growing trend among therapists is the use of play therapy interventions with adult clients to facilitate resolution of early childhood trauma and to promote emotional and spiritual growth. The purpose of this study was to explore the use and effectiveness of play therapy techniques with adult survivors of childhood abuse.

Method. In an exploratory approach, therapists were invited to participate in an online survey. Of the participating therapists, 21 agreed to a subsequent in-depth interview. The Theme Analysis for Word-Rich Data was used to identify themes from the interviews.

Results. Play therapy with adult survivors of childhood abuse …

Stakeholders' Perceptions Of The Jbte Teaching-Practice Benchmarks : A Descriptive Exploration Of Two Teachers' Colleges In Jamaica, Hyacinth Paulina Rose

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to explore the implementation of and perceptions of the Joint Board of Teacher Education benchmarks for teaching practice, or student teaching. Data were gathered concerning how the benchmarks were implemented and the perceptions of multiple stakeholders regarding the adequacy of their implementation. Additionally, stakeholders were asked about the possible need for including some benchmarks from the USA in order to create an ideal teaching-practice program in Jamaica.

Method. This study used a multiple descriptive case study design. Two teacher training institutions in Jamaica were purposively selected. From each of these institutions a focus …

Understanding The Relationship Between The Emotional Competence Inventory - University Edition And The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator In The Admission Of College Students To An Orthopaedics-Based Honors Program, Carrie A. Yocum

Dissertations

Problem

The Orthopaedic Scholar Institute (OSI) Team realized its need for a more objective selection and admission process that, as much as possible, quantified the characteristics desired in OSI students rather than relying solely on referral perception, intuition, and an interview, but it did not have a clear method or approach to do so. Administering standardized inventories that highlighted these desired characteristics and aided in the selection and admission process seemed to be an objective approach to obtain more quantifiable data. The problem for my study was, therefore, whether the Myers- Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) alone could measure a student’s …

The Effectiveness Of Rating Scales And Semi-Structured Interview In Diagnosing Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Carolyn Mae Cofrancesco

Dissertations

Problem and purpose. There are few standardized tools for diagnosing ADHD in adults. The purpose of this study was to compare a standardized rating scale (CAARS) used by different observers, with a comprehensive diagnostic interview (CAADID) with respect to their ability to diagnose subtypes of ADHD.

Method. Subjects for this study came from baseline data of 98 patients (18 to 60 years ofage) participating in a drug trial for adult ADHD. The CAADID interview results in a yes-no decision as to whether the patient meets DSM-IV criteria for the subtypes ADHD. A t -test was used to compare the CAADID-diagnosed …