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The Formation Of Proxy Force And External State Relationships: Prospect Theory And Proxy Force Decision Making, Brandon Temple

Dissertations

Proxy war is a common tactic employed by great powers as a safer alternative to direct conflict, especially in the era of nuclear weapons. While proxy war is common, there is a lack of research on the formation of proxy-external state relationships. Previous research has typically examined the phenomena of proxy war through the perspective of the external state power, leaving a gap in the literature. This dissertation fills that gap by assessing the conditions under which armed groups enter into proxy relationships with external states. Using prospect theory as a framework for understanding more clearly armed group decision making …

Plus 50 Students And Their Experiences With Technology In Undergraduate Classes, Jamillah L. Boyd, Nykea T. Watts-Edwards

Dissertations

As adult learners over 50 continue to pursue higher education, postsecondary institutions should have resources and services available to support this demographic. Previous research often combines Plus 50 students with all nontraditional students 24 years and older, making it difficult to understand the unique needs and learning experiences of older adult students in the academic environment. The use of technology for curriculum has increased significantly over the years and may present challenges for Plus 50 learners as they are introduced to it and learn to navigate it. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Plus 50 …

Professors’ Perceptions Of Academic Entitlement And Student Consumerism, Charles Kelley

Dissertations

This study was designed to solicit data from higher education professors concerning academic entitlement and student consumerism to contribute to existing research. Previous research concerning these two topics focused on students and the students’ responses. A mixed-methods strategy was utilized to discover professors’ experiences and perceptions with the topics of academic entitlement and or student consumerism. Charmaz’s (2014) constructivist interpretation of Glaser and Strauss’ grounded theory (2017) served as the theoretical framework for this research study. An exploratory sequential design was utilized, beginning with open-ended qualitative interviews. The data mined from the qualitative interviews in conjunction with the three research …

A Model Of Factors Contributing To Perceived Abilities For Health-Promoting Self-Care Of Community-Dwelling Thai Older Adults, Porntip P. Malathum

Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to examine factors contributing to perceived abilities for health-promoting self-care of community-dwelling Thai older adults. An integration of selected concepts from Orem's (1995) self-care theory and Bandura's (1997) self-efficacy theory is established to generate a conceptual model for this study. The study variables included age, education, perceived family support, perceived friend support, chronic health problems, functional ability, perceived health status, and perceived abilities for health-promoting self-care.

An Examination Of Faith Community Nursing Interventions In The Promotion Of Successful Aging, Lina B. Hixson

Dissertations

Faith Community Nursing is a specialty nursing practice providing ongoing supportive health care to community dwellers of all ages. Practicing within the context of a community of faith, these nurses focus on health promotion and disease prevention using their expertise to combine spiritual and physical dimensions of care. As the population of Americans continues to age at a rapid rate, the number of older adults is expected to more than double by the year 2060. Many older individuals live with one or more chronic diseases, however living with a chronic disease does not always require inpatient or home care services. …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Impact Of Educational Reforms Implemented By Abu Dhabi Education Council On Teacher Efficacy In Al Ain Public Schools, Cherry Jean Recio

Dissertations

Teachers’ self- efficacy has been considered as one of the main contributors to quality teaching and job performance of teachers. Teachers’ self- efficacy may be influenced by factors such as educational reforms. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate teachers’ perceptions on whether educational reforms implemented by ADEC from 2005-2017 contributed to their self-efficacy and influenced their abilities to carry out their teaching jobs. The second aim of this dissertation is to investigate whether teachers’ perceptions of their self-efficacy differ in relationship to ADEC reforms based on a number of demographic factors such as gender, cycle, years of teaching …

The Influence Of United Arab Emirates National Culture On Leadership Styles In Higher Education Institutions, Hamsa Saleh Al Ammari

Dissertations

Academic institutions and universities are complicated organizations led by professionals and academics who owe their knowledge and skills to their experience in education and leadership. In a country like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), education leaders who come from different cultural backgrounds practice their daily duties within a context where the local national culture imposes certain assumptions, beliefs, norms, and attitudes on them, thereby controlling their understanding of leadership and shaping their behavior. There has been little academic research into what constitutes the national culture of the UAE, a young, cosmopolitan amalgamation of seven Emirates, viewed internationally as an Arab, …

The Alexander House Apostolate Marital Relationship Education Results: A Quantitative Study, Angel Estrada

Dissertations

According to existing literature, 27 components contribute to the concept of couple’s relationship satisfaction. Some of these components are included in non-religious and religious marital relationship education (MRE) programs. Research on nonreligious MREs spans decades; however, research on Catholic MRE programs is limited and not widely published. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of one Catholic, faith-based, couples’ MRE on impacting relationship satisfaction, and determine if specific religious and behavioral practices contributed to relationship satisfaction. The study was conducted with archival data collected from a population of mostly Catholic Latino and White couples in south central …

The State Of Missed Nursing Care In A Telemetry Nursing Unit: A Descriptive Case Study, Ann Marie Svolos

Dissertations

Missed nursing care in the acute hospital setting is care left undone. Omitted, missing and even rationed care, are not new concepts in nursing practice. However, in 2006 Dr. Beatrice Kalisch formally identified the type of care that is regularly missed in acute general hospital units and the reasons missed nursing care occurs. Missed nursing care is a problem for nursing and healthcare because it may lead to negative patient and staff outcomes which may result in harm. The purpose of the research was to understand missed nursing care from a telemetry nurse's perspective to learn how it continues to …

Resilience In Helping Healthcare Workers Deal With Hiv Supply Shortages In Nigeria: Quantitative Descriptive Study, Ediri Y. Okiti

Dissertations

A quantitative descriptive study was conducted to measure whether HIV medical supply shortages relate to the resiliency levels of healthcare workers in Nigeria who care for HIV patients. Data were collected using the Resilience Scale (RS) from nurses and doctors caring for HIV and AIDS patients, in addition to reviewing archival supply requisitions and supplies received records for a ten-month period from January to October 2014 in eight hospitals in the Delta State of Nigeria. Univariate analysis was used to evaluate the data on the resiliency level of nurses and doctors and the rate of the medical supply shortages. Bivariate …

Transgender Education In Nursing: A Qualitative Study Investigating Faculty Beliefs, Vanessa A. Pomarico-Denino

Dissertations

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) is an acronym that groups together four populations under one umbrella term. Each of these populations has their own distinct and unique health care needs. Transgender persons may present their gender differently than what is considered the societal norm. As a result, they are more prone to discrimination, harassment and acts of violence than other marginalized populations. Prior experiences with health care professionals may cause transgender persons to avoid seeking health care when needed. As more persons identify as transgender, the need to educate health care providers on the appropriate and sensitive care of …

A Mixed Methods Study Of The Symptom Experience Following Endovascular Treatment For Lower Extremity Peripheral Arterial Disease, Serena Greenhaw Gramling

Dissertations

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is one of the most understudied and undertreated diseases affecting three to ten percent of the general population. Patients with lower extremity PAD must manage multiple symptoms including pain in the hips, thighs, and calves during rest and physical activity. However, evidence is limited about patients' experience, especially following treatment. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the symptom experience of individuals with peripheral arterial disease following endovascular treatment including perceptions of treatment benefit and concerns.

Invisible Influence: Exploring Nurses' Interactions With Industry In Clinical Practice, Quinn H. Grundy

Dissertations

The purpose of this multi-sited, ethnographic study was to explore whether and how registered nurses (RNs) interact with medically-related industry in clinical practice.

Senior Nursing Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, And Perceived Competency About Older Adults, Deborah Denise Brabham

Dissertations

Nurses entering the workforce may have limited education in gerontological nursing. Therefore, many nurses are unprepared to provide quality care to older adults. An unprepared nursing workforce could negatively influence older adults' health outcomes and care experience.

To determine differences in senior nursing students' knowledge, attitudes, and perceived competency about older adults based on enrollment in a bachelor of science in nursing degree (BSN), associate's degree nursing (ADN), and practical nursing (PN) program that offers geriatric content in curricula.

Giving Up Their Place In The Walls: The Lived Experience Of Community College Nursing Faculty Who Leave The Profession Of Teaching, Cherry A. Karl

Dissertations

Community college nursing faculty members are essential to the continuation and growth of the profession of nursing. Every loss of a nursing faculty member represents an even greater loss to the practice of nursing within the health care system. Previous research has documented the serious and inter-related shortage of both nursing professionals and nursing faculty. This phenomenological study explores the underlying themes leading to the decisions made by nursing educators to leave the practice of teaching, and presents strategies for preserving and strengthening the position of nursing faculty within the community college. The guiding question for this inquiry is: "What …

The Self-Directed Goal Theory Experiment: A Mixed Methods Study Of Personal Development Goal-Setting Programs And Self-Efficacy, Tara N. Strickland

Dissertations

Andragogy is not dead; it may be simply lying dormant until its essential component, self-directed learning, revives it again. The fact is that self-directed learning can be formal or informal. This mixed methods study explored the informal side of self-directed learning, concentrating on self-help (a popularized form of personal development goalsetting). Despite a thriving self-help market, several personal development goal-setting programs focus more on goal achievement, little on goal planning, and even less on the individual. A comparative analysis of autonomous, guided, and self-directed personal goal-setting programs determined if self-directedness maximizes self-efficacy. Additionally, the researcher’s original Self-Directed Goal Theory and …

Coping With Addiction: A Case Study Exploring The Needs Of Struggling Substance Abuse Addicts, Shelly Wims

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the current State Targeted Response (STR) Program in a Midwest recovery program that addressed increases in opioid abuse and barriers to recovery. The study sought to answer how substance abuse counselors detected and addressed potential barriers, if any, to addiction recovery; whether substance abuse counselors sought any need for improvements within the STR to reduce relapse; how counselors addressed the social aspects of addiction; whether counselors addressed the factors influencing addiction relapse; and whether counselors collected feedback from clients concerning their perception of the effectiveness of treatment in preventing addiction …

Barriers, Enablers, And Strategies Influencing Female Leaders' Career Advancement In The Nuclear Industry, Anesa Davis

Dissertations

Women entering science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) occupations increased by 19% between 1970 and 2019, but at 74% of the STEM workforce, men still dominate the field (Martinez & Christnacht, 2021). In the nuclear industry, this disparity is most apparent with few women holding leadership roles within nuclear organizations (Kovaleski, 2014; Gaspar & Dubertrand, 2019). While research suggests that companies with women leaders in the manager level through the board level excel in organizational performance (Catalyst, 2007), a problem exists for women when trying to promote to leadership positions, especially to the C-suite in STEM fields (Warner, 2014).

Findings …

Should We Wear A Mask? Household Assessment Of Mask Wearing For Covid-19 In Ya’An, China, Leonard Peterson

Dissertations

In late 2019 and 2020, the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus spread worldwide and resulted in the COVID-19 pandemic, the second deadliest pandemic in modern history since the 1918 influenza pandemic. Since the virus was novel, no therapeutics and vaccines existed. Effective implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions was essential to reducing the transmission of the disease until the discovery of effective therapeutics and vaccines. This study explores the influence of the facilitating protective action attribute on adopting mask-wearing as a protective action in Ya’an, Sichuan Province, China. The study found that perceptions of mask effectiveness to reduce the probability of contracting and spreading …

Examining Media Dependency And Parasocial Relationship On Protective Action Behaviors During Covid-19, Amy Hyman

Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the significant role that mass media plays in disseminating messages to the public during disasters and public health crises. Information disseminated during a disaster influences individuals’ decision-making process regarding protective actions, or mitigation behaviors. This study examined the relationship between media dependency theory, parasocial relationship, and media effects (cognitive, affective and behavioral) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A quantitative approach was used with a convenience sample. The sample focused on residents in the state of Arkansas and specific generational cohorts. The results found that the generational cohorts had different media preferences during the height of …

The Willingness And Ability Of First Responders To Report For Duty During Disasters: A Case Study Of Local Law Enforcement Officers, William Peak

Dissertations

Role abandonment of employees is a vulnerability of first responder organizations that can be exposed when disasters occur. Organizational vulnerabilities created by role abandonment of first responders can be reduced by understanding the willingness and ability of employees to report for duty during disasters. To gain a better understanding of law enforcement organizational vulnerability to disasters, this study utilizes an online survey disseminated to police officers (n = 314) working for a police department along the Gulf Coast to determine their willingness and ability to report for duty and examines the barriers and facilitators impacting their decision to report …

The Influence Of Social Capital On Risk Attitude Toward Covid-19 Amongst Traditional Undergraduates, Jordan Titera

Dissertations

This dissertation assesses the influence of the three types of social capital (bonding, bridging, and linking) on the risk attitude of traditional undergraduate students (under 25 years old who enroll directly from high school, attend full-time, and do not have major life and work responsibilities). The research is motivated by three research questions: (1) What is the risk attitude of traditional undergraduate students surveyed about COVID-19 (addicted, seeking, tolerant, averse, paranoid); (2) What are the social capital characteristics for traditional undergraduate respondents surveyed; and (3) What influence does social capital have on the risk attitude of traditional undergraduate students regarding …

The Impact Of Vicarious Racial Discrimination On African Americans Via Social Media, Asia Wardlaw

Dissertations

Much psychological research has examined the impact of racial discrimination upon those who have personally experienced it. Such research emphasizes personal encounters with racial bias and ethnic discrimination can cause victims considerable mental and emotional injury, manifested as race-based traumatic stress. Far less research has examined the effects of vicarious racism on those who witness it, including those who witness it via online media. Given the growing and significant amount of social media coverage in the United States of America containing images of unarmed African Americans who have been killed in perceived racially motivated encounters, this is a valuable area …

The Role Of Neighborhood Factors In School Choice Decisions, Sarah Jefferson

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Schools On The Frontlines Of Governance: How The Convergence Of Criminal Justice And Education Shapes Adolescent Perceptions And Behavior, Jennifer O'Neill

Dissertations

Theories of legal socialization posit that individuals’ interactions with both nonlegal (e.g., teachers) and legal (e.g., police officers) authorities impact our broader orientation towards governance our compliance with rules and laws. Examining the process of legal socialization in adolescents is critical for understanding individuals’ relationships with major institutions of social control, and further, predicting delinquency. Extant literature tends to consider legal socialization in the school and in interactions with the police as distinct processes related to offending, neglecting the potential influence of school contextual factors; and yet, because the incorporation of carceral features (e.g., exclusionary discipline, restrictive security, and enhanced …

The Lived Experience Of Becoming A Professional Nurse For Associate Degree Nursing Graduates: A Phenomenological Study, Jean L. Hershey

Dissertations

This qualitative study used a hermeneutic phenomenological design to investigate the lived experience of becoming a professional nurse for associate degree nursing graduates. The study looked specifically at the process of acquiring a professional identity for associate degree nursing graduates. The theoretical frameworks of structural functionalism and reference group theory provided the lens which guided the study. Structural functionalism is a sociological perspective describing how groups reproduce themselves by creating members whose behaviors and values correspond to the established group norms. A reference group is the social group which an individual uses to define attitudes, beliefs, and values which the …

Alert Driven Rescue: Do In-Hospital Sepsis Interventions Following An Advanced Early Warning System Alert Differ Substantially Between Decedents And Survivors?, Daniel T. Linnen

Dissertations

Patients with worsening sepsis on general hospital wards are at high risk for clinical deterioration, unplanned admission to the intensive care unit, and death. Many hospitals have begun to employ early warning systems (EWSs) to alert nurses and providers that a patient is predicted to deteriorate. Multiple papers in the rapid response team (RRT) and sepsis literature describe typical problems leading to an EWS alert (e.g., systemic inflammatory response syndrome, low blood pressure) as well recommended interventions such as intravenous fluid bolus, antibiotics, and transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU). Despite the evidence base, it remains unclear which actions …

A Basic Qualitative Exploration Into The Academic Persistence Of Minority Nursing Students In Minority Nursing Programs, Marta S. Coleman

Dissertations

The academic persistence of minority nursing students has become a healthcare concern due to health disparities in minority groups. Evidence suggests that receiving healthcare from healthcare providers of the same ethnic or cultural background as the population served reduces health disparities, increases positive health outcomes, and decreases overall healthcare costs. Unlike previous studies of minority nursing students' persistence, this study was conducted solely in minority nursing programs. The problem addressed in this basic qualitative study was that a significant number of minority nursing students were not persisting to graduation in minority nursing programs. The purpose of this study was to …

Nurse Family Member Perceptions Of Patient Death And Nursing Care After Withdrawal Of Life-Sustaining Treatment, Deena M. Drake

Dissertations

This pilot study explored nurse family member perceptions of nursing care and patient quality of death and dying during and after withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment within Intensive Care Units (ICU).

Associate And Baccalaureate Degree Nursing Students' Knowledge Of The Attitudes Toward Medication Errors And Reporting Medication Errors: Implications For Curriculum Development, Tabatha D. Teal

Dissertations

This paper evaluates senior nursing students' knowledge and attitudes of medication errors and reporting errors. This study was conducted to evaluate a need for improvements to nursing education on these two concepts. This mixed method study was conducted using a modified version of the Medication Administration Error Reporting Survey by Wakefield, Uden-Holman, and Wakefield (2005) and focus group sessions at four nursing programs in the Southern United States. Medication errors continue to be a threat to patient safety and underreporting exists due to the stigma surrounding admitting a mistake. Evaluating nursing students' knowledge and attitudes on these concepts is a …