Digital Commons Network^™

Nurse Delegation Decision Making: Impact On Nurse Job Satisfaction, Lynn Carol Parsons

Dissertations

The purpose of this experimental study was to ascertain if a structured educational intervention (versus a mimic intervention) was followed by a statistically significant increase in nurse delegation decision making knowledge and nurse job satisfaction.

Reducing The Use Of Multiple Restraints In The Psychiatric Emergency Department, Juliet Nneka Udo

Dissertations

The purpose of the quantitative quality-improvement project was to implement the interprofessional collaborative practice model (ICPM) education program for providers, as an evidence-based intervention in reducing the use of multiple restraints in the psychiatric emergency department.

Testing The Efficacy Of Research-Based Instructional Material For Improving The Competence Of Clinical Instructors In Guiding Nursing Students In Practical Activities In Tanzania, Rehema C. Mligo

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of research-based instructional material for improving the competence of clinical instructors in guiding nursing students in practical activities in Tanzania.

An Exploratory Study Of The Barriers Of Pediatric Palliative Care Programs And Their Relationships To Funding, Mary Maureen Kirkpatrick Mclaughlin

Dissertations

This study, a sequential mixed methods design, used quantitative techniques and a qualitative, phenomenological approach. The quantitative phase addressed the research question: Does the reimbursement of services for the delivery of pediatric palliative care differ between types of funding, and is funding related to directors' perceptions of obstacles to the delivery of care? The qualitative phase addressed the research question: What are the barriers that CHI PACC directors' experience in their roles and how do they overcome them?

The Moderating Effect Of Religion On Death Distress And Quality Of Life Among Christian Cancer Patients In The United States With Muslim Cancer Patients In Saudi Arabia, Doaa A. Almostadi

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether religiosity has a moderating effect on the relationship between death distress and quality of life among patients facing a life-threatening cancer diagnosis.

Causal Antecedents Of Threat Appraisal And Adaptational Outcomes In Heart Failure Patients, Cheryl Anne Westlake

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to explore the relationships among variables that influence threat appraisal and adaptational outcomes for heart failure patients and to explore the concept of spirituality. The overall aim of the study was to determine if sociodemographics (social status, age, gender, and marital status), functional status (New York Heart Association classification and six minute walk distance), general beliefs (spirituality and neuroticism), available resources (social support), and temporal aspects (time of onset of symptoms), predict physical well being and psychosocial adjustment through the mediating process of threat appraisal in heart failure patients.

Compassion Fatigue And Satisfaction Among Nurses At A State Psychiatric Hospital: An Opportunity To Educate, Santhi Avula

Dissertations

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project aims to bring awareness to psychiatric nurses at NOPH about CF and burnout and educate them on ways to improve resiliency and compassion satisfaction as professional nurses.

PICOT: How do psychiatric nurses at NOPH (P) who are at increased risk for CF benefit from a webinar-based educational intervention (I) to identify and reduce symptoms of CF and improve compassion satisfaction (O) one month after intervention (T) compared to preintervention (C)?

Acquisition Of English By Additional Language Learners In Inquiry-Based Classrooms Within International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program Schools, Valerian Goguadze

Dissertations

Many International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) schools provide English instruction to all students. The program has grown worldwide with a significant enrollment of students who speak a first language other than English, necessitating the need for an English as an Additional Language (EAL) curriculum. The IB’s philosophy of language acquisition is deeply integrated into its documents, school policies, and classroom practices. Consequently, all IB teachers, not just those who teach additional languages, are expected to have a basic understanding of how to teach English. Despite IB’s supportive-inclusive policies, EAL learners continue to face challenges in learning English.

There …

Administrators' Perception Of The Effectiveness Of Trauma-Informed Practices In Disciplinary Decisions, Rebecca Cahill

Dissertations

This research study examined administrators’ perceptions of the effectiveness of trauma-informed practices in disciplinary decision-making. Ten elementary school assistant principals were interviewed about their experiences with trauma-informed practices following a student referral. The participants also submitted behavioral expectation matrices and discipline flowcharts for analysis. The participants recognized and valued the underlying elements of trauma-informed practices (relationships, context, support, and cultural factors). However, they lack a clear understanding of and processes for full implementation of trauma-informed practices into disciplinary decision-making. Given the increase in negative student behavior and teacher requests for support, more research is needed to identify a process(es) for …

High School Principals’ Experiences Implementing The Whole-Child Approach To Education, Elise Heaton

Dissertations

The prevalence of the whole-child approach to education has grown significantly as schools recognize that students' needs extend beyond academics to include their social, emotional, mental, and physical well-being. This approach emphasizes nurturing all aspects of a child's development to ensure they thrive in a diverse and ever-evolving world. This phenomenological qualitative case study explores the lived experiences of high school principals as they implement the whole-child approach to education. Through data collected via various methods, including interviews, document analysis, and site observations, this study provides an in-depth examination of how principals navigate the complex demands of addressing the multifaceted …

Improving Diabetes Self-Management Skills Among Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Through Weekly Education, Carthia Joachim

Dissertations

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is one of the major health issues worldwide, which has led to many health complications, such as cardiovascular disease, nerve damage that leads to limb amputation, kidney damage, and even death (Sameer et al., 2020). Lack of self-care management is one of the reasons diabetes is becoming such an issue in society. Studies have shown that T2DM outcomes can be improved by implementing diabetes self-management education (DSME) (Hailu et al., 2019). The study evaluated the effectiveness of DSME intervention in adult patients with T2DM over 12 weeks in Orlando, Florida. Using a structured education program, the …

Barriers To Effectively Integrating Technology Into The Classroom, Laura Beth Mccarty

Dissertations

This study examined barriers to integrating 1:1 technology into the post-Covid classroom, with an emphasis on determining whether student misuse of technology was a new barrier seen in schools across the United States of America. An online survey instrument was developed to examine existing barriers as well as student misuse of technology as a new barrier. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the relationships between these variables, and descriptive statistics were examined to determine which variables were barriers to the effective integration of technology into the classroom. When examining existing barriers, lack of technology training and support remained a …

The Nurse Faculty Compassion Instrument: A Methodological Study, Nancy Pritchard

Dissertations

As nursing shortages rise, nursing faculty have the important responsibility of increasing the number of nursing school graduates that enter the nursing profession. Unfortunately, attrition and retention continue to prevent nursing students from graduating on time or at all. Nursing faculty compassion has been identified as one important factor that could decrease nursing student attrition and increase nursing student retention and program completion. Compassion is a concept built upon the constructs of forming connections, empathetic behaviors, student suffering and faculty recognition of needs, and alleviation of suffering. No existing instruments measure all of these constructs. Some existing tools that measure …

The Role Of Mentorship In Teachers' Intent To Persist In P-12 Public Education, Collins Robinson

Dissertations

Soaring attrition rates among teachers in public education have led researchers to attempt to obtain more insight into teaching intent to persist in American, public P12 education. Mississippi schools are allowed to join the MDE Division of Educator Effectiveness. This single division focuses on enhancing specific areas: “Mentoring and Induction programs, Mississippi Professional Growth system, Mississippi Teacher Residency, and Recognition Programs.” (Steen, 2024). The purpose of the study was to determine if there exists a statistically significant relationship between Mississippi public education teachers’ mentorship experience, mentorship effectiveness, and intent to persist. Secondly, this study was expected to determine to what …

Going With The Flow: How Direct And Indirect Alterations To Streamflow Influence Headwater Fish Communities In The Southeast, Langston Haden

Dissertations

Streamflow has been deemed the “master variable” regulating riverine communities as it can influence the chemical, physical, and biological components of river systems. Anthropogenic changes have and will continue to alter streamflow through direct (e.g. road culverts) and indirect (e.g. climate change) processes. Understanding how these alterations impact riverine communities is essential for maintaining and restoring ecosystem properties like biodiversity. Our objective is to integrate ecological theory and conservation approaches to understand how direct and indirect alterations to streamflow influence freshwater fish communities within the biodiverse headwater streams of the southeastern U.S. In a test of a standardized barrier protocol …

Uncovering The Causal Configurations Of Successful Nonviolent Regime Change Movements: A Systems Thinking And Fuzzy Set Analysis, William Scott Hinson

Dissertations

Under what conditions do nonviolent regime change movements succeed? While the literature on nonviolent resistance has shown several variables to be highly correlative in affecting regime change, little research to date has shown which configuration of conditions leads to regime change in differing polities and repressive environments. In this dissertation, Systems Thinking (ST) and fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) are employed to analyze 25 randomly selected cases of nonviolent regime change movements drawn from the NAVCO 2.1 dataset. The principle of equifinality in ST and fsQCA directs the research to explore multiple sets of conditions that can lead to …

Teacher Perceptions Of Students With Disabilities And Their Ability To Meaningfully Participate In An Inquiry-Based Mathematics Model, Lori Luthy

Dissertations

This study focused on a school district in the Midwest region of the United States, which implemented a new inquiry-based math curriculum for all kindergarten through fifth-grade students during the 2021-2022 school year. The purpose of this study was to determine elementary general education and special education teachers’ perceptions of students with disabilities and their ability to learn mathematics at high levels from inquiry-based instruction. Also, the implications of deficit thinking were investigated. In addition, end-of-the-year progress results were compared to determine if implementing an inquiry-based model of mathematics increased student achievement. The population for this study consisted of educators …

A Phenomenological Study Of Social-Emotional Learning (Sel) Through Covid-19, Maria Iracema Da Rocha-Alvarez

Dissertations

Purpose: This phenomenological study aimed to identify and describe the social-emotional learning (SEL) strategies used by elementary teachers in California before and during the shift to distance learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also sought to determine which SEL strategies were most effective in supporting students’ emotional well-being in a virtual learning environment.

Methodology: A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to explore the lived experiences of elementary teachers who implemented SEL strategies before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected through 20 interview questions aligned with the research objectives to gain insight into effective SEL practices during virtual …

Relationship Of Stress, Family, And Social Support, And Job Satisfaction To Burnout Among Family Nurse Practitioners Employed In Primary Care Clinics In Mississippi, Laura-Jean Scott Brooks

Dissertations

In the realm of healthcare, burnout is the invisible monster that has infiltrated every facet of the industry with grossly visible results. From provider turnover to patient errors, burnout has lifelong effects on the healthcare provider and patient care. This researcher seeks to study variables and the relationship to burnout among Family Nurse Practitioners who practice in primary care in Mississippi. The Review of the Literature demonstrated a lack of findings in burnout among family nurse practitioners. Most of the literature reviewed focused on burnout among registered nurses. The guiding hypothesis of the research study was that social and family …

Impact Of Safety Training On Employee's Perceptions Of Organizational Safety Culture, Brooke Reid-Graves

Dissertations

Workplace safety and well-being are vital for all workers, regardless of their profession (Young et al., 2022). Studies show that providing employees with training focused on recognizing hazards and implementing safety practices is essential for reducing occupational risks (Namian et al., 2020; Rose & Rae, 2017). Research underscores the importance of fostering a positive organizational safety culture for risk reduction (Berry et al., 2020; Downey, 2019). Understanding the impact of safety training on shaping an organization’s safety culture is key to promoting safe working environments (Mahjoub, 2013).

This study utilized the perspectives of high school staff regarding safety training and …

K-12 Education And The Covid-19 Pandemic, Candice Beasley

Dissertations

This quantitative study aimed to explore how schoolwide closures during the COVID-19 pandemic affected student academic performance in selected Mississippi school districts and to examine the instructional strategies schools used during these closures. While there has been global research on the pros and cons of different teaching methods during and after the pandemic, specific data for Mississippi is still limited.

The researcher collected publicly available data from the Mississippi Department of Education. Student performance results from the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) for the years 2019 to 2021 were analyzed to see if academic performance changed due to the pandemic …

The Relationship Between Task-Oriented Self-Efficacy, Openness To Experience And Internal & External Barriers To Social Work Educators To Teach Online Courses, Nancy Swindle

Dissertations

This study investigated the attitudes of social work faculty at accredited programs in the United States toward teaching online courses. An online survey was used to gather data on faculty members' internal and external barriers to teaching online, their openness to new experiences, and their confidence in creating and teaching online social work courses. Correlation and bivariate analyses were used to understand the relationships between these variables. The results showed positive relationships between years of teaching experience, faculty age, and self-efficacy scores, as well as between years of experience and professional training. However, these relationships were not statistically significant. Similar …

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier De Saint-Georges' "Overture" From L'Amant Anonyme: A Transcription For Wind Ensemble, Lindsay H. Guilbeau

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to transcribe the orchestral Overture from Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges’ only opera with a surviving score, L’Amant Anonyme, for wind ensemble. Transcribing this portion of L’Amant Anonyme by a Black composer from the Classical era not only provides the opportunity to expose the wind band community to an underrepresented composer but also gives this work an additional medium to be performed in. Bologne was dubbed “Le Mozart Noir” or “Black Mozart” by French concertgoeres of the time, and the nickname has not yet disappeared. This title, whether or not intentional, pus him in …

Investigation Of Polybenzoxazine Vitrimers Based On Dynamic Transesterification Exchange, Jaylen Davis

Dissertations

With the ever-increasing issue of plastic waste production, a greener approach to synthetic processes and increased sustainability in plastic materials is still a high demand. Thermosets, which find uses in applications such as coatings, adhesives, and aerospace composites account for 15% of global plastics production, are particularly problematic in this context, as covalent crosslinks within the material serve both as a source of high-performance stability during use and as a barrier to conventional recycling after use. Therefore, our efforts focus on the incorporation of dynamic transesterification exchange chemistry into polybenzoxazine thermosets, which allows these materials to undergo reprocessing. This investigation …

Synthesis, Characterization And Testing Of Graphene-Based Materials For Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Catalysts, Hassan Shirzadi Jahromi

Dissertations

The requirement for low cost and efficient catalysts for fuel cells motivated the proposed research on Nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO) integrated with transition metal zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs). Synthesis, characterization and performance evaluation of the newly synthesized nitrogen-doped graphene oxide-based catalysts for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) constitutes the main objective of this thesis.

The synthesis of N-rGO combined with cobalt, nickel, or iron ZIFs was carried out using wet chemical methods followed by one step pyrolysis at 900°C, resulting in catalysts with highly porous structures and uniform metal nanoparticle distribution. These were characterized for structure, microstructure, composition …

Picturing The Teaching Of The Holocaust: A Narrative Case Study Of Four English Language Arts Teachers Who Teach The Holocaust, Shelley L. Esman

Dissertations

This qualitative narrative case study was designed to examine the pedagogical choices of four English Language Arts teachers who teach the Holocaust. This study shares the “picture” of the four English language arts teachers from Michigan, Indiana, and Florida. Data collected through interviews and curricular documents were analyzed in connection to each of the teacher’s identities and rationales for teaching the Holocaust. This study highlights each teacher’s process of becoming a Holocaust teacher and describes how each teaches the content of the Holocaust in grades fifth to tenth. It uncovers the common dispositions of these four teachers. It shares the …

Faulty Perception Correction Of Autonomous Vehicles In Real-Life Driving Scenarios, Mark Omwansa

Dissertations

Driving is one of the most popular modes of transportation in the world. The United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) reported 2.8 trillion vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) in 2020, and the National Highway Traffic Association (NHTSA) recorded 3.2 trillion VMT in 2019. Also recorded in the NHTSA report were 39,096 fatalities and 2.7 million injuries due to traffic accidents, costing the economy an estimated $242 billion. Most of these recorded accidents can be attributed to human error or misjudgment. It is for this reason that governments and the automotive industry are looking at autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies …

Public Health Implications Of State-Level Public Health Organizational And System Structures, Cameron Ferguson Hays

Dissertations

Public health thought leaders such as the Institute of Medicine and National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine have long been concerned about the lack of standardization among state-level public health systems (IOM, 1988; NASEM, 2023). However, little research studies these systems, their structures, and whether structural constructs affect population health outcomes.

This study attempted to examine the structural constructs that make up these systems and the impact of those constructs using an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. Variables from management science were qualitatively extracted from materials describing all 50 state-level public health systems. Those variables were then analyzed using a …

Intelligent Health Monitoring Systems Via Flexible Hybrid Electronics And Machine Learning, Masoud Panahi

Dissertations

Advanced data analytics approaches, such as artificial intelligence (AI), are increasingly being integrated into all aspects of patient care. This integration is paving the way for minimally invasive or non-invasive treatment modalities. By combining recent advancements in fabrication technology and computing ingenuity, wearable devices now enable continuous health monitoring and provide data for AI-driven analysis. These intelligent devices seamlessly integrate with the Internet of Things (IoT), enabling remote or “at-home” patient monitoring.

This dissertation study investigates the integration of recent advancements in flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) and machine learning (ML) to develop intelligent health monitoring systems. The developed FHE-based health …

Conceptual Understanding, Engagement, And Optimal Learning Moments With Problem-Oriented Project Learning In High School Physics, Catherine A. Howell

Dissertations

This research explored the effect of Problem-Oriented Problem Based Learning (POPL) on concept attainment and engagement in a high school physics class. While physics education remains a vital component of STEM education, secondary physics enrollment trails chemistry and biology. Issues contributing to physics’ reputation as a complex subject include prior misconceptions and the formulaic nature of pedagogy. Prior research indicated that active learning can challenge misconceptions and mitigate the sameness of instruction. POPL resides firmly in the active learning methodology of Project-Based Learning (PjBL). This study expanded the research by combining Physics, POPL, concept attainment, multiple components of engagement, and …