Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Student Perceptions Of Retention Issues In A 3-Year Baccalaureate-Level Nursing Program, Rebecca L. Taulbee

Dissertations

The nursing shortage, a major concern for the United States, has a multitude of causative factors. Nursing education has been tasked with helping to decrease the shortage of qualified registered nurses. Poor retention of nursing students in higher education is impacting the number of qualified nurses entering the workforce. Nursing education has historically been a high attrition area due to the stress and rigor of the curriculum. The general problem is that a severe and worsening shortage of registered nurses is increasingly putting the health and well-being of society at risk. The purpose of this qualitative, multiple-case study was to …

Comparison Of Two Methods For Measuring The Tangible Outcomes Of An Associate Degree Nursing Program, Denise Hooper Elliott

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were (a) to describe and measure the tangible outcomes of an Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program for the graduate, the community, and cooperating clinical agencies; and (b) to propose a methodology that explicates the tangible outcomes of an ADN program. Using a descriptive design, tangible outcomes of one ADN program at a North Central Alabama community college were measured, collection methods were evaluated for effectiveness and efficiency, and the need for training of data collection staff was evaluated.

The Relationship Among Nurse Faculty And Nursing Education Administrators' Attitudes Toward And Knowledge Of Academic Freedom And Role Strain, Nancy Crane-Roberts

Dissertations

This study had two purposes: to examine whether there are differences in attitudes toward and knowledge of academic freedom among nurse faculty and nursing education administrators; and to explore the relationships between nurse faculty and nursing education administrators' attitudes toward and knowledge of academic freedom and role strain.

A Study Of The Relationship Between Leadership Of Chief Nurse Administrators Of Baccalaureate And Higher Degree Nursing Education Programs And Selected Organizational Variables, Patricia Gonce Morton

Dissertations

In this study, the relationship between the leadership style of nursing education chief nurse administrators, the leadership behavior of chief nurse administrators and selected organizational variables was investigated. The theoretical framework for the study was based on Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership Theory, Baldridge's analysis of the academic organization, and Mintzberg's theory of a professional bureaucracy.

Talk And Backtalk: Negotiating Cervical Cancer Screening Among Appalachian Women In West Virginia, Wendy D. Grube

Dissertations

Cervical cancer, once a major killer of women, still remains a quiet threat to the lives of discreet populations within the United States. Women living in Appalachia are among those most vulnerable to this disease primarily due to lack of participation in screening programs. Despite efforts of government subsidized programs to educate, enroll and provide screening facilities throughout high-risk areas, unacceptable rates of inadequately screened women persist. Little is known about the reasons Appalachian women do not seek screening. The literature identifies sociodemographic data related to screening, and suggests that healthcare providers play a significant role in women's participation in …

Health Locus Of Control And Learned Helplessness In Cardiac Pacemaker Recipients, Janice V. Chandler

Dissertations

Having lost control of heart rate and rhythm, pacemaker recipients depend on battery-driven mechanical devices for life support. They rely on health professionals for complex care. This loss of control and dependence may influence control beliefs. The relationships among, and the individual effects of health locus of control (HLC), age, and length of time paced on learned helplessness (LH) in cardiac pacemaker recipients were investigated. HLC refers to beliefs about origins of health control, including (a) internal control by personal causation (IHLC), (b) external control by chance (CHLC), and (c) external control by powerful others (PHLC). The Multidimensional Health Locus …

Access To Care Of Adults With Chronic Illness, Constance F. Mullinix

Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship of chronic illness and access to health care in adults responding to the 1986 National Access to Health Care Survey. Access to care was defined as actually entering the health system as evidenced by having an ambulatory visit, a hospitalization, or an emergency visit within the previous year.

A Celebration Of Family: Family Actions Supporting Task Achievement In Elementary School-Age Children With Cystic Fibrosis, Judith Marie Malachowski

Dissertations

Although society is facing a new challenge of supporting an increasing prevalence of children with chronic illnesses, families always have known the joys and hardships of care. The literature (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 1993; Gortmaker, et al.) supported the growing difficulty many families have caring for their children related to family isolation, decreasing community resources, and the new morbidities. Families are caught between an environment supposed to be and presumed helpful, and one creating barriers to their children's successes. For children with cystic fibrosis and their families, the disease imposes complicated treatment regimens, frequent hospitalizations, and the specter of an early …

Menopausal Stage, Current Life Change, Attitude Toward Women's Roles, And Perceived Health Status In Middle-Aged Women, Nancy C. Sharts-Hopko

Dissertations

A sample of 249 premenopausal, perimenopausal and postmenopausal women was studied in order to explore the relationships of menopausal stage, current life change and attitude toward women's roles to perceived health status. The dependent variable was operationally defined as the sum of scores on the Health Perceptions Questionnaire, the Bradburn Affect Balance Scale and the Life Satisfaction Index. Hypotheses included that menopausal stage would be positively related to perceived health status, which was not supported; that current life change would be inversely related to perceived health status, which was supported (p < .05); and that non-traditional attitude toward women's roles is positively related to perceived health status, which was not supported.

The Relationship Between Spouses' Strength Of Identification And Their Patterns Of Change In Perceived Body Space And Articulation Of Body Concept During And After Pregnancy, Jacqueline M. Fawcett

Dissertations

The family is a living open system characterized by pattern and organization. While the rate of change in pattern and organization varies throughout the life cycle of the family, few periods involve the rapid and extensive repatterning and reorganization present in pregnancy. Empirical evidence suggests that changes in body image occur during and after pregnancy in both wives and husbands. The study designed to test the hypotheses used a sample of fifty married couples who attended Lamaze preparation for childbirth classes.

A Quantitative Study Examining Project Lead The Way Gateway Program Outcomes In A Suburban School District, Patrick Joseph Bellinger

Dissertations

Within the confines of this study, the Researcher investigated Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Gateway program outcomes at a Midwest suburban school district. The study examined specific academic achievement outcomes and attitudes regarding STEAM courses and STEAM careers among students who completed at least one semester in a middle school PLTW Gateway program. The Researcher attempted to determine if there was a difference in student attitudes related to STEAM between students who enrolled in a PLTW Gateway course and students who never enrolled in PLTW Gateway, as determined in an online survey. The Researcher also attempted to determine if there …

A Quantitative Case Study On School Climate, Student Behavior, Student Achievement, And Classroom Facility Factors In An Urban Midwest High School, Shamonda Owens

Dissertations

This research was a quantitative case study on the possible relationship between school climate, student behavior, student achievement, and classroom facility factors in an urban Midwest high school. Specific variables included lighting, wall color, classroom temperature, school climate, student behavior, and student academic achievement. The researcher collected the following data: student behavior, number of out of school suspensions (OSS) students received in 2014 through 2017, End of Course data, 2014-2017, in the areas of Biology, American Government, English I, and English II. To measure school climate, the researcher used the district’s annual climate survey. School climate survey data measured student …

Alternative Education Program Best Practices: A Comparative Analysis Of Three Mid-Missouri High School Alternative Education Programs, Elizabeth Christine Nelson

Dissertations

School districts in the state of Missouri are required to provide an education to all students, including those on suspension, and many other states have similar requirements. The number of alternative programs has grown over the last 50 years, and most districts provide some type of alternative program for at-risk students. With few state regulations for evaluation of these programs, researchers in alternative education recommended districts perform internal evaluations to ensure program quality. The research identified six research-based best practices domains critical to the success of an alternative program. The six domains were curriculum, assessment, engagement, instruction, leadership, and structures. …

The Development Of Newspaper Restaurant Criticism In Ireland, 1988–2008, Claire O'Mahony

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the development of newspaper restaurant criticism in Ireland from 1988 to 2008. This era was a time of considerable economic change in Ireland. It was also a period that saw changing attitudes to food and dining out, as well as a more varied restaurant landscape. This study aimed to determine how the format and focus of newspaper restaurant reviews changed over this time frame. It also explored the role of the restaurant critic, and how reviews reflected developments in Irish food culture and the economy. Using a mixed methods research design, a sample of reviews from the …

Supervisor-Subordinate Conflict Negotiation: Examining The Core Concerns In Light Of Communication Accommodation And Gender Roles, Piyawan Charoensap-Kelly

Dissertations

This quasi-experimental study examined a supervisor-subordinate negotiation of an emotion-laden conflict from the lens of the core concerns framework, communication accommodation theory, and gender roles research. Results empirically support CCF that, by accommodating or attending to the employees’ core concerns, managers can stimulate employees’ positive emotion and integrative intention. However, under- and overaccommodating the core concerns can lead to distributive intention. Additionally, the employees’ perception of manager goodwill can strengthen or attenuate the positive effect of core concerns accommodativeness on outcome variables especially for male managers. Thus, moderate accommodation is recommended for male managers. For female managers, the results show …

Predicting Leader Survival: Evidence From Covert Action Case Study Analysis, Joy S. Patton

Dissertations

This research explores the unique relationship between covert action and leader survivability, in particular, how leadership styles and personality traits influence this relationship. The life of a ruler is ephemeral. For those who are lucky, their exit from office is through retirement or old age. For most, their tenure is short, often ending through violent means. The overthrow of rulers by their rivals is a common theme throughout world history, and the strategy remains a popular choice in contemporary warfare. However, despite the frequency of regime change, very little is discussed in international relations about covert regime change and its …

Modifying Inhibited Primer Performance Via Control Of Epoxy-Amine Matrix Structure And Composition, Steven Wand

Dissertations

This research represents an effort to deliver a new fundamental understanding of how polymer matrix characteristics influence corrosion protection of organic coatings, in particular the performance of corrosion inhibitor-containing primers. By modifying the structure and composition features of epoxy-amine matrices which commonly serves as the binder for protective coatings, the thermal/mechanical, adhesion, and transport properties which govern coating performance and inhibitor release were altered in such a way that directly influenced protection efficacy. This research is composed of three distinct approaches towards systematically varying thermoset network characteristics and observing the resulting impact on transport behaviors and corrosion prevention, with an …

Soft Skills In Mississippi Community Colleges' Online Career And Technical Programs, Joanna Sue Alston

Dissertations

Soft skills are an essential piece in the employment puzzle, and most students’ behavioral characteristics require development, if not complete transformation, before learning can subsequently be transferred to the workplace. To that end, this facet of occupational education in community colleges’ online courses was in need of exploration to determine whether instructors were having success in implementing instructional and assessment methods for both teaching and grading students’ soft skills behaviors. This mixed methods study narrowed the focus of an extremely broad topic to four skills, specifically communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and work ethic. A look at how those skills related …

The Overview Effect, Todd Osborne

Dissertations

The following poems were completed by the author between September 2015 and February 2019.

“Polysoaps” Via Raft Copolymerization To Form Well-Defined Micelles For Water Remediation And Targeted Drug Delivery Applications, Phillip Pickett

Dissertations

Amphiphilic copolymers have become increasingly important for environmental and biological applications due to their behavioral characteristics in aqueous solution. For example, structurally-tailored statistical amphiphilic copolymers or “polysoaps” can self-assemble into micelles or other architectures in water at various concentrations. Polysoaps may be differentiated from small molecule surfactant micelles in their capability to self-assemble into unimolecular associates (unimolecular micelles) with no dependence on concentration. Such micelles offer enormous potential for dispersion of hydrophobic species in water at high dilution. Importantly, each polymer chain forms its own micelle and upon dilution, these micelles remain intact and capable of dispersing hydrocarbon material in …

Historically Black College And Universities Compared To Historically White Institutions: Factors Influencing Graduation Rates, Carlos Young

Dissertations

Historically black colleges, whose graduation rates have been low when compared to white institutions, are facing some serious issues (Kelderman, 2012). Nichols (2004) notes that institutions of higher learning play an important role in preparing students for professions, promoting equality for women and minorities, providing educational opportunities for disadvantaged and low income students, solving socioeconomic problems, servicing government and industry, complying with rules and regulations that ensure the rights of all people, trying to keep tuition low, paying competitive salaries to faculty and staff, providing a quality education, and providing social and cultural services to the community (Jones, 1984; Nicholas, …

Validation Of A Scale To Measure Phonological And Morphological Knowledge And Skill Of Speech-Language Pathologists And Elementary Teachers, Susan S. Perry

Dissertations

Phonological and morphological skills are crucial to the process of reading. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have received advanced trained in these basic foundations of language and could be an untapped resource in our school systems for teaching beginning reading skills. The purposes of this research were to examine SLPs’ and general education elementary (K-6) teachers’ attitudes toward SLPs taking part in reading instruction, to compare the differences in phonological and morphological knowledge and skill among SLPs and teachers, and to assess the performance of the Revised Basic Language Constructs Surveywhen administered to SLPs and teachers.

Results indicated that, although fewer …

Selected Wind Band Works Of Jennifer Higdon: A Conductor's Analysis, Mark P. Johnson

Dissertations

Pulitzer Prize winning composer Jennifer Higdon rose to worldwide prominence through her orchestral compositions. She is a prolific composer who has made significant contributions to the genres of solo concerti, mixed chamber ensemble music, choral music, and opera. Higdon describes her approach to composition as intuitive, where music is internally heard and then notated.

The purpose of this study is to create a conductor’s analysis for four wind band pieces written by Dr. Jennifer Higdon. It will examine the signature characteristics of Higdon’s compositional style and use those characteristics as a fundamental for the creation of written analysis. The dissertation …

Engineering Multifunctional And Morphologically Diverse Polymer Brush Surfaces, Cassandra M. Reese

Dissertations

The combination of surface-initiated polymerization (SIP) and post-polymerization (PPM) serves as a powerful approach to fabricate complex, multifunctional polymer films, which can be precisely tuned for desired surface engineering applications. Careful manipulation of PPM parameters such as reaction conditions, the tethered brush parameters, and the physical properties of the unbound post-modifier greatly influence the depth of penetration of the post-modifier and the polymer brush compositional heterogeneity. This dissertation focuses on engineering polymer brush surfaces with multifunctional chemistries and tunable morphologies by investigating the PPM parameters that dictate the distribution of post-modifiers on grafted polymer brush surfaces.

The first chapter of …

Promoting Workplace Health Using Wearable Technology: A Mixed Methods Study In A Nonprofit Organization, Mitchell Tarver

Dissertations

Despite efforts to improve the designs and benefits of workplace wellness programs (WWPs), there are two major problems preventing employers from optimizing the human capital of their employees: (a) many WWPs are limited and do not include an exercise component, which increases the potential for chronic health conditions; and (b) more than 50% of employees are reluctant to participate in WWPs due to the common barriers of time, convenience, and location. A lack of physical activity is a problem because studies have shown that chronic conditions increase rates of absenteeism and presenteeism, both of which increase productivity loss. Additionally, low …

Fundamental Attribution Error: Perspectives Of Principal, Teacher, And Parent Influence On Student Growth, Sonja Rayner

Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine principals’, teachers’, and parents’ attributions of their own and the other groups’ relative influence on student academic outcomes measured by standardized tests. The secondary purpose was to determine whether and how fundamental attribution error and self-serving bias predicts or explains the responses of each group. Descriptive analyses were conducted to compare responses from these three constituent groups. Additionally, repeated measures MANOVA was conducted in order to explain the effect the moderator variable, school performance level, had on the strength of the relationship between the independent (school rating and group) and dependent …

The Rabbath Method: Philosophy And Technique In Current Double Bass Pedagogy, David G. Pellow

Dissertations

This study traced the lineage from François Rabbath through his first-generation apprentices to determine how the philosophies and techniques of the Rabbath Method are interpreted and applied by current double bass performers and pedagogues. Participants were identified for the study from a list of all current (N=46) diploma holders of the L’Institute International de Contrabasse François Rabbath (the Institute) made available to the researcher by the President of the Institute, François Rabbath. An e-mail request for study participation was sent to thirty-six performer/pedagogues trained by Rabbath and certified to teach and/or perform from the Method (Rabbathians), …

Resilience And Coping In Mothers Of Children With Sickle Cell Disease, Holly Carter

Dissertations

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a prominent chronic illness in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016) estimated that one child out of every 365 African-American births will have SCD, affecting approximately 100,000 Americans. Supporting and promoting the integrity of the family and its’ members when a child has SCD is important for each family member’s well-being. Specific family characteristics, such as resilience and coping are important to understand because they can mitigate stress and create positive family outcomes (Brown et al., 1993; Cousino & Hazen, 2013; Hildenbrand, Barakat, Alderfer, & Marsac, 2015; O’Hanlon, Camic, & …

Manipulation Of Noncovalent Interactions For The Synthesis And Use Of Natural Product Synthons, Alison P. Hart

Dissertations

Natural products are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry, in agriculture, and as specialty chemicals. Methodology development focuses on optimizing the key organic reactions to access these natural products while trying to limit the overall number of synthetic steps. Key bond forming strategies are sought to provide new ways to address carbon-carbon or carbon-heteroatom bonds. The advancement of new asymmetric reactions to generate enantiopure products from achiral starting materials is a vital area of research. The objectives addressed in this dissertation include: 1) the development of a general reductive conversion of esters to ethers with a broad substrate scope accessing …

Screening The Managerial Applicant: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study Of Résumé Review And Evaluation, Gregory E. Higgins

Dissertations

Resume screening is among the most frequently used hiring methods in U.S.-based organizations (Behrenz, 2001; Wilk & Cappelli, 2003). While little research has been conducted to establish its validity (Russell, 2007), 90% of hiring personnel in the United States use some form of resume screening to eliminate job applicants during the hiring process (Boatman & Erker, 2012). Researchers have noted that the use of resume screening is a likely source of hiring errors (Robertson & Smith, 2001) that have a range of negative impacts on organizations including loss of revenue, damage to the organizational image, lowered employee morale, customer dissatisfaction, …