Digital Commons Network^™

Bedside Shift Report And Patient Satisfaction, Kasandra R. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Each year, millions of deaths worldwide are caused by medication errors in hospitals. Some of these errors are accounted for through miscommunication during the change of the nurse shift report. One of the Joint Commission’s 2019 national patient safety goals for hospital programs was to improve communication effectiveness among caregivers since mistakes in a caregiver’s communication accounted for 37% of severe patient injuries. Safety is threatened by patients not being included. Therefore, adopting the bedside shift report allows patients to be actively engaged, reinforcing nurse-patient communication. The bedside shift report enables nurses to provide safe, high-quality, patient-centered care at the …

A Systematic Review Of Studies Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Horticultural Therapy For Increasing Well-Being And Decreasing Anxiety And Depression, Claudia Andrea Lasater

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is a systematic review of published research on the effectiveness of horticultural therapy and related interventions in reducing stress. Since the beginning of time, the great outdoors has been humanity’s source of thriving on earth. However, as industrialization, urbanization, technological, and digital advances continue to expand, human life has changed, resulting in many negative outcomes, such as mental health concerns related to stress and lack of outside engagement. The mental health and related health concerns in previous studies show to be depression, rumination, anxiety, mood and salivary cortisol, anger, general health, existential issues, and many more all show …

Perceived Benefits Of Upskilling And Reskilling By Persons Who Are Among The Employed, Underemployed, And Unemployed, Rosalind Marie Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research study is to explore the perceived influence, potential impact, and benefits that upskilling, and reskilling have on the employed, underemployed, and unemployed worker. In addition, this study seeks to explore whether the perceived benefits of upskilling and reskilling include moving above the poverty line and therefore, out of poverty in real and sustainable ways. This resulting new position and potential increase in pay could have the positive impact of moving them and their families above the poverty line. The results of this study indicate that participants perceive upskilling and reskilling to be an option …

Creation Care, Human Wellness, And Sustainability, Omoike Eric Aizenofe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I argue that creation care contributes to human wellness and to sustainable living on earth. Within contemporary contexts, humans are suffering spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. This distress impairs wellness and reduces peoples’ capacity to contribute to sustainable solutions and earth-positive impacts. Creation care entails conscious and intentional activities that are carried out for the health of the created world. Creation care contributes to human wellness, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally by offering spaces, environments, co-habitations, and interdependency among its components that support human wellness and sustainable living. Creation care helps fight spiritual, mental, and emotional distress so that …

Social-Emotional Learning: A Literature Review, Stella M. Westhoven

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Social-emotional learning targets the development of positive interpersonal relationships, empathy, emotional regulation, healthy identities, personal/collective goal orientation, and responsibility in the decision-making process (CASEL Organization, 2021). Schools, however, have the main objective of ensuring that academic measures are met. Linking social-emotional learning and skills to the school system’s principal goal, academic results, can facilitate the greater implementation of such programs within the school setting. This systematic literature review examined the relationship between social-emotional learning programs in schools and academic outcomes, such as grades, test scores, or grade point averages. Secondly, it explored the relationship between students’ social-emotional skills and …

Teacher Moonlighting: A Perceptional Study From Louisiana, Jessica Renae Greggs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Moonlighting is a common practice for many teachers due to the need for supplemental income. This study was designed to narrate the effects moonlighting had on teachers in Northwest Louisiana. Through a series of online interviews, teachers shared their narrative regarding the effects moonlighting had on their personal and professional lives. The study took a constructivist phenomenological approach using primary data along with descriptive, non-experimental research to collect information about the participants’ lived experiences with teacher moonlighting. A narrative analysis was utilized to generate codes then organize them into themes, and to construct and compare the narrative findings. The results …

Double Consciousness And Unhealthy Weight Control Behaviors In Young Black And White Adults, Priscillia Ihionkhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the previously understudied notion that Black individuals are buffered against being dissatisfied with their bodies and in turn developing unhealthy eating and weight control behaviors. Double consciousness, a racially/ethnically sensitive measure of body dissatisfaction, was tested as a mediator of the relation between ethnic identity and unhealthy eating and weight control behaviors in Black and White adults. It was anticipated that unhealthy weight control behaviors would be more common in Black women compared to White women and that double consciousness would mediate the association between ethnic identity and unhealthy weight control behaviors among Black women, but …

Utilizing Prams And Healthy People 2020 To Examine Black Women’S Breastfeeding Behavior In Louisiana Prior To The Onset Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Almetra Amayá Granger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Phenomenological Study On Career Ascension And Advancement Of African American Women In Senior Academic Leadership At Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Meka Francis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The U. S. Department of Labor Statistics (2018) reported that there were more than 10 million (53%) African American women in the civilian labor force. However, there is a growing concern of African-American women who are underrepresented in higher educational leadership. There are only few studies that focus on the barriers and challenges that African American women encounter. These barriers prevent them from advancing and ascending in positions of higher education leadership. This phenomenological study explored their perceived personal and professional challenges regarding race and gender, as well as highlighted strategies, employed by African-American women in senior academic leadership positions, …

Facilitators To Becoming And Remaining Open Defecation Free In Uganda: Implications For Community-Led Total Sanitation Programming, Danette Lee Cagnet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Poor sanitation behaviors, including open defecation, present risks for diarrhea, which is credited with 600,000 deaths a year in children under age five. Although CLTS is a solution to ending open defecation, more than half of the investment in producing open defecation free (ODF) communities is lost during the maintenance phase. The purpose of this qualitative, case study was to understand stakeholder perceptions of the facilitators and hindrances to becoming ODF certified and maintaining ODF status and sanitary behaviors in a small village community located in Uganda, East Africa. The researcher held individual interviews and in-person focus group discussions to …

Perceptions Of Race, Status, And Instructional Modality As Predictors Of Degree Attainment For African American Male Community College Students, Roderick C. Lewis Sr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Given the large number of students who begin their college education yet never graduate, it is essential that, as higher education leaders and policymakers develop student success strategies, they consider the persistence and degree attainment dynamics of all populations. This study focuses on the problem of degree attainment from the perspective of male, second-year, African American, community college students. A qualitative narrative case study approach was used to ascertain their perception of race, status attainment, and instructional learning modalities as predictors of degree attainment. Accordingly, those perceptions were then evaluated to determine their utility as predictors of degree attainment. Six …

Millennial Employees In Contact Centers: Leadership Style Preferences Contribution To Job Satisfaction, Dana C. Martin Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Millennials account for the largest generational cohort in the workforce. Their propensity for turnover is costly to organizations, not just monetary impact, but skill development and sustainability as well. This study attempted to understand if leadership and the preferred leadership style of Millennial employees contribute to job satisfaction. This mixed-methods sequential explanatory study examined how leadership and the preferred leadership style of Millennial employees, from the perspectives of Millennial employees and those who manage them, contribute to job satisfaction. The Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) was used as the survey tool for the qualitative study (see Appendix A). A questionnaire was …

Title Ix: Girls Call Foul, Robert Marcus Canonico

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Few pieces of legislation have had more of an effect on public education in recent years than Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments. Female athlete participation has increased considerably as a result of this regulation. The purpose of this study, which was conducted in the state of Texas, was to find out how athletic directors—male and female head coaches—felt about their campuses’ compliance with Title IX components. The study focused on the results of a survey instrument that included 14 Likert-scale items and a number of demographic questions. The goal of this study was to (a) look at how …

Diabetes Education With A Focus On Blood Glucose Self-Management: Impacting The Frequency Of Glucose Monitoring, Jennifer M. Young

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quality improvement project was conducted to evaluate whether a focused educational session on self-management of blood glucose monitoring increased the frequency of monitoring for adult type II diabetics who were not taking insulin therapy. The purpose of this improvement project was to add to the body of research from this project. Currently, there are no recommendations for people with type II diabetes who are not taking insulin therapy regarding monitoring their blood glucose. This quantitative project was conducted online to reduce face-to-face contact during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was conducted online through diabetes support groups found on Facebook. Permission …

How Early Education And Pet Therapy May Help Nurses With Compassion Fatigue, Katie E. Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Although there is a great deal of research on the causes of compassion fatigue, there is little research on prevention techniques or ways to combat compassion fatigue. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to discover if nurses are prepared to cope with occupational stress and compassion fatigue. A secondary purpose was to examine the perceived benefit that pet therapy can have as a possible stress reduction technique to decrease the effects of compassion fatigue. This research was conducted by gathering data via semistructured interviews. The researcher interviewed nurses who were currently practicing patient care and scored as …

Is There More Than One Way? Examining Alternative Pathway Teacher Effectiveness Through The Experiences And Perceptions Of Principals In Urban, Low-Socioeconomic Schools In Oklahoma, Julianne Hennessy Denton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher quality continues to be recognized as one of the strongest predictors of student success and school improvement. The quality of an educator is also critical to being able to address the growing achievement and opportunity gap in schools and communities that are marked by concentrated poverty. Therefore, principals are under significant pressure to recruit, train, support, and retain highly qualified teachers, so all students have access to quality education. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to generate knowledge of alternative pathway teachers’ effectiveness in the classroom from an administrative point of view, specifically in urban, low socioeconomic, …

Agency, Mentorship, And Self-Efficacy: Achieving Gender Equity Among Texas Superintendents, Carmela Marisa Levy-David

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this qualitative case study was to revisit Bandura’s agency, self-efficacy theory, and Kram’s mentor theory to address the disproportionality between the number of men and women superintendents in Texas. Despite extensive female representation in classrooms, campus leadership, and central office positions, the number of women superintendents remained relatively unchanged for nearly a decade. Access to mentors, leadership pipelines, career pathways, and other factors was examined to identify current and prior barriers to promotion. Semistructured interviews gathered reflections and experiences from the lens of seven current women superintendents and six mentors of women superintendents. Survey responses from women …

Spiritual Fortitude, Spiritual Struggles, Attachment To God And Faith Maturity: An Exploratory Study, Jacob Kranendonk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spiritual fortitude is a relatively new construct in psychological research with promising insights for helping individuals navigate challenges throughout life. This study aims to explore spiritual fortitude and its relationship to other religious variables, namely religious/spiritual struggles, attachment to God, and faith maturity. Additionally, I explored spiritual fortitude as a moderator of attachment to God and religious/spiritual struggles. Results indicated a positive correlation between spiritual fortitude and faith maturity, as well as spiritual fortitude moderating the relationship between attachment to God and religious/spiritual struggles. I discuss implications of the findings as well as future directions for research.

Understanding How To Promote Healthy Dietary Habits Among Parents Of Adolescents, Jazmine D. Collins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents in the United States today have record-high prevalence rates for childhood obesity and overweight, which are conditions that have lifelong negative health consequences for individuals, and also carry high financial and social costs for the entire nation. The disproportionate burden of obesity and associated health conditions falls on adolescents of racial and ethnic minority group identities and from lower-income households. The increased risk that adolescents have for developing conditions like childhood obesity is closely associated with youth having diets that are unhealthier than in the past. Parents have a large influence on the eating habits and preferences of their …

A Quantitative Examination Of Millennial Turnover In Higher Education, De'aira Marie Kennemer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It has been argued that millennials are estimated to comprise 51% of the workplace population, making them the largest generation in the workforce. Although there are multiple generations in the workplace, it is important for employers to begin to understand the values and needs of the millennial generation due to their sheer size. There is a high level of turnover within the millennial generation. The costs associated with recruiting, selecting, and training new employees can often equal or exceed 100% of that position being filled. This quantitative study aimed to examine if there was a significant relationship between job satisfaction …

Community Health Educators’ Perspectives On Curriculum Resources In Newly Adapted Virtual Diabetes Cooking Classes, Rusty Ranay Hohlt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic forced educators with Extension to shift in-person delivery of community health education programs to virtual delivery. One such program, a diabetes cooking class, was developed for in-person programming and included hands-on activities like recipe demonstrations as an important resource for increasing participants’ behavioral skills. The diabetes cooking class also provided opportunities for participants’ social support. The problem in this study is that it is not known if the tools and resources from the in-person diabetes cooking class curriculum are impactful when used in virtual delivery. This study was developed to assess educators’ implementation of the diabetes cooking …

Revision Of A Nurse Residency Program, Atalie Y. Henderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The organization that served as the study site for this project has two nurse residency programs that compete for resource allocation, space, informational materials, and human resources. The DNP project was conducted to combine the programs to eliminate waste and ensure the combined program met the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education standards for accreditation of entry-to-practice nurse residency programs. A literature review was used to evaluate practice themes for a formal residency program, and Benner’s novice to expert theory was chosen to guide the program development. A team of nurse educators and managers met via teleconferencing to review the curricula …

Embodied Cognition In The Music Theory And Aural Skills Classrooms, Leslie Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Applying concepts of embodied cognition positively impacts pedagogy in the theory and aural skills classrooms. This thesis defines a holistic view of the student and identifies how classroom instruction from that perspective can benefit student learning as well as overall well-being. The opening chapters provide a brief scientific background and connect concepts of embodied cognition with specific music theory and aural skills examples from an interview. A select survey of the music theory pedagogy literature also illustrates principles of embodied cognition. Based on this background, the final chapter presents new sample lesson plans and discusses how to adapt to student …

Development Of A Rating Scale For The Measurement Of Adult Social Skills, Jessica Cuitareo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social skills are a person’s ability to adapt to the environment appropriately utilizing verbal and nonverbal communication (Matson et al., 2007). In accordance with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – fifth edition (DSM-5), individuals diagnosed with Autism demonstrate social skills deficits (APA, 2013). Such deficits may impact an individual negatively in developing and maintaining relationships, as well as occupational skills. However, assessments for adults are few and far between, as assessment has primarily focused on children. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to create and pilot a measure of adult social skills, with the intention of …

Four-Day Modified School Systems In Rural Oklahoma, Bryan D. Akins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past 40 years, school districts in rural areas have been forced to move to a modified four-day school schedule. As of 2019, 650 schools in over 25 states operate on a four-day modified school model. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore teachers’ and administrators’ perceptions of the four-day school week. Four research questions guided the study: (a) How do teachers and administrators perceive the four-day school system in Oklahoma?, (b) Why do teachers and administrators support or not support a four-day school system in Oklahoma?, (c) How do teachers and administrators perceive the impact …

The Underrepresentation Of Women In Building Trades Programs And Careers: Perceptions Behind The Educational And Career Decision-Making Process, Ethel J. Clayton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Women may perceive barriers when considering educational and career options in predominately male-dominated STEM-focused (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs and settings. This qualitative, phenomenological study, emphasizing the social cognitive career theory, explored women’s perceptions that influenced the decision-making process to pursue nontraditional educational paths and careers in career and technical education fields such as architecture and construction while considering gender-associated challenges, culture and racial-ethnicity, and career and technical education stigma. Six adult female participants (three students and three leaders) responded to semistructured questions within a focus group and one-on-one interviews via telephone conferencing. A thematic analysis process using …

Formal Mentoring Programs: An Exploration Of Barriers To Implementation In Nursing Schools, Megan Christine Duncan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Although there are over three million registered nurses in the United States, the national nursing shortage has reached epic proportions, with a vacancy rate of 9.9%. One of the contributing factors to the nursing shortage is the lack of qualified nursing faculty. While formal mentoring programs have been identified as best practice in supporting the expert nurse clinician in their transition into the novice nurse faculty role, these programs are not consistently implemented in schools of nursing. In this phenomenological study, the perceptions of nursing leaders regarding barriers to the implementation of formal mentoring programs were analyzed. Using a …

The Impact Of Disruptive Physician Behavior On Support Staff And Patients: A Quantitative Secondary Analysis, Michael C. Marino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this quantitative secondary analysis, the purpose was to examine the nature of disruptive physician behavior (DPB) from the support staff and patient perspectives. Healthcare staffing shortages existed prior to the global pandemic and have increased, creating importance for employee retention and recruitment. I wanted to understand the impact of physician behavior on staff turnover rates in a private oncology practice, its effect on patient satisfaction rates, and to compare these rates of physicians that display DPB with physicians that do not display this behavior in a private hematology oncology community outpatient setting in the Southwest United States. To answer …

Lgbtq Student Experiences And Perceptions In Christian Higher Education: An Exploration Of Institutional Climate And Lgbtq Persistence, Anthony M. Ungaro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students at faith-based institutions that influence perceptions and persistence are not well known. Although institutions are committed to student growth and development, LGBTQ students are often treated with religious stigmatization and discrimination. This qualitative phenomenological research gave LGBTQ students a voice to share experiences that impact perceptions of campus climate, strategies that lead to persistence, and recommendations to strengthen institutional inclusiveness. The interview results from six LGBTQ students at various Christian institutions associated with the Council for Christian College and Universities provided in-depth considerations for faith-based institutions, specifically Christian, to …

Improving The Competency Of Nurse Educators In The Use Of Simulation, Pricilla H. Wyatt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Simulation in nursing education programs is widely used as an active clinical learning strategy. This teaching methodology is a standard supplement to clinical experiences for nursing students to meet the requirements of clinical components within their degree program; however, the faculty of a small liberal arts-based Bachelor of Science in Nursing program was not using simulation to its fullest potential. Therefore, the purpose of this DNP project was to introduce the use of evidence-based practice simulation guidelines recommended by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. The study sample of 16 included 10 full-time faculty, five part-time adjunct faculty, …