Digital Commons Network^™

Employee Perceptions Related To Specific Work Processes Within The Crime Control Model Known As The Stratified Model, Robert William Steinkraus

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure employee perceptions of satisfaction as they relate to specific work processes and products within the Stratified Model. The Stratified Model is a crime-reduction model that was developed and gradually implemented first within the Port St. Lucie Police Department between 2004-2011. The full implementation of this crime-reduction model occurred in 2012. The Port St. Lucie Police department has since achieved greater reductions of the overall crime rate than other cities in Florida consisting of similar populations. In 2019, Port St. Lucie had the 7th largest population in Florida.

Currently, it is unknown how …

The Strategic Orientation Of Skilled Nursing Facilities, Jennifer R. Palazzolo

Theses and Dissertations

Since the early 2000s, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) have operated in an environment made uncertain by changes in health care policy, growth in substitutes for nursing care, and increasing demand for services. To better understand how SNFs are strategically positioning themselves to survive and thrive, this study develops a taxonomy of strategic groups of SNFs.

A conceptual framework is based in Strategic Management Theory and classification of SNFs is based on scope of business decisions including length of stay, complexity of patients, and referral networks with hospitals. Two-step, hierarchical cluster analysis finds six strategy groups of SNFs: Post-Acute Care Focus …

Identifying Characteristics That Lead To Better Academic Performance For International Students In U.S. Colleges, Hadi Rajabbeigi

Theses and Dissertations

A large proportion of students in the United States is international students. Thus, educational leaders need to facilitate the learning process for this population. This study investigated the characteristics of international students that affect their academic performance. The purpose of this study was to determine how individual characteristics of international students affect the learning strategies they choose and how it affects their academic performance. For this purpose, the survey was designed according to the literature, which measures characteristic variables based on VIA character strengths (Peterson & Seligman, 2004), learning strategies (MSLQ) developed by Pintrich et al. (1991), and academic performance …

Navigating Success: First-Generation Pathways To Institutional Integration, Katherine B. Drumm

Theses and Dissertations

Guided pathways mobile applications are one technology-based tool that colleges and universities have implemented in an attempt to educate and guide students through the myriad steps necessary to matriculate, integrate and successfully graduate from their institution at scale. Using Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and capital, Astin’s model of student involvement and Tinto’s model of student integration as a conceptual framework, and building upon the work of Slanger et al. (2015), this study investigated if the Educational Stress scale score from the College Student Inventory (CSI) can act as a measure of student habitus. In addition, this study used institutional data …

Exploring Academic Leadership In Higher Education Through The Lens Of Leader-To-Member Exchange (Lmx) Theory, Dequies A. Lanier

Theses and Dissertations

A phenomenological study focused on Exploring Academic Leadership in Higher Education Through The Lens of Leader-to-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory, Dequies A. Lanier, 2020: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: communication, leadership development, higher education, leader-member exchange, organizational leadership This applied dissertation was designed to explore the communication between higher education leaders and faculty at the department level in the United States at a southeastern higher education institution. The study sought to explore (a) the communication relationship between leaders and followers; (b) commitment to the organization; and (c) suggested communication …

Exploring The Needs, Practices, And Attitudes Toward Technology Integration Of Community College Esol Instructors: Recommendations For Professional Development Through Action Research, Courtney Cunningham

Theses and Dissertations

Research has established both the importance of integrating technology in English language learning and of properly training teachers in order to integrate technology effectively. Inadequate teacher and learner training prevent technology from being utilized to its fullest potential in the English language classroom. A portion of the problem is due to lack of training for practicing teachers. While this is true for English as a second language teachers in all contexts, there is a strong need for instructors working with adult learners to utilize technology and be properly trained in technology integration. Professional development is a way to overcome barriers …

On Matters Of Feedback: Supporting The Online Grading Feedback Process With Web-Based, Collaborative Comment Banks, Jennifer Schneider

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study describes how a web-based, feedback comment bank impacts online instructor efficacy as well as attitudes and perceptions associated with the online grading feedback process. Bandura’s work on individual self-efficacy, Tschannen-Moran and Hoy’s work on instructor efficacy, and Hattie’s work on collective efficacy, along with Wiggins and Hattie and Clarke’s work on grading feedback represent the core of the study’s theoretical framework. The study adopted a mixed-methods action research design to examine three research questions: “How does the use of a web-based grading feedback comment bank impact online instructor’s teaching efficacy?,” “How does the use of a …

The Experiences Of Black Women In Diversity Roles At 4-Year Predominantly White Institutions, Tristen Brena� Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Many Black women professionals at predominantly White colleges and universities share similar experiences regarding racism, sexism, and classism at their institutions. However, there is a dearth of research regarding the experiences of Black women who specifically work in diversity related positions at four-year predominantly White institutions (PWI). The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of Black women who hold diversity related roles at PWIs. For the purpose of this study, diversity positions were defined as roles held in housing and residence life as well as in multicultural affairs departments and centers. Using a qualitative research approach …

Agility Measurement For Large Organizations, Jeremy R. Geiger

Theses and Dissertations

There is an ongoing demand for organizations to become more agile in order to prosper amongst their competitors. Many organizations, including the United States Department of Defense (DoD), have declared a renewed focus towards organizational agility. This research begins by providing a suitable and formal definition of organizational agility (OA) by exploring and analyzing relevant scholarly literature on the subject. Existing methods to measure OA are examined and summarized, and their current limitations are highlighted. Previous studies to find characteristics associated with organizational agility are examined and the Q-sort method was employed to discover, analyze and eliminate redundant items from …

A Grounded Theory Of The Impact Of Teachnj On The Instructional Leadership Of Superintendents, Russell Matthew Lazovick

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a theory, grounded in data obtained by interviewing current superintendents on how TEACHNJ has impacted their ability to improve student performance. TEACHNJ is a law enacted by the state of New Jersey to improve teacher quality and raise student performance by changing evaluation and tenure processes in order to create greater transparency, equity, consistency, and accountability across districts. This study examined the law's impact on five specific actions superintendents can take that have been found to enhance student performance. The study found that TEACHNJ served as a punctuating event, sending …

A Case Study In Revolutionary Change: From High School To Missionary Training Center, Shawn R. Cates

Theses and Dissertations

This article focuses on a case study in revolutionary change. A private school in Mexico City that had functioned for 49 years under the educational arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints underwent a change in mission, purpose, structure, function, and administration in eight months. Research about organizational change contains many conceptual models and principles intended to guide an organization through large-scale change. However, this change occurred without any strict reliance on a specific change model. This qualitative study is directed at empirically discovering what main factors led to success rather than relying on anecdotal assumptions. The …

Does Marriage, Employment And Having Children Matter? A Secondary Analysis On Physical Activity Levels, Leisure Time Physical Activity, And Social Roles Among Women In The United States, Tramaine Paul Mcmullen

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Social roles, such as being married, employed, or having children, have been shown to have independent negative relationships with moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels among women. Increasing the number of women with children that meets physical activity guidelines is critical to reduce chronic disease and early mortality in this population. However, few studies have examined the relationship between holding multiple social roles, MVPA, and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) among women with children. The study had two aims: 1) to determine the relationship between objectively measured MVPA by social roles and 2) to examine the frequency of specific …

Dialogue Sessions On Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Topics: A Phenomenological Action Research Study In An Independent School Setting, Erica Forniss Wiltshire

Theses and Dissertations

Administrators and teachers play an integral role in creating educational spaces where all students can feel safe, welcome, and appreciated. Inspired by the unique responsibility of educators and guided by the work of noted proponents of cultural competence, this exploration is approached through a triplicate lens including phenomenological philosophy, critical race theory, and social reconstructionism. This critical social reconstructionist-hermeneutic phenomenological action research study seeks to gain a deeper understanding of early elementary, independent school teachers’ views on cultural competence before and after three targeted dialogue sessions.

Applying Psychological Reactance Theory To Intercultural Communication In The Workplace: Dealing With Technological Change And Tolerance For Ambiguity, Oumaima Boulhna

Theses and Dissertations

Psychological reactance theory has yet to be applied to intercultural and cross-cultural communication, at least not to a sufficient extent. This study conducted a cross-cultural examination of psychological reactance in intercultural workplace communication situations. Using the theoretical framework of psychological reactance as well as the constructs of intercultural sensitivity and tolerance for ambiguity, this study expanded applications of PRT for technological change messages in the workplace. The present study extended the previous applications of psychological reactance theory and found a significant cross-cultural variation for trait reactance. The results also revealed that tolerance for ambiguity was negatively related to trait reactance, …

Influence Of Teachers’ Psychological Safety, Principals’ Transformational Leadership, And Organizational Uncertainty On Schools As Learning Organizations, Lloyd D. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

The primary function of a school is learning. What this causal-comparative and correlational study sought to resolve is whether schools which are designed for learning can learn. The purpose of the study was four-fold. First, to validate the Dimensions of a Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) as an instrument to be used to within the school context. Secondly, to ascertain if there was a difference in how the factors of the DLOQ loaded in relation to the achievement level of a school. Thirdly, the study was to assess whether the dimensions of learning organization—continuous learning, dialogue and inquiry, collaboration, embedded systems, …

Understanding The Administrative Role Fo School Psychology District Leaders, Alivia Nicole Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Very few articles in the published research literature have considered the clinical supervision of school psychology and even fewer articles explore the administrative supervision of school psychologists. The purpose of this study is to describe the roles, and responsibilities, and challenges faced by district leaders who supervise school psychologists. Using a purposeful sample, participants met criteria for this study if they worked at the district level, supervised at least three school psychologists, and were responsible for hiring and firing school psychologists. Nineteen participants qualified for this study and completed a phone interview that included eight open-ended questions. Participants shared that …

The Relationship Between School Climate And Student Achievement At The Middle School Level In Georgia, Curtis Brett Wallace

Theses and Dissertations

School leaders from all over our nation are under scrutiny and pressure to raise their students’ academic achievement. Good standards-based classroom teaching, supportive teachers, administrators, and parents, and a motivated student all make for a high achieving student. But what is the relationship of the school’s climate to the achievement level? Does the student’s socioeconomic status affect academic achievement? This study collected data from 431 traditional public middle schools in the state of Georgia serving students in Grade 6 through Grade 8 exclusively during the 2017-18 school year. A stepwise multiple regression was used to examine the relationships in both …

Human Social Services In Central Illinois: Making Sense Of State Divestment And The State Budget Impasse, Erik William Zdansky

Theses and Dissertations

The state of Illinois underwent an historic budget impasse that lasted 793 days from July 1, 2015 to August 31, 2017. By not signing the budget, the former Governor Bruce Rauner used a form of shock therapy at the state level to implement his reform agenda. The human social service sector was particularly hit hard. I wanted to investigate how an ecology of homeless service agencies in the central Illinois area strategized and prioritized their decision-making in response to an active crisis. During semi-structured interviews of agency executives and program managers, more was revealed about how they responded to state …

The Relationship Between Work-Life Balance Programs And Employee Success, Efrain Medina

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the importance of work-life balance (WLB) programs to employees. Despite several attempts to understand the relationship between WLB programs and employee outcomes, it has been suggested that there should be a more complex understanding of how WLB programs enhance employee outcomes. This study aims to provide empirical evidence of the relationship between the availability of WLB programs and six workplace outcomes: job performance, turnover intention, deviant workplace behavior, affective commitment, fatigue level, and perceived organizational support. Secondly, the study examines whether perceived organizational support mediates the relationship between WLB programs availability and …

Career Paths, Responsibilities, Barriers, And Affirmations Of Exemplary Female Elementary School Principals, Stacie Collins

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to explore the lived experiences of exemplary female elementary principals. The qualitative phenomenological study investigated the career paths, job responsibilities, barriers/challenges, and affirmations of exemplary female principals practicing in elementary schools in the United States. The participants were required to have at least 5 years of experience in education and at least 3 years as an elementary school principal. Interviews were conducted by the researcher to acquire explanations about the participants’ perceptions, perspectives, and feelings based on their experiences as exemplary elementary principals. The investigation focused on the females’ career paths, job responsibilities, barriers/challenges, …

You Say You Want A Revolution: A Multiple Case Study Of Diversity And Inclusion Messages To Transform Engineering Culture, Stephanie Lezotte

Theses and Dissertations

Lack of diversity in engineering programs has drawn recent national attention (National Science Foundation, 2017). Scholars have suggested the normative engineering culture perpetuates the marginalization of students and faculty with excluded identities (Leydens & Lucena, 2017; Seymour & Hewitt, 1997; Walden, Trytten, Shehab, & Foor, 2018). This multiple case study examined three engineering units committed to creating an inclusive engineering culture that values social justice in order to redefine the "ideal" engineer. The overarching research question was: How do engineering diversity champions produce and circulate institutional messages about diversity and inclusion? Drawing from communications studies, cultural studies, and organizational theory, …

Learning Centered Leadership: Exploring How Distinguished Learning-Centered Principals Apply Key Processes Of Learning-Centered Leadership, Jared G. Wright

Theses and Dissertations

School leadership is a complex and challenging endeavor, especially in an era when school principals are held accountable for student achievement outcomes. Research on school leadership has shown that a principal’s influence on student achievement is indirect and significant. Over the past three decades, research on school leadership has developed conceptually and now offers more concrete descriptions of the actions and behaviors leaders can utilize for learning-centered leadership. The developers of the Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education (VAL-ED) evaluation framework sought to create a school leader assessment tool that measures learning-centered behaviors, instead of measures that focus on the …

Perceptions Of Outreach, Theory, And Practice At Centers For Teaching And Learning, Samantha Dunn

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTLs) and how they are perceived by the instructors and employees who work in higher education. CTLs focus on accessing and assessing faculty and staff while creating programs and research which offers insight into the faculty, instructional, and organizational needs of an institution. The needs that CTLs focus on include the professional, educational, instructional, and, sometimes, personal development of employees. Yet, the theories and practices which drive the research of educational development—specifically CTLs—are fragmented due to the interdisciplinary nature, vast scope, and practical-focus of directors and researchers.

This study builds upon previous …

A Grounded Theory Of Professional Development Preferences Of Millennial Educational Professionals, Bobbie M. Downs

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this grounded research study is to answer the question: How should professional development be designed to best meet the preferences of educational professionals of the millennial generation? As the workplace, including the field of education, becomes more generationally diverse, it is education leaders who must learn the unique needs of their staff members and develop meaningful professional development opportunities that meet these requirements. Both generational cohort theory and transformative learning theory became the underpinnings of the research. The research was conducted primarily through qualitative interviews at an educational services commission in New Jersey. A theory about millennial …

Visions For Mathematics Instruction, Instructional Practices, And Common Core: Individuality In Large-Scale Reform, Kelsey A. Clarkson

Theses and Dissertations

The Common Core content standards and standards for mathematical practice (SMP) have introduced an unprecedented opportunity in U.S. history to consider the implications of a national scale standards reform effort that provides teachers the individualistic opportunity to select instructional practices aimed at achieving the standards. The content standards and SMP specifically lay out what students should be able to do by the end of each grade but do not describe how teachers should support students through instructional practices in order to achieve these goals (CCSSI, “Myths About Implementation,” para. 1). Seemingly in contradiction to the Common Core State Standards Initiative’s …

A Mixed-Method Case Study Of The Effects Of Question Formulation Technique On Classroom Engagement In A Secondary Earth Science Classroom And Teachers’ Perceptions Of This Shift, Kristen Mantione Cummings

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect on classroom engagement of question formulation technique (QFT), which teaches students how to produce, improve, and prioritize their own questions. This study took place at a medium-sized suburban high school between September 2018 and May 2019. The sample included 263 students (53.7% male and 46.3% female) from twelve earth science classes taught by five different teachers; 80.5% were freshmen, 6.7% were sophomores, 10.1% were juniors, and 2.7% were seniors. Students completed the Classroom Engagement Inventory (CEI) before and after the intervention. The CEI is a classroom-level survey that uses self-reporting …

The Influence Of Mindfulness On Teacher-Student Relationships, Classroom Climate, And School Culture: Secondary Educators’ Perspectives, Margaret Lane Dunne

Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that the relationships students share with teachers have the power to enhance or hinder students’ learning and overall well-being. Thus, there is a critical need for educational leaders to implement systems that develop teachers’ abilities to connect with and positively support students. The focus of this phenomenological study was to explore a purposefully selected group of participants’ perceptions of how their mindfulness practices influence their work as secondary educators. Participants of the study included secondary educators from varied academic departments, varied years of teaching experience, and varied years engaged in mindfulness practice. Participants were drawn from two suburban, …

Relationship Of Demographic Characteristics Of Occupational And Physical Therapists Towards Their Knowledge And Attitude On Person-Centered Care In Skilled Nursing Facilities, Sadashiv R. Aggarwal

Theses and Dissertations

The study aimed to assess the relationship of specific demographic characteristics of occupational (OTs) and physical therapists (PTs) with their knowledge and attitudes towards principles of Person-Centered Care (PCC) in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). The study further examined if knowledge and/or attitudinal differences exist between OTs and PTs towards PCC. The proposed descriptive study used the Person-Centered Care theory, which is a holistic (bio-psychosocial-spiritual) health care delivery approach. PCC delivers services that are respectful and individualized, allowing negotiation of care, and offering choice through a therapeutic relationship where persons receiving care are empowered to be involved in health decisions at …

Impact Of Performance-Based Budgeting On Quality Outcomes In U.S. Military Healthcare Facilities, Kimberly L. Decker Virginia Commonwealth University

Theses and Dissertations

Performance-based budgeting (PBB) is a variation of pay for performance that is applicable to government programs. It works by increasing or decreasing funding based on pre-established performance thresholds, which incentivizes organizations to improve performance. In late 2006, the U.S. Army implemented a PBB program in all of its healthcare facilities due to rising concerns over costs and quality in its facilities. The U.S. Army’s PBB program tied hospital-level funding decisions to performance on key cost and quality-related metrics. This study examined the impact of this program and a subsequent PBB program on quality improvement in U.S. Army healthcare facilities. Drawing …

Building Change Agility Within Teams, Tiffany N. Bersos

Theses and Dissertations

Change is necessary for an organization to be successful. However, poorly executed change, with ill-equipped leaders and unprepared teams, often result in failed efforts. Leaders can have a direct impact on their team's change agility and successful change initiatives. This study looked at team leaders and individual contributors across a variety of industries and explored ways that team leaders can build change agility. This study addressed three research questions: how participants defined the role of a leader, what individuals observed about themselves when at their best during a change, and what practices they believed would aid in building change agility …