Digital Commons Network^™

Best Practices Of Women Leaders In The Public Sector, Candy Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: This study sought to determine the best practices of women leaders in the public sector. Methods: This phenomenological study used purposive sampling to identify women leaders and used the interview protocol. Researcher interviewed 8 women leaders from City, State, County, and higher education agencies. Researcher used public open source Web sites such as LinkedIn and LAAAWPPI to recruit participants, and 12 open-ended interview questions were posed. From these, 5 themes emerged (a) Collaboration, (b) Communication, (c) Be coachable, (d) Manage Bureaucracy, and (e) Have integrity. Findings: The findings show women in the public sector face challenges in the workplace, …

Rehabilitation Counselor Clinical Judgment Model Application With Data From An Individualized Placement And Support Trial For Veterans Living With Spinal Cord Injuries, Kevin Fields

Theses and Dissertations

Employment rates for veterans with spinal cord injuries remain low despite legislation aimed at helping individuals with significant barriers to employment succeed in finding competitive work. As access to services and resultant outcomes become more scrutinized, the need for Rehabilitation Counselors to efficiently allocate resources grows more vital to the cause. Existing research supports a mediated path model of rehabilitation counselor clinical judgment asserting observations of disability severity, intelligence, and psychosocial adjustment lead to inferences of functional status and attribution thereof, which collectively influence predictions of successful rehabilitation. The current study investigated the variance attributable to this clinical judgement model …

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors' Experiences, Perceptions, And Readiness Related To Self-Employment Of People With Disabilities, Deborah Ashley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation study was to explore the experiences, perceptions, and readiness (EPR) of vocational rehabilitation counselors (VRCs) supporting people with disabilities (PWD) in self-employment. While PWD are twice as likely to be self-employed than the general population, self-employment case closure rates within vocational rehabilitation remain historically low around 2%.

Descriptive, inferential, and correlational statistical analysis were used to investigate the EPR of 205 Certified Rehabilitation Counselors across the nation via an online survey, the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Self-Employment Process Survey (VRC-SEPS). The VRC-SEPS consists of demographic items, two Likert-type scales examining experiences and readiness, and a set …

Cost Of Caring: The Effects Of Euthanasia On Animal Shelter Workers, Kim L. Nguyen-Finn

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods study focuses on animal shelter workers, a population that has often been overlooked in research and clinical practice, and the emotional strains of the task of euthanasia. The effects of employment in a kill or no-kill shelter, participation in euthanasia, and number of years employed on mental health issues of substance abuse, anxiety, depression, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout were examined. A three-way MANOVA was run to test the hypothesis that there is a cell effect among the type of shelter employed in, participation in euthanasia, and years of experience on mental health, which was not supported by …

A Study Of Counselor Trainees' Self-Perceived Competency In Social Justice Advocacy, Mary Ann Rocha

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to examine the social justice advocacy competencies of rehabilitation counselor trainees. The study aims to explore rehabilitation counselor trainees’ self-perceived social justice advocacy competencies. More specifically, counselor trainees’ demographic and training variables will be examined to understand the process of social justice advocacy competency. Also, the study will explore the correlation between social justice advocacy competency and ethical awareness. A convenience sample of counselor trainees who are in a master’s-level or doctoral level rehabilitation counseling program or related counseling program was utilized for this study. In total, 132 counselors in training completed the online …

Factors Contributing To Successful Employment Outcomes For Individuals Who Are Hard-Of-Hearing, Sergio Cuevas

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between demographic variables (gender, race and ethnicity, age, level of education, and secondary disability), state-federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) services, and VR employment outcomes among individuals who are hard-of-hearing. This study also explored what VR services contribute to employment outcomes for individuals who are hard-of-hearing. Data from The U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Service Administration Case Service Report (RSA-911) FY 2014 was used to focus on individuals who are hard-of-hearing. Logistic regression, Chi-square, and Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) analyses were used to analyze the RSA-911 dataset.

Certified Rehabilitation Counselors' Self-Perceived Competency In Facilitating End-Of-Life Care Services, Miranda Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

As of 2010, certified rehabilitation counselors (CRC) have been provided ethical guidelines addressing end-of-life care (EOL) service delivery for persons with disabilities. Due to the plethora of pertinent knowledge and skills sets needed to facilitate comprehensive EOL issues, it is vital to examine rehabilitation counselors’ self-perceived competence in facilitating EOL care service delivery. The study was conducted as a non-experimental exploratory design. Based on the study’s sample (N = 188), descriptive statistics reported 70% of counselors lacked education while 69% had not participated in EOL training. Approximately 81% of the participants reported the need for EOL education and training. …

Communication Between Home And School For Parents Of Children With Chronic Illness, Keri Edwards

Theses and Dissertations

A child with chronic illness has a physical or behavioral condition that affects the child’s daily functioning, lasts longer than three months, and requires medical intervention such as medication, hospitalizations, and/or home care (Newacheck, McManus, & Fox, 2001). Chronic illness interferes with all areas of development, including physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development, and a growing number of children with chronic illnesses are attending school. Effective communication between parents and educators is essential so that accurate information about the nature and extent of the impact of chronic illness on children’s learning experiences and schooling can be shared and appropriate supports …

An Exploratory Factor Analysis: Factors That Influence Employers Disposition To Hire And Retain Persons With Disabilities, Javier Nazario Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the laws that are in place to ensure equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, there continues to be a disparity in employment rates for persons with disabilities when compared to persons without disabilities. Understanding factors that influence employers disposition to hire and retain persons with disabilities is the first step towards developing a guide for professionals that provide direct job placement services to this population in developing an educational intervention plan that is conducive to employers being more receptive to hiring persons with disabilities.

Currently there are many studies that focus on employers’ attitudes towards hiring and retaining …

Deaf / Hard Of Hearing Preschool Students’ Acquisition Of Language Through Dyadic And Triadic Communication Contexts, Molly S. Herman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of using dyadic communication with a teacher of the deaf (ToD) and a Deaf/Hard of Hearing (D/HH) student compared to a triadic communication with a general education teacher, sign language interpreter, and D/HH student. Four participants in a self-contained D/HH early childhood classroom participated in both comparison groups using dyadic and triadic communication to acquire vocabulary language skills for communication while playing a preschool game. An adapted alternating treatment design (AATD) for single case research was used to rapidly alternate comparison groups using equivalent games and counterbalanced across …

Mexican American Counselor And Client: Perceptions Toward Substance Use Disorders, Eluterio Blanco Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Over 28.6 million Americans have admitted to the ongoing use of illicit drugs and more than half of Americans are current alcohol drinkers yet a significant number of these people do not seek treatment. Trends regarding substance-related treatment have shown Hispanic drug users tend to underutilize drug and alcohol services and treatment avoidance is especially prevalent among Mexican Americans who reside along the US-Mexico border, due in part to the stigma associated with substance use. In addition, counselor attitudes as well as student counselors-in-training attitudes are showing a manifestation of the same kind of stigma toward substance use as the …

Cultural Awareness: Latinos Perceptions In A Multicultural Counseling Course [Concientización Cultural: Percepciones De Estudiantes Latinos En Un Curso De Consejería Multicultural], Leila Flores-Torres

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the experiences and perceptions from a multicultural counseling course of Latino graduate counseling students at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). The purpose of the study was to understand the students’ lived experience and its impact in developing their multicultural counselor identity and competencies. The research questions included the following: What course experiences and personal values do Latino graduate students identify as relevant to their multicultural counseling preparation? What psychological process do Latino graduate students use to make meaning of their experiences and values in their multicultural counseling preparation to serve the needs of culturally diverse clients?

The …

Multicultural Counselor Supervision And Perceived Differences On Client Outcome, Andrew Perez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the differences between counselor supervisors’ and supervisees’ perceptions of the impact of multicultural supervision on client outcome. Counselor supervisors and supervisees may have differences in how much they believe multicultural factors affect client outcome and this study aims to determine what differences exist. These differences are important in understanding how supervisors might better serve supervisees and in turn clients. There were 61 participants in the study that consisted of faculty, counselor supervisors, counselors, and graduate students in counseling-related fields. The current study found that multicultural supervision/competence alone predicted supervisor client outcome. The …

Knowledge And Attitudes Toward Persons With Schizophrenia Among Hispanic University Students Enrolled In Mental Health And Non-Mental Health Disciplines, Manisha Sharma

Theses and Dissertations

The present study was designed to examine university students’ knowledge regarding schizophrenia and factors that can influence university students’ attitudes toward persons with schizophrenia. An attribution questionnaire ([AQ-27], Corrigan, Markowitz, Watson, Rowan, & Kubiak, 2003), the Error Choice Test ([ECT], Michaels & Corrigan, 2013), and the Social Desirability Scale ([SDS-13], Reynolds, 1982) were utilized to collect data from undergraduate students attending The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), the largest U.S. Hispanic serving university located on the Texas-Mexico border. Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to analyze the survey data. Results indicated a non-significant relationship between students’ knowledge regarding …

Association Between Hispanic Parents' Attitudes And Knowledge Regarding Obesity And Their Children's Body Mass Index: Implications For The Development Of Obesity, Renee Starr

Theses and Dissertations

According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2017), more than 1.9 billion adults age 18 and older are overweight and over 650 million are obese. Data collected through the Centers for Disease Control indicates the prevalence of U.S. adults who are overweight and obese is estimated at 36.5% and the national childhood obesity rate is more than 12.7 million (17%), with approximately one in six school-aged children reaching the obesity level (Ogden, Carroll, Fryar, & Flegal, 2015). Hispanic children have the highest levels of obesity among all racial/ethnic groups (21.9%) and obesity rates are especially prevalent among impoverished Hispanics residing …

Variables Relevant To Self-Efficacy: Mexican-American High School Students With Specific Learning Disabilities, Matilde Barrera Alaniz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to ascertain if a relationship exists between self-efficacy and grade point average (GPA), age, gender, language proficiency, socioeconomic status, and failed grade levels during school career among Mexican-American high school students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) residing along the southwestern state of the Mexican border. Moreover, to learn if a relationship exists between motivation and the above variables. This study also observed if a relationship between motivation as measured by the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-A) (i.e., external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, and intrinsic motivation) and GPA existed; it also observed the correlation between …

Resilience And Social Support Among College Students With Disabilities, Rachita Sharma

Theses and Dissertations

Since the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, individuals with disabilities have found enhanced opportunities in various areas of living. The numbers of students with disabilities in institutions of postsecondary education have also increased in the past few decades; however, despite this increase, the degree completion rates of students with disabilities continue to lag in comparison to their non-disabled peers in colleges and universities. As such, most universities currently have a designated office or department of disability accommodations designed to provide academic accommodations for students with disabilities. Nonetheless, current rehabilitation research is lacking in knowledge regarding interventions …

Proactive Personality And Voluntary Turnover: The Moderating Effects Of Development And Perceived Career Opportunities, Amy F. Huber

Theses and Dissertations

The present thesis reports the research and quantitative examination of the relation

between proactive personality and voluntary turnover, as well as the moderating influences of participation in development activities and perceptions of available career opportunities. Zero- order correlations and moderated binary logistic regression are used to test the hypotheses within an archival data set of 295 participations from a multinational European organization. A significant correlation was found between proactive personality and participation in developmental activities. Additionally, participation in developmental activities was found to be a negative predictor of voluntary turnover. Results of the moderated logistic regression analysis showed that both …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Counselor Competencies In Working With Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Their Families, Katherine A. Feather

Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a profound diagnosis that affects 1% of the world’s population (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]; 2015a). Counselors can play a dynamic role in treating ASD and promoting greater life satisfaction; however, the counseling field has not identified how counselors develop their competencies working with children with ASD and their families. Therefore, the phenomenological investigation examined the experiences of 15 counselors in the field and their self-perceived competencies of treating ASD. A model of ASD counseling competencies development emerged from the data. Participants described the developmental components of Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies …

Reliability And Stability Of The Six Question Disability Measure In The Current Population Survey: What The Data Can And Cannot Tell Us About Disability And Labor Force Participation, Jeffrey Joy Dr.

Theses and Dissertations

The Current Population Survey (CPS) has been a major source of disability data for public policy and research. The aim of this study was two-fold. First, the study examined the six disability measures added to the CPS in 2008 to determine if they are both a reliable and stable method of describing disability over a period of two survey administrations in a 12-month period. Second, this study then assessed the impact of disability upon labor force participation. This research used a subset of the respondents to the longitudinal CPS Annual Social and Economic Supplement; it included (N=11,721) respondents …

Best Practices To Establish Susccesful Mobile Health Service In A Healthcare Setting, Kathy M. Andrews

Theses and Dissertations

Alternative healthcare programs have been steadily flooding the health care market, with the most notable being mobile health. Mobile health, more popularly known as mHealth, is expected to generate upward of $59 billion dollars. This is astonishing, considering the mHealth market is still in its infancy as an alternative healthcare model. Still, there are over 100,000 mHealth smartphone applications and platforms on the market. The concept of offering affordable medical services that are accessible to anyone, at any time and in any place appeals to the mission and purpose of healthcare organizations. However, a large number of the studies and …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Parents Of A Child Or Children Diagnosed With Deafness, David Patrick Leach

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the lived experiences of twelve parents who have a child or children diagnosed with deafness, and the meaning these parents have made of their experiences. The researcher conducted individual, semi-structured interviews and analyzed the data in accordance with the practices of phenomenological research. Thirty-seven themes were identified in the interview data, which were discussed in terms of their implications for efficacious clinical services to this population, as well as for the field of counselor education.

Workplace Discrimination And Visual Impairment: An Analysis Of Eeoc Charges And Resolutions, Jane Mcneil

Theses and Dissertations

Workplace discrimination for individuals with visual impairments in the U.S. is an ongoing issue dating before the founding of the EEOC and the enactment of the ADA. Despite laws enacted to protect against unequal treatment in the workplace, the EEOC continues to receive submissions of formal discrimination charges from individuals with visual impairments.

The workplace is experiencing changes with increasing amounts of older adults, women, minorities, and the use of technology and the Internet. By examining characteristics of the discrimination charges and the resulting outcomes, the knowledge gained can describe the current situation and the historical progression of workplace discrimination …

Moderators Of The Relationship Between Perceived Employability And Voluntary Turnover, Joseph Kenneth Morrison

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reports a quantitative research project examining the relation between perceived employability and voluntary turnover and the moderating roles played by job embeddedness and perceived organizational support. This examination uses archival data from 230 participants from a multinational organization using zero-order correlations and moderated binary logistic regression techniques. Significant correlational effects were found between perceived employability and voluntary turnover. Significant moderated logistic regression effects were found when adding job embeddedness and perceived organizational support to the perceived employability and voluntary turnover logistic regression model. Following the results is a discussion of the implications of this research, both theoretically and …

Partner Attachment And The Parental Alliance, Ashley B. Bell

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has demonstrated that cooperation and support between parents, called the parental alliance, is an important predictor of parent and child well-being. Consequently, it is important to understand what factors promote the formation of a strong parental alliance. Because of research on the impact of attachment security on individuals' abilities to depend and rely on others and to appropriately manage conflict, partner attachment is a potential predictor of the parental alliance, with insecure attachment negatively weakening the parental alliance. This study analyzed data from 321 couples to examine the relationship between partner attachment and the parental alliance. Using the …

Understanding Turnover Propensity Via Affective Beliefs, Adam Bradshaw

Theses and Dissertations

Three latent variable models examined relationships among neuroticism, situation-specific affective beliefs, and turnover propensity and were evaluated with Structural Equation Modeling to determine model fit. Results provided additional insight into how affective belief systems relate to turnover propensity reinforcing and expanding upon previous research by Binning, Bradshaw, LeBreton, and Scheier (2010) as the Correlated Antecedents and the Mediated Antecedents Models fit the data as proposed. Neuroticism and situation-specific affective beliefs continue to play distinguishable roles in explaining turnover propensity. Research by Binning et al. (2010) and the present study make it increasingly clear that understanding how affective belief systems relate …

Enhancing Self-Efficacy In The Utilization Of Physical Activity Counseling: An Online Constructivist Approach With Psychologists-In-Training, Cassandra D. Pasquariello

Theses and Dissertations

In our sedentary society, physical inactivity has become the biggest public health concern of the 21st century. In addition to physical health promotion, physical activity has been associated with a number of positive psychological and social outcomes. Psychologists are well positioned to provide physical activity counseling and may have ethical obligations to address physical activity with their clients. Training the next generation of psychologists about the role of physical activity and health is critical to ensure best practices in graduate education. Researchers have cited insufficient training as a barrier to integrating physical activity into clinical work, yet little is known …

Exploring Substance Use Disorders Community Outpatient Counselors’ Experiences Treating Clients With Co-Occurring Medical Conditions: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Lauretta Cathers

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract EXPLORING SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS COMMUNITY OUTPATIENT COUNSELORS’ EXPERIENCES TREATING CLIENTS WITH CO-OCCURRING MEDICAL CONDITIONS. AN INTERPRETATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS Lauretta Anne Cathers, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2013 Major Director: Amy Armstrong, PhD, Chair, Rehabilitation Counseling The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study presents the findings from a qualitative study examining substance use disorders (SUD) community outpatient treatment counselors’ experiences treating clients with co-occurring medical conditions. Interviews from five SUD community outpatient treatment counselors resulted in four emerging super-ordinate themes. The findings illustrate …

Acceptance Of Disability In College Students, Brian Charles Carl

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents the findings of a study examining the following questions: How do students in a particular disability group differ from students in other disability groups in the degree to which they accept their disability? How are level of functional impairment and acceptance related? How are an individual's view of disability as a defining characteristic and acceptance related? How are functional impairment and the degree to which disability is seen as a defining characteristic related? Analysis using ANOVA indicated that there was not a significant difference in the level of acceptance between disability groups. Three Pearson's r correlation analyses …

Prevalence Of Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Disaster Relief Volunteers, Erica Ballard

Theses and Dissertations

Secondary Traumatic Stress is a stress response brought about by working with or having a close relationship with a person or population affected by a traumatic event. It has been found in doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and aid workers. The purpose of this study was to further understand the prevalence of STS in disaster relief volunteers. Thirty-five former and current volunteers for various disaster relief organizations filled out a survey about their experience, the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale and the Compassion Fatigue Scale-Revised. Out of 35 participants, 91% were found to have at least one symptom of STS or …