Digital Commons Network^™

Organizational Culture Formation In Early-Stage, Mission-Driven Ventures, Janezee Bond

Theses and Dissertations

This research seeks to understand how organization culture is formed in early-stage nonprofit, mission-driven, and purpose driven organizations. Growth stage was determined by looking at Flamholtz and Randl’s “Growing Pains” stages of organizational growth and Cameron & Quinn’s Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) was utilized to identify the current organizational culture type. The research focused on the insights and experiences of founders of early-stage companies (defined as having been founded in the past 15 years). The research revealed that founders are integral in culture creation through their roles and especially through role modeling in the early stages. Additionally, one significant …

Adhd Black Girl Magic: A Narrative Inquiry Of The Lives Of Black Women With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In Doctoral Programs, Talisha Tolliver-Haithcox

Theses and Dissertations

Black women with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in doctoral programs have not been a topic of interest. Instead, the emphasis of ADHD research has been on children and adolescents, with studies involving higher education focused on undergraduate students, which has left a significant gap in the literature. This study uses narrative inquiry to explore the lived experiences of Black women with ADHD navigating doctoral programs to fill that gap in research and improve the lives of these Black women. Utilizing disability theory, a blend of disability theory and critical race theory called DisCrit, and Black feminist theory, this research examines how …

The Social Construction Of Homelessness: A Qualitative Examination Of International Efforts To Address Homelessness, Chanel Swoope

Theses and Dissertations

Homelessness is a multi-layered worldwide issue, shaped by cultural, economic, and political factors. This qualitative case study compared two international non-profit organizations, Hope Haven in Paraguay and Safe Shelter Foundation in Finland, in their approaches to reducing homelessness. The research explores how institutional systems and sociocultural norms shape intervention by utilizing two theoretical frameworks, structural functionalism and social constructionism. The study included semi-structured interviews with twelve participants employed by the organizations, seven from Paraguay and five from Finland, and a review of archival program data. The interview and archival data were triangulated with deductive and inductive data analysis.

Findings revealed …

Rehabilitation And Community-Based Interventions That May Aid In Reducing Loneliness Among Individuals With Moderate-To-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review, Tristan Meier

Theses and Dissertations

Self-reported loneliness is commonly reported among those with a history of moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury; yet, research into interventions appropriate for the post-acute phase that may help reduce the feeling of social disconnection in this vulnerable population remains limited. This study employed a systematic review and narrative synthesis format to provide an overview of current literature on interventions and programs that report or comment on the reduction of self-reported loneliness and related proxy variables for those affected by moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury. Database searches were conducted using PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete, SCOPUS, and PubMed. A total of 18 research articles …

Creation-Disruption Theory: How Innovators Create And Disrupt Markets In The Era Of Ai And Beyond, Jukka Alanen

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding how innovators create and disrupt markets remains a central challenge in strategic management and innovation, especially amid rapid advances in AI. In this two-paper dissertation, I develop and empirically ground the Creation-Disruption (CD) Theory as a novel and unified theory that explains how innovations and innovators transform markets through intertwined processes of creation and disruption, addressing limitations of prior frameworks. In the first paper, I develop the CD Theory conceptually, treating innovations as the unit of analysis, and reconceptualize, integrate, and extend prior frameworks — most notably, disruptive innovation theory and Blue Ocean Strategy — into a unified theory …

Upskilling California’S Public Health: An Assessment Of An Online Data Science Program, Michelle Ruiz

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical gaps in public health workforce data capabilities, prompting increased investment in data science training. This instrumental case study examined the effectiveness of University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health's online data science training program, developed in partnership with the California Department of Public Health to strengthen the state's public health workforce. The study analyzed program artifacts collected between October 2023 and September 2024, including Course Analytics Reports documenting enrollment patterns and Course Evaluation Reports structured according to considering the first two levels of Kirkpatrick's Four-Level Training Evaluation Model (1994). Analysis of nine courses revealed …

Lifelong Learning And Perceived Quality Of Life: An Exploratory Study Of Older Adult Learners In Southern California, Guadalupe Salgado-Shower

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study examines the impact of lifelong learning programs (LLPs) on the perceived quality of life among older adults (OAs) against a global demographic shift towards an aging population (Narushima et al., 2018). With the number of people aged 60 and above projected to nearly double by 2050, understanding and enhancing the well-being of OAs has become imperative (United Nations, 2019). Lifelong learning (LL), involving the continuous acquisition of knowledge and skills irrespective of age, emerges as a promising avenue for improving cognitive functioning, social engagement, and emotional well-being among OAs (Longworth & Davies, 2017). This exploratory study adopts …

Taking It To The Streets: A Comparative Case Study Of Urban Street Medicine Programs For The Unhoused Population, Dolly Dimple Harris

Theses and Dissertations

“Taking it to the Streets” originated from the 1960s social and political activism (Doohan & Mishori, 2019). The term reflects the 1990s movement when a Philadelphia physician decided that caring for the unhoused population was necessary and started street medicine. Street medicine is an alternative medical approach to formal healthcare intended to address unhoused individuals in their lived environment. In the street medicine model, healthcare providers offer medical support for the unhoused in alleyways, parks, under bridges, and encampments. The purpose of this comparative case study was to examine two street medicine programs’ administrative processes and how they provide healthcare …

Employee Perception Of Manager Listening Behaviors And The Impacts On The Supervisor-Subordinate Relationship, Esther Song

Theses and Dissertations

Strong communications skills are one of the most coveted capabilities in the workplace today. Within two-way communication, listening is often overlooked as a critical skill. While there have been many theories and skill-based training around listening, it is difficult to find a consistent, global definition to listening. This lack of definition makes is challenging to assess what “good” listening skill entails. Moreover, this lack of definition creates a gap in understanding effective measures for listening in the workplace, particularly in assessing the supervisor/subordinate relationship. This study focused on understanding listening in the workplace. In particular, this study looked at employee …

The Successes Of African American Female Community College Chancellors, Erika Miller-Tate

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how the lived experiences of African American women community college chancellors contributed to their success as leaders. Three African American female community college chancellors participated in the study. Four themes emerged from the thick, rich descriptions provided through participant responses in semi-structured interviews. The four themes were encouragement, success, problem solver/leadership, and race/gender. The conclusions of this study point to the themes which influenced the successes of African American community college chancellors. The lived experiences shared by these women offered greater insight into the professional role of an African American female …

Training And Resource Manual: Integrating And Exploring Language And Cultural Competencies For Trainees And Supervisors, Patricia Rayas-Tabares

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored the scholarly literature and extracted important themes regarding the training and development of bilingual psychology trainees. The first theme was the language challenges bilingual trainees face due to their proficiency in Spanish when delivering services to Latinx limited English-speaking or monolingual Spanish-speaking clients when the trainee has received little or no training in Spanish. The second theme was bilingual supervision. When the trainee was matched with a supervisor who was not from the same culture or proficient in Spanish, many challenges occurred for the trainee and the supervisor. The final theme was about the trainee’s experience. Bilingual …

Student Success, Suicide Rates: A Correlational Study Of Pressures On, And Expectations For High School Students In The United States, Matthew Baham

Theses and Dissertations

Suicide among high school students has become a growing health crisis, with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation increasing at an alarming rate. The purpose of this quantitative research is to explore the correlation between high school graduation requirements, pressures associated with college applications, and rising suicide rates among high school aged students in grades 9 through 12. With the increase in academic demands, standardized tests, extracurricular activities and a competitive college admissions process, has created an enormously high-pressure environment in high school education. These stressors are shown to have an intense impact on high school …

The Effect Of Administrative Leadership On Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In Secondary Education, Marianne Gomis

Theses and Dissertations

As the student population in American schools has become more racially and ethnically diverse, there is an urgent need to develop vital tools to accommodate the children of many cultures. By 2027, 44.7% of public-school students will be White, 15.2% Black, 29.2% Hispanic, 6.3% Asian/Pacific Islander, 0.9% American Indian/Pacific Islander, and 3.8% two or more races, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. (Digest of Education Statistics 2017, Snyder et al., 2019).

This study examines how administrators define and implement culturally responsive teaching (CRT), their roles in developing a positive perspective on CRT in classroom practices, and the leadership …

Leveling The Playing Field: A Phenomenological Study Advocating For Diversity In Nba And Wnba Sports Organization Leadership, Alejandra Jimenez

Theses and Dissertations

Through phenomenological research, a global leadership and change initiative is outlined for US-based sports organizations. The sports organizations are the National Basketball Association (NBA) and their extended female league, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Both organizations recruit international players, attract global fans, and enhance current diversity policies to promote underrepresented women and people of color in leadership. The NBA and WNBA public human resources and diversity policies provide underrepresented leadership rates and efforts for questionnaire data sets and qualitative interviews. Nationally, these major sports organizations should further develop policies and practices to increase Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI&B) …

What Makes Work Meaningful? A Mixed-Methods Study Exploring The Relationship Between Meaningfulness And Engagement Among Young Higher Education Professionals, Melody S. Murakami

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods study explored how young professionals in higher education experienced meaningful work and the relationship between meaningfulness and work engagement. Using the Job Characteristics Model (JCM), the study examined how skill variety, task identity, and task significance contributed to experienced meaningfulness and engagement. Thirteen full-time employees (ages 25-35) at U.S. four-year higher education institutions completed a survey and participated in semi-structured interviews. Quantitative findings revealed a strong correlation between overall meaningfulness and engagement. Qualitative data affirmed the findings and the JCM, while also surfacing deeper insights on the different ways the job characteristics and individual factors were perceived and …

Latina Physician Assistants In Clinical Leadership Roles: Motivations, Challenges, And Insights, Ana Ruiz-Peña

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the rapidly growing Latino population in the United States, only a few of them are physicians, physician assistants (PAs), or nurses. This limited representation becomes smaller with Latina PAs in clinical leadership roles, leading to a health disparity that could negatively impact the health care of the Latino community. To gain a deeper understanding of this issue, the researcher conducted a phenomenological qualitative study examining the lived experiences of Latina PAs in clinical leadership roles, focusing on their motivations, challenges, and strategies for overcoming these barriers. The study was theoretically grounded in theories related to culture, gender, and socioeconomic …

Admissions Advisors' Perceptions Of Adult Learners, Tisha-Stephanie Tovar

Theses and Dissertations

Many assume that college campuses are mostly populated by traditional students fresh out of high school, but this is far from reality. A significant portion of students are non-traditional, or adult learners (ALs), aged 25 to 50. These students typically hold a high school diploma or GED, are financially independent, and have completed little to no previous college coursework (Kenner & Weinerman, 2011). ALs now represent nearly 40% of higher education students (Singh et al., 2021), bringing with them a wealth of life experience as they balance complex careers and personal responsibilities.

This study explored the needs and motivations of …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of School Spending And Academic Proficiency In A U.S. Charter High School, Jacques-Michel Endené

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the much-debated issues of school spending effectiveness, or lack thereof, set in a representational charter high school on the West Coast of the United States. The study employs a phenomenological approach, with a qualitative data analysis to examine the processes and outcomes of school spending policies and programs.

The research initially embarks on an exploration of the historical context surrounding the controversies born from a congressional policy initiative that ignited the firestorm, to understand the unfolding of this national debate. Examining diverse school leaders’ first-hand observers’ take, race-sensitive Academic Gap inklings, socioeconomic-based disparities, and comprehensive review processes, …

Exploring The Perceptions And Experiences Of School Building Leaders At Public Charter Schools And The Impact They Have On The Provision Of Physical Education In Charter School Settings, Nathaniel Bouie Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenology study aimed to explore the perceptions of school principals regarding physical education (PE) and its impact on school programming. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten school principals in an urban charter school district in the United States. The interviews were transcribed, and data were analyzed using the phenomenological approach under the lens of teacher socialization.

The findings of the study revealed that physical education was perceived as an inferior subject compared to core subjects such as mathematics, science, and language arts. School leaders viewed PE as less important than other subjects and often reduced its instructional time …

A Systematic Review Of Novice Registered Nurses’ Experiences With Mentorship Programs, Shay Riker

Theses and Dissertations

Novice registered nurses face many challenges as they transition into clinical practice. Switching from a student role characterized by supervision and support to one in which they are fully responsible for patient care can be daunting for newly graduated registered nurses. Practicing nurses transitioning into a different specialization of nursing may also perceive themselves as inadequately equipped to manage clinical situations, resulting in self-doubt and anxiety. Both novice registered nurse groups encounter difficulties in prioritizing care, managing time, and adapting to the dynamics of a new role and work environment. Mentorship programs are essential in facilitating the transition of novice …

Teacher Stress, Well-Being, And Adaptation To Innovation, Amanda Leanore Pelloth

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers face many sources of stress; however, a consistent source is prompted by the need to cope with change as districts adapt to shifting paradigms. This study intended to fill Rogers’ (2003) KAP gap and the failure of innovations by infusing the study of well-being and emotion into the narrative by incorporating the transactional relationship between technostress and implementation efforts into the technochange process. The study investigated teachers’ cognitive appraisals of technochange (primary appraisal) and their adaptational coping processes (secondary appraisal) to understand how implementation impacts teachers’ well-being and their adaptive processes. A parallel convergent mixed methods approach with an …

Best Practices For Addressing Invisible Labor Among Black Faculty At Predominately White Institutions, Candice Raynor

Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research was on challenges impacting Black professors obtaining tenure, with the goal of establishing best practices aimed at preventing and addressing these challenges. The approach was conducting an assessment of race-related obstacles Black professors encountered at predominately White postsecondary colleges and universities. A review of the existing literature found that invisible labor, also known as cultural taxation, has long existed in the academy and has been documented in several studies. Cultural taxation is a term coined early in the 1990s to describe labor that is expected to be performed by someone because of their racial identity, …

Millennial Leadership Practices: How Are They Choosing To Lead Using The Lens Of Their Managerial Style, Claudia Helen Hesky Archibald

Theses and Dissertations

Despite millennials comprising over one-third of the current workforce, empirical research regarding their leadership practices remains limited. This study aimed to address this gap by investigating: (1) the preferred leadership practices of millennial leaders, and (2) whether millennial characteristics indicate a preference for specific leadership styles. Data were collected from 48 millennial leaders in the United States through online surveys, supplemented by 16 virtual interviews. The analysis revealed that millennial leadership practices, consistent with servant leadership principles, emphasized empowerment and delegation, relationship and community building, and trust cultivation.

Charisma And Impulsivity In The Venture Pitch Persuasion Process, Shilena D. Battan

Theses and Dissertations

Entrepreneurs depend on persuasive pitching to secure venture capital (VC) funding, yet the roles of charisma and investor impulsiveness in shaping those decisions remain underexplored. This dissertation addresses the gap by examining how entrepreneurial charisma and investor impulsiveness influence persuasion outcomes during the pitch process. Two pilot studies and two main experiments tested these dynamics. In Study 1, a trained actor delivered a pre-scripted pitch in high and low charisma formats. In Study 2, extended the investigation by adapting the pitch text into AI-generated text, offering a comparison between human and AI-authored pitches. Results from both studies revealed a mix …

Project Hope: The Impact Of Coaching And Transformation Among Returning Citizens, Mark Keven Cox

Theses and Dissertations

The study of psychological transformation within the prison context appears nascent with few academic articles to be found on the subject. The few that do exist suggest that transformation in the prison context is possible. Drawing from the academic literature regarding psychological transformation, inclusive of Hope Theory and Self-efficacy Theory, this qualitative research sought to understand how cognitive coaching programs within United States prisons may foster psychological transformation and increased likelihood of societal reentry success for returning citizens. The research sits at the intersection of coaching and theories associated with psychological transformation and explores the consequences of a single carceral-based …

Writing Stories That Have An Impact, Andrew Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

'No Girl-On Girl Crime': A Qualitative Interview Study Of How Older Women In The Police Force Experience Competition, Social Support, And Discrimination, Bridget Graham

Theses and Dissertations

Law enforcement remains a male-dominated field in which women continually have to prove they belong. As women achieve recognition and move into high-ranking roles in law enforcement, they encounter unique forms of discrimination and social support opportunities that are shaped by their years of experience. To better understand the unique lived experiences of aging women in the context of the police force, this thesis conducted qualitative interviews with women in their fifties who have achieved success as police officers. Semi-structured interviews with six aging adult women within law enforcement were conducted. The interviews included questions related to the evolution of …

Social Justice & Raising Awareness: The Stories That Need To Be Told, Christopher Eastman

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Strategic Military Readiness: Navigating Knowledge Management In The United States Army, Blaine Andra White

Theses and Dissertations

This was a qualitative phenomenological study of knowledge management (KM) in the U.S. Army. The study explored the KM phenomenon by interviewing retired highly experienced field-grade Army commissioned and non-commissioned officers (NCOs), with varying backgrounds in combat, combat support, and combat service support branches. The research sought to address the problem of a discernable gap in the understanding among Army leaders regarding the effective utilization of KM staff for their units to employ the KM process effectively. This study's two central research questions (RQ) were RQ1: What targeted strategies can be developed for Army leaders and their subordinate units to …

R&D Efficiency Of Drug Development At Universities, John Aylworth

Theses and Dissertations

Research and development (R&D) efficiency in the pharmaceutical industry is a measure of the relative value of new and novel products cast against the costs required to make them. For six decades, the R&D efficiency of large pharmaceutical companies has declined to critical levels. Most recently, nearly half of the companies studied were experiencing negative R&D efficiency, or products whose costs to bring to market outweigh the value they offer both commercially as well as to the health and well-being of society (Schuhmacher et al., 2023). One of the most prominent consequences of the inefficiencies plaguing the drug development industry …