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Current Capacity Building Needs Of Occupational Therapists Related To Older Driver Screening, Assessment, And Intervention, Ranyouri Hines Senia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Older adult safe driving is a growing public health issue; however, the skill set of occupational therapists that provide services to these older clients is unclear. The extent to which occupational therapists possess the skills to evaluate an elderly person's ability to operate safely an automobile is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional survey was to determine the current capacity building needs of occupational therapists (OT) related to older driver screening, assessment, and intervention. The ecology of human performance framework was the theoretical base of the study. The independent variables were the OTs' training related to older drivers, …

Probe Method's Impact On Students' Motivation And Critical Thinking Skills, Diane Marie Specht

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The probe method (PM) is a learning model that equips students with essential learning strategies and skills so they can be successful and competitive in a highly diverse technological global workforce. Although research indicates this learning model was successful at the elementary school level with improving students' motivation to learn, their critical thinking skills, and their ability to solve complex problems, little research has examined the impact of this method at the high school level for students who participated in a career and technical education (CTE) program. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to fill a gap in …

Communication Constructs That Influence Information Technology Project Failure, Vanessa Lajuan Ruth Mackey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective communication behavioral constructs in the workplace that lead to information technology (IT) project failure and in some cases organization failure are increasingly becoming a management concern. Despite this trend, there is little research on the communication behavioral constructs that contribute to IT project failure rates. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of business analysts, programmers, and programmer analysts pertaining to the behavioral constructs associated with effective and ineffective communication. The research questions addressed these behaviors from a conceptual framework based on communication theory, organizational information processing theory, and critical social theory. This framework …

The Impact Of Caring For Seniors On The Caregiver's Stress Level, Georgina Ugochi Njoku

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of Canadian seniors with 2 or more chronic health conditions living into their late 90s or older has never been greater. As such, concerns have been raised that the Canadian healthcare system will be unable to meet the growing healthcare needs of the aging population. In this project, an Advanced Practice Nursing needs assessment was used to identify the impact that caring for a senior has on caregivers' stress levels, and what resources caregivers need to in order to cope with their role. Guided by Neuman's system model theory and Rogers' diffusion of innovation model, a convenience sampling …

A Transition-To-Practice Residency That Supports The Nurse Practitioner In A Critical Access Hospital, Nancy Jean Stock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Access to health care in rural communities is challenged by workforce shortages. Nurse practitioners (NPs) have been filling the gap created by physician migration into specialty areas. Flex hospital legislation allows critical access hospitals (CAHs) to staff the emergency department with NPs or physician assistants without on-site physicians. NP education often lacks emergency and trauma curriculum, resulting in gaps in education and practice expectations and leading to significant role transition stress and turnover. The purpose of this project was to construct an evidence-based transition-to-practice residency program to support NPs providing emergency department care in the CAH. Theoretical frameworks used to …

The Use Of A Standardized System Of Communication To Change The Perception Of Handoff Communication In A Psychiatric Setting, Alicia Renee' Plunkett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Use of a Standardized System of Communication to Change the Perception of Handoff Communication in a Psychiatric Setting

by

Alicia Renee' Plunkett

MSN, Walden University 2007

MSHA, University of St. Francis, 2005

BSN, University of Memphis, 1995

Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Walden University

December 2014

The Joint Commission's review of sentinel events indicated that communication errors were the cause of over 65% of the sentinel events occurring in healthcare. The nursing profession has the responsibility of providing 24-hour care in an acute care setting and nurses are …

Hispanic High School Dropouts: Their Unheard Voices, Cheryl Ann Clayton-Molina

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

America is in the midst of a high school dropout crisis that will cost $3 trillion in lost wages over the lifetime of the 12 million students who are predicted to drop out. Each year, in an America's northern states, approximately 10,000 students drop out of high school; the majority of these students are Hispanic. Guided by Ogbu's cultural-ecological theory of academic disengagement, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of Hispanics who dropped out of high school and their rationales for dropping out.. Eight Hispanic dropouts in a local community were interviewed. The interviews were …

Diffusion Of E-Textbooks In K-12 Education: A Delphi Study, Sheila Cartwright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This basic interpretive qualitative study was conducted to discover why e-textbooks had not been adopted extensively in K-12 education as a replacement for printed textbooks. The objective was to determine the barriers and challenges being confronted by state educational technology directors when introducing this innovative technology in a formal learning environment that could greatly impact teaching, learning, and creative analysis. This research was based on diffusion of innovation theory using a Delphi method of inquiry. The Delphi panel consisted of 12 experts who had knowledge of digital text technologies and were the most influential when making purchasing decisions when introducing …

The Relationship Between Terrorism, Oil Prices, And Airline Profitability, Ubirathan Miranda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Given the financial challenges faced by the airline industry, understanding of the combined effect of terrorism and the price of petroleum on airline profitability is imperative. The purpose of this correlational study was to determine if a combination of terrorism and the price of petroleum significantly predicted airline profitability, and which variable was the most significant. This study collected samples of financial records from major American commercial passenger and cargo airlines on costs of fuel (n = 84) and airline profitability (n = 84). The terrorism data (n = 84) were comprised of terrorist attacks on petroleum infrastructure in oil-producing …

Strategies To Retain Tacit Knowledge From Baby Boomers, Rhonda Jean Corwin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Baby boomer employees who leave the workplace without sharing tacit knowledge create a knowledge gap within the organization. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore strategies local government leaders use to retain tacit knowledge of baby boomer employees. Six government leaders who worked in the Midwest United States participated in the study and shared their experiences and perceptions. Building upon systems theory, transformational leadership theory, and knowledge management theory, research was conducted to identify strategies to retain tacit knowledge from retiring baby boomers. Physical artifacts and participant interview data were collected and analyzed using traditional text analysis. …

Perceptions Of Home And Small Business Owners On Insurance In Accra, Ghana, Helen Stevens-Benefo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Insurance is a prudent option to mitigate business risk and property loss caused by natural disasters. The current study took place in Accra, Ghana, and was prompted by the low adoption of insurance and limited understanding by home and small business owners of its risk mitigation value. The purpose of this multiple-case study was to explore information insurance companies' need to motivate investment in weather-related insurance. The interview questions of the study served to explore the reasons business owners and homeowners purchase or decline insurance, including their understanding of and receptivity to insurance. The theoretical underpinning of this study included …

Motivating Higher Education Faculty For Technology Integration: A Private College's Approach, Jacinth Coultman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some faculty in higher education are not embracing technology in their face-to-face classes. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify and describe faculty members' techniques for improving the technological integration within the curriculum at an urban college. This study investigated the incorporation of professional development activities within the college structure to determine if these mandated requirements resulted in enhanced technology use. Interview and observation data on technology integration practices were collected from 15 faculty members who taught within 5 departments of an urban college for 5 or more years. A combination of open and axial topic and …

The Correlation Between Virtual Communication And Employee Engagement, Ryan Nathaniel Mitchell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Managers' ability to engage virtual employees (those in different geographic locations) is a determining factor of employee productivity and commitment to an organization. Since 2005, the number of U.S.-based virtual employees increased; however, research regarding virtual communication and employee engagement is limited. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine if a significant correlation exists between employee engagement (the dependent variable) and the quantity and perceived quality of virtual management communication (the independent variables). The research question assessed the correlation among the quantity of time managers spend communicating with virtual employees, quality of virtual communication, and employee engagement. Homans's …

Knowledge Of Diabetes Mellitus And Health-Preventive Behaviors Among African American Adults, Wanka Ndifor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the risk within the African American population of developing diabetes, its complications, and the benefits associated with timely management and treatment of diabetes. The study also looked at how such knowledge may be related to preventive health behaviors. The Risk Perception Survey-Developing Diabetes and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System questionnaires were employed in this study. The theoretical basis of this study was the health belief model. This was a cross sectional, quantitative study with 126 participants. Descriptive analysis was employed to calculate the mean scores and frequencies across each …

Borderline Personality Disorder: The Frequency Of Disclosure And The Choice To Disclose, Laci Marie Rumpza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The goals of this study were threefold: (1) to identify what percentage of psychologists and clinical social workers disclose the diagnostic label BPD to their patients, (2) to identify factors that influence disclosure, and (3) to gather data about the choice to disclose or not to disclose. The MUM effect was used as the theoretical framework. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design including an online survey was used during the first phase. A total of 125 psychologists and 45 social workers participated in the Phase 1 of the study. The majority of participants stated that they either always or usually …

Success Factors Of Small Business Owners, Susan Janet Turner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business owners represent 99.7% of all U.S. employer firms, employ half of the private sector employees, and provide 43% of the total U.S. private payroll. However, 50% of new small business startups fail within the first 5 years of operation. The purpose for this multiple case study was to explore what skills, knowledge, and strategies small business coffee shop owners use to succeed in business beyond 5 years. Systems theory, chaos theory, and complexity theory provided the conceptual framework for exploring the research question of this multiple case study. To identify and explore the factors for maintaining small business-operations, …

The Effect Of Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy On Breastfeeding Initiation, Exclusivity, And Duration, Adria Vincent

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Breastfeeding self-efficacy is considered one of the key components of a successful breastfeeding experience. The benefits of breastfeeding are well established in the literature and have been widely communicated to the public, resulting in an increasing trend of breastfeeding initiation. However, the United States still falls short of Healthy People 2020 breastfeeding goals. The purpose of this project was to examine the effects of a standardized hospital-based prenatal breastfeeding class on breastfeeding self-efficacy. Dennis's breastfeeding self-efficacy theory was the foundation for the breastfeeding self-efficacy tool used in this project. A quasi-experimental design used a convenience sample of 30 breastfeeding class …

Perceptions Of Live Experiences Of Clinical Pastoral Education Students, Brenda Perry Wallace

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative case study addressed the problem at a West Indies theological college that lacked the ability to provide courses for spiritual care training by using the teaching methodology of clinical pastoral education (CPE). CPE is an experiential process using a clinical method of learning to interpret human conditions. Spiritual care training through CPE teaches clerics how to help persons find meaning in life's situations and make connections with their God. Guided by the frameworks of transformative learning and critical theological reflection, this study explored the lived experiences of 5 purposefully selected CPE students who participated in 1 unit of …

Reasons For Living And Self-Reported Suicidal Behavior Among A Sample Of U.S. Army Personnel, Deborah Elaine Willis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Suicidal Behavior in the U.S. Army is a problem that persists despite significant efforts to promote help-seeking behaviors and the investment of millions of dollars to develop resilience-building interventions. Evidence-based literature supports the use of reasons for living as a protective factor against suicidal behavior in clinical and nonclinical samples, yet it has rarely been studied in an active duty (AD) Army population. This study examined the relationship between self-reported reasons for living and self-reported suicidal behavior, to determine if high levels of reasons for living correlated with low risk of suicidal behavior, over and above demographics, depression, stressful life …

Technology And Social Media In Motivating At-Risk High School Students To Complete High School, Rebecca Mix Yard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Overall, 11% of high school students leave school without a diploma, and the percentage is higher for at-risk populations. High school graduates earn higher salaries and are healthier and more law abiding than dropouts. Research is limited on the motivation of at-risk students to graduate from high school related to their technological identity to include technology and social media in their learning schema. This qualitative case study explored at-risk students' perceptions of social media, personal learning networks, and informal learning in facilitating their graduation. Pink's concept of motivation, Siemens's connectivism theory, and Bingham and Conner's theory of engagement and social …

Strategies To Improve The Financial Performance Of State-Owned Enterprises In Ghana, Solomon Bonney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The deteriorating financial performance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) has been an increasing concern for the government of Ghana. The contributions of SOEs to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Ghanaian economy have declined, leading to the loss of job opportunities because of the unprofitability and rising debt levels. SOE managers need to adopt strategies to improve the financial performance of their organizations so they can contribute to the GDP and generate employment opportunities. Government, SOE management, and employees will benefit from profitable and sustainable SOEs that have the ability to contribute to the national development agenda. The purpose …

A Case Study Of A University's Remedial Program For Passing The Praxis I, Tassi Fite Brinkley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Underprepared students desiring to enter teacher education programs struggle to achieve minimum state-required Praxis I exam scores. This problem affects teacher education programs, student success, and university enrollment and retention. With proper resources and support, these students may experience personal and academic success that may be transferred to their own students once they are certified teachers. At the participating mid-South university, the effectiveness of the existing remedial program was unknown. The study's purpose, rooted in the constructivist learning principles of Dewey and Bruner, was to address the effectiveness of the local university's existing remedial program in assisting the teacher education …

Factors Required For Small Business Sustainability In Nigeria, Preye Elizabeth Buowari

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Nigeria, many small businesses fail before their 5th anniversary. Small businesses make up a major percentage of the businesses in Nigeria and provide jobs for 50% of the populace. The purpose of this qualitative multi-unit case study was to explore the factors required by small businesses in Nigeria to sustain operations beyond the first 5 years. The conceptual framework grounding this study was general systems theory. A review of the literature focused on small business failure and factors required to sustain a business longer than 5 years. Data collection occurred through semistructured interviews of a purposeful sample of 3 …

Elementary Teachers' Perceptions Of Response To Intervention And Classroom Instruction, Lora Coonce

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Response to intervention (RTI) is a federal program created to improve student learning and reduce the number of students misidentified as needing special education services. Differing interpretations of how best to implement RTI between campuses and districts have resulted in teachers' confusion and misperceptions of the program. The purpose of this study was to understand how elementary classroom teachers' perceptions of RTI affect classroom instruction. Based on Gagne's instructional theory and Bruner's theory of constructivism, the study examined the perceptions of 10 classroom teachers in 2 low socio-economic elementary schools. The study examined how RTI forms and protocols, administrative leadership, …

Small And Medium Enterprises' Profitability Elements In Green Energy Transactions, Humphrey Edereka Great

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As the primary drivers of Nigeria's economy, small and medium scale enterprise (SME) leaders rely on standby generators for sustainable business operation. Because of this reliance, over 56% of the SMEs operate far below capacity from the effects of power shortages. Guided by the strategic contingency theory, this study explored the profitability strategies of business leaders faced with electricity disruptions within Abuja Federal Capital Territory while adopting corporate social responsibility (CSR) and green practices. Data collection was through face-to-face semistructured interviews using open-ended questions. Participants consisted of 12 business leaders selected from 4 SME categories within Abuja that have imbibed …

Implications Of Maternal Perpetrated Interparent Violence For The Behavior Of Female Adolescents: A Phenomenological Study, Georgette Merlena Percy Hinds

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Interparent violence (IPV) is a global family issue. Witnessing IPV confuses children and adolescents about the parental relationship. Adolescent females often perceived fathers as strong and depend on them for safety, security, and support. It is unclear how witnessing maternal perpetrated IPV (MPIPV) affects adolescent females' socialization and development, the perception they have of their fathers, and the meaning they ascribe to father abuse. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to contribute to the literature, provide an understanding of MPIPV implications for adolescent females' social development, and bring more awareness to the lived experiences of witnessing MPIPV. Social learning, …

Factors That Motivate Millennial Public Servants In The Workplace, Lisa Maria Mallory

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is an abundance of scholarly literature examining the Millennial generation's characteristics and their uniqueness in the workforce, but few studies have examined the lived experiences of Millennials and what motivates them in the public sector workplace. Given the size of the Millennial cohort, the largest and most educated in history, this generation of public servants merits more research. This phenomenological study sought to determine what factors motivate Millennial public sector workers through a criterion sample of 20 District of Columbia government employees. Data obtained from interviews were analyzed through use of NVivo10 allowing for the identification of themes, findings …

Psychosocial Factors And The Persistence Of Underprepared, African American Community College Students, Denise Michelle Mccory

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study examined a problem at a large community college in the Midwest United States, where African American students experienced poor developmental education outcomes and low degree completion. Those outcomes had negative effects on the institution and the surrounding community. This qualitative case study was framed in Astin's theory of involvement, which attributes students' behaviors, whether productive or unproductive, to their levels of motivation. Purposeful sampling was used to select 20 African American students who successfully completed the developmental education sequence. The participants were interviewed to determine how psychosocial factors impacted their decisions to persist through their courses. The data …

College Mission Change And Neoliberalism In A Community And Technical College, Christine Mollenkopf-Pigsley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Administrators of 2-year colleges are working in an environment where they seek to balance the social development of the student and the community's demand for a trained workforce to achieve economic development. This balance has resulted in ambiguity about the mission and purpose of 2-year colleges. The purpose of this case study was to explore a community college's experiences with mission change by exploring the interaction between a neoliberal public policy environment and the traditional social democratic mission of academia. Harvey's conceptualization of neoliberalism was used as the theoretical framework. Data were collected through 15 semi-structured interviews with members of …

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: A Comparison Of Unlicensed And Licensed Professionals, Pamela A. Morrison

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was conducted to comparatively examine child specific expulsion rates and parent satisfaction of children who received early childhood mental health consultation (ECMHC) services delivered in 2 states for the 2012 program year: Maryland (unlicensed) and Delaware (licensed) . This current study examined secondary data to determine whether unlicensed (Maryland) ECMHC professionals are equally or more effective than licensed (Delaware) ECMHC professionals. Of the total number of child specific consultations or cases referred for services in Maryland (unlicensed), N = 370, n = 266 children avoided expulsion and were able to remain at their childcare placements while n = …