Digital Commons Network^™

Application At The Bedside: Moving From Knowing How To Knowing Why In Nursing, Joyel J. Brule

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The nursing field is beginning to emerge as a profession with curricula that emphasis nursing as a discipline distinguished from a medically dominated paradigm. This changing focus places emphasis on professional competence upon graduation and entry into practice to foster fitness for purpose within an environment of continuously changing expectations of the nurse by society. Despite a growing body of research on transition into practice, a gap exists as to when this transition occurs and how this finding may influence educational preparation of nurses. This qualitative, exploratory study examined nurses’ perceptions of their transformation from novice to professional practitioner by …

Portfolio Construction: The Efficient Diversification Of Marketing Investments, Michael P. Haydock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Efforts in the marketing sciences can be distinguished between the analysis of individual customers and the examination of portfolios of customers, giving scarce theoretical guidance concerning the strategic allocation of promotional investments. Yet, strategic asset allocation is considered in financial economics theory to be the most important set of investment decisions. The problem addressed in this study was the application of strategic asset allocation theory from financial economics to marketing science with the aim of improving the financial results of investment in direct marketing promotions. This research investigated the components of efficient marketing portfolio construction which include multiattribute numerical optimization, …

Ho'oponopono: Assessing The Effects Of A Traditional Hawaiian Forgiveness Technique On Unforgiveness, Matthew B. James

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study expanded on the existing empirical research on forgiveness and specifically ho'oponopono, a traditional Hawaiian forgiveness process. An extensive literature review revealed that while forgiveness has gained in popularity among researchers and clinicians, few therapeutic process-based models have been researched. Furthermore, ho'oponopono has not been studied as a process-based approach to forgiveness. Therefore, the purpose of the present between-groups, within-groups, repeated measures study was to assess the effects of the application of ho'oponopono (focused on a specific transgressor) on levels of unforgiveness, as measured by the Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations Inventory (TRIM). The participants (N = 79) were randomly divided …

The Impact Of Professional Development On Assessment And Grading Practices For Secondary Teachers, Nicole Lynn Roorda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies suggest that a potential misalignment between assessment and grading practices in reporting secondary student academic achievement has negatively impacted students since grades may not truly reflect actual achievement. Accordingly, the purpose of the current study was to compare secondary teachers' use of academic and nonacademic factors when reporting student achievement before and after professional development on assessment and grading practices. Following change theory, the study investigated the efficacy of employing professional development as a means of influencing more standard and appropriate practices among secondary teachers with regard to using academic and nonacademic factors when employing standards-based reporting to determine …

The Impact Of Visual Art Instruction On Student Creativity, Jeanie S. Parker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This researcher examined the relationship between visual arts programs and creative thinking skills of high school students taking a foundations of music course and an introductory visual art course. A gap existed in the current literature concerning visual art experience and creativity among high school students. This study was based upon the theories of Eisner, Gardner, and Csikszentmihalyi concerning creativity and art experiences. This researcher used a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group design. A convenience sample of 2 high school fine arts classes was comprised of 1 visual art class and 1 foundations of music class, giving a sample of 50 …

Friendship In Young Adult Heterosexual Romantic Relationships, Billy Kidd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Friendship is one of the pillars that supports satisfying, long-term, romantic relationships and marriage. Yet little is known about how romantic friendship is contextually experienced. This lack of knowledge limits the options of researchers and therapists. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to further substantiate a romantic friendship construct. The research question asked how friendship is experienced in heterosexual romantic relationships. Participants in two West Coast metropolitan areas, ages 18 to 29, were selected by convenience sampling. As per Giorgi's phenomenological method, themes were abstracted from the transcripts of focus group and individual interviews. The themes were then shortened …

Educators' Perceptions Of Characteristics Of Male And Female Bullies, Melissa Marie Cafaro

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Educators perceive female bullies differently than male bullies. Despite evidence that bullying is a serious problem within schools in the United States, there is little research which focuses on how educators perceive differences and similarities of adolescent bullies based upon the gender of the bully. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine how educators perceive male and female bullies when they are described as exhibiting identical behavior. Goffman's theory of frames formed the theoretical foundation for this study. The independent variable of this study was gender of bully, and the three dependent variables were internalizing behavior, externalizing behavior, …

Intrinsic Motivation Of Students With Disabilities In The General Education Setting: What Teachers Should Know And Be Able To Do, Beverly Stinson Faircloth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) requires that students with disabilities (SWD) be educated in the least restrictive environment, while the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires that these students meet minimum criteria on statewide testing by 2014. This sequential explanatory mixed methods action research study, situated in Bandura's self-efficacy and Atkinson's drive theories, examined the effects of teacher training and subsequent implementation of strategies on the intrinsic motivation of SWD. Intrinsic motivation was measured using the Children's Academic Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (CAIMI) before and after the training. A repeated measures t-test analyzed the mean difference in the students' …

Student -Teacher Relationships And Their Effect On Student Achievement At The Secondary Level, Cheryl Dix Modlin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research has demonstrated that adolescent learning increases with a proactive type of student-teacher relationship. However, due to the lack of common expectations for a positive student-teacher relationship, a disconnection occurs for some students, who then may become disengaged at school and may not reach their full potential academically, socially, or developmentally. This mixed method sequential, exploratory design focused on a Midwestern secondary school of approximately 250 students. The disconnection between students and teachers was addressed by investigating positive student-teacher relationships; student achievement; and the connection between student-teacher relationships and achievement. Qualitative data were collected using focus groups of students …

The Effects Of Prayer And Glossolalia On The Mental Health Status Of Protestants, Recco S. Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The resurgence of prayer and glossolalia (speaking in tongues) within Protestant denominations in the United States of America has stimulated widespread psychological and theological debate. Previous research has indicated that religiosity has both a negative and positive effect on mental health functioning. However, there remains an important gap in the current literature regarding the relationships between specific religious practices and mental health. Therefore the purpose of the proposed study is to report on the growing number of religious persons who pray/glossolate and the conflicting messages in the literature regarding the relationship between religiosity and mental illness. A total of 10 …

The Impact Of Daily Writing On Kindergarten Students' Phonemic Awareness., C. A. Snell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether or not a significant relationship exists among daily writing and student growth in phonemic awareness. The study also considered the impact of writing on the phonemic awareness development of students at different literacy levels. Although studies exist on the importance of phonemic awareness development in reading acquisition, a deficit exists examining the correlation among daily writing and the phonemic awareness development of students representing different literacy levels. Forty students in an experimental group engaged in daily writing opportunities, while 37 students in the control group engaged in less frequent writing …

Public Humiliation As A Mitigator In Criminal Sentencing, Barbara Benoliel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study examined the relationship between the public humiliation and shaming of offenders in the sentencing portion of a criminal trial and the subsequent severity of the sentence the offender receives. Judicial moral shaming of offenders is returning to popularity in the courts, influencing the final sentence outcome as an under-identified mitigator, that substitutes for judges’ other punitive sanctions. Support for this shaming is found in Heider’s attribution theory and in Homans’ theory of social exchange; however Braithwaite found this form of shaming is overly punitive and ineffective. This four phase study used a sequential, mixed method, exploratory research design. …

A Study Of The Decision To Remove Children From Their Parents By Child Welfare Supervisors, Charles F. Lorbeer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A STUDY OF THE DECISION TO REMOVE CHILDREN FROM THEIR PARENTS BY CHILD WELFARE SUPERVISORS

by Charles F. Lorbeer

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Aqueil Ahmad

Committee Members: Dr. Aqueil Ahmad, Dr. Robert Butters, and Dr. Ashakant Nimbark,

The goal of this study was to analyze the decision by child welfare supervisors to remove children from their parents. This was accomplished by studying the effect that three specific factors have on that decision. The three factors were 1) physical abuse, 2) domestic violence and substance abuse, and 3) availability of services to help the family.

Decision theory provided the conceptual framework for …

Theater Education And Emerging Technologies, Michael E. Butterworth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Theater educators need compelling arguments for including the use of emerging technologies in the secondary theater classroom. The research documents the current uses of emerging technologies in the secondary theater classroom and contrasts the uses of traditional theater technologies with the uses of emerging technologies. Interviews with theater professionals identify current issues and practices in the theater community regarding the usage of technology.

A telephone survey of theater teachers reveals patterns of technology use in the Seattle School District. The research concludes that theater teachers have many tools at their disposal to teach students the processes of artistic problem solving …

Diversity Deprivation Overcome: A Predominately Caucasian Catholic High School Addresses Societal Racial Prejudice, Michele Ray Campbell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study examines Monsignor Donovan High School, Toms River, Trenton Diocese, New Jersey's situation as a predominately Caucasian environment seeking to prepare students to adapt successfully to an increasingly diverse society. The author identifies the need for the students to gain a broader view of the world than evidenced by their school's population, examines the societal situations that led to the problem of prejudice in American society, explores the role of Catholic education in addressing prejudice and reports on polls of the MDHS Classes of 1994 and 1997 relative to their racial attitudes. Through a qualitative case study, the researcher …

A Comparative Analysis Of Adlerian And Theocentric Philosophies, Daniel A. Briggs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This research was a comparative historical analysis of Adler's Individual Psychology, Freud's system of psychoanalysis, and Theocentric Psychology. It was assumed that Adlerian constructs are very distinct from Freud's and are greatly influenced by Judaism and Judeo-Christianity.

It was further assumed that if these distinctions and influences could be elucidated via historical research, Adlerian Psychology would seem more palatable to Apostolics (an Apostolic is any individual that adheres to the Apostle's fundamental dogma as presented in the book of Acts chapter two and Hebrews chapter six) as well as more compatible with Theocentric Psychology.

Some of the various theories, constructs, …

Early Intervention And Parenting Support In The Public Schools: An Inalienable Right For All, Heidi Berlinger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The present study was designed to document the effects of early intervention and parenting support, and to provide a model program proposal for federal adoption. Specifically, this paper redefines the term "readiness" to recognize the diverse needs of infants and their families.

Research indicates several factors influence school readiness: physical well-being and motor development including proper prenatal, perinatal, and early childhood care and nutrition; social and emotional development; approaches toward learning; language usage; and cognition and general knowledge. Parental understanding of how to facilitate the advancement of young children in these areas is extremely important. Without this knowledge parents are …

A Correlational Study Of The Extrinsic Variables That Influence Job Satisfaction In Social Services Workers, Delores B. Cauthen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This correlational study examined the job satisfaction of seventy eight social service workers in a small unit of a large bureaucratic agency of the Department of Social Services. Extrinsic factors (education, job level, and organizational tenure) were correlated with job satisfaction. Job satisfaction was measured by the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. The results yielded three scores: intrinsic, extrinsic, and general satisfaction. Pearson's and Spearman's correlations were used. Intrinsic and extrinsic satisfaction were found to be moderately correlated (r=.40). Although the employees' intrinsic and extrinsic percentile rankings were low, the general satisfaction ranking was in the average range.

Education, organizational tenure, and …

Perceived Effect Of Personal Use Of Managerial Workstations On Individual Productivity, Katherine Stewart Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this research was to determine the extent of penetration of managerial workstations into the management ranks; and whether age, education and exposure to automation do affect perceptions and subsequent productivity gains from workstation utilization.

Are the attitudes and beliefs of older managers the key factor in slowing progress in implementing change and reaping the benefits of productivity? Or, are companies failing in their implementation strategies and participative management approaches?

A descriptive-survey design was utilized. The cover letter and three-page questionnaire were circulated to 490 companies in the five-county metropolitan Atlanta area. Represented in this sample was a …

The Effects Of A Psychologically Based Training Program Upon Athletic Performance, Bertram Burke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to develop a psychologically based training technique that would help maximize athletic performance. The technique entitled the Six Step Technique was then experimentally tested to determine its effect on lowering state anxiety and improving foul shooting under experimental conditions.

Specifically three schools were randomly selected from a suburban athletic conference and their Varsity and Junior Varsity male basketball teams comprised the samples of the study. The three schools were then randomly assigned to an experimental treatment group, a placebo treatment group and a control treatment group. Prior to the start of treatment(s) the. groups …

An Investigation Of The Value Of Detection Of Potential Readnig Difficulties At The Kindergarten Level Followed By Specific Individualized Instruction As A Preventative Measure Against Reading Failure, Kathleen Barrett-Marko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this investigation was to use and evaluate a preventative measure against reading failure at the kindergarten level. This technique of prevention used diagnostic detection. of potential reading difficulties followed by individualized treatment of indicated problem areas. A careful attempt was made to answer the following questions.

1. What is the most effective time to begin remedial reading instruction?

2. Do undetected difficulties in pre-reading skills lead to reading failure?

3. Is the original kindergarten screening test used as efficient as, or more efficient than, the standardized tests in current use?

4. Which techniques and methods of instruction …

A Compendium Of Agogic Terms, David L. Boccagna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This work is an outgrowth of more than fifteen years of compiling, organizing, editing and formulating these words and phrases in this compendium into a handy source. Its need became apparent when students using foreign music editions began to inquire as to what certain terms meant. Organizing it into this intelligible and usable source evolved after much refinement through exchange with students and lexicon consultation.

This compendium is divided into four sections:

Section one: Italian-French-German-English

Section two: French-Italian-German-English

Section three: German-Italian-French-English

Section four: English-Italian-French-German

Each page is sub-divided into four columns. In the first column, the foreign language section, which …

The Recall Election: Its Effect On The School District And Community In California, Chester C. Fields

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem

The purposes of this study were (1) to review the history of school-district recall laws in California, (2) to enumerate the legal steps in the recall process, (3) to survey a school district where recall election had taken place, and (4) to present community feelings and effects.

Procedure

A search was made of all laws and official records pertaining to school trustees' recall elections in California. A questionnaire designed to elicit respondent attitudes and feelings was mailed to all who voted in the school district recall election of December 3^rd, 1970. A preliminary number of questionnaires …

An Experimental Study Of The Effectiveness Of The Developmental Mathematics Course At Lehigh County Community College, Robert G. Clark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Developmental Mathematics program at the Lehigh county Community College. There was no positive evidence that the existing method of selecting students and/or the material content of the course was affective in achieving its stated objective; that of bringing the skill and ability of weak students needing remedial treatment up to the minimum level required for probable success in first-year college mathematics. The general hypothesis posed was that the students who took the Developmental Mathematics course would perform better in first-year college mathematics than those students whose ACT …

The Establishment Of A Management By Objectives ( Accountability Management ) Program In The Niles, Michigan Public School System, William H. Fairman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project is devoted to describing a type of public school educational managem8nt program specifically designed to determine, establish, and evaluate meaningful school management objectives and their application. The study describes how school management under this type of program can be a continuing, dynamic, and positive force toward reaching the desired goals of public school education through effective management of administrative personnel.

The Management by Objectives program is described as it was studied and implemented into the Niles Public School system. Key areas covered are:

1. The inspiration for the managem.ent study which led to the establishment of the program; …

A Study Of Attitudinal Responses Of Selected School District Personnel And Related Others Regarding Six Performance Contracting Hypotheses In Seventeen Selected Performance Contracting Projects In The United States For The Year 1970-71, Jerome D. Cianfrini

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract not visible.

An Examination Of Two Different Approaches To Learning In Nursery School, Ralph M. Conti

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Statement of the Problem

The primary purpose of this study was to explore teacher guidance - does it help promote learning? The sub problems are to explore and assess the value of' academic training in nursery school versus a straight child development program, and to explore and assess the value of play as a teaching method.

The Population

This study included sixty, four year old children who were enrolled in nursery school for the first time. They were divided into six equal groups of ten each according to sex and I. Q. Control Groups I and II - pupils who …

The Effect Of Kinesthetic And Demonstration Techniques Of Instruction Upon Standing Broad Jump Performance, Howard Philip Meyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A test of standing broad jump ability was administered to ninety-three sixth grade boys to compare the kinesthetic and demonstration methods of instruction. The subjects were classified on the Neilson-Cozens Classification Index and divided into three groups. The first group received the kinesthetic method of instruction, the second group was instructed using the demonstration method, and the third group did not receive any formal instruction.

The data were examined by computing the mean and standard deviation of each pre-test and post-test group. The mean and standard deviation of the pre-test scores were 60.61 and 7.589. The mean and standard deviation …

Innovation, Adoption, And Cultural Change: Guide Lines For Administrators Of Adult Education Programs, Walter Clot

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract included.

Programmed Reading Instruction Versus Traditional Reading Instruction And Their Relation To Science Achievement, Harold Eugene Garner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This doctoral research was conducted to determine if there was a statistical difference in achievement between fourth grade students who were instructed through a programmed reading approach and those fourth grade students who were instructed in the traditional reading methods with a basal text series. Secondly, whether the same fourth grade students who were instructed by the programmed reading method would achieve significantly higher gain scores in fourth grade science than those students who were instructed in the traditional reading method. Analysis of variance was used to analyze the results and the level of significance was set at the 0.05 …