Digital Commons Network^™

Examination Of Teachers' Perceived Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge And Its Relationship To Lesson Design, Jocelyn Mcdonald

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School districts are increasingly adopting 1-to-1 technology initiatives to support 21st century teaching and learning; yet, there are still many challenges with the effective integration of technology into teacher instructional practices. Teacher's technological, pedagogical, content knowledge (TPACK) is an integral part in planning the instructional process for effective integration. In this quantitative study, teachers' knowledge of technology, content, and pedagogy was examined through the lens of TPACK and its relationship to their lesson design practices. Two validated TPACK instruments were used to collect data on 117 in-service teachers in a large, urban school district with a 1-to-1 technology initiative. A …

Admission Predictors Of Student Success On The Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam, Thomas Frank Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2009, a local physician assistant (PA) program lost accreditation due to decreased success in licensure pass rates on the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE). In response, the program's admissions committee required additional metrics for accepting quality candidates more likely to pass the licensure examination on the first attempt. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of these metrics, specifically the relationship between demographics, prerequisite admission requirements, and PANCE success. The theoretical framework and conceptual model shaping this study was Bordage's illumination and magnify framework and Swail's geometric model of student persistence and achievement. The …

Midwestern Artists' Responses To The Demands Of Entrepreneurial Management, Carolyn Melissa Nelson-Kavajecz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Artists have the potential to achieve higher levels of success in business management, leadership roles, and entrepreneurial endeavors if equipped with the proper knowledge. Although artists may have a creative perspective and could possess many of the attributes sought after by organizations and communities in need of innovative leaders, their approaches to entrepreneurial management differ from traditional business managers or community leaders. The problem was poor understanding of how artists in Midwestern regions of the United States respond to the demands of entrepreneurial management. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to understand how 20 individuals who self-identified as …

Parents' Perceptions About Parent Involvement In An Elementary School, Monica Leigh Nelson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Parent involvement is as an important contributor to students' academic and social success in school. However, parent involvement at a suburban public K-4 school has lagged, specifically in activities that have been shown to have a positive influence on student achievement. The purpose of this study was to examine parents' perceptions about their involvement in school activities as a means of identifying strategies to increase their engagement. A conceptual framework based on Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's motivational constructs for involvement guided this study. The research questions focused on parents' perceptions of their participation, reasons for and against engaging in school activities, …

Educational Intervention On Metabolic Syndrome For Psychiatric Providers, Chika Emelda Okafor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Statistics show a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in patients with mental illness receiving second-generation antipsychotic medications. MetS is associated with elevation of obesity, truncal obesity, blood pressure, cholesterol, and fasting glucose. The purpose of this project was to educate psychiatric providers about the importance of MetS screening, early detection, management, and referral for better treatment and management. The project was guided by Lewin's theory of change model. The project inquired if educational intervention on MetS improved providers' knowledge and intent to adopt MetS guidelines. A literature review and established guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association and American Diabetic …

Upward Bound Graduates Transition From High School To College, Lavasa Tiny'a Parks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some first-generation and low-income students enrolled in an Upward Bound (UB) program in a university in the southeastern United States are not prepared to transition from high school to college; therefore, they may need additional guidance, support, resources, and tools to help them with the process. For this reason, precollege programs such as the UB program were designed to prepare first-generation, low-income students for transitioning from high school to college. The purpose of this bounded qualitative case study was to describe first-generation, low-income students' perspectives of the UB program. The conceptual framework for this case study was Tinto's student integration …

Correctional Social Work Practice With Female Offenders In A Midwestern State, Veronica Labrell Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A women's prison in the midwestern region of the United States experienced an increase of female inmates. Incarcerated women have reported higher rates of substance abuse problems, prior victimization, and mental illness than their male counterparts. Clinical social workers are often the primary service providers in criminal justice settings. The purpose of this action research project was to explore the challenges faced by social workers in a midwestern state when providing clinical treatment services to female offenders. Postmodern feminist theory and pathways theory provided a framework for understanding the factors related to female offending. The practice-focused research question explored the …

Association Of Health Facility Delivery And Risk Of Infant Mortality In Nigeria, Susan Adaku Ukwu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Infant mortality (IM) incidence in health facility systems during or after infant delivery is

substantially high in Nigeria. In this quantitative, cross-sectional study, the effects of skill

birth attendants (SBAs), prenatal care, and providers of prenatal care on IM in health

facility delivery centers were examined. The Mosley and Chen theoretical framework

informed this study and was used to explain the relationship between SBAs, prenatal

care, and providers of prenatal care and IM. One hundred and sixty infant deaths were

examined among mothers who used an SBA versus those who did not, mothers who had

prenatal care versus those without, …

Implementing Esi Education Project For Nurses In The Triage Process, Narissara L. Tran

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Triage nursing assessment supports nursing professionals in delivering safe and effective patient care in emergency departments. This staff education project was driven by an observation of inconsistencies in triage among emergency department (ED) nursing staff. The purpose of the project was to improve the triage assessment knowledge of ED nurses. Specifically, the aim was to determine if educating ED nursing staff about using the Emergency Severity Index (ESI), a 5-level triage algorithm and a previously developed tool, would improve nurse knowledge in the triage process. Following discussion with the ED nursing manager at a hospital, a presentation on the ESI …

Impact Of Socioeconomic Status And Health-Seeking Behavior On Malaria In Pregnancy, Ifeanyi Livinus Udenweze

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Malaria in pregnancy remains a public health challenge in Nigeria despite the fund appropriation for malaria control. The health challenges of malaria in pregnancy vary with populations and there is limited knowledge on the impact of the socioeconomic status and health-seeking behavior on malaria in pregnancy in Nigeria. The objective of this cross-sectional quantitative survey was to examine whether socioeconomic status and health-seeking behavior predict malaria in pregnancy in Nigeria using the social cognitive theoretical model. The data from a 2015 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey was used in this study. Data were analyzed using chi-square, binary, and multivariate logistics regression …

Improving Retention Strategies For Experienced Nurses, Kimberly M. Hollis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Experienced nurses depart the workforce in significant numbers; therefore, it is critical to understand how those departures affect patient care and safety. The focus of this systematic review included appraisal of recent research to provide an understanding of strategies used in acute care settings to retain experienced nurses. Guided by Benner's model of skill acquisition, the purpose of this systematic review was to identify factors that influence the decision of nurses with experience to leave or remain working in acute care work settings. The 19 articles selected for this review were limited to those pertaining to experienced registered nurses who …

Barriers To Implementation And Strategies To Improve Adherence To The Sepsis Bundles, Rowena Amistad

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sepsis is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Immediate recognition and treatment is crucial to prevent complications that can be highly detrimental and cause a significant impact on the U.S. healthcare economy. Numerous studies have been conducted to improve patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs from sepsis and septic shock. Many of these studies were focused on exploring healthcare providers' knowledge and compliance to the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) guidelines. This study aimed to explore and identify barriers to the implementation of the sepsis bundles and strategies to enhance healthcare providers' adherence to these bundles. A systematic review of articles …

Examination Of Adoption Theory On The Devops Practice Of Continuous Delivery, Andrew John Anderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many organizations have difficulty adopting advanced software development practices. Some software development project managers in large organizations are not aligned with the relationship between performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions, as moderated by experience, with intent to adopt the DevOps practice of continuous delivery. The purpose of this study was to examine the statistical relationships between the independent variables—performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions, as moderated by experience—and the dependent variable of behavioral intent to adopt a continuous delivery system. Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, and Davis's unified theory of acceptance and use of technology provided …

An African American Male Perspective On Medication, Schizophrenia, And Crime, Artishia R. Dasher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mental health disparities in African American males contribute disproportionate rates of incarceration treatment access. There is a significant need to revise current mental health practices to address treatment barriers. The purpose of this study was to understand whether medication management could reduce criminality in violent African American males diagnosed with schizophrenia. A phenomenological examination of psychiatric perceptions and psychological treatment coupled with race was performed, utilizing the critical race and rational choice theory. Two research questions were developed to understand effective medication management and what barriers are present that cause noncompliance resulting in criminal activity. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was …

The Long-Term Effect Of Reading Recovery On Fourth Grade Reading Achievement, Stephany Renee Carr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Reading Recovery is a first-grade literacy intervention program with notable short-term benefits, but there are sustainability studies that highlight inconclusive evidence of its enduring success. It was unclear if formerly enrolled Reading Recovery students continue to have long-term literacy skill retention after exiting the literacy intervention. The problem was essential to this rural district because Reading Recovery was costly to implement, and the literacy standardized test scores remained low. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if formerly enrolled Reading Recovery students had sustainable literacy skills. The theoretical framework was the literacy processing theory, which entails how emergent …

Barriers Encountered By African American Women Executives In Fortune 500 Companies, Sonia Marlene Greene

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women's (AAW) presence has increased in the corporate workforce, but this increase has not transferred to a comparable rise in leadership positions. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences AAW faced relating to race and gender differences that influenced their leadership development and limitations on advancement in Fortune 500 corporations. The research problem addressed in this study was the underrepresentation of AAW in senior leadership positions within Fortune 500 corporations and what can increase their representation and retention in senior level positions. The 10 participants included African American women holding senior level …

Key Performance Indicators' Effects On Public Sector Infrastructure Project Efficiency In Grenada, Kelvin Michael George

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Grenada is 1 of 15 developing countries in Caribbean Community known as CARICOM. The infrastructure capital projects in these developing countries are plagued with an array of issues: unethical practices, inadequate supervision, lack of transparency and accountability, inadequate monitoring and evaluation, cost overruns, and inefficiencies. In the 1980s and 1990s, the International Monitory Fund and World Bank introduced a balanced scorecard engineered under the structural adjustment program, but it was unable to improve infrastructure project efficiencies. This qualitative case study sought to understand the role of management key performance indicators (KPIs) on public sector infrastructure capital project efficiency on the …

Simulated Clinical Experience: An Investigation Of Emotion Understanding And Management, Neena White Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many investigators have documented that lack of emotional intelligence (EI) in professional nursing correlates with patient dissatisfaction, negative patient outcomes, and litigation. However, much less information is available to nurse educators for an effective instructional strategy to increase EI skills, specifically emotion understanding and management (the most influential branches of EI) in nursing students. Grounded in the theory of EI and the theory of simulation, the purpose of this quantitative quasi experimental study was to introduce educational technology as a useful strategy for influencing EI in a convenience sample of 88 second semester students in a baccalaureate program. Research questions …

Self-Concealment, Perceived Discrimination, And African American Treatment Choices For Major Depression, Danita Morales Ramos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans have a higher proclivity to depression than other ethnic groups in the United States and also have a greater propensity to avoid seeking professional mental health treatment. The available research has shown that racial and cultural barriers such as perceived discrimination and self-concealment are the primary factors that negatively affect African Americans' attitudes toward mental health itself and mental health treatment. Perceived discrimination and self-concealment may also negatively affect whether African Americans seek help for depression and from whom, but further investigation was needed. The quantitative survey study provided answers to which factors influence whether and where African …

Potential Solar Consumers' Understanding Of Energy Policy Development In Hawai‘I, Kristin Li Mcgill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hawai‘i has implemented renewable energy goals that assume continued investments by solar consumers who seem unaware of their role in the policy's success. Without the renewable resource generation that will come from these investments, the state will be unable to achieve its energy mandate. Using Sabatier and Jenkins-Smith's advocacy coalition framework and Ajzen's theory of planned behavior as the foundation, the purpose of this study was to better understand the perspectives of potential solar consumers on the Island of O‘ahu regarding the state's renewable portfolio standards, their level of knowledge regarding consumer impact on this policy, and their perceptions of …

The Experiences Of Elementary School Counselors In Bullying Intervention And Prevention, Shannon Matthews

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bullying has become a focus in American society over the past several decades due to publicized bullying cases and the impact bullying has on victims. Researchers have conducted studies to determine the definitions, causes, and results of bullying. This phenomenological qualitative study examined the experiences of elementary school counselors (Pre-K–5th grade) who have implemented antibullying programs. Using distributive leadership theory as a lens, purposeful sampling was used to recruit 8 elementary school counselors from a targeted East Texas area of similar populations and enrollment numbers. Interview data was analyzed using NVivo software and thematic analysis, which revealed 5 major themes: …

Usefulness Of Field Experience Component Of A Principal Preparation Program, George Roberts

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A lack of knowledge about the usefulness of a field experience component within the associate principal preparation program for assistant principals drove this study. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the beliefs of system leaders and past participants regarding the usefulness of the field experience component and to examine archival end-of-course survey data from past participants. Constructivism and adult learning theory constituted the conceptual framework. Twelve leaders who were participants or administrators of the program within a large mid-Atlantic school district in the United States were participants. Qualitative data sources included interviews and archival data from the …

Female Victims' Perceptions Of Civil Protection Order Effectiveness In Rural Tennessee, Thomas Warren Tharpe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Domestic violence is a serious social issue that affects victims across all spectrums of life. While domestic violence crosses all geographical boundaries, researchers have found that women residing in rural areas experience increased severity and more extended periods of abuse than their urban counterparts. Existing literature focusing on rural female domestic violence victims and their subjective perceptions of civil order protection is limited and little is known about abuse victims' satisfaction with civil protection orders in keeping them safe from future incidents of violence. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the effectiveness perceptions of rural female victims …

Social Anxiety, Quality Of Life, And Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Of Women With Infertility Problems, Esra Savaş

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Not having a child has significant psychosocial effects on women experiencing infertility problems. There is a gap in research on social anxiety, quality of life, and healthy lifestyle behaviors of women during infertility, fertility treatment, and subsequent pregnancy. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to investigate the social anxiety, quality of life, and healthy lifestyle behaviors of Turkish women with infertility issues and Turkish women who conceived after infertility treatment, as measured by the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, the Fertility Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the Healthy Lifestyle Behavior Scale II. The social support and stress buffering theory …

Perceptions Of Residents In Rural Areas Toward Law Enforcement, Joseph James Wagner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Negative public perceptions toward law enforcement officers (LEOs) have increased in recent years as the result of police shootings of unarmed men. Researchers have focused on urban residents' perceptions toward LEOs, but have not examined the perceptions of rural residents. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the dependent variable (DV) of rural citizens' perceptions toward LEOs and the independent variables (IVs) of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, income, employment status, educational attainment, and immigration status. The social judgment theory and the primary socialization theory were used as the theoretical foundations to …

The Lived Experiences Of Male Victims Of Intimate Partner Violence, Arielle Chieko Woodyard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of male victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). Few studies exist about the experiences of men who are victims of female-perpetrated IPV and there are not many studies about these men's experiences in seeking and receiving psychological help. Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Peck's gender role strain paradigm guided this study to understand victimology and perceptions of gender roles. Research questions attempted to understand the lived experiences of male IPV victims of female-perpetrated IPV, accessing supportive and psychological services, and their experiences of these services. Seven male individuals were recruited through flyers in …

School Counselors' Professional Development Needs For Preparing Diverse Learners For College, Natalie White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prevalent literature about school counselors' professional development (PD) needs to prepare diverse learners for college is in short supply. Simultaneously, school counselors oftentimes encounter role confusion due to misperceptions of their job responsibilities by educational leaders. This discrepancy has led to the completion of noncounseling assignments, thus prohibiting counselors in this study from appropriate training and adhering to college readiness mandates for all students. This study explored high school counselors' attitudes about their PD needs to prepare diverse students for college in an urban populated school district located in southern Texas. The conceptual framework that guided this study defines school …

A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study Of Counselors' Preparedness To Counsel Refugees, Shadin Riem Atiyeh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A gap exists in the current literature on the training needs of professional counselors so they can meet the increasing demand for counseling services among refugee populations. The purpose of this constructivist, grounded theory study was to explore the perceptions of professional counselors related to their preparedness to demonstrate multicultural competence when counseling refugees. A constructivist grounded theory approach following Charmaz's principles guided the investigation into perceptions of professional counselors towards counseling with refugee clients. The author conducted a qualitative demographic form, individual interviews, and a focus group with professional counselors who had experience working with refugees. Sample included 21 …

Postimmigration Acculturative Challenges In African Immigrant Couples' Relationships, John Kwaku Amoah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African immigrant couples encounter postimmigration acculturative challenges that impact the foundation of their marriages. The purpose of this case study was to explore the postimmigration challenges that immigrant African couples face and how they manage with the acculturative challenges. The theoretical foundation that guided this study was Social Exchange Theory (SET). This study included interviews of 5 couples of African descent who were married in their home countries before migrating to the United States and who have lived for 5 years or more in Massachusetts. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. The HyperResearch Qualitative Analysis software was used to analyze the …

Policy Alternatives For The Cameroon Conflicts With Views On Abolishing The Federation, Christmas Atem Ebini

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The violent conflicts in the Northwest and Southwest provinces of Cameroon (Southern Cameroons) have obtained national and international attention. The government of Cameroon and armed separatists (Southern Cameroonians) have been called upon to address the root cause of the conflicts and reach a lasting peaceful settlement. This qualitative study is aimed at providing policy alternatives for the current conflict. The primary research question seeks to establish how the 1972 abolition of the federal system may have provided the impetus for the current conflicts. A second question addresses the options for resolving the conflict and the prospects of resolution. Data was …