Digital Commons Network^™

Staff Education For Registered Nurses Using The Teach-Back Method, Mary Elizabeth Sizer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This purpose of this quality improvement project was to develop an educational training curriculum designed for staff nurses to use the teach-back method with patients with low health literacy during discharge instructions. Health literacy is associated with the ability to read, comprehend, and make appropriate healthcare decisions; the teach-back method asks patients to restate or explain health information in their own words, aiding retention and literacy. Effective staff education plays a critical role in the education of patients during discharge teaching: Nurses must help to ensure that patients and their families understand healthcare information and apply this information in their …

Physician-Patient Relationships And Their Effect On T2dm Patient Treatment Adherence, Cindy Schmidt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a health epidemic that continues to worsen. A major concern is that treatment adherence rates hover around 50%, despite the introduction of new medications, treatments, and technology. Lack of adherence by patients can lead to complications like blindness, kidney disease, and amputations. While there have been many studies conducted to evaluate patient factors related to adherence, fewer studies have been conducted to evaluate the role of the physician-patient relationship. The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between the physician-patient relationship and patient treatment adherence, and examine the moderators of age, education, ethnicity, …

Nonpharmacological Behavioral Interventions For Patients With Dementia: An Integrative Literature Review, Michelle Monique Spears

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of antipsychotic medications in older adults with dementia increases risk of

mortality; therefore, it is critical that nurses use nonpharmacological interventions in dementia care. The nurses' role is integral to implementation of treatment strategies to dementia patients and efforts to improve care in patients with dementia using a nonpharmacological approach are necessary. Therefore, guidelines outlining nonpharmacologic dementia care management will enable nurses to provide a wider spectrum of care to dementia patients. The purpose of this project was to make recommendations for the development and implementation of interdisciplinary practice guidelines to standardize care in the organizational setting. An …

Illegal Drug Use, Suicidal Ideation, And Attempted Suicide Among New York Adolescents, Jacqueline Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Suicide, ranked as one of the top five causes of death among adolescents, aged 15 to 19, claims numerous lives within the state of New York. Driven by the social cognitive theory, the objective of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to investigate the association among being offered, sold, or given illegal drugs, illegal drug use, being bullied, age, gender, ethnicity, suicidal ideation, and attempted suicide among adolescents in New York. The Centers for Disease Control 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance data for 89,068 New York adolescents, Grades 9-12, were utilized in this study. There was increased risk of suicide ideation …

Groupthink Among German, British, American, And Soviet Leaders During The Holocaust, Alan Woolf

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Understanding the psychology behind the perpetrators of the Holocaust has been difficult because experiments on conformity and obedience cannot readily simulate the reality of the Holocaust. There exists historical documentation surrounding the leaders of the Nazi organization instrumental for the perpetration of the Holocaust, but the underlying motives of Hitler's leaders relating to governmental policies of systematic extermination of the Jews in Europe, are not known, as the strategy and operationalization of the actions were kept extremely secret, disguised by euphemisms, or only discussed verbally. This research study was to further understand the thought processes behind the manipulation tactics applied …

Effective Organizational Culture Strategies For A Firm Operating In Foreign Countries, Peter Morcos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational culture is a significant driver of success for firms, especially for those considering expansion to foreign countries. The purpose of this single case study was to explore effective cultural-oriented strategies that senior business leaders use to align the organization's culture with foreign countries' cultures to improve organizational performance in foreign countries. The target population was 8 current and former senior managers of a firm operating in 16 countries. Data were collected via a mix of videoconference and face-to-face interviews and the firm's archival documents, the financial statements, the HR policy, and the internal control policy. The conceptual framework that …

Portuguese-American Parents' Knowledge Of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Debbie Shrimatie Persaud

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to recent studies, there is an interethnic research gap that exists regarding Portuguese-American parents' knowledge of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). The purpose of this study was to explore Portuguese-American parents' knowledge of the symptoms and diagnosis of ADHD, how they think it impacts their children's education, learning, behaviors, and what interventions they use to address the behavioral issues and learning disabilities that result from ADHD. Guided by family systems theory, with the premise that children are an integral part of the family and cannot be understood in isolation from the family, this qualitative, phenomenological study used semi-structured interviews …

Eighth-Grade Students With Low Academic Performance In Middle School Science, Tennille Heath Fowler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem of low achievement and failure of 8th-grade students to attain state proficiency level in science in a local school district was addressed in this case study. Data from 2012-2016 revealed that 93% of 8th-grade students in 2 suburban middle schools in the targeted state failed to meet science proficiency standards on the science Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests and the state's Milestone Assessments. The purpose of conducting this qualitative case study was to develop an understanding of teachers' perceptions regarding high failure rate of 8th-grade students to meet state mandated standards in science. Piaget's constructs of developmental and operational learning …

Strategies Small Construction Business Managers Use To Reduce Safety Incidents In Their Organization, Peggy Ann Mcknight

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Globally the construction industry struggles to prevent injurious and fatal safety incidents. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies used by construction business managers that had significantly reduced the occurance of safety incidents in a Northwest Ohio construction company. Data were collected from organizational records and interviews with 6 construction managers. The conceptual framework for this research was the concept of safety management systems. Data were compiled and organized, disassembled into fragments, grouped, and then interpreted for meaning. Methodological triangulation and member checking were used to enhance reliability and validity. Four themes emerged from the data: …

The Effects Of Professional Development And Formative Assessment Quality On Students' Self-Regulation In Primary School Mathematics, Oluwakemi Adewoye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Student self-regulation is associated with mathematics achievement in Nigerian primary schools, and formative assessment holds promise for increasing self-regulation. However, to date no research has explored teacher professional development (PD) for formative assessment and its effects on students' self-regulation in Nigerian primary schools. This quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design used Desimone's teacher professional development conceptual framework, Popham's model for practicing formative assessment, and Zimmerman's concept of self-regulated learning. Research questions concerned whether differences existed in teachers' practice and students' self-regulation between two groups of Nigerian primary school mathematics teachers who received variations of professional development. The sample was 13 volunteer …

Motivators And Demotivators Of Dominican Immigrant High School Esl Students In Puerto Rico, Luis A. Amador

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem is that Dominican student immigrants enrolling in Puerto Rican high

schools need to be English proficient and the English as second language program (ESL)

is not effectively supporting these students to develop English proficiency to graduate

from the target high school. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand

the perceptions of Dominican immigrant ESL students regarding motivators and

demotivators in ESL classes to develop English proficiency at the target site. Using

Krashen's conceptual framework, students' perceptions of motivators and demotivators

regarding ESL classes, and their suggestions for improving the ESL instruction were

explored. A qualitative …

Parents' And Teachers' Perception Of An Alternative School, Larry Lee Adams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The alternative school in this case study has experienced resistance to the assignments the past few years. Present enrollment consists mostly of African American male students, whose parents complain about constant fighting, inadequate educational resources and the lack of class selections necessary for student academic progress. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of teachers and parents regarding academic information, and general information, they perceived have had the greatest impact on behavior, discipline, and achievement in the school environment. In addition, parents' primary concerns about student assignment to the alternative school were explored. Constructivist learning …

Experiences Of Interpersonal Interaction Between Nurse Educators And Minority Nursing Students, Debra Boldan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Changes in the cultural composition of the United States population are not reflected in the nursing workforce. The lack of diversity in nursing may be due to the unique interpersonal needs of minority nursing students remaining unmet in traditional nursing education programs, which might unintentionally lead to alienation, isolation, and lower graduation rates for minority students. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore interpersonal interaction experiences nursing educators have in teaching minority nursing students. Critical social theory provided the theoretical framework to explore the ways social inquiries may hinder learning and keep marginal groups from reaching their full …

Non-Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics Teachers' Efficacy For Integrating Mathematics Across The Curriculum, Sandra Charlene Burrell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem at a local science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) charter high school in this study, was that non-STEM teachers lacked the self-efficacy and background knowledge to integrate mathematics into their content-specific instructional activities. The goal of this study was to explore non-STEM teachers' self-efficacy for integrating mathematics across the STEM charter high school's curriculum. The conceptual framework of self-efficacy informed the study. A case study research design was chosen to develop an in-depth understanding of the problem. . Twelve of the 16 local school's non-STEM teachers agreed to participate in the study. Personal interviews were conducted to access non-STEM …

An Educational Program For Using The Distress Themometer, Mabel M. Che-Tuma

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The distress thermometer (DT) is a screening tool designed to measure the level of stress in oncology patients. Clinical oncology nurses (CONs) at the local site lacked knowledge and training on how to administer and apply the DT. Because of this practice gap, patients were not receiving referrals to the necessary support services. The purpose of this project was to design and validate a CON staff education program on the use of the DT. The diffusion of innovation theory along with the theory of interpersonal relations served as the conceptual framework for the project. The project was organized into a …

Small College Title Ix Coordinators' Response To Male Complainants, David Scott Chambers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Male survivors of sexual assault face increased mental health concerns due to commonly held beliefs and lack of quality services. College and university administrators, under guidance provided by the Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Education, must respond to all incidents of sexual misconduct, no matter the gender identity of the complainant or respondent. The purpose of this multiple case study was to investigate how the Title IX Coordinators at small colleges understand and implement governmental guidelines to decrease the secondary victimization experienced by male survivors by analyzing current policies and programs. Critical theory provided the conceptual framework …

Women's Perceptions Of Malaria In The Western Rural Areas Of Sierra Leone, Marcella Davies

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Malaria is one of the leading causes of death for children and women in Sierra Leone. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and understand the lived experiences of women from the rural areas of Sierra Leone regarding malaria. A purposive sample of Krio women from the western rural area, aged 21-55 years, spoke English, and had taken care of someone with malaria described their perceptions and lived experiences with the disease in face-to-face interviews. The research questions were based on the health belief model and focused on knowledge, beliefs, and perceptions about malaria prevention and treatment. Interpretative …

Socioeconomic Status And Cancer Risks In Employer-Insured Cancer Survivors, Christine Clinton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic illnesses such as cancer continue to be among the costliest for employers who provide health insurance to their employees. Despite efforts to incorporate health improvement programs in the workplace, there are concerns about the effectiveness of these programs that do not always deliver a positive return on investment. Little is known about the specific socioeconomic status of employees for whom these workplace health improvement programs are designed for. Guided by the social-ecological model, this study sought to understand the relationship between cancer health risks about socioeconomic factors among cancer survivors in the employer-insured population. Data were extracted from the …

Public Service Announcements To Promote Physical Activity, Jennifer Erickson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes physical activity as a primary way to maintain health, but many individuals do not participate in this health-promoting behavior. Despite the potential for public service announcements (PSAs) to communicate health information and promote behavioral change, no prior research on developing video PSAs to promote physical activity was found. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine how affective and information video PSAs for a public health campaign affect future levels of intention to engage in physical activity. The PSAs were developed and filmed specific for this study using the model of goal directed …

Understanding Use Of Care For African Immigrants With Autistic Children, Leahnata Davies

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of African immigrants in the United States is increasing. The incidence of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in the United States is also on the rise. Despite these increases, little information exists about the adequacy of care for African immigrants with autistic children in the United States. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand the factors that affect use of care for African immigrants with autistic children in the United States. Using Aday-Anderson model of health care utilization framework, this study focused on African immigrants in the United States who had children with Autism …

Examining The Impact Of Professional Learning Communities On School Performance, Jeffrey Jaroscak

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Implementing the principles of a professional learning community (PLC) in public schools has become a popular strategy for meeting school quality and accountability expectations. Whether PLC implementation results in improved school ratings represents a gap in the literature. Three out of the 4 elementary schools in the participating school district experienced a significant drop in state ratings. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the relationship between the perceived depth of implementaiton of PLCs and a school's performance in terms of state ratingsGuided by the theory of the learning organization, this quantitative study was designed to identify the …

Creation Of A Diabetic Health Literacy Program For Staff Of A Rural Federally Qualified Healthcare Center, Cathy Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adult residents in rural communities have a higher incidence of chronic diseases. This fact coupled with low health literacy and a lack of primary and specialty care services makes the management of diseases such as diabetes difficult. The purpose of this doctoral project was to develop a diabetic health literacy program for staff of a rural federally qualified health care center (FQHC) that is the largest primary care center within a 5-county area in a rural mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Most residents have difficulty understanding diabetic information as it is presented to them, which leads to an increase …

Efficacy Of Methods Available To Remove Environmental Tobacco Smoke In Vehicles, Brian Albert Nielson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is a serious public health threat. Residual ETS in vehicles unknowingly exposes future occupants to environmental tobacco smoke. Reducing or removing exposure to ETS has been proven to reduce long-term health complications. This quasi-experimental study investigated 5 cleaning methods and their effect on air particulate matter2.5 (PM2.5) along with the correlation between air nicotine levels and PM2.5 levels. Study variables included cleaning methods as the independent variable, and changes in air nicotine and PM2.5 levels as the dependent variables. This study is framed within primary prevention and risk reduction based on the harm reduction theory. The …

Perceptions About Hands-On Art Making By Non-Art Major Online Students, Gayle Nelson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As higher education moves increasingly to online and hybrid programs, more students will be taking art appreciation courses virtually. The research that exists on student perceptions related to hands-on art making suggests that active creation is valuable in fostering creativity, inspiring knowledge, and supporting and motivating students. The purpose of this case study was to explore non-art major, college-level students' experiences, perceptions, and reflections of an active learning component within an online art appreciation class delivered at a public university in the southeastern United States. Three research questions were developed to explore the students' experiences, perceptions, and reflections of this …

Small Business Owners Strategies In The Retail Grocery Sector, Panzo Nteka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Angola, 96.7% of established small businesses fail. Thus, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies retail grocery store owners in Angola use to succeed beyond 5 years. The population of the study consisted of 5 retail grocery storeowners who sustained their businesses longer than 5 years in Angola. The conceptual framework for this study was the resource-based view. Face-to-face, semistructured interviews and company documentation review were used to collect data. Yin's 5-phase cycle, which includes (a) compiling, (b) disassembling, (c) reassembling, (d) interpreting, and (e) concluding, was used to find patterns, themes, and categories from …

Demographics, Self-Autonomy, And Relationships As Predictors Of Substance Use Among Community College Learners, F. Lashell Robertson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abuse of prescription and over-the-counter substances other than alcohol is becoming a prevalent issue; therefore, it is important to identify factors that may help predict risk for this abuse. Some demographic and situational factors have been identified for traditional 4-year college students. However, less is known about community college students, who enter college less academically prepared and may be still enmeshed with family and peer groups from high school. In this correlational study, predictors of substance abuse other than alcohol were explored among a convenience sample of 118 students from an American community college. The research question was developed based …

Teachers' Experiences With Web-Based Professional Development For Diffusing State Standards, Nadine Petrie-Waymyers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School reform efforts ultimately affect the students, but what is seldom looked at is how they affect teachers. This phenomenological study examined the experiences of teachers with regards to web-based professional development during a systemic change. The purpose of this qualitative study was to generate an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of 6 teachers in a Southeastern state who had participated in the initial process of implementing organizational changes and the diffusion of the new state educational standards. Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory served as the study's conceptual framework. Research questions focused on the perspectives of teachers regarding the …

Impact Of Palliative Care On Patients With Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Celena Romero

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requiring long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) is an incurable lung disease often complicated by other comorbidities. Research is limited for hospitalized COPD exacerbations with LTOT and palliative care services. The purpose of this quantitative research study was to determine the correlation between palliative care interventions and COPD patient outcomes specific to an intensive care unit (ICU) stay, invasive mechanical ventilator support, physician orders for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) code status, and hospital discharge to hospice care. The theoretical base for this study was Donabedian's quality improvement theory. The quasi-experimental, nonequivalent groups design divided COPD hospitalized patient sample …

Breastfeeding Perceptions, Rates Of Initiation, And Duration Among Urban And Rural Women, Shaunta N. Rutherford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Breastfeeding is the optimal feeding method for infants up to the age of 2. Breast milk is suited to fulfill the nutritional needs of infants while providing immunological and neurological benefits. Breastfeeding rates of initiation and duration are low in the United States, especially in the state of Georgia. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate how breastfeeding initiation and duration, self-efficacy, perceptions, and community breastfeeding resources differ based on geographical location. The social ecological model was used as the theoretical framework for this study. An online and in-person survey that combined the Iowa Feeding Attitude Scale, Breastfeeding …

Prekindergarten Teachers' Experiences Teaching Preliteracy To English Language Learners, Sangeeta Dwarka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Pre-K teachers in Metro Georgia have little to no training in working with English language learner/dual language learner (ELL/DLL) students, nor do they know how to instruct these students to meet Pre-K preliteracy criteria. As Pre-K classrooms contain increasing numbers of ELL/DLL students, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore teachers' need to support emergent literacy for ELL/DLL students in the Pre-K setting. The theoretical foundations for this study included Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and Kreshan's theory of language acquisition. Thirteen teachers participated in the study. Selection criteria was (1) having 2 years of teaching experience and (2) …