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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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Addressing Spiritual Care Needs In Primary Care, Olayinka Akerele-Olufidipe Jan 2018

Addressing Spiritual Care Needs In Primary Care, Olayinka Akerele-Olufidipe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This DNP project focused on the spiritual aspects of care that are often neglected in the outpatient setting. Most patients value their spiritual health and believe that it is just as important as their mental and physical health. The purpose of this project was to improve the overall spiritual care provided to patients, their families, and/or caregivers in times when they were experiencing spiritual distress. This quality improvement (QI) project was designed to determine whether embedding a chaplain in an outpatient clinic instead of providing a pamphlet about chaplain services increases patient satisfaction. Secondary analysis of the data in this …

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Impact Of Social Support On Malaria Management By Burundian Community Health Workers, Bonaventure Bazirutwabo Jan 2018

Impact Of Social Support On Malaria Management By Burundian Community Health Workers, Bonaventure Bazirutwabo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Malaria is the main cause of mortality for children under the age of 5 in Burundi. The access to malaria diagnostics and treatment is hampered not only because of logistical issues, but also due to the lack of qualified human resources and their inequitable distribution across the country. To mitigate the lack of human resources for health, the government of Burundi, along with its partners, shifted some tasks to community health workers (CHWs) to cover unmet healthcare needs for selected diseases such as malaria, diarrhea, and pneumonia. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the social support provided …

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Strategies To Reduce Voluntary Employee Turnover In Business Organizations, Kevin Lance Bernard Jan 2018

Strategies To Reduce Voluntary Employee Turnover In Business Organizations, Kevin Lance Bernard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Industry leaders in the United States have spent $11 billion annually in advertising, hiring, and training expenditures associated with voluntary employee turnover. Using employee turnover theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this multicase study was to explore strategies leaders of marketing and consulting firms used to reduce voluntary employee turnover. Participants were purposefully selected based on evidence of their successful experiences in reducing voluntary employee turnover in their organizations. Data were collected by conducting semistructured interviews with 6 leaders in 3 marketing and consulting firms located in the southeastern United States and by reviewing organizational documents related to …

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Chronic Disease And Injury Prevention Programming For Canada's Indigenous Population, Nicole Blackman Jan 2018

Chronic Disease And Injury Prevention Programming For Canada's Indigenous Population, Nicole Blackman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Local public health units in the province of Ontario, Canada, are often the primary source of health promotion and health education resources, but many do not provide programming specific to the Indigenous population. As of January 2018, modernization of the Ontario Public Health Standards requires public health units to work with the Indigenous population in providing culturally appropriate programs and services. The practice question guiding the capstone project was to determine what chronic disease and injury prevention programs exist that are culturally appropriate for the Indigenous population. The purpose of this project was to do an environmental scan and compile …

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Influence Of School Principals On Teachers' Perceptions Of School Culture, Evelyn M. Britton Jan 2018

Influence Of School Principals On Teachers' Perceptions Of School Culture, Evelyn M. Britton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers' perceptions of leadership are often based on the leaders' behavior, and what leaders model daily. The problem in this case study was that teachers' perceptions of school leadership were not well enough understood to leverage as a tool for school improvement. The purpose of this study was to explore how teachers' perceptions of school principal's leadership style, and behavior affect school culture. The conceptual framework was based on literature of 3 key dynamics: leadership styles, and approaches, school culture, and influences of leadership on teachers' perceptions of school culture. The primary research question explored how teachers' perceptions of school …

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Low-Income Uninsured Perceptions, Beliefs, And Level Of Knowledge Concerning Primary Care Services, Pamela Ann Brown Jan 2018

Low-Income Uninsured Perceptions, Beliefs, And Level Of Knowledge Concerning Primary Care Services, Pamela Ann Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, there is an issue with low-income uninsured patients using emergency services for nonurgent conditions instead of using primary care services. Primary care services are more beneficial than emergency services for such patients, in that they can receive continual or follow-up care through primary care and thus achieve better health outcomes over the long term. Though information is available concerning factors in (or the rationale for) low-income uninsured patients choosing the emergency department (ED) instead of primary services for nonurgent conditions, research focusing on low-income uninsured patients' perspectives, beliefs, and level of knowledge about this matter is …

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Perceptions Of First-Time Antiguan And Barbudan Mothers Towards Breastfeeding And Weaning, Janelle Dion Charles-Williams Jan 2018

Perceptions Of First-Time Antiguan And Barbudan Mothers Towards Breastfeeding And Weaning, Janelle Dion Charles-Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Antigua and Barbuda, in the eastern Caribbean, is one of several countries with exclusive low breastfeeding rates and premature weaning. Researchers have demonstrated that babies exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life are better protected from childhood diseases and experience a better quality of life into adulthood, while early weaning is associated with morbidity and mortality. However, at 6 weeks postpartum, only 30% of Antiguan and Barbudan mothers are exclusively breastfeeding. Researchers have explained why mothers in general cease exclusive breastfeeding prematurely: insufficiency of breast milk, returning to paid employment, lack of social support; but an explanation specific …

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Strategies For Residential Real Estate Professionals To Mitigate Declining Sales, Raven Cornelius Jan 2018

Strategies For Residential Real Estate Professionals To Mitigate Declining Sales, Raven Cornelius

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Real estate sales significantly declined during and after the 2008 mortgage crisis. In the United States, real estate sales dropped 35% after the mortgage crisis. Guided by the attention, interest, desire, and action (AIDA) model, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies successful residential real estate organization managers use to mitigate sales decline in a postrecession environment. Three residential real estate organization managers in Southern Maryland and Northern Virginia participated in semistructured interviews. These participants are currently selling homes, worked in the real estate market before the 2008 mortgage crisis, and developed successful strategies to …

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Obstacles To Economic Growth And Business Attraction In Georgia, Vanessa Cox Jan 2018

Obstacles To Economic Growth And Business Attraction In Georgia, Vanessa Cox

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in the study was that Georgia's economic development leadership faced obstacles that challenged the state's growth in attracting new business and developing existing business. The purpose of this case study was to explore the obstacles encountered by a specific agency to attract businesses to generate economic growth. Accessing obstacles that hinder leaders to promote the state of Georgia growth is pertinent, including exploring where the system may be constrained. The theory of constraints guided this study to investigate what obstacles state leaders face in economic development. An embedded case study was conducted using purposeful sampling to select …

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Improving Recruitment And Retention Of Volunteer Firefighters, Jason Decremer Jan 2018

Improving Recruitment And Retention Of Volunteer Firefighters, Jason Decremer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of active volunteer firefighters has been steadily dropping in the state of Connecticut for several years. At the same time, the number of public service calls for fire departments has been on the rise. This problem impacts fire protection and municipalities that rely on volunteer fire departments. The purpose of this narrative study was to explore why volunteer firefighter numbers have been declining, the extent to which recruitment and retention programs are used in volunteer fire departments, and how these programs contribute to a fire department's ability to recruit members. Perry's public service motivation model provided the theoretical …

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Use Of Antipsychotic Medications In Individuals With Alzheimer's Disease In Nursing Facilities, Michelle M. Dionne-Vahalik Jan 2018

Use Of Antipsychotic Medications In Individuals With Alzheimer's Disease In Nursing Facilities, Michelle M. Dionne-Vahalik

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patients with Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia often require long-term care in nursing facilities (NF) where they may display out-of-character behaviors complicating their care. While antipsychotic medications are sometimes prescribed for NF residents, their use is considered inappropriate for the control of dementia behaviors. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have rated Texas the worst state in the country for the inappropriate use of antipsychotic medications for NF residents with dementia. This project was guided by the star model of knowledge transformation with the goal to reduce inappropriate use of antipsychotic medications through NF staff education. The …

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Factors Contributing To Substance Abuse Treatment Completion Among Alaska Natives, Courtney Kay Donovan Jan 2018

Factors Contributing To Substance Abuse Treatment Completion Among Alaska Natives, Courtney Kay Donovan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alaska Native populations have experienced significant struggles with addictions to alcohol and other substances. The Alaska Native population's access to treatment services is riddled with problems. This quantitative study served the purpose of identifying factors that lead to the prediction of successful treatment discharges among Alaska Native clients who received treatment for substance abuse at a treatment center in Alaska. Based on the theoretical framework of Marlatt's relapse prevention theory, using archival data, as well as a cross-sectional, quantitative research design, predictive variables of the efficacy of substance use treatment among outpatient clients (N = 278) were examined. Multiple regression …

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The Impact Of Lemongrass, Oregano, And Thyme Essential Oils On Candida Albicans' Virulence Factors, Jennifer Marie Eddins Jan 2018

The Impact Of Lemongrass, Oregano, And Thyme Essential Oils On Candida Albicans' Virulence Factors, Jennifer Marie Eddins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increased systemic infections and growing resistance of Candida species in immunosuppressed people have prompted research for additional treatment options. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the potential of lemongrass, oregano, and thyme essential oils tested individually, combined, and combined with the antifungal agents fluconazole and caspofungin to kill Candida albicans isolates in a controlled laboratory setting. This study was grounded on the theoretical concepts of the epidemiologic triangle model. The experimental data collected were used to investigate risk factors related to age, gender, race, and comorbidities. Kill rates of lemongrass, oregano, and thyme essential oils individually and …

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Factors Associated With Menthol Cigarettes Smoking Among Youths Ages 12 To 19, Eniye Emmanuel Eguae Jan 2018

Factors Associated With Menthol Cigarettes Smoking Among Youths Ages 12 To 19, Eniye Emmanuel Eguae

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Menthol is added to cigarettes to make smoking more convenient. Menthol is considered a contributing factor that makes smoking appealing to youths and their continuous smoking initiation, which progresses to regular cigarette smoking and addiction, especially among youths ages 12 to 19. Menthol encourages approximately 4,000 youths to experiment with smoking daily in the United States, of which approximately 1,000 become active smokers. Not enough is known regarding the influence of menthol on youth smoking initiation/smoking behavior. A quantitative analysis of data from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) was used to explore the association between age, race/ethnicity, gender, …

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Reintegration Among Combat Veterans Suffering From Psychological Conditions, Virginia Falck Jan 2018

Reintegration Among Combat Veterans Suffering From Psychological Conditions, Virginia Falck

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Active duty personnel as well as combat veterans of the United States often engage in military operations during their service that require deployments to participate in missions, which may lead to extended periods away from home. When active duty men and women are appointed to combat zones, they may return with psychological burdens such as post traumatic stress disorder, which can complicate their reintegration into civilian life. This study explored the experiences of combat veterans who faced challenges when returning home from a war zone, along with the experiences of their family members. The study involved 26 combat veterans, spouses, …

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Clostridium Difficile Infection (Cdi): Use Of Preventive Bundle To Decrease Cdi Incidences, Lisa Feliciano Jan 2018

Clostridium Difficile Infection (Cdi): Use Of Preventive Bundle To Decrease Cdi Incidences, Lisa Feliciano

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The challenge of combating Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) is a major problem within many health care organizations as CDI adds to the cost of care and is an uncomfortable and sometimes fatal complication of hospitalization for the patient. The practice-focused question for this doctoral project was targeted at patients in hospital settings on a medical surgical floor and asked if clostridium difficile preventive bundles reduce the incidence of CDI compared with nonstandardized preventative methods. Using the plan-do-study-act framework, the purpose of this DNP project was to use a clostridium difficile bundle approach to study the effects of clostridium difficile incidence …

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Determining Perceived Barriers Affecting Physicians' Readiness To Disclose Major Medical Errors, Jean-Pierre K. Folligah Jan 2018

Determining Perceived Barriers Affecting Physicians' Readiness To Disclose Major Medical Errors, Jean-Pierre K. Folligah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medical errors have been detrimental in the field of medicine. They have impacted both patients and doctors. While physicians recognized that error disclosure was an ethical and professional obligation, most remained silent when mistakes happened for different reasons. Guided by the theory of planned behavior and Kant's deontological theory, the purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the perceived barriers affecting physicians' willingness to report major medical errors. An association was tested between the independent variables physician fear of disclosure of errors, organizational culture toward patient safety, physician apology, professional ethics and transparency, physician education, and the dependent variable …

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Leisure Time Physical Activities Of Older Adults In Senior Housing, Tamiera S. Harris Jan 2018

Leisure Time Physical Activities Of Older Adults In Senior Housing, Tamiera S. Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increasing physical activity levels of older adults is a public health priority given the associated risks with sedentary lifestyles. Exercise such as walking may positively affect older adults as they age decreasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, or death. The purpose of this study was to examine physical activities of older adults in senior housing and to determine if age correlates with the amount of physical activity. Physical activity studies on older adults are limited due to time and resources. The health belief model and transtheoretical model frames this study theorizing that older adults will take positive steps towards …

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The Predictive Nature Of Vicarious Trauma In School Counselors, Connie J. Honsinger Jan 2018

The Predictive Nature Of Vicarious Trauma In School Counselors, Connie J. Honsinger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the past decade, the counseling profession has begun to recognize the impact of vicarious trauma on counselors who provide services to individuals who have experienced trauma. The constructivist self-development theory asserts that interpersonal frameworks can determine healthy versus unhealthy coping styles and impact a counselor's susceptibility to vicarious trauma. Researchers have explored vicarious trauma in a number of professions such as mental health counseling and social work however they have not examined potential risk factors specific to school counseling. The purpose of this correlational study was to investigate variables associated with vicarious trauma in school counselors. The research focused …

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At-Risk Boys' Engagement In The Iengage Model, Deborah Lee Houston Jan 2018

At-Risk Boys' Engagement In The Iengage Model, Deborah Lee Houston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a growing problem with male under-achievement in public education. Boys who are unsuccessful in elementary and middle school are likely to drop out in high school. Engaging at-risk boys could alleviate school dropouts and the resulting consequences. The purpose of this study was to explore at-risk boys' engagement in a middle school model employing collaborative learning, problem-based learning, and technology. The study was framed on the self-determination theory and the idea that competence, autonomy, and relatedness are vital for engagement. A qualitative case study approach was used to explore teachers' views of at-risk boys' engagement. Eleven teachers who …

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Assessment Of Evidence-Based Practice Readiness And Plan For Implementation Of Clinical Practice Guidelines In A Tertiary Hospital, Linda Keller Jan 2018

Assessment Of Evidence-Based Practice Readiness And Plan For Implementation Of Clinical Practice Guidelines In A Tertiary Hospital, Linda Keller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Using evidence-based practice (EBP) to deliver patient care in a hospital setting improves patients' care and their outcomes. The use of clinical practice guidelines (CPG) enables nurses and other healthcare professionals to translate current evidence into bedside care. However, there continue to be barriers for hospitals in adopting and implementing evidence-based care using CPGs, including a lack of understanding about EBP by nursing staff. The purpose of this project was to explore readiness of registered nurses in a tertiary hospital to use EBP and provide recommendations for a plan to implement CPGs successfully. Melnyk's research identified EBP as an approach …

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Applying Utaut To Determine Intent To Use Cloud Computing In K-12 Classrooms, Dorothy Cortez Kropf Jan 2018

Applying Utaut To Determine Intent To Use Cloud Computing In K-12 Classrooms, Dorothy Cortez Kropf

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although school districts provide collaborative cloud computing tools such as OneDrive and Google Drive for students and teachers, the use of these tools for grading and feedback purposes remains largely unexplored. Therefore, it is difficult for school districts to make informed decisions on the use of cloud applications for collaboration. This quantitative, nonexperimental study utilized Venkatesh et al.'s unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) to determine teachers' intent to use collaborative cloud computing tools. Online surveys with questions pertaining to UTAUT's predictor variables of performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI), facilitating conditions (FC) and …

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Impact Of Increased Learning Time On Economically Disadvantaged Students At An Urban Elementary School, Scott M. Larkin Jan 2018

Impact Of Increased Learning Time On Economically Disadvantaged Students At An Urban Elementary School, Scott M. Larkin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At an urban school district, administrators were concerned about the English language arts (ELA) achievement gap between economically disadvantaged (ED) students and non-economically disadvantaged (NED). To address this gap in performance, district administrators instituted an extended day program (EDP) for ED students that included additional learning time and individualized strategies in ELA. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent of the impact that the EDP had on ED students in ELA achievement. The quasi-experimental quantitative design was guided by Carroll's model of school learning and explored the difference in ELA Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College …

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Effects Of Cancer Staging On Maternal Coping And Mother-Child Communication Patterns Among Breast Cancer Survivors, Kevin Michael Lycke Jan 2018

Effects Of Cancer Staging On Maternal Coping And Mother-Child Communication Patterns Among Breast Cancer Survivors, Kevin Michael Lycke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Few researchers have examined the relationship between earlier stages of breast cancer and its effect on staging of the disease process and the co-occurring coping and communication patterns between mothers and their children. The purposes of this qualitative study with a multiple case study design were to examine (a) coping mechanisms that mothers used to manage the uncertainty of their breast cancer status and (b) the impact of early-stage breast cancer on communication patterns between mothers and their children. The Lazarus and Folkman theory of psychological coping and the McMaster family systems communication theory informed the conceptual framework for the …

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The Relationship Of Parental Involvement And Reading Achievement Of Ninth-Grade Students, Florence Ann Mayhall-Andrews Jan 2018

The Relationship Of Parental Involvement And Reading Achievement Of Ninth-Grade Students, Florence Ann Mayhall-Andrews

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The local high school and school district have failed to achieve adequate yearly progress in reading due to the poor performance of 9th-grade and special education students on the annual state reading assessment. There may be numerous factors leading to the low scores, but researchers have suggested that students whose parents are engaged in their education have more academic success than students whose parents have minimal participation. An explanatory survey design was used in this quantitative study to identify the involvement activities of parents of 9th-grade students and determine if there was a relationship between their involvement and their child's …

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An Elementary Perspective Of The Value-Added Model, Pat Mccoy Jan 2018

An Elementary Perspective Of The Value-Added Model, Pat Mccoy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a small, rural school district in the southeastern United States, elementary school teachers were receiving positive evaluation ratings while student proficiency on state assessments was below the state average. Due to changes in federal and state laws, school personnel evaluate methods have undergone significant reform. The purpose of this study was to answer the guiding research questions of teachers and administrators perceptions toward the value-added model (VAM) of evaluation and how those perceptions affect teacher performance. Taylor's scientific management theory, which suggests examining human productivity through the lens of applied science served as the conceptual framework. Data were collected …

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Professional Development For One-To-One Mobile Technology Programs, Leann Martin Morris Jan 2018

Professional Development For One-To-One Mobile Technology Programs, Leann Martin Morris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One-to-one mobile technology integration is the goal of increasing numbers of school districts each year, and many factors exist to consider when measuring success. The research problem for this qualitative study focused on one of the critical components for measuring success: the need for effective teacher professional development. The purpose of this study was to examine (a) principles and practices to facilitate the integration of one-to-one mobile technologies into professional learning experiences, and (b) the perceptions of technology instructional coaches regarding changes in teachers' practice and attitudes following professional development. The conceptual framework included Knowles's theory of andragogy and Koehler …

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Evaluating 30 Day Rehospitalization After Sbar Implementation In Rounding, Michell Mulberry Jan 2018

Evaluating 30 Day Rehospitalization After Sbar Implementation In Rounding, Michell Mulberry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Transferring from an acute care setting to a sub-acute rehabilitation (SAR) setting can be challenging for both patients and providers because communication errors may occur. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 2017 quality improvement (QI) initiative that was implemented to reduce 30-day rehospitalization in a SAR setting serving older patients. The project involved an evaluation of the implementation of the Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation (SBAR) tool for patient rounding to decrease the incidence of 30-day re-hospitalizations. Aristotle's linear model of communication, which emphasizes the impact of message delivery on audience response, provided the …

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Exploring Satisfaction And Retention Strategies For Generation Y Customers, Edmund Ehichioya Otaigbe Jan 2018

Exploring Satisfaction And Retention Strategies For Generation Y Customers, Edmund Ehichioya Otaigbe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Firms in the service industry have experienced a 15-30% drop in customer satisfaction ratings and an estimated $10 billion annually due to the unpredictable tendencies of one of the most significant and fastest growing consumer segments in the marketplace, Generation Y customers. The distinctive behavior of this sizeable generational cohort may be reshaping the business landscape of the 21st century regarding how consumers will relate to service providers in the future. Using the theory of customer satisfaction management system, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the customer satisfaction strategies that business leaders in southern Nigeria use …

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Relationship Between English Proficiency And Academic Achievement Of Nigerian Secondary School Students, Goldlyn Ugonna Ozowuba Jan 2018

Relationship Between English Proficiency And Academic Achievement Of Nigerian Secondary School Students, Goldlyn Ugonna Ozowuba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nigerian stakeholders are concerned with the continuous low scores of final-year senior secondary school students (FYSSS) in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Studies have shown that limited proficiency in English among FYSSS is the cause of low scores on the WASSCE. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to investigate the relationship between English proficiency and academic achievement among FYSSS as measured by the WASSCE. The theoretical framework for the study was Cummins's theory of second language acquisition to address the distinction between conversational language and academic language. Archival data from 225 FYSSS were collected from …

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