Digital Commons Network^™

Key Strategies For Successful Information Technology Projects, David Morris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe successful implementation of information technology (IT) projects globally depends on the increasing reliance of project managers on IT innovations. Some project managers and business leaders do not possess the strategies to effectively manage and successfully implement IT projects. Grounded in coordination theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies used to successfully implement IT projects. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and from company documents. The participants comprised 6 IT project managers in Northeast Ohio who successfully implemented IT projects. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Four themes emerged: communication amongst all …

How Teachers And Counselors Collaborate Formally And Informally To Improve The Precollege Curriculum, Amanda Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers and counselors in a large suburban district in the Southeastern United States strive to collaborate to equip students with key skills needed to succeed in their first year of college. The problem is that little was known about the collaborative challenges teachers and counselors faced as they implemented the precollege curriculum in secondary schools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine how teachers and counselors collaborate formally and informally to improve the precollege curriculum as recommended by the guidelines of the American School Counselor Association and adopted by the local district. Knowles’s theory of andragogy provided …

Factors Affecting Electronic Banking Adoption In Barbados, Jacqueline Delores Bend

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The low rate of customers' adoption of electronic banking services affects retail banks' profitability. The operating cost for a financial transaction performed by bank tellers averages US$1.07 compared to US$0.01 using electronic banking channels. It is paramount for retail banking leaders to understand the factors influencing customer adoption of electronic banking to sustain competitive advantage. Grounded in the technology acceptance model framework, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), and customer adoption of electronic banking in Barbados. The validated technology acceptance model survey instrument was used …

Adaptive Leadership Strategies And Project Success Of Construction Project Managers In Jamaica, Devon Rohan Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of effective project leadership strategies can influence organizations' performance to deliver projects successfully in a rigorous and complex business environment. Project leaders whose leadership performance is poor may experience business failure. Grounded in adaptive leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore adaptive leadership strategies used by some project managers in Jamaica to increase project success rates. Participants were 8 senior public sector project managers who successfully managed projects using adaptive leadership strategies. The data collection techniques were semistructured face-to-face interviews and review of company archival documents and artifacts from the organizations' websites. …

Perceptions Of K-12 School Principals Regarding Instructional Leadership To Support Music Teachers, Erick Cuthbert Willie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

K-12 school principals, as instructional leaders, are critical to supporting music teachers. The problem addressed in this project study was that principals have been inconsistently applying instructional leadership to support music teachers to remain in the teaching profession. The purpose of this basic qualitative research design study was to understand how principals applied instructional leadership practices to support music teachers in order to retain them. The conceptual framework was the instructional leadership model of Hallinger and Murphy, which defines three main dimensions of instructional leadership: (a) the school mission, (b) the instructional program, and (c) the school climate. The research …

Reducing The Frequency And Effects Of Fraudulent Activities In Community Action Agencies, Marvin L J Blye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, nonprofit organization leaders estimate that $40 billion of revenue is lost every year because of financial scandals and fraudulent activities. Fraud negatively affects organizational functioning, service delivery, and board governance. Nonprofit leaders who fail to prevent fraud increase the chance of their organization’s failure. Grounded in Cressey’s fraud triangle theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies nonprofit community action agency (CAA) executive leaders use to reduce fraudulent financial activities. The participants comprised 5 executive CAA nonprofit leaders located in Maryland who effectively used strategies to reduce fraudulent financial behaviors in …

Youth Leadership Development Program Evaluation, Loreley Lyn Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In competitive youth sports organizations, few organizational leaders focus on leadership development to prepare youth for life situations. Sports organizational leaders are concerned about youth leadership development, as development allows youth to build skills necessary to understand their strengths and weaknesses and recognize ways to overcome fears. Grounded in social learning theory, the purpose of this summative program evaluation was to determine the extent to which a competitive youth sports leadership development program aligned with the organization’s primary objective to provide skilled athletic training while providing lessons to prepare youth for adulthood. The participants comprised 40 key stakeholders, including participants …

Cloud Adoption Decision-Making Processes By Small Businesses: A Multiple Case Study, Francis Blay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cloud services have emerged as a compelling technology with immense benefits, but many companies still have concerns about cloud services adoption because of several failures that have occurred, including mistakes by service providers, exploitation of security flaws by hackers, and immature policies and procedures. The specific problem is how small businesses often lack the understanding of the ramifications of their respective decision-making processes to adopt cloud services. There is little understanding of the decision-making processes managers use in cloud services adoption. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the decision-making processes of 3 small businesses in …

An Examination Of The Suspensions Of Students Identified With A Learning Disability, Shelly Ann Brooker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students’ disruptive behaviors in the inclusive classroom that are detrimental to the learning environment can eventually elicit exclusionary consequences from general and special education teachers. The recent implementation of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in the local school district has behavioral outcomes for the students identified as learning disabled. The purpose of this study was to gather and examine information regarding the implementation of PBIS and how the application supports local students identified with a learning disability (LD) receiving excessive suspensions due to their disruptive behavior. This study was guided by Skinner's theory of operant conditioning and Ross' …

A Phenomenological Study: Police Officers’ Lived Experiences With The Use Of Ceds, Gustavo Alejandro Escalante

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of conducted energy devices (CEDs; e.g., TASER) in the U.S. has increased significantly since their endorsement by the police in the 1990s. Police administrators have struggled with CED placement in use of force continuums, and citizens have voiced concerns regarding their disproportionate use and health effects. An increase in understanding of the value of CEDs, specifically the devices’ role when used as a threat only, provides police administrators with more significant insights regarding their appropriate placement in department policies, which leads to more proportionate use by police officers. This phenomenological study explored police officers’ lived experiences involving displaying …

Special Education Teachers’ Instructional Practices For High School Students With Developmental Disabilities, Suzann Farmer Mohacsi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with developmental disabilities (DD) require intensive instruction from special education teachers to obtain functional skills. At the high school level, special education teachers’ instructional practices for this significant population have rarely been studied by researchers. Using Vygotsky’s social development theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how special education teachers implement instructional practices for high school students with DD. Participants were 10 public high school special education teachers who had skills and experience implementing instructional practices for students with DD. Data were gathered through open-ended, face-to-face interviews. Analysis of the data …

Employee Engagement And Job Satisfaction’S Impact On Productivity In The Distribution Industry, Jessica Copeland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Productivity deficiencies in distribution services are detrimental to profitability, annually causing billions of dollars in reporting losses industry-wide. Understanding employees’ motivating factors in meeting metric-based expectations is essential to enhancing overall performance. Grounded in the motivation-hygiene theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationships among employee engagement, job satisfaction, and productivity within the distribution industry. Electronic survey data were analyzed for 47 participants who completed the Mensah Employee Engagement Survey, Mensah Job Satisfaction Survey, and Utrecht Work Employee Engagement Survey. The results of the multiple linear regression were significant, F(2, 44) = 36.84, p = .001, …

Charter School Principals Perceived Self-Efficacy Implementing The Every Student Succeeds Act, Christina Renee Hamilton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Charter school principals have existed in the U.S. public school system for more than 30 years, and the number has grown dramatically in Southern California over the past decade. Like other principals, charter school principals are responsible for implementing the provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA). Yet, charter school principals perceptions of self-efficacy are not well enough understood to determine their effective implementation of ESSA. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify and describe the self-efficacy of charter school principals who implemented the multiple accountability measures of ESSA in Southern California. The theoretical framework …

Portrait Narratives Of Caring Teachers For African American High School Students, Larissa T. Mccormick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For African American high school students, caring relationships extend beyond peer

interaction to include supporting adults, most particularly teachers, who are pivotal to

their educational experience and success or lack of success. The research problem

centered on the lack of diversity and authentic voice when discussing caring teacher-student relationships. Markedly, the voices of African American high school students

were lacking from the current body of research literature. The purpose of this narrative

qualitative study was threefold: (a) to capture the voices of African American high school

students’ as they shared their experience(s) about a caring teacher; (b) to capture the …

Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation In Higher Education: Cost Containment Strategies, Tysha K. Tolefree

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of effective cost containment strategies to support enterprise resource planning (ERP) system implementations within higher education institutions (HEIs) result in budget overruns 50% of the time. Grounded in Gartner’s IT cost containment techniques, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies HEI project directors use to support a successful ERP implementation on time and within budget. The participants comprised 5 project directors and managers from HEIs and another public organization in the state of Washington. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, archival data, and organization documents. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, and …

Stress And Job Satisfaction As Predictors Of Teacher Turnover Intentions, Alrick Thompson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High teacher turnover is problematic because of the costs associated with recruiting and training new hires. However, some of the factors originating outside of the working environment that may influence teacher turnover intentions are not fully understood. The purpose of this quantitative correlational design study was to examine the extent to which job satisfaction, commuting stress, and financial stress are predictors of teacher turnover intentions. The study involved a purposive sampling of 227 teachers within a school district in the South Eastern part of the United States. Hobfoll’s conservation of resources theory provided the theoretical framework for the study. Validated …

Strategies For Increasing Employee Productivity In Small Technology Consulting Businesses, Dalinda Yvonne Milne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Unproductive employees in technology consulting small businesses negatively affect organizational output and profits. Investing in employee productivity is beneficial to ensuring an organization’s ability to improve their profits and sustainability as business leaders have an influential role in identifying and addressing the root causes of employee productivity issues in their organizations. The conceptual framework that grounded this doctoral study was Thomas Gilbert’s behavioral engineering model. The participants in this study consisted of 8 leaders in a Texas technology consulting small business with experience in increasing employee productivity. Data were collected through in-person semistructured interviews and business documents. Methodological triangulation was …

Perceptions Of Teachers' Regarding Barriers To Using Instructional Technology In Egyptian Schools, Radwa El Shafei

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The local K-12 school problem addressed in this study was teachers' underutilization of instructional technology (IT) to improve teaching and student learning. The purpose of this study was to explore teachers' current use of IT, as well as their perceptions of barriers to using IT in classrooms. The technology acceptance model guided the study by emphasizing the importance of perceived ease of use, usefulness, and attitudes in understanding teachers' perceptions about integrating IT. The research questions focused on teachers' perceptions of their knowledge of how to use IT, barriers to using IT and how it is currently implemented. Using a …

Sustainability Strategies Of Small Business Owners In Northcentral Texas, Danielson Ledum Dukor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While small businesses contribute significantly to job creation in the United States, they fail financially at alarming rates. Fifty percent of small businesses survive 5 years or longer, and only one-third of small business startups survive more than 10 years. Owners of small businesses could benefit from strategies used to mitigate the small firms’ failure rate by obtaining suitable leadership values and skills, understanding the business’s nature, and engaging in financial planning. Grounded in Schumpeter’s entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small home health business owners used to sustain their businesses beyond …

Social Connectedness And Financial Independence Strategies Supporting Nonprofit Sustainability, Christopher Edmund Maylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) often lack strategies to ensure the sustainability of their organizations beyond initial funding, resulting in significant risk to program continuity. Grounded in social entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to explore strategies used by 3 leaders of a small NPO in the southwest region of the United States. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and a review of organizational documents. Through thematic analysis, 6 social themes emerged: optimization of business strategies, income and donor growth, program cost management, funding diversification, program licensing, and public awareness of NPO programs. The contributions to …

Expatriate-Teacher Turnover In The International School Industry Of China, Richard Ik Ihejieto

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Expatriate-teacher turnover disrupts the social and academic lives of students in the international school industry of China. The human resource budgets of these schools are unsustainable and expatriate-teacher turnover significantly affects globalization and international businesses. The rate of expatriate-teacher turnover in the international school industry of China, which results in financial losses and creates anxiety for the students, necessitated an examination of expatriate-teacher turnover in the international school industry of China. This qualitative descriptive phenomenological study of expatriate-teacher turnover in the international school industry of China, was framed by the concepts of the internationalized schools in China and teacher turnover …

Understanding Calculus Through Maple-Based Dynamic Visualization Tools, Segla Kokou Kossivi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

First-year college students experience difficulties in understanding the concepts of derivatives and integrals. At the postsecondary level, the use of static visualization and other traditional instruction delivery methods often are unable to meet students' needs in calculus. This problem is current and essential in the field of education and needs consideration to enhance the method of teaching calculus. The rationale for this study was to scrutinize the effects of Maple dynamic visualization instructional activities, within the framework of the animation-visualization theory, on students' conceptual and procedural understanding of differential and integral calculus. The usage of a quantitative 2x2 factorial pretest-posttest …

Exploring Destination Imagination Alumni Perceptions Of 21st-Century Skills And Workforce Readiness, Sharon Kovalevsky

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace requirements are vastly different from the past due to rapid changes in technology and globalization, and they require graduates to have well-developed 21st-century skills and innovation strategies. The problem addressed in this study was the lack of understanding of how 21st-century skills that alumni learned through academic extracurricular experiences informed their early career and workforce readiness. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how Destination Imagination (DI) alumni perceived that the 21st-century skills they learned as part of their academic extracurricular experiences informed their early career readiness. The study was grounded by the 3 constructs of work …

Perceptions Of Urban Secondary Science Teachers Regarding Social Learning Professional Development, Mary Kaye Macauley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Traditional classroom environments may not motivate students to learn and may lack interactive connections between educators and learners in the classroom. The problem addressed in this research study is the lack of understanding of science teachers' use and perception of innovative social learning strategies implemented in urban classrooms. The purpose of this research study was to establish urban science teachers' perceptions regarding social learning strategies within their classrooms. The conceptual framework of Hall and Hord's levels of use was used. The research questions addressed in this study focused on the perceptions and experiences of secondary science teachers in a large, …

Exploring Fathers' Perception Of Their Reading And Math Skills And Paternal Involvement, Vielka C. Massenburg

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many children in the U.S. public education system at the elementary and secondary levels are below proficiency in reading and math. Parental involvement within the home and school context is important to children's overall and academic success. The purpose of this basic, qualitative study was to explore fathers' perception about their self-efficacy, reading and math skills, knowledge of and accessibility to educational and community resources, and their involvement in the academic lives of their elementary school-age children. Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory provided the theoretical framework of social interrelatedness. Semistructured interviews were conducted to collect the data from 7 fathers with …

Middle School General Education Teachers' Instruction Of English Language Learners, Lakisha Mitchelle Nelson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a southeastern state, Grade 7 and 8 middle school general education teachers were not implementing cultural and individual instructional strategies consistently to support the academic achievement of the growing population of English language learners (ELLs). The purpose and key research questions of this qualitative study were designed to (a) identify what cultural relevant instructional strategies Grades 7 and 8 middle school general education teachers implement, (b) identify what individual relevant instructional strategies, and (c) understand what perceptions teachers have regarding strategies to facilitate consistent implementation of cultural and individual instruction to support ELLs. The conceptual frameworks guiding this study …

Reported Literacy Engagement Among Low-Income Parents And Their Children., Olugemi Ojo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Little is known about literacy engagement between low-income parents and their preschool children, although it may affect children's language development and later school achievement. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine shared reading interactions among low-income parents and their children. The research questions addressed the lexical diversity of books read and the shared book reading experience of preschool children as reported by their low-income parents. The conceptual framework was based on the work of Hart and Risley, who proposed that the extent and value of literacy environment and collaboration during shared book reading are linked to the socioeconomic …

Social Responsibility Perceptions Of Community Flood Resilience In Nigeria, Reginald Olisa Oranye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Flooding is a severe threat to livelihoods and socioeconomic development in Ogbaru riverine communities of Anambra State, Nigeria. Limited success in the traditional approach of using predominantly structural measures, such as flood channels, to manage floods makes it imperative to explore nonstructural resilience initiatives that would potentially better protect vulnerable flood-prone communities. This study contributes to addressing the problems of ineffective flood management by developing vital social responsibility (SR) data and information that can enhance community flood resilience through individual and collective responsibilities for resilient action. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to explore SR perceptions of flood …

Career And Technical Education Teachers Integrating Literacy And The Support Administrators Provide, Heather Denese Piccott-Bryan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Education regulations in many U. S. schools require teachers, including career and technical education (CTE) teachers, to integrate literacy skills into the curriculum to support student performance on standardized tests. Changes in teaching strategies and content for literacy integration require administrators to improve the support systems for CTE teachers. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore CTE teachers' experiences in integrating literacy into the curriculum and the support they receive from administrators. Fullan's change model informed the conceptual framework for this study. Individual interviews with 4 teachers and 3 administrators from a state on the east coast …

Effects Of Blended Learning Using The Rotation Model On Fourth And Fifth Grade Students' Mathematics Scores, Heather Roach

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this quantitative study was that school administrators are allocating funds for implementing blended learning using the rotation model into mathematics classrooms without knowing if it is effective in improving student achievement in mathematics. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of blended learning using the rotation model on fourth and fifth grade students' achievement in mathematics. Mayer's cognitive theory of multimedia learning guided this study. In this quantitative quasi-experimental comparative study, data from N = 591 fourth and fifth grade students and N = 3 principals from three selected central Indiana elementary schools …