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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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From Service To Start-Up: Personality Prediction Of Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation In Female Veterans And Current Service Members, Carolyn Flinn Gaskill Sep 2026

From Service To Start-Up: Personality Prediction Of Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation In Female Veterans And Current Service Members, Carolyn Flinn Gaskill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The entrepreneurial orientation of female veterans and current service members remains insufficiently understood despite their growing presence in the military and small-business sectors. Organizational leaders need to understand this concern as an important indicator of entrepreneurial potential, innovation capacity, and business development outcomes among women with military experience. Grounded in personality theory and the individual entrepreneurial orientation framework, this quantitative predictive correlational study examined whether the Big Five traits, individually and collectively, predicted individual entrepreneurial orientation (Ind-EO) among 135 U.S. female veterans and current female service members. They completed the Big Five Inventory-2 and the Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation Scale in …


Black American School Counselors’ Experiences Of Racial Discrimination In The Workplace, Tiffany Jackson Sep 2026

Black American School Counselors’ Experiences Of Racial Discrimination In The Workplace, Tiffany Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While school counselors play a pivotal role in promoting equity and inclusion within educational institutions, they may experience systemic challenges themselves, particularly in predominantly White professional environments. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of Black American school counselors who experienced racial discrimination in the workplace and how they made meaning of those experiences. The research addressed the lived experiences of Black American school counselors who experienced racial discrimination in the workplace and how they make meaning of those experiences. The study was grounded in hermeneutic phenomenology and critical race theory. Six Black American school …


Effective Strategies For Stewarding Artificial Intelligence In Wellness Entrepreneurship, Aliyah Harmon Sep 2026

Effective Strategies For Stewarding Artificial Intelligence In Wellness Entrepreneurship, Aliyah Harmon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Wellness entrepreneurs increasingly use artificial intelligence (AI) to manage growing business demands, yet responsible use requires strategies that protect human judgment, trust, and care-centered wellness practice. The specific business problem was that some wellness entrepreneurs lacked effective strategies to practice stewardship while using AI as a supportive tool to reduce burnout. The purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to identify and explore effective strategies wellness entrepreneurs used to practice stewardship while using AI to reduce burnout. The participants consisted of six wellness entrepreneurs in the Northeastern United States who used effective wellness strategies. Stewardship theory grounded the project through …


Evaluation Of The Association Between School Prevention Programs And Adolescents’ Opioid Abuse In The United States, Lida Moazezi Sep 2026

Evaluation Of The Association Between School Prevention Programs And Adolescents’ Opioid Abuse In The United States, Lida Moazezi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study examined adolescent opioid misuse in the United States and the role of school-based prevention. Guided by the health belief model, the purpose was to test whether participation in school-based drug prevention lessons was associated with past-year opioid misuse among adolescents ages 14–17 and whether race and gender moderated that association. This quantitative, cross-sectional, nonexperimental secondary analysis used the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (N = 8,965). Analyses included weighted descriptives, chi-square tests, and complex-samples logistic regression controlling for age and socioeconomic status. The sample included adolescents ages 14–17 with complete data on school-based prevention participation, …


Exploring Multicultural Competence Among Mental Health Workers When Providing Treatment To African American Males, Ashley Hightower Sep 2026

Exploring Multicultural Competence Among Mental Health Workers When Providing Treatment To African American Males, Ashley Hightower

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American men experience disproportionately low rates of mental health service utilization and often report negative perceptions of mental illness. Despite documented mental health disparities, limited research has explored how mental health workers understand and apply multicultural competence when providing treatment to African American men. Grounded in the theory of planned behavior and social identity theory, the purpose of this qualitative descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of mental health workers regarding multicultural competence in their work with African American men. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with seven mental health workers recruited through purposive sampling. Interview …


Smaller State Development By Competitiveness In Productivity And Sustainability, Anthony Wayne Jerome Phillips-Spencer Sep 2026

Smaller State Development By Competitiveness In Productivity And Sustainability, Anthony Wayne Jerome Phillips-Spencer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Persistent poverty, middle-income traps, uneven growth, and productivity gaps expose smaller countries, defined as those with fewer than nine million people, to multidimensional vulnerability that retards development. Research revealed a positive relationship between competitiveness and growth in larger and developed countries. However, the competitiveness-development nexus in smaller and developing countries was omitted from previous research. Growth is not development. The purpose of this quantitative, longitudinal, comparative study was to examine the development-by competitiveness experiences of smaller states at different stages of development with productivity and sustainability through the lens of punctuated equilibrium theory and the national competitive development model. Results …


Surviving The Divide: Exploring Endometrial Cancer Survival In Idaho’S Urban And Rural Landscapes, Elena G. Estrada Sep 2026

Surviving The Divide: Exploring Endometrial Cancer Survival In Idaho’S Urban And Rural Landscapes, Elena G. Estrada

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Endometrial cancer is the fourth most common gynecologic malignancy in the United States, with a rising incidence among postmenopausal women. Although geographic disparities in cancer outcomes have been documented nationally, survival differences by urban versus rural residence and receipt of surgery remain understudied in Idaho. The purpose of this quantitative, retrospective cohort study was to examine the associations of urban versus rural residence, and receipt of surgery with 5-year survival among women in Idaho, a largely rural and underserved state. Guided by the social-ecological model and social determinants of health, this study used secondary data from the National Cancer Institute, …


Healthcare System Barriers To Somali Refugees In Kenya, Zahra Sharif Hashim Sep 2026

Healthcare System Barriers To Somali Refugees In Kenya, Zahra Sharif Hashim

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Access to health care is a fundamental right of every refugee, yet gaps in implementing Kenya's Refugees Acts of 2006 and 2021 continue to limit access for Somali refugees in Dadaab camp. Existing research has documented resource constraints, movement restrictions, and other barriers to refugee health care, but how policy implementation gaps shape access in Dadaab has not been well explored. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to understand barriers to health care access for Somali refugees resulting from gaps in implementing Kenya's refugee health policies. The narrative policy framework guided the study. Data from semistructured interviews with …


Strategies Used By Small Information Technology Business Leaders For Retaining Employees And Business Sustainability, Ayodeji Rex Abitogun Sep 2026

Strategies Used By Small Information Technology Business Leaders For Retaining Employees And Business Sustainability, Ayodeji Rex Abitogun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Failure to retain employees remains a significant concern for small information technology (IT) business leaders. Without clear, actionable strategies, these leaders may struggle to avoid the high costs associated with employee turnover, negatively affecting revenue. Grounded in situational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry project was to identify and explore effective strategies small IT business leaders in Nigeria use to retain IT employees for business sustainability. Participants included seven small IT business leaders in Nigeria who had used effective strategies to retain employees. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and publicly available documentation. Six themes emerged from …


Visual Arts Teachers’ Perception Of Integrating Visual Arts To Help With Student Core Content Achievement, Amanda Munoz Sep 2026

Visual Arts Teachers’ Perception Of Integrating Visual Arts To Help With Student Core Content Achievement, Amanda Munoz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was that local school districts in Texas do not offer a visual arts-integrated curriculum despite the known academic and social-emotional benefits for K–12 students. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of Texas K–12 visual arts teachers regarding arts integration to enhance core content learning. Grounded in Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory, the research questions focused on teachers' perceptions of arts integration and their recommendations for implementation. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 10 K–12 visual arts teachers in Texas who had at least 1 year of teaching experience. …


Youths' Responses To Street-Level Bureaucratic Failures In Lebialem, Division Cameroon, Forchenmbin Charles Abessoh Sep 2026

Youths' Responses To Street-Level Bureaucratic Failures In Lebialem, Division Cameroon, Forchenmbin Charles Abessoh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.


Strategies That Black American Female Business Owners Use To Secure Government Contracts, Darrilyn Marie Brittian Sep 2026

Strategies That Black American Female Business Owners Use To Secure Government Contracts, Darrilyn Marie Brittian

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black American female business owners remain underrepresented in government contracting despite the availability of federal, state, and local procurement opportunities. Some Black American female business owners lack effective strategies to secure government contracts, which may limit business growth and profitability. Grounded in innovation and entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to identify and explore the strategies Black American female entrepreneurs use to secure government contracts. The participants were six Black American female entrepreneurs who had successfully secured government contracts and possessed experience navigating government procurement processes. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and organizational documents. Through …


A Study On Police Budgets And Impact On Public Safety, Vera Thompson Sep 2026

A Study On Police Budgets And Impact On Public Safety, Vera Thompson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement agencies face ongoing organizational and resource challenges, yet there is limited research on how changes in police funding relate to crime rates and violent crime. There has been increased public awareness concerning police related encounters with civilians, and this has intensified debates about reducing law enforcement budgets. Current literature indicates that although police funding, staffing, and community trust are closely associated with public safety outcomes, empirical evidence on the relationship between police budget reductions and changes in violent crime and overall crime rates remains limited and insufficient to support definitive policy conclusions. The purpose of this quantitative study …


Level Of Stroke Center Designation And The Association With Hcahps Nurse Communication Scores And Hcahps Discharge Instruction Scores In North Carolina Hospitals In 2023, Donna Lee Frederick Sep 2026

Level Of Stroke Center Designation And The Association With Hcahps Nurse Communication Scores And Hcahps Discharge Instruction Scores In North Carolina Hospitals In 2023, Donna Lee Frederick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Strokes are costly and the leading cause of disability and a leading cause of death in the United States. Stroke management has improved through a partnership between The Joint Commission and The American Heart Association, which established stroke care center certifications for hospitals nationwide. Despite this progress, North Carolina (NC) remains within the Stroke Belt due to the high prevalence of stroke there. In some areas of NC, the stroke mortality rate is 40% higher than the national average. Guided by the Donabedian model, this quantitative correlational study investigated the association between stroke center designation levels and the Hospital Consumer …


Clinical Supervision In Local County Jails: The Descriptive Experiences Of Mental Health Supervisors, Vanessa Qualls Sep 2026

Clinical Supervision In Local County Jails: The Descriptive Experiences Of Mental Health Supervisors, Vanessa Qualls

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The overrepresentation in correctional settings of persons who are seriously mentally ill and/or challenged with addiction has necessitated the presence of qualified mental health professionals. Implementation of quality mental health treatment in correctional settings has been met with various barriers, such as limited resources, physical space constraints, and safety concerns. While these barriers are present in most correctional settings, jails are more likely to encounter individuals who are experiencing acute symptoms related to mental illness and addiction, aggression, and crisis. Mental health counselors make up a significant portion of the mental health workforce in jail settings and may assume clinical …


Nurses' Perceptions On Emotional Exhaustion, Hannah Espera Sep 2026

Nurses' Perceptions On Emotional Exhaustion, Hannah Espera

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed through this study is that U.S. nurses experience high levels of emotional exhaustion (EE) in their role as professional caregivers, adult learners, and educators. Grounded in Maslach's burnout theory, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore U.S. nurses’ perceptions of EE as professional caregivers, adult learners, and educators. For this basic qualitative design, semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 nurses licensed in the United States who were working in direct patient care roles, across multiple specialties, and with various levels of experience and licensure. Through in vivo and pattern coding, the following findings …


Navigating Sexuality In Therapy: Counselors Lived Experiences Of Initiating Conversations With Clients, Sandra Mireles Sep 2026

Navigating Sexuality In Therapy: Counselors Lived Experiences Of Initiating Conversations With Clients, Sandra Mireles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Gaps in counselor education leave many counselors inadequately prepared to initiate sexuality-related conversations with clients. This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was an exploration of the lived experiences of independently licensed mental health counselors and the personal, cultural, and professional meanings they constructed around initiating conversations related to sexuality. Guided by hermeneutic phenomenology and social constructivism, semistructured interviews were conducted with six independently licensed mental health counselors who had practiced independently for at least 5 years and primarily worked with adult clients. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Three overarching themes emerged: (a) societal and religious influences and misconceptions …


Relationship Between Financial Performance And Healthcare Quality Outcomes, Ela C. Lena Aug 2026

Relationship Between Financial Performance And Healthcare Quality Outcomes, Ela C. Lena

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hospital leaders face increasing pressure to improve quality outcomes while controlling costs. The evidence is limited on whether hospital financial performance predicts overall quality star ratings. Grounded in the general contingency theory, this quantitative, correlational project examined the predictive relationship between operating margin, current ratio, and a composite of quality metrics represented by the overall hospital Quality Star Rating (QSR). Data included the population of acute care hospitals in Massachusetts with 25 or more beds, yielding a final analytic sample of 54. Four year-specific multiple linear regression models were performed from 2021 through 2024. The analyses did not indicate a …


U.S. Rural And Frontier Stakeholders’ Use Of Storytelling To Advocate For Competency Development, Aliza Ruby Quinlan Aug 2026

U.S. Rural And Frontier Stakeholders’ Use Of Storytelling To Advocate For Competency Development, Aliza Ruby Quinlan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although rural advocacy is widely recognized as important to community change, the experiences of rural and frontier advocates, particularly in regard to their use of storytelling to support skill acquisition, relational trust, and asset-focused advocacy competencies, have been understudied. The purpose of this constructivist grounded theory qualitative study was to understand how rural and frontier community advocates describe their experiences and how sharing lived experiences may inform advocacy competency development. Semistructured interviews were conducted with nine advocates across the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, including caregivers, health care professionals, educators, nonprofit leaders, and individuals with lived experience working …


Revictimization Of Female Sexual Assault Survivors During Cross-Examination From The Perspective Of Criminal Prosecutors, Robyn Fuchs Aug 2026

Revictimization Of Female Sexual Assault Survivors During Cross-Examination From The Perspective Of Criminal Prosecutors, Robyn Fuchs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexual assault is a heinous crime that remains one of the most underreported crimes. Victims of sexual assault face scrutiny for reporting and may be revictimized by the process. The intent of this study was to examine how cross-examination has the potential to revictimize female sexual assault survivors from the perspective of criminal prosecutors. This study may provide insight on whether defense attorneys intentionally cause harm to victims or if there is an automatic level of trauma in testifying. Ten interviews were conducted with criminal prosecutors across the United States. After the interviews, the transcripts were manually analyzed to identify …


Staff Education On Standardized Suicide Risk Assessment In An Outpatient Clinic For Behavioral Health, Fanta Haja Cabah Aug 2026

Staff Education On Standardized Suicide Risk Assessment In An Outpatient Clinic For Behavioral Health, Fanta Haja Cabah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Suicide risk assessment is a high-priority nursing safety responsibility in outpatient behavioral health. The practice gap was a variation in nurses’ knowledge of validated suicide screening, direct inquiry, risk escalation, referral, and related documentation expectations working in an outpatient behavioral health clinic located on the Eastern Atlantic Coast. To address this problem, I developed, implemented, and evaluated a staff education program on a standardized suicide risk assessment. The practice question focused on whether staff knowledge increased following participation in the education program. Ten nursing staff members participated in a 60-minute education program. Pretest and posttest questionnaires included 20 multiple-choice questions. …


Staff Education On Teach- Back Communication Method For Psychiatric Nursing Staff, Adanma Violet Ebere Aug 2026

Staff Education On Teach- Back Communication Method For Psychiatric Nursing Staff, Adanma Violet Ebere

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Summary Patient education delivered without a standardized communication protocol for patients with serious mental illness (SMI), especially for those who face disproportionate health literacy deficits, cognitive challenges, and stigma, may increase the risk of medication misunderstanding and non-adherence. An outpatient psychiatric practice lacked a standardized patient education protocol. This quality improvement staff education initiative equipped all clinical nursing staff with the 5Ts for Teach Back framework, an evidence-based, five-step method endorsed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), The Joint Commission (TJC), and the American Hospital Association (AHA), and grounded with evidence in 13 sources at Levels I …


The Impact Of Inclusive Leadership And Leader Cultural Intelligence On The Work Engagement Of Migrant Employees, Dena Semonia Whittle Aug 2026

The Impact Of Inclusive Leadership And Leader Cultural Intelligence On The Work Engagement Of Migrant Employees, Dena Semonia Whittle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the rise of globalization and the growing demand for skilled workers, the number of foreign-born employees in the American workforce has grown significantly over the last 20 years. These numbers continue to grow, as the upward trend of foreign-born employees has been even more significant over the last 5 years. However, despite having a now more diverse workforce, there are still signs of discrimination and unequal treatment of migrants in the workplace. Such mistreatment has been linked to health-related, occupational, and psychological consequences and has been negatively associated with work engagement. The purpose of this quantitative study was to …


Staff Education To Increase Knowledge And Awareness Of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Alie Sholola Sahid Aug 2026

Staff Education To Increase Knowledge And Awareness Of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Alie Sholola Sahid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Background STIs or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are consequential public health emergencies that affect millions of people globally and have long-term health implications (Garcia et al., 2024). STIs are infections that are passed from one person to another through sexual contact with the most common types of STIs include chlamydia, trichomoniasis, general herpes, and human papillomavirus (HPV). It is estimated that each year, more than 20% of the U.S. population has had an STI, with around 26.2 million cases per year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2024a). The common types of STIs include chlamydia, trichomoniasis, general herpes, and …


Optimizing Advanced Ehr And Enhanced Data-Sharing And Reporting In Rural Health Clinics, Adaeze Honesta Duru Aug 2026

Optimizing Advanced Ehr And Enhanced Data-Sharing And Reporting In Rural Health Clinics, Adaeze Honesta Duru

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rural clinics continue to face several barriers in utilizing advanced electronic health record (EHR) features, including interoperability, data sharing, and care coordination. The purpose of this integrative review was to investigate strategies to overcome barriers to the use of advanced EHRs and enhance data-sharing and reporting capabilities in rural clinics. The review question emphasized viable strategies for overcoming barriers to advanced EHR utilization and enhancing data-sharing and reporting capabilities in rural clinics. The consolidated framework for implementation research provided a conceptual model for understanding the various facets of EHR optimization. A literature search initially resulted in 135 relevant articles. After …


Principals’ Experiences With Implementation Practices For School Board Policies In An Urban School District, Andrea J. Richardson Aug 2026

Principals’ Experiences With Implementation Practices For School Board Policies In An Urban School District, Andrea J. Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Effective policy implementation is crucial for improving educational outcomes and ensuring equitable learning environments. While existing literature has shown that policy implementation is influenced by factors such as leadership capacity, stakeholder engagement, communication, resource availability, organization context, and accountability, there is little known about how K-12 urban principals narrate, interpret, and make meaning of their experiences to implementing board-mandated policies. This study addressed this gap by exploring how principals in an urban school district in Ohio navigated the complexities of implementing school board policies amid resource limitations, stakeholder resistance, and accountability pressures. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry study …


Navigating Trauma And Scarcity: A Phenomenological Inquiry Into Well-Being Among Black Adult Males In Ohio Valley, Devron Demont Hobbs Aug 2026

Navigating Trauma And Scarcity: A Phenomenological Inquiry Into Well-Being Among Black Adult Males In Ohio Valley, Devron Demont Hobbs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black adult males in resource-scarce Ohio Valley communities have historically experienced trauma that disrupted their well-being. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study, grounded in developmental trauma disorder (DTD) theory, was to explore how Black adult males understood and sustained well-being while living with DTD in resource-scarce environments. The participants comprised six Black adult males who resided in Ohio Valley communities and experienced trauma during childhood and adulthood. Data were collected through confidential, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Five themes emerged: healing through connection and role-modeling, historical and systemic trauma as a daily barrier, navigating …


Personal Experiences With Remarkable Outcomes Of Stage 4 Cancer: A Phenomenological Study, Gail Firman Porter Aug 2026

Personal Experiences With Remarkable Outcomes Of Stage 4 Cancer: A Phenomenological Study, Gail Firman Porter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prayer as a source of improved physical outcomes for individuals with medically diagnosed Stage 4 cancer has not been thoroughly addressed in recent academic literature, despite an increase in individual reporting within nonacademic sources.. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of individuals in the United States who experienced remarkable healing from Stage 4 cancer after receiving Christian prayer for healing. Using the biopsychosocial-spiritual model as the conceptual framework, this study investigated the lived experiences of participants regarding their decision to seek prayer to heal their Stage 4 cancer, and its subsequent effects on their …


The Post-Covid Experiences Of Low-Income Single Mothers In Maintaining Social Capital And Informal Social Support, Marissa L. Goldman Aug 2026

The Post-Covid Experiences Of Low-Income Single Mothers In Maintaining Social Capital And Informal Social Support, Marissa L. Goldman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low-income single mothers often manage financial, caregiving, emotional, and logistical demands with limited resources and rely on informal support networks that may be inconsistent. This problem matters to social workers, community-based practitioners, and researchers because a greater understanding can guide interventions that reduce isolation and role overload and improve resource access. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore how low-income single mothers used trust, reciprocity, social norms, and collective support to maintain informal networks in the post-COVID era. Guided by Bourdieu’s social capital theory, the study included 10 English-speaking U.S. mothers with household incomes at or below …


Staff Education To Enhance Clinical Staff Knowledge Of Medication Adherence Strategies In Bipolar Disorder, George Niyi Ojewale Aug 2026

Staff Education To Enhance Clinical Staff Knowledge Of Medication Adherence Strategies In Bipolar Disorder, George Niyi Ojewale

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medication nonadherence in bipolar disorder is a significant contributor to relapse, hospitalization, and functional decline. This doctor of nursing practice (DNP) staff education project addressed a practice gap at the project site involving inconsistent clinician knowledge and absence of a standardized approach to adherence education. The practice-focused question for this project was: How does implementing an evidence-based staff educational program improve clinical staff knowledge in supporting medication adherence in patients with bipolar disorder? The purpose of this project was to implement a structured, evidence-based educational intervention to improve clinician knowledge related to medication adherence strategies. The intervention consisted of a …