Digital Commons Network^™

Increasing Employee Retention Within The Georgia Division Of Family And Children Services, Santoria Lushell Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by

Santoria Lushell Williams

has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects,

and that any and all revisions required by

the review committee have been made.

Review Committee

Dr. Hilda Shepeard, Committee Chairperson,

Public Policy and Administration Faculty

Dr. Clarence Williamson, Committee Member,

Public Policy and Administration Faculty

Dr. Anne Hacker, University Reviewer,

Public Policy and Administration Faculty

Chief Academic Officer

Eric Riedel, Ph.D.

Walden University

2018

In Fulton County, Georgia, the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) child-welfare workers …

Social Worker Engagement Of Substance Abusing Rural Young Adults: An Action Research Study, Samantha L. Cole

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There has been a dramatic increase in opioid-related overdoses and deaths that have had extensive health impacts in Delaware County, New York. Social workers play a crucial role in working with individuals who have substance use and co-occurring disorders. The study was guided by ecological systems theory and the generalist intervention model focused on the engagement process between social workers and local young people. The current action research study explored the social work practice problem of challenges encountered by clinical social workers who engage in services with young adults ages 18-25 who have or are at risk for substance use …

A Grounded Theory Of Millennials Job-Hopping, Deborah L. Rivers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Corporations are finding it challenging to attract and retain the top talented Millennials. Their frequent job-hopping is costing the U.S. economy $30.5 billion annually despite corporations' best efforts to retain them. The central research question concerns the decision-making process that Millennials use to decide whether to job-hop or stay with an organization. The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a theory that explains the Millennials' process for deciding whether to job-hop or stay with an organization. The conceptual framework for this grounded theory research is generational theory, Herzberg's hygiene and motivational factors, and psychological contract theory. The data …

Leadership Strategies To Reduce Employees' Occupational Stress, Ransford George Davidson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job-related aspects of the work environment, such as work pressure, workload, leadership, and management support cause occupational stress and increase costs to organizations. Grounded in the job demands-resources model theory, the purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies some bank managers use to reduce employees' occupational stress. The interview process included 5 managers employed at a bank in the Caribbean who successfully implemented strategies that reduced employees' occupational stress. The data collection and analysis process involved face-to-face, semistructured interviews and analysis of organizational documentation. Using the exploratory approach in data analysis, data were systematically integrated, evaluated, and …

Challenges For Providers Working In Assertive Community Treatment, Ngozi Nkechi Orabueze

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project explored the challenges confronting clinicians who work with the Assertive Community Treatment Program (ACT), a government-sponsored clinic-based program providing services for individuals with persistent and recurrent mental health challenges in a large metropolitan city in the southern United States. The project involved semi-structured interviews with 15 health care clinicians to explore what they perceived as challenges and their recommendations for addressing them. Themes were organized around the 6 dimensions of the the relationship-based care model: leadership, teamwork, professional nursing, care delivery, resources, and outcomes. Identified patient challenges included transportation, lack of health insurance, housing, acceptance of certified peer …

Living With Muscular Dystrophy: Sexual Education, Leanne Beers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexual pleasure and intimacy are fundamental and innate human needs. Individuals with physical disabilities often find it difficult to meet these needs because of such factors as impaired mobility and lack of knowledge about sexual health. People with physical disabilities are often seen as asexual and not capable of having sex, and sexuality is often not considered a concern among this population. These misconceptions can result in individuals with physical disabilities not receiving basic sex education or advice and guidance when issues arise. Not receiving this attention may impede disabled individuals' sexual potential and personal relationships. This study's focus was …

Investigating Relationships Among Counselors' Gender, Race, Multicultural Competency When Counseling Sexual Minorities, Laverne Marie' Boone

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Gay and lesbian individuals are marginalized, stigmatized, and can face bias in the counseling environment. There is a gap in the literature regarding research on gender, race, and multicultural competency and negative racial attitudes towards sexual minorities. This study examined whether multicultural competency (measured by the Multicultural Counseling Knowledge and Awareness Scale) moderates any associations of gender and race with attitudes towards sexual minorities (measured by Attitudes Towards Lesbians and Gay Men Scale) to examine if the role of multicultural competency differs across groups. The sample consisted of 20 White and 14 Non-White participants who were between 30-40 years of …

Strategies For Virtual Sales Leaders To Increase Productivity Of Remote Employees, Tamera Monai Gaines

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An employee's contributions toward the success of organizational results and objectives are essential to how virtual sales leaders implement strategies to improve productivity. In 2014, 21% of virtual leaders received formal training to manage remote employees, and 17% of remote employees received formal training on how to work productively. The purpose of this single qualitative case study was to explore strategies virtual sales leaders used to improve remote sales employees' productivity. The population included 6 virtual sales leaders in 1 staffing organization located in Michigan. The conceptual framework for this study included the job demands-resources model. Data were collected through …

Breaking Cycles Through Targeted Financial Literacy Education For Fifth- Through Eighth-Grade Students, Tonja Custis Brickhouse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Financial literacy education continues to be a deficiency in the U.S. education system because it is not included in most school curricula, and little is known about the efficacy of the school district programs that do include it. A former Federal Reserve Chairman identified the lack of financial literacy as a national problem, and the National Financial Educators Council described it as the #1 problem in the current generation. Using Berger and Luckmann's conceptualization of social construction as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this study was to explore how access to financial literacy education is perceived by fifth- through …

Parents' Reasons For Opting-Out Students From High-Stakes Tests, Rachael Mcloud

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increasing number of parents are opting-out their children from high-stakes. Accountability systems in education have used students' test scores to measure student learning, teacher effectiveness, and school district performance. Students who are opted-out of high-stakes tests are not being evaluated by the state tests, making their level of achievement or proficiency unknown by the state government. The purpose of this basic interpretive qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the various reasons, factors, experiences, and personal events that led parents to opt-out their children from at least one 3rd through 8th grade high-stakes test. Data were collected using …

Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program For Patients With Depressive Disorder: A Parental Perspective, Emmanuel Akpan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Psychosocial support from family is important in outpatient treatment programs for individuals with depressive disorder. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences and perceptions of parents of patients with depressive disorder regarding intensive outpatient treatment. The research question was what are the experiences and perceptions of parents of patients with depression regarding their role as caretakers in intensive outpatient treatment? The conceptual framework was a biopsychosocial framework and family systems theory. Content analysis was used to analyze data provided from interviews with parent participants (n = 8). Many participants reported high levels of involvement with …

Critical Thinking And Clinical Judgment In Novice Registered Nurses, Sheila Tyne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The health care field has become increasingly more complex, requiring new nurses to be prepared upon graduation to respond to a variety of complex situations. Unfortunately, many graduates from associate degree nursing (ADN) programs are not able to think critically upon entering the work force. This presents a major problem for the nurse and for the employer. The purpose of the study, therefore, was to gain a deeper understanding of the graduates' perceptions of their ability to critically think during their first year of clinical practice, and if they believed their program prepared them to be critical thinkers. The key …

Exploring Perceptions Of Accountability Practices Used In Social Services, Tankiya L. Williamson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As required by the Government Performance Results Act of 1993, the use of performance measurements in social service organizations to measure outcome data has increased expectations of efficient outcomes in service delivery. This study addressed the problem of inefficient service delivery in nonprofit human service organizations from the perspective of direct service staff responsible for service provision. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how direct service staff in nonprofit organizations perceive their individual contributions to the overall goal of providing efficient quality service. Principal agent theory framed the inquiry regarding how direct service staff working in …

An Assessment Of The Financial Literacy Of Undergraduates At One Community College In Texas, Melissa J. Weathersby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At a Texas community college, stakeholders wanted to strengthen the financial literacy module offered in the student development course for undergraduates. The problem was that no formative data existed on students' financial literacy, and it was not known if knowledge of financial literacy for students who participated in a prior financial literacy class in high school differed from students who had not. The purpose of this study was to obtain formative data regarding students' needs for financial literacy education and to examine whether the knowledge of financial literacy for college students who participated in a prior financial literacy class in …

Shortage Of Licensed Independent Social Workers With The Training Supervision Designation, Justa Link

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a shortage of Licensed Independent Social Workers with the Training Supervision Designation (LISW-S) in a county in rural Ohio. If there are not enough LISW-Ss, social workers may not have the ability or opportunity to work independently or gain the supervision needed to become more competent in specific areas of practice. The purpose of this project was to gain a better understanding of why some social workers in rural Ohio decide not to pursue an LISW-S credential, as well as whether there are resources or incentives that might prompt individuals to pursue this credential. This action research project …

Perceptions Of Collaboration And Mutual Respect Among Members Of Interprofessional Teams, Brenda Lankhof

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Government agencies are encouraging healthcare practitioners to work in interprofessional teams to address the complex needs of an aging population, to improve client outcomes, and to increase the cost-effectiveness of health care. However, a clearer understanding of the elements required for an effective interprofessional collaborative practice is needed. The purpose of this online, descriptive study was to focus on one component, mutual respect, and determine its relationship to collaboration among members of interprofessional teams working in family health teams (FHTs) and community health centers (CHCs) across Ontario. D'Amour's four-dimensional model of collaboration was used as the theoretical basis. This model …

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 …

Recidivism Rates Among Biological Fathers And Parental Figures Who Commit Child Sexual Abuse In Hawai'i, Stephanie Dixon Dixon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sex offenders are commonly grouped into categories based on the characteristics (e.g., victim age, relationship to offender) of their victims for criminal sentencing and treatment purposes. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to address the gap in the lack of literature comparing recidivism rates among biological fathers and male parental figures who committed incestuous child sexual abuse in Hawai'i against children 15 years or younger. This study was the first attempt in the state to examine the number of inmates who had completed their maximum sentences and were later returned to prison for new felony incest offenses. Secondary …

Effectiveness Of Practice Change From Risk Model To Safety Model At Dhs, Shirlana Norene Dash

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported an estimated 686,000 victims of child abuse and neglect. Forty-nine states reported a total of 1,593 fatalities. This quantitative research study examined the relationship between the variables: age of child, gender of child, age of parent/caregiver, prior substantiated reports of abuse, and incidents of abuse in Philadelphia at the Department of Human Services using risk practice model (RPM) and safety practice model (SPM). Although child welfare practitioners have examined the relationship between family and societal factors that affect child abuse; few researchers have examined the correlation between service delivery …

Causes Of Burnout Among Church Leaders: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study Of Pastors, Craig Fee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

After 30 plus years of research, clergy burnout is an ongoing concern; as such, it is important to identify the causes of this phenomenon. Researchers have already demonstrated that internal factors such as personality types, personal mastery, or conflict management and external factors such as role conflict, excessive activities, or unrealistic expectations, can lead to burnout. The problem that led to this study was that more exploration is needed about clergy's perceptions on leadership and burnout within the church. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore clergy within the Wesleyan Church in the Midwest to discover their …

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 …

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 …

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 …

The Hostage/Crisis Negotiation Team Member's Perception Of The Mental Health Professional, Timothy Quigley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hostage/crisis negotiation has been described as a complex verbal dance between the negotiator and the subject. While one of law enforcement's most effective tools and most significant developments in law enforcement and police psychology over the past several decades, the acceptance of mental health professionals (MHP) on a hostage/crisis negotiation team is ambiguous. This study examined how mental health professionals working with hostage/crisis negotiation teams are perceived, if there is positive small group socialization within teams, whether the outcome of incidents is affected by designation of the MHP as a team member versus a consultant, and whether prior law enforcement …

Family Reunification Among Women In Recovery From Substance Abuse And Complex Trauma, Cesha Tiffany Reese

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For women in recovery from complex trauma and substance abuse, the lack of posttreatment family reunification services such as family engagement, service delivery, and aftercare planning increase the likelihood of parental relapse and children reentering foster care. A primary caregiver's continued relapse can lead to longer out of home placement for minor children and a loss of parental rights, with a negative impact on both children and parents. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of women in recovery, their sobriety practices, and how they reunified their families. The theoretical framework was Herman's trauma …

Reunification Rates Of Mothers With Mental Illness, Substance Abuse, And Co-Occurring Disorders, Beth Coke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mental illness is a problem that affects many people; however, little to almost no research relates to mental illness and reunification rates for mothers who have had their children removed from them by the child welfare system. The purpose in this study was to assess and compare reunification rates between mothers with mental illness, those with substance abuse, and those with co-occurring substance abuse and mental illness. The conceptual framework for this study was the use of the structured decision making (SDM) assessment tool in child welfare. The research questions addressed the differences in reunification rates among mothers with mental …

Nonreciprocal Language And Its Influence In Mother-Child Relationships, Karen Kuemerle-Pinillos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Acculturation research has gained interest due to the increasing levels of immigration to the United States. The population of interest for this study was the Latino immigrant population in the United States, as they represent the largest and fastest growing minority in the country. One challenge Latino immigrants can face during the acculturation process is a phenomenon described as nonreciprocal language. This phenomenon is present when first generation parents speak in their native language of Spanish and their children, who are second-generation immigrants, speak in the host culture language of English. The purpose of this study was to focus on …

Lived Experiences Of Mothers Raising Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Nigeria, Joyce Itseme Ulofoshio

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism has no cure, but early and appropriate diagnosis and intervention may increase outcomes for individuals affected. The level of awareness, acceptance, and support for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Nigeria is very low. There is a gap in the literature regarding a detailed account of the experiences of parents raising children with ASD within the Nigerian environment and culture. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of mothers raising children with ASD in Nigeria including the impact of Nigerian culture on their experiences. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory was the guiding conceptual framework …

New Graduate Nurses' Perceptions Of Their Delay To Professional Practice, Ruth Ann Obregon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project study addressed the problem of knowledge and skills lost by new graduate RNs while delayed in transitioning to professional nursing practice. There is a paucity of knowledge about how new RNs experience their delay and how a delay may affect their future clinical performance. Mezirow's transformation learning theory was the conceptual framework for this qualitative case study. Research questions addressed new RNs' understanding of their experiences during a delay to professional practice. A purposeful sample included 8 new RNs who had completed a New Graduate Residency Transition Program (NGRTP) after a delay to practice of 6 months to …

Exploring The Merging Of Two Divergent Behavioral Support Systems In Juvenile Justice, Linda Susan Spaulding

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2016, over 47,000 youths in the state of Florida were served by the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) probation services. While on probation, these youths were exposed to 2 different, and potentially conflicting disciplinary management systems. Youth are under the authority of juvenile probation officers (JPOs), who are bound to a consequence-based management approach. This approach is guided by negative reinforcement. The youths are simultaneously engaged with staff from diversion programs, many of which are strengths-based and guided by positive reinforcement. According to the ecosystemic complexity theory of conflict, exposure to incongruent systems can have negative effects such as …