Digital Commons Network^™

Socioeconomic Impacts: Exploring Relationships Between Parenting Styles And Emotional Intelligence In Odd, Radhia Afif

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) are at a higher risk to develop other serious problems based on reoccurring symptoms such as; aggression, hostility, and lack of empathy for others. Based on the emotional intelligence theory, it may be possible that understanding emotional intelligence in children with ODD could help reduce future psychological and social problems. This quantitative study addresses the problem of poor or low Emotional Intelligence (EI) in children diagnosed with ODD. A correlation between parenting style, as defined by Baumrind's parenting style theory, and the development of emotional intelligence has been found in current research. However, …

Suicide Attempts And Their Contributing Factors Among African American Veterans, Gervline Blaise

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. The rate of suicide attempts among veterans in the United States has increased tremendously since 2001, which has left the Department of Veterans Affairs deeply concerned. The purpose of this study was to examine if there is an association between suicide attempts among African American/Black veterans and mental health support, income level, marital status, education level, and unemployment status. This quantitative study used the socio-ecological model to explain the association of the contributing factors to suicide attempts. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and logistic regression were used to analyze …

Challenge Of Leadership Succession In Family-Owned Business In Lagos, Nigeria, Michael Oluwatola Awosanya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders of family-owned businesses pay more attention to the attainment of personal and organizational objectives than to leadership succession plans for continuity when they leave the business. Despite the significant contributions of family-owned businesses to the social and economic development of nations, founders and leaders still contend with the challenge of leadership transfer to the next generation. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenology study was to examine the lived experiences of past and current leaders of family-owned businesses in Lagos regarding the challenge of preparing the next generation for leadership succession. The theory of knowledge transfer formed the conceptual framework …

Gang Injunctions Effects: The Experiences Of Residents And Enjoined Gang Members, Natasha R. Burnett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Civil gang injunctions (CGIs) are bans on nuisance behavior that have been enacted against gang members. Numerous studies conducted on the efficacy of CGIs have proven that they have little to no long-term effects on the communities in which they are implemented, nor on the gang members enjoined under them and their gang activities. The purpose of this empirical, phenomenological interpretative analysis study was to (a) determine the sociofamilial effects of CGIs on community residents; (b) determine the effects of CGIs on the behaviors and activities of enjoined gang members; and (c) determine the overall efficacy of CGIs based on …

Managing Customer Complaints In Online Auction Markets, Mohammad Mousavi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies managers in the online auction industry used to manage customer complaints to improve customer satisfaction. The targeted population consisted of 4 managers of online auction companies in the southwestern region of the United States. The conceptual framework for the study was Argyris and Sch�n's double-loop learning theory. Data were collected via semistructured interviews with business managers, observation of company operations and behaviors, review of documentation, and member-checking activities. Data analysis consisted of text interpretation of data and notes using coding techniques. Data analysis resulted in 5 themes: business orientation, …

Patients' Perceptions Of Quality Of Life And Resource Availability After Critical Illness, Michelle Mcmoon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Physical, psychological, and social debilities are common among survivors of critical illness. Survivors of critical illness require rehabilitative services during recovery in order to return to functional independence, but the structure and access of such services remains unclear. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the vital issues affecting quality of life from the perspective of critical illness survivors and to understand these patients' experiences with rehabilitative services in the United States. The theoretical framework guiding this study was Weber's rational choice theory, and a phenomenological study design was employed. The research questions focused on the survivors' experiences …

Perceptions Of Persistence In A Community College English Composition Class, Starr Watson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The purpose of this bounded qualitative case study was to explore students' perceptions

of factors that influenced their success or failure in an online English composition course

at a community college located in the southeastern United States and to understand how

these factors affected their persistence in coursework. Retention rates in online for online

English composition courses are lower compared to face-to-face English composition

courses. Rapid expansion of online learning has led to increased concern regarding

student persistence in courses and degree or certification completion. Tinto's

interactionalist theory and Kember's model of student success framed the course of

inquiry …

Role Of Stand-Alone Business Entities In Sustaining Newly Established Nonprofit Organizations, Sharif S. Shamroukh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Thousands of newly established nonprofit organizations (NPOs) with long-lasting and needed missions disappear annually, which negatively impacts the nonprofit sector in general and the potential recipients of the discontinued NPOs' services. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the possible influence that the presence of a strategic resource development plan and the establishment of a stand-alone business entity have on the persistence of newly established NPOs that have long-lasting and needed missions in the United States within the context of the theoretical framework resource dependence theory. Research questions focused on the role of commercial activities, particularly the stand-alone …

Student Retention At Online Learning Institutions, Johnetta P. Banks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At a local community college in Texas, student retention remained a concern as enrollment was increasing while online student retention was decreasing. The purpose of this study was to examine student retention in online courses at the college. The conceptual framework that guided the project study was Tinto’s integration model, which provided insight as to why students choose to leave or continue their educational journey. The overarching question that guided the study queried the factors influencing students’ decisions to take online courses at the higher education level. A qualitative case study was used to capture information on 10 students regarding …

Caregiver Review Of Nonpharmacological Interventions For Behavioral Symptoms Associated With Dementia, Karla Chaney Ballew

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and affects an individual’s overall cognitive function, including orientation, memory, and executive function. Most AD patients in the United States reside in residential care facilities or private homes under the care of individuals with little education on the challenges of the AD patient. Among the challenges faced by caregivers are behavioral and psychological symptoms related to dementia (BPSD). Education has been shown to improve caregivers’ treatment of BPSD in AD patients and to improve caregiver retention. The purpose of this project was to develop an evidence-based education module guided by …

Closing The Gaps In Rural Healthcare In Texas: A Formative Bounded Case Study, Marianne Bogel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Maldistribution of healthcare professionals persists in remote and rural communities throughout the world. Adoption of a Community Paramedic (CP) program could improve access to quality healthcare for rural communities. The conceptual framework defined rural communities by their distinct characteristics — community efficacy, weaknesses, attitudes, assets, deficits, local culture, and the driving and restraining forces — and not defined by their small populations or distances to cities. The theoretical foundation was a synthesis of theories of Bandura, Rogers, and Lewin. This study assessed community characteristics that may influence the likelihood of success, sustainability, or program failure of the Australian CP model …

Resilience Experiences Of Navy Wives During Midyear School Transitions Of A Child, Alicia Brengman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The social problem of school dropout is a well-researched issue that impacts students, schools, and the nation. The research problem of this study was how U.S. Navy wives experience resiliency during school transitions of their child(ren) midyear to a new school. The theoretical framework utilized for this study was resilience theory, as described by Rutter. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to gain insight into how U.S. Navy wives experience resilience when transitioning their students to a new school once the school year has begun. Semi structured interviews were conducted over the phone with 9 current wives of …

Disadvantaged Preschool Children: Public Policy, Education Models, And Kindergarten Readiness, Virginia H. Byerson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a high rate of academic failure among disadvantaged preschool and post preschool students in some school districts in Virginia, yet little is understood about the relationship between education models and academic performance among economically disadvantaged students (EDS). The problem explored is the absence of classroom exercises in pre and post preschools that capitalize on cognitive development to improve executive function (EF) and self-regulation (SR) skills. The purpose of this study is to understand if a change in current classroom practices impacts academic performance among low-income students. Narrative policy serves as a theoretical guide in this qualitative case study …

Relationship Between Adolescent Perception Of Harm, Electronic Cigarette Use, And Texas Antitobacco Campaigns, Candace Rasheedah Campbell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The increase in use of e-cigarettes in adolescents is a major public health concern that must be addressed. Research studies showed some e-cigarettes contained varying amounts of nicotine and sever cancer-causing chemicals. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to assess the perception of harm (dependent variable) from using e-cigarettes and being exposed to state and school-based antitobacco programs (independent variable) and to determine if the association was modified by socioeconomic status or area of residence. Attitude-social influence-self-efficacy theory was the chosen theory for research and suggests that attitude, social influence, and self-efficacy variables can be persuaded via specific …

Analysis Of Nurses’ Perceptions Of Their Role In A Multidisciplinary Team, Jessica Ann Dempsey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A better understanding of task allocation for the registered nurse (RN) within the scope of the multidisciplinary care team model is required. Patients, healthcare staff, and medical facilities that utilize RNs in multidisciplinary care teams will benefit from improved role identification. A multidisciplinary care team consists of a variety of health care professionals and without role identification, confusion, miscommunication, and negative patient outcomes can occur. A literature review demonstrated that a gap in knowledge existed related to task allocation and role identification of RNs within a multidisciplinary care team. The purpose of this study was to evaluate RNs’ scope of …

Community Risk Factors And Health Inspection Violations In Mississippi Delta Census Tracts, Chrystal S. Early

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A concerning public health issue in America is about food deserts urban and rural communities that lack grocery retailers that offer affordable, nutritious, and diverse foods. Empirical evidence has shown significant associations between neighborhood disadvantage/disorder risk factors of high poverty and high percentages of ethnic minority residents with presence/ absence of healthy food retailers in food deserts. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study, framed by the disparities in food safety conceptual model, was to examine if county-level poverty, number of African American residents, number of elderly (i.e., age 65 or older) residents, vehicle ownership, and crime rates were significantly …

The Experiences Of Black Parents In Choosing Intervention Programs For Juvenile Offenders, Deborah Hawkes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Juvenile offense is a social problem that affects communities and families. Black juvenile offenses occur at a higher rate than White juvenile offenses. The parents of these offenders may engage in the intervention process of their juvenile offender with the intent to improve the intervention outcome. The literature on this topic, however, is primarily focused on the treatment outcomes of various types of intervention. The identified gap in the literature is research on Black parental input on the process used to select various types of intervention for their offending children. The high rate of incidence compounded by the racial disparity …

Positive Deviance Behaviors And Definition In Nursing, Stacy L. January

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The concept of positive deviance (PD) has not been studied in the context of nursing. Grounded in narrative inquiry and combined with vocabularies of motive and symbolic interactionism, the purpose of this study was to explore whether PD behaviors existed in nursing, and if so, to develop an operational definition of PD for nursing. The research question addressed what PD behaviors, if any, were present in nurses’ workplace stories. Using posted flyers, eight participants either self-selected or were selected by snowball method to participate. Interviews were conducted in locations decided on by each participant. Interview data were obtained, transcribed, then …

Exploration Of Barriers To And Enablers For Entrepreneurship At Subsidiaries Of Multinational Corporations: Analytic Autoethnography, Boris Kantsepolsky

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Corporate entrepreneurship is dedicated to the continuous exploration of opportunities and leveraging innovation activities to achieve a competitive advantage, improved performance, and prosperity of companies. The problem is that the complex reality of multinational corporations is creating distinct obstacles for subsidiary managers who are attempting to develop and promote entrepreneurial activities. The purpose of this qualitative analytic autoethnographic study was to explore barriers and enablers for corporate entrepreneurship ‎practice by focusing on the individual and organizational processes, culture, and lessons learned from entrepreneurial activities that took place at the selected organization during the last decade. The interviews with 9 participants, …

Organizational Culture’S Moderating Relationship On Surface Acting And Psychological Distress, James A. Judd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a scarcity of research linking surface acting (SA) to psychological distress (PD) in employee-to-employee interactions. Research has demonstrated direct negative effects of SA causing the PD elements of occupational stress (OS), emotional exhaustion (EE), and burnout/depersonalization (DEP) in employee-to-customer interactions. Moreover, little research exists if organizational culture (OC) type plays any role in mitigating these negative effects. Therefore, there was a need to research if the negative effects in the employee-to-customer interactions manifest in the employee-to employee interactions and also, if OC type can possibly moderate this effect between SA and PD. This quantitative study used a cross-sectional …

Depression With Peripartum Onset (Postpartum) And Mother’S Perceptions Of Social Support And Self-Efficacy For Parenting, Shenetha Carmise Ramsey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Depression with peripartum onset, which was previously called maternal depression, or postpartum depression, is common among many pregnant women. The condition increases impairment in maintaining relationships, self-esteem, and parenting skills. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore how mothers who have experienced peripartum onset (postpartum) depression perceive their social support and their ability to parent effectively. The conceptual framework was based on Albert Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. Convenience and snowball sampling were both used to obtain 6 research participants who were interviewed face-to-face or by telephone. Participants shared their experiences with depression, perceptions of social support, and how …

Change Management Implementation Strategies For Small Businesses, Oneeka Rena' Rivers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Most organizational change initiatives fail because managers lack effective change management strategies. The purpose of this single case study was to explore change management strategies that outpatient care facility managers used to positively affect process improvements. The population consisted of 6 managers who completed change initiatives at a military, outpatient medical facility in Texas and 6 of their team members. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and organization documents, then analyzed based on the conceptual framework of Lewin’s change theory. Rowley’s 4-step process for analysis—organizing; getting acquainted with; classifying; coding and interpreting; and presenting and writing up the data—was used …

Accessibility Of Innovative Services In Radiation Oncology, Patricia Sansourekidou

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The field of radiation oncology (RO) involves the use of highly advanced techniques to treat cancer and safely spare healthy organs. The discipline has experienced rapid growth in the past 25 years, with technological advancement as the driving force. Available data and an instrument to effectively measure the accessibility of innovation in the field were lacking. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accessibility of innovative services in RO in the United States and assess possible diffusion patterns. Two hundred and forty medical physicists practicing in RO in the United States completed a custom Internet-based survey. The diffusion …

Relationship Between Technostress Dimensions And Employee Productivity, Kesha Walton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low productivity among employees represents a threat to the sustainability of organizational profits. Retail organizations have experienced a loss of over $300 billion annually because of low productivity. A consequence of technostress is low self-efficacy, which promotes low productivity and high employee absenteeism and burnout. Guided by the theory of technological self-efficacy, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine whether a relationship existed between employee technostress and employee productivity and the extent that technological self-efficacy mediated that relationship. A random sample of 112 retail employees from central Florida contributed to this study.

Data were analyzed using Pearson bivariate …

Project Managers’ Communication Strategies For Team Collaboration In Software Development, John Rubena Wani

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Effective communication among team members in software development projects is increasingly significant for the success of the project. Successful software projects are the catalyst for achieving profitability objectives and creating shareholder value in organizations. The purpose of this single case study was to investigate communication strategies information technology (IT) project managers used for successful team collaboration in software development. The population for this study comprised senior IT project managers. The project managers had supervision responsibilities from a midsized IT company in Alberta, Canada. The sociotechnical theory guided this study as the conceptual framework. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with …

Influence Of Academic And Cocurricular Engagement, Demographics, And Sport Played On College Student-Athletes' Academic Success, Alexandra Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Eligibility requirements, the pressure to remain eligible at all costs, and demanding time schedules are high stakes issues that affect the National Colligate Athletic Association (NCAA) student-athletes. A gap in research existed on whether college student-athletes' demographics and engagement predicts their academic success. The purpose of this quantitative research was to determine the extent to which engagement and demographic factors predict student-athletes' academic success, as measured by a self-reported grade of B or higher in NCAA first-year student-athletes. This study was influenced by Astin's student involvement theory and Kuh's concept of engagement. The research question guiding this study addressed the …

Personality And Military Service As Predictors Of Separation And Divorce In Americans, Jamie Buehler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Divorce is a persistent problem resulting in mental anguish in the divorcing parties as well as children who may be involved. The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental correlational study was to determine whether personality traits and military service predict the tendency of married individuals to separate or divorce. The framework for this study was Erikson's 8 stages of psychosocial development. The research questions addressed whether personality traits (as measured by the HEXACO-60), service in the military, gender, age, and number of children predict the tendency to separate or divorce in 89 participants. Findings from multiple regression analysis indicated that scores …

An Evaluation Of A Redesigned Developmental Mathematics Course At A Hawaii Community College, Bebi Zamina Khan Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Developmental mathematics is a problem for many college students due to high failure rate. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the redesigned course, Math 24. The evaluation examined success, retention, and persistence outcomes of the redesigned course compared to the previous developmental math course. The course's academic and environmental strengths and weaknesses were assessed from the students' and instructors' perspectives. The study utilized the theoretical and conceptual frameworks of Tinto's retention model, Astin's I-E-O model, and Wlodkowski's culturally responsive teaching. A mixed methods program evaluation was employed for the case study using an ex post …

Evaluating U.S. Counterterrorism Policy On Domestic Terrorism Using The Global Terrorism Database, Colleen Michelle Kennedy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States has a long history of domestic terrorism, yet U.S. counterterrorism policy has focused almost completely on the threat from international terrorism. The gap in the literature was the absence of an empirical evaluation of U.S. counterterrorism policy on domestic terrorism in general. The purpose of this quantitative study was to describe the impact of 21st century U.S. counterterrorism policy on incidence, lethality, and cost of domestic terrorism using data from the Global Terrorism Database. The multiple streams framework and the power elite theory were used. In this longitudinal trend study using secondary data analysis, domestic terrorism data …

Admission Predictors Of Student Success On The Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam, Thomas Frank Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2009, a local physician assistant (PA) program lost accreditation due to decreased success in licensure pass rates on the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE). In response, the program's admissions committee required additional metrics for accepting quality candidates more likely to pass the licensure examination on the first attempt. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of these metrics, specifically the relationship between demographics, prerequisite admission requirements, and PANCE success. The theoretical framework and conceptual model shaping this study was Bordage's illumination and magnify framework and Swail's geometric model of student persistence and achievement. The …