Digital Commons Network^™

A Qualitative Case Study Of Police Officers' Perception Of Sexual Offender Registration, Tracy Lee Veri

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although many research studies about sexual offender registration exist, there is no qualitative study on the perspective of police officers whose job duties include the implementation of Sex Offender Registration and Notification (SORN) laws. The purpose of this case study was to explore specific police officers' perceptions of sex offender registration. Six police officers were hand selected for face-to-face interviews based on their unique job duties that included responsibilities and training related to the implementation of the sexual offender registration and community notification protocols. Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory provided the theoretical framework for this research study. According to study findings, …

Minority Initiatives And The Engagement Experiences Of Black Male College Students, Charika Arthur

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black males complete college at a lower rate than do all ethnic minority groups in the United States. Many universities have developed programs to improve educational outcomes for Black males, yet graduation rates remain low. The purpose of this study was to explore the engagement experiences of Black male college graduates who participated in the African American Male Initiative, a successful program developed by the University Systems of Georgia. The organizational learning theory was used to address how an academic institution can work collectively to adapt to changes that occur within the learning environment. Also, the anti-deficit achievement framework was …

Postmerger Strategies Healthcare Business Leaders Use To Influence Employee Engagement And Satisfaction, Angie Kovarik

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are a growing phenomenon in the business world as companies are expanding their market share to compete globally. At some point, 1 out of 3 workers will be involved in an M&A. Guided by the social exchange theory, the purpose of this descriptive case study was to explore the satisfaction and engagement strategies of 8 health care leaders who had successfully implemented an M&A. The study population consisted of 4 leader and 4 nonleader employees employed at a healthcare facility in the North Central United States. All employees had been employed at the facility prior to …

An Ecological Perspective On Pertussis, Jody Ruth Goard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2012, 48,277 cases of pertussis were diagnosed in the United States. Pertussis, otherwise known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious, often debilitating, sometimes deadly, vaccine-preventable disease with an increasing incidence and death rate in the U.S, which may be due to vaccine exemptions. The purpose of this project was to determine if a relationship exists between immunization policies and immunization exemption rates, immunization exemption rates and pertussis rates, and immunization policies and pertussis rates in each state. Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological framework was used to guide the project. Publically available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), …

Stereotype Threat And Work Attitudes Of Older Workers, Cheryl A. Countryman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Despite an aging U. S. workforce, age discrimination at work remains an issue. Researchers have found that beliefs about the aging process affect workers' performance and attitudes. There is little research available examining this phenomenon from the perception of older workers. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of 7 workers aged 55 and older regarding ageism through the theoretical framework of stereotype threat theory. Research questions focused on identifying age-related stereotypes held by the participants, the influence of those stereotypes on perceptions of aging, perception of the impact of aging on job …

Strategies To Improve Employee Performance In The U.S. Aerospace Industry, Nicole Therese Balderrama

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Outsourcing is a sought out practice within business and, in particular, the U.S. aerospace industry; however, some outsourced firms cannot meet client expectations. The purpose of this single case study was to explore what strategies outsourced firm company leaders use to improve the performance of employees. The sample comprised 4 senior managers employed with a firm that has been producing parts for 109 years for a major aerospace company in Southern California. The conceptual framework for this study built upon systems thinking to identify the structure of the outsourcing and supplier relationship and Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory to understand work motivation …

Precursors Of Terrorism In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo, Israel Kabashiki

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since 1996, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been entangled in a cycle of violence. Extensive crimes that include summary executions, rapes, and the use of child soldiers are frequent in the eastern provinces of the DRC. Little is known, however, about the factors that have contributed to the emergence of these ongoing acts of terror. The study provides insights into the antecedent conditions of terrorism in this country. The purpose of this quantitative correlational research study is to examine the precursors of the conflict in the DRC. The study provides the opportunity to understand the degree and …

Diminishing Stigma Sentiments In Individuals With Depression: Sociopsychological Predictors Of Deflecting And Challenging Coping Orientations, Jennifer Marie Lee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals who suffer from depression can be stigmatized by labeling and resort to negative stigma coping orientations such as secrecy and withdrawal, resulting in internalized self-stigma. Self-stigma can have negative effects such as low self-esteem, low self-efficacy, isolation, and feeling like a failure. Guided by modified labeling theory, the purpose of this study was to fill a gap in the literature on predictors of two orientations (challenging and deflecting) of positive stigma coping. Challenging stigma involves taking action, and deflecting is a cognitive strategy; both are used to positively cope with the stigma of mental illness. Predictors included symptom severity, …

A Qualitative Examination Of The Perception Of Risk In Warnings For Severe Weather, Teresa Simmons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the past decade, weather disasters have claimed thousands of lives and resulted in billions of dollars in damages. Awareness of a storm threats can occur hours or days in advance, but disaster assessments indicate many people do not heed storm warnings. This problem is old. Despite 50 years of research, and new technologies and training to improve responsiveness, the basic issue– understanding how people interpret and respond to weather warnings–persists. An exploratory study that incorporated human behavior theories and communication models not traditionally associated with severe weather analysis was conducted to learn how weather risks are perceived by nonscientists. …

Organizational Characteristics Influencing Workplace Bullying, Sinsey Elaine Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by

Sinsey E. Johnson

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. Gabriel Telleria, Committee Chairperson,

Public Policy and Administration Faculty

Dr. George Larkin, Committee Member,

Public Policy and Administration Faculty

Dr. Tanya Settles, University Reviewer,

Public Policy and Administration Faculty

Chief Academic Officer

Eric Riedel, Ph.D.

Walden University

2016

Workplace bullying is a source of distress and contributes to productivity losses and poor …

Impact Of Poverty On Undocumented Immigrants In South Florida, Julio Warner Loiseau

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Poverty in the United States has been widely explored, but very seldom does research consider the impacts of poverty among undocumented immigrants. As a result, policymakers are unable to account for or accommodate the unique needs of undocumented immigrants. Using Dalton's theory of the psychology of poverty, this case study explored the experiences of undocumented immigrants in Immokalee, Florida to better understand how the current policy landscape impacts their existence and livelihoods. The data were collected through 18 interviews with undocumented immigrants and a review of government data related to poverty among this population from the United States Census Bureau, …

A Case Study: Parents' Views Of The Program Everlasting Peace, Meshonda Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Juvenile crime among females is on the rise in the United States and is currently at an all-time high. Girls who are at risk for committing juvenile crime are at greater risk than boys for experiencing sexual trauma and exploitation as well as depression. Additionally, adolescent females have a higher rate of status-offense reoffending than do adolescent males. Using Kubeka's conceptualization of trauma theory, the purpose of this case study was to determine whether Everlasting Peace (EP), an evidence-based counseling program in Georgia, successfully provided gender-specific treatment for female juvenile offenders. Data were collected through interviews with 20 parent/guardian of …

Perceived Behavioral Control, Stress, Body Image, And Exercise Intentions In Overweight African American Women, Heidi L. Paruch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A disproportionate number of African American women are at risk for illness and mortality due to obesity. The aim of this study was to explore perceived behavioral control (PBC), stress, body image, and exercise intentions (EI) using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as the primary theoretical framework. The TPB is a leading model in health research to predict behavioral intentions, yet its application to the general female African American population is lacking. Seventy-nine African American women were sampled utilizing a cross-sectional, online survey method. A series of bivariate correlations tested the relationships among PBC, stress, body image, age, and …

The Impact Of Self-Efficacy On Retention In Technical Colleges, Percy W. Reed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Vocational and career training institutes focus their energy and resources on student support services, increasing student retention as it relates to minority populations. Despite these efforts, a specific vocational and career institute in the southeast United States reports a 50% retention rate of students who are enrolled. This case study explored students' descriptions of how self-efficacy supported their perseverance while attending the vocational and career training institute. The conceptual framework included Bandura's notions of self-efficacy and Tinto's integration model. Purposeful sampling strategies were used to interview 10 successfully-retained students enrolled in their 4th term or beyond at the vocational and …

The Gender-Responsive Approach For The Female Delinquent, Jeanette Alexandria Martin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of females arrested for violent crimes has increased. The juvenile justice system continues to be challenged with developing gender-based treatment strategies to accommodate female delinquents. The purpose of this study was to examine probation officers' perceptions of the treatment provided for female delinquents and its ability to rehabilitate, reduce recidivism, and promote successful transition among female delinquents. The framework of this study encompassed the feminist theory from a criminology perspective. Data collection included interviews with 5 probation officers in El Paso County's Juvenile Justice Detention Center. Interviews were reviewed to generate a summary of relevancy. Themes and codes …

Strategies Independent Coffee Shop Owners Require To Survive Beyond Five Years, Bruce Higdon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Successful independent coffee shop owners in Washington struggle to compete with the larger coffee shop chains. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to investigate what strategies owners of independent coffee shops in Washington use to survive beyond the first 5 years. Five independent coffee shop owners in Washington participated in the study and shared their practices and observations. Systems theory directed the study exploring the perspectives of successful independent coffee shop owners in Washington. Using communication skills and personal availability to answer questions and remain in contact throughout the research process built a rapport with participants. Data …

Educational Stakeholders' Perceptions Of Parental Involvement In An Urban School Setting, Cassandra Grady

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diverse populations of students in public schools have led to differences in how the phrase parental involvement is understood. The problem at one local elementary preparatory school in urban Southern California was this varied understanding on what parental involvement entailed, specifically in school activities. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of parents, teachers, and administrators regarding parental involvement and the influence of parental involvement on student academic progress. Bandura's theory of self-efficacy and Lee and Bowen's theory of social and cultural capital provided lenses into parental involvement and students' academic progress. A qualitative case study design …

The Successful Implementation Of Electronic Health Records At Small Rural Hospitals, Daniel Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Electronic health records (EHRs) have been in use since the 1960s. U.S. rural hospital leaders and administrators face significant pressure to implement health information technology because of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. However, some leaders and managers of small rural hospital lack strategies to develop and implement EHRs. The focus of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore lived experiences of hospital leaders and administrators who have used successful strategies to implement EHRs in small rural hospitals. Diffusion of innovation theory shaped the theoretical framework of this study. Data were collected through telephone interviews conducted with participants …

Attitudes Of Males About Teaching Grades K-12 In A Public School District, Jonathan Matthew Bracewell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to the National Education Association, the number of teachers in the United States has decreased over the last 100 years and only 25% are currently male. Finding effective ways to increase the number of male teachers has remained challenging at the local level. This study compared the perceptions of male teachers and non-teachers regarding their motivation for entering their current professions and their perceptions of gender equivalence in the workplace. Popper's post positivism and Schutz's social constructivism were used as the theoretical frameworks. The study instrument was first piloted at a liberal arts university where a sample of 187 …

Federal Health Care Fraud Statute Sentencing In Georgia And Florida, 2011-2012, Lisa Walker Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The financial costs of U.S. federal health care fraud continue to increase, and as health care payments due to fraudulent claims increase, the portion of The Medicare Trust Fund available to pay for legitimate health care expenses decreases. Prosecution is one of several fraud management life cycle components that contributes to and can alter the course of increasing health care fraud; however, despite this recognition, there is a gap in the literature regarding the consistency of prosecution for federal health care fraud across different judicial districts. The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory multiple case study was to explore the federal …

An Exploration Of Bullied Nurses, Witnesses, And A Hospital's Bottom Lline, Brenda Kay Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurses experiencing bullying or witnessing other nurses bullied may choose to vacate their hospital positions. Nurse attrition negatively impacts a hospital's bottom line, which can lead to insolvency and a lack of access to healthcare by patients. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the choices nurses made regarding their careers after experiencing or witnessing bullying and to calculate a hospital's cost of loss. Freire's oppressed group theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. The basis of the research questions was to understand how the nurse felt when bullied or observing a coworker bullied, the actions taken, …

Identifying Business Risk Factors Of Identity Theft, Robert K. Minniti

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Businesses are under pressure to identify and control risks affecting profitability, including the risk of fraud. Identity theft, a type of fraud, costs businesses, governments, and individuals in excess of $56 billion a year. In order to develop good internal controls to help prevent and detect fraud, it is necessary to identify the risks to the business, but business owners are not always aware of what risk factors relate to identity theft. A nonexperimental research design formed the basis of this research study. The population for this study was data from all 50 U.S. states, represented via government databases maintained …

Job Satisfaction In The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, Calvin Colbert

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately every 20 years, a new generation is born and eventually dominates the workforce; although changes occur with each new generation, the importance of job satisfaction remains constant. Research within the U.S. Intelligence Community is lacking with regard to changing trends of job satisfaction levels. The purpose of this study was to explore job satisfaction levels between Generation X and Generation Y workforce employees at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). The central research question addressed how job satisfaction differed by generational differences in the workforce. A quantitative method was used to assess survey data. A structural equation modeling technique was …

Initial And Long-Term Homeless Shelter Volunteerism: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Study, Jonathon Andrew Wade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was implemented to explore

and describe the initial and long-term motivations of community volunteers within a selected homeless shelter in central Indiana. The settlement house movement of human service delivery was the conceptual framework, which provided guidance and understanding concerning why and how community members provide human services through volunteerism. The research question examined the ways in which long-term volunteers thought about and made sense of their motivations to volunteer initially and over the long term at a homeless shelter. To answer the research question, the IPA methodology was implemented with 6 long-term community …

Accrediting Processes And Institutional Effectiveness At A California Community College, Ruby Sodhi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The implementation of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges' (ACCJC) 2002 Accreditation Standards significantly increased the number of sanctions on California community colleges resulting in a debate regarding the interpretation and application of the standards. This study examined the perceptions at a community college regarding compliance and the application of ACCJC's 2002 Standard IB on institutional effectiveness as defined by the Commission. This qualitative, exploratory case study used Etzioni's 2 constructs' organizational compliance and organizational effectiveness' as the conceptual framework. Data were collected from a focus group and interviews with 12 participants with experience in accreditation as well …

Socioecological Determinants Of Obesity Among Hispanic Parents/Child Caregivers In Aurora, Illinois, Deanna Marie Sommers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity has increased during the past 30 years in the United States. Obese adults and children are at risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and comorbidities. Parents and child caregivers play key roles in the decisions of family health. Studies exploring sociodemographic and socioecological factors associated with obesity among U.S. Hispanic parents and child caregivers are lacking. Guided by the socioecological model, this study examined the following factors: gender; acculturation; dietary intake of fat, sugar, fruits, and vegetables; and role as food purchaser/food preparer that influenced obesity. A 3-paper-based survey, consisting of a demographic survey, the Block Fat-Sugar-Fruit-Vegetable Screener and …

Donor Coordination And Health Aid Effectiveness In The Nigerian Health Sector, Ifeoma Edna Uduji

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Development partners and donors increasingly acknowledge the importance of coordinating their activities to achieve the outcome of the official development assistance to developing countries. Although stakeholders have recognized the importance of harmonizing donors and development partners' efforts in the Nigerian health sector, little research has addressed the influence of coordination on the health aid effectiveness. This qualitative case study determined the influence of coordination among the donors and development partners involved in the HIV/AIDS, malaria, and nutrition program on the outcome of these programs in Nigeria. Data were collected through interviews with 22 program officers participating in the health programs …

Evaluative Feedback: How K-12 Teachers Respond, Deetta Lorick Andersen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This sequential mixed methods study addressed the need for research that both described and explained how teachers of varying experience respond to administrative evaluative feedback. Formative evaluation theory of Scriven and professional growth models of Steffy and Fessler served as theoretical models for data analysis. An online survey asking teachers how they changed their practices and what accounted for their response was received from 270 teachers in 1 Midwestern state. Of these, 9 teachers of varying experience were interviewed. The quantitative data showed that most teachers do not change practices on the 8 state teaching standards in response to feedback. …

English Language Learners' Perspectives Of The Communicative Language Approach, Colonda Latoya Barnes-Hawkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The communicative language approach (CLA) dominates pedagogical practice in second language acquisition classrooms in the US. However, this approach does not emphasize independent pronunciation instruction, leaving learners to improve pronunciation on their own. This study explored the perspectives of English language learners (ELLs) being instructed via the CLA regarding the effectiveness of the CLA in providing intelligible pronunciation skills. The intelligibility principle of language served as the theoretical foundation underlying this study guided by research questions addressing how well the CLA met ELLs' pronunciation intelligibility needs and their perspectives on receiving independent pronunciation instruction to meet these needs. Using qualitative …

Relationship Between Generational Identity, Burnout, Job Satisfaction, Job Tenure, And Turnover Intention, Jason J. Abate

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High employee turnover rates are problematic in the retail banking industry because turnover increases the risk of costly regulatory compliance mistakes. The factors that predict turnover in this industry are not well understood, however. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between the independent variables of job satisfaction, burnout, time on the job, generational identity, and the dependent variable of turnover intention for retail banking employees in the United States. Mannheim's theory of generations was the framework for this study. A random sample of 100 individuals from the banking industry responded to an online survey that …