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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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Sleep Among Young Adults Living In Rural Poverty, Susan Barber Skinner Jan 2017

Sleep Among Young Adults Living In Rural Poverty, Susan Barber Skinner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of restorative sleep is implicated in threats to public health and safety as well as negative individual health outcomes, which are more pronounced among those living in rural poverty. This study addressed the need for an approach to these problems that is sensitive to culture and community. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of sleep among young adults living in rural poverty to inform development of strategies to improve sleep behavior in this population. Research questions explored the lived experience of sleep, constructs of the theory of planned behavior which was used as …


Psychological Resilience In Correctional Officers: The Role Of Demographics, Manuel Chapa Villarreal Jan 2017

Psychological Resilience In Correctional Officers: The Role Of Demographics, Manuel Chapa Villarreal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Correctional officers occupy an important societal role in maintaining safety and assisting in the rehabilitation of inmates; however, both their performance and mental health are highly susceptible to fatigue because of working in a high stress environment. This study investigated the relationship between correctional officers' demographic factors (level of education, marital status, gender, and race/ethnicity) and their psychological resilience. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10 (CD-RISC-10) was used to measure correctional officers' resilience when responding and or coping with stress. This study utilized the stress-vulnerability model as a framework to investigate protective factors against and risk factors for psychopathological symptoms. Participants …


Gamification Techniques And Millennial Generation Philanthropy, Karen Kavanaugh Kavanaugh Jan 2017

Gamification Techniques And Millennial Generation Philanthropy, Karen Kavanaugh Kavanaugh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Beginning in 2015 a major demographic shift in the majority income producers in the United States has moved from Baby Boomers to Millennials. At the same time, many nonprofits are not equipped to engage with Millennials and lack the knowledge and resources to tap into their philanthropic preferences. Using the theories of planned behavior, reciprocal altruism, social status, and warm glow theory, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore opportunities for U.S. based nonprofit organizations to interact more effectively with members of the Millennial generation in terms of philanthropic behavior. Data were collected and analyzed using Q Methodology …


10,000 Step Challenge For Bedside Registered Nurses Working 12 Hour Shifts, Katherine Louise Schnebly Jan 2017

10,000 Step Challenge For Bedside Registered Nurses Working 12 Hour Shifts, Katherine Louise Schnebly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity is a pandemic that directly affects chronic health problems and mortality. Researchers have shown that more than 54% of nurses are obese. The increasing rate of obesity among nurses and the long hours they work make healthy lifestyles, including daily physical activity, difficult. Tracking daily activity using a pedometer or fitness application has shown improved awareness and sustainability of daily physical activity. This project was an investigation of the daily steps of bedside nurses working a 12-hour shift, and their subsequent awareness of their daily physical activity. Pender's Health Promotion Model was used to consider motivating factors for improving …


Exploring The Impact Of Collective Bargaining Agreements On Employee Performance Management, Nana Gyesie Jan 2017

Exploring The Impact Of Collective Bargaining Agreements On Employee Performance Management, Nana Gyesie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As of 2014, union density in the United States had dropped compared to union density during the 1950s. Collective bargaining agreements are the foundational agreement for all issues related to salary, benefits, and working conditions. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore how collective bargaining agreements hindered or enabled managers from creating and sustaining high performance work practices. The conceptual framework included Walton and McKersie's work on behavioral theories for labor negotiations, human capital, and collective bargaining, and Huselid's work on high performance work practices. Fifteen respondents across 5 labor unions in Washington DC were selected through …


African American Males' Lived Experiences Of Fathering Following Incarceration, Sherece Shavel Jan 2017

African American Males' Lived Experiences Of Fathering Following Incarceration, Sherece Shavel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, African American fathers are incarcerated at a disproportionate rate and have a poor prognosis of success. Although researchers have considered how crime, paternal abuse, poverty, and social disparities have affected African Americans, they have not adequately studied how formerly incarcerated African American fathers experience parenting. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to bridge this gap in knowledge by exploring the parenting experiences of formerly incarcerated African American fathers on parole. The research question focused on the parenting experiences of African American fathers obligated to mandatory supervision following an incarceration. A criterion-based sample of …


Workers' Perceptions Of The Effect Of Three-Tier Shift Schedules On Community Functioning, Jillian Leigh Wallace Jan 2017

Workers' Perceptions Of The Effect Of Three-Tier Shift Schedules On Community Functioning, Jillian Leigh Wallace

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Shift work is commonplace in many fields that require around-the-clock employee coverage. There is ample evidence that two-tier shift work can detrimentally affect health and functioning. The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of three-tier shift schedules on physical and mental health and community functioning, a concept which refers to activities and behaviors performed by individuals or groups within a system. This study used a qualitative phenomenological design, and community functioning and recovery theory were central to the conceptual framework. In-depth interviews were used to explore the perceptions of three-tier shift workers on their functioning, relationships, mental …


Strategies To Improve Productivity Of A Multigenerational Workforce, Grace Elizabeth Beasley Jan 2017

Strategies To Improve Productivity Of A Multigenerational Workforce, Grace Elizabeth Beasley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that millennials will soon represent 46% of the workforce. The anticipated changes in the workforce are of great concern to business leaders who may manage individuals from different generations. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that administrative leaders in an advisory group of community-based organizations and educational institutions used to improve the productivity of a multigenerational workforce. The conceptual frameworks that grounded this study were the social constructivist perspective and generational theory. Data were collected from semistructured interviews to elicit narratives from 6 administrative leaders from 6 …


Child Neglect, Child Physical Abuse, And Relationships Among 12-Year-Old Girls, Corrine Dale Jan 2017

Child Neglect, Child Physical Abuse, And Relationships Among 12-Year-Old Girls, Corrine Dale

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Child maltreatment, including physical abuse, neglect, emotional, and sexual abuse is a continuing social problem in the United States, resulting in a number of children who experience challenges with family and peer relationships in adolescence. Child neglect is one of the most common forms of abuse however, it is less likely to be investigated or substantiated than is physical abuse. Female child maltreatment in particular results in possible problems for victims with family and peer relationships in early adolescence. In 2015, state agencies reported an estimated 683,000 victims of child maltreatment, with two-thirds of this group representing child neglect victims. …


A Complex Systems Simulation Study For Increasing Adaptive-Capacity, Kadambari Ram Jan 2017

A Complex Systems Simulation Study For Increasing Adaptive-Capacity, Kadambari Ram

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Examination of empirical research confirmed that climate change is a complex problem of anthropological origin and revealed the need for a management framework to facilitate strategic decisions aimed at mitigating a rise in global temperatures of 2-°C linked to irresponsible and unsustainable business practices. The purpose of this simulation study was to develop a management framework of resilience, robustness, sustainability, and adaptive-capacity (RRSA) for organizations viewed as complex systems to address the current unsustainable state. As such, the evolutionary-RRSA prisoner's dilemma (PD) simulation was developed using an evolutionary game theory approach to agent based modeling and simulation, to generate data. …


Strategies For Reducing Employee Stress And Increasing Employee Engagement, Kumar G. Subramaniam Jan 2017

Strategies For Reducing Employee Stress And Increasing Employee Engagement, Kumar G. Subramaniam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stress inside and outside of work affects employee productivity. In 2013, the estimated impact of employee absenteeism on U.S. businesses was $225 billion per year through reduced efficiency, overtime wages, fixed fringe benefits, and the cost of replacement employees. Based on the social exchange theory and the theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the strategies that HR leaders in a single organization used to reduce employee disengagement caused by stress. Using semistructured interviews, data were collected from 12 HR leaders and line managers within a single healthcare organization in eastern Tennessee. …


Marine Science Summer Enrichment Camp's Impact Ocean Literacy For Middle School Students, Victoria Jewel Young Jan 2017

Marine Science Summer Enrichment Camp's Impact Ocean Literacy For Middle School Students, Victoria Jewel Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics have expanded in the United States, science literacy skills for K-12 students have declined from 2001 to 2011. Limited research has been conducted on the impact of science enrichment programs on the science literacy skills of K-12 students, particularly in marine science. The purpose of this study was to describe the impact of a marine science summer enrichment camp located in the eastern region of the United States on the ocean literacy skills of middle school students who participated in this camp. Weimar's learner centered teaching approach and the definition and principles …


Educational Module Toolkit To Assist Adult Patients With Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus, Dometrives Armstrong Jan 2017

Educational Module Toolkit To Assist Adult Patients With Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus, Dometrives Armstrong

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes is a challenging chronic disease for adult patients to manage effectively. Poor adherence to prescribed medications treatment is one of the main reasons for poor blood sugar control. Despite healthcare providers' efforts to emphasize the importance of taking medications, adult patients with Type II diabetes frequently present with complications related to persistent failure to adhere to prescribed medication regimen. These patients should thoroughly understand why adhering to a strict medication regimen to maintain control of their blood sugar is so important. The purpose of this project, guided by Orem's self-care deficit nursing theory, was to develop an educational module …


Posthurricane Environment's Impact On Childhood Cancer Rates In Louisiana, 2004-2010, Lenora M. Robinson Jan 2017

Posthurricane Environment's Impact On Childhood Cancer Rates In Louisiana, 2004-2010, Lenora M. Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childhood cancer is the second leading cause of death in children aged 0-19 years. Research efforts to identify factors associated with or influencing this growing health problem are limited. The purpose of this research study was to examine, in reference to Louisiana during the period 2004-2010, the annual number of children diagnosed with cancer; the types of cancers; the possible effects of the environmental aftermath resulting from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Gustav; and any correlation between environmental contaminants following these hurricanes with the number of children diagnosed with cancer. This study employed correlational quantitative methodology using archival data from the …


Exploring The Experiences Of Adults After Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (Efp), Deby Kay Torbett Jan 2017

Exploring The Experiences Of Adults After Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (Efp), Deby Kay Torbett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The aim of this phenomenological qualitative study was to capture and understand the essence of the lived experiences of individuals after participating in equine facilitated psychotherapy (EFP). In that the experiences of participants after exposure to EFP have not previously been examined, this study adds to the literature on this innovative therapy. Theoretical viewpoints on animal assisted therapy and solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) were explored, as well as how the SFBT methodology compares to techniques used in EFP. Using interviews, the study involved capturing participants' experiences by collecting their descriptions of their involvement with EFP, identifying the specific experiences they …


Women's Quest To Occupy Executive Positions In Corporate America, Erica Charles-Lynch Jan 2017

Women's Quest To Occupy Executive Positions In Corporate America, Erica Charles-Lynch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Women comprise 50.8% of the United States population and 47% of the workforce, and over the past few decades, many women have been promoted to midmanagement positions in Fortune 500 and other major corporations, but few run companies at the executive levels. The research problem addressed the underrepresentation of women in top leadership positions in the executive suite. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of women in upper level management in large corporations on rising to the C-suite. A basic qualitative naturalistic inquiry was used employing interviews in collecting and analyzing the data. The targeted population …


Strategies To Secure Sustainable Funding For Nonprofit Organizations, Jasmine Y. Hardy Jan 2017

Strategies To Secure Sustainable Funding For Nonprofit Organizations, Jasmine Y. Hardy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are 1.4 million active nonprofit organizations in the United States; however, funding sustainability often forces nonprofit senior leaders into closure, which can lead to increased unemployment and decreased services provided to local communities. Nonprofit senior leaders seek help from scholars, at times, to identify strategies to secure sustainable funding sources, improve the sustainability of funding, or prevent or reverse losses of funding to their organizations. Through the conceptual lens of the general systems theory, the 2015-2016 Baldrige Excellence Framework and Criteria, and single- and double-loop learning, this single-case study explored strategies used to secure sustainable funding for nonprofit organizations …


Teamwork Perceptions Of Nurses And Nursing Assistants In A Community Hospital, Iwona Halina Enzinger Jan 2017

Teamwork Perceptions Of Nurses And Nursing Assistants In A Community Hospital, Iwona Halina Enzinger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teamwork in healthcare is recognized as a significant factor in achieving patient safety and impacting patient outcomes. Despite the general focus on teamwork in healthcare, there has been little research on teamwork among nurses and nursing assistants working on patient care units. The purpose of this doctoral project was to identify, compare, and analyze perceptions of teamwork in a group of nurses and nursing assistants in a community hospital setting where the TeamSTEPPS program has been implemented. The framework of this project was the concept of shared mental model and Imogene King's conceptual system and middle-range theory of goal attainment. …


Length Of Stay And Reimbursement Rates For Medicare Patients, Wandella Ezell Jan 2017

Length Of Stay And Reimbursement Rates For Medicare Patients, Wandella Ezell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medicare reimbursement rates across the United States have varied by as much as 49-130% across healthcare facilities. Geographic adjustments and severity of medical diagnoses attribute to some dissimilarity; however, the source of longer hospitalization and higher re-admission rates among Medicare patients requires financial consistency. The research encompassed (N = 3000) patients with hypertension as the focus for the study because this is a critical group of Medicare patients with a chronic disease that has been identified as a silent killer. The principal goal that drove this research study was to explain the variations in length of stay for Medicare patients …


Cultural Sensitivity In The Performance-Based Learning Environment, Monique Matleen Hazzard-Robinson Jan 2017

Cultural Sensitivity In The Performance-Based Learning Environment, Monique Matleen Hazzard-Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Georgia Department of Education requires students to earn 4 course credits in the area of mathematics in order to graduate from high school. Academic success for mathematics students in a school district in southern Georgia has been encumbered because teachers lack cultural competency in mathematics instruction, which has hindered minority students from developing reasoning, critical analysis, and problem-solving skills needed to earn these required math credits. The purpose of this project study was to examine teachers' perceptions of using culturally relevant teaching strategies to influence the academic performance of minority students in the mathematics classroom. The conceptual framework was …


A Comparison Of Neuropathic Pain In Hiv Disease And Diabetes Mellitus, Mary Catherine George Jan 2017

A Comparison Of Neuropathic Pain In Hiv Disease And Diabetes Mellitus, Mary Catherine George

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Neuropathy is a nerve disorder found in HIV disease and diabetes mellitus that indicates damage in the peripheral nervous system. Burning, tingling, stabbing, shooting, and painful sensations in the hands and feet are common symptoms of this chronic disorder, and no treatments are available that repair the nerves. The approved pain treatments are few and only available for the diabetic neuropathy population. A mixed-methods study of archival data was performed to compare patients with painful neuropathy (PN) associated with 2 diseases: HIV (HIV-PN) and diabetes mellitus (DPN). This study examined the similarities and differences of the pain narratives and common …


The Effect Of Risk Factors On Recidivism Among Juveniles From The Perspectives Of Juvenile Justice Professionals, Diana R. Clarke Jan 2017

The Effect Of Risk Factors On Recidivism Among Juveniles From The Perspectives Of Juvenile Justice Professionals, Diana R. Clarke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Within the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice system, juvenile delinquency referrals have decreased, yet at the same time, juvenile recidivism rates continue to challenge policy makers. Using Hirschi's social learning theory as the foundation, the purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of juvenile justice professionals about their experiences with youthful offenders in order to determine the causes of juvenile recidivism. Data came from in-depth interviews with 9 participants including state attorneys, judges, and mental health counselors from within the central region of the state of Florida. Data were analyzed and coded using Colaizzi's method. Two …


Law Enforcement Fitness Policies In Relation To Job Injuries And Absenteeism, Marlana Lynn Hancock Jan 2017

Law Enforcement Fitness Policies In Relation To Job Injuries And Absenteeism, Marlana Lynn Hancock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

After employment, job-related fitness requirements vary for law enforcement agencies within North Carolina. Police academies mandate specific job-related fitness requirements for recruits as a condition of graduation. Once employed, little is known about why some law enforcement agencies in North Carolina have physical fitness policies and others do not, particularly when injury rates and healthcare costs continue to rise. To better understand this inconsistency, the current study used a mixed methods approach to examine 6 midsized law enforcement agencies in North Carolina with varying fitness policies. The policy of each agency, along with OSHA work-related injuries and absenteeism reports, were …


Teachers' Experiences With And Perceptions Of Single-Gender Instruction Of African American Students, Kymberli Robinson Chandler Jan 2017

Teachers' Experiences With And Perceptions Of Single-Gender Instruction Of African American Students, Kymberli Robinson Chandler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a large, urban district in western Tennessee, African American students perform considerably lower in math, science, and reading than other districts. Several teachers in western Tennessee are using single-gender instruction as a practice, but little is known about its effectiveness in addressing the needs of African American students. Currently, there is a gap in scholarly and practical understanding of the effects of single-gender classrooms on the academic success of African American students in western Tennessee. This exploratory qualitative case study examined the experiences shared by teachers who use single-gender learning to educate African American students in secondary schools in …


The Effects Of Transracial Adoption On Adjustment And Identity Development, Krystle Dandridge Jan 2017

The Effects Of Transracial Adoption On Adjustment And Identity Development, Krystle Dandridge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A plethora of studies have focused on transracial adoption. While these studies have looked at identity development and/or adjustment, they lacked the investigation into some possible causes to include feelings of belongingness as well as socioeconomic status. The current study explored the lack of cultural socialization and belongingness of people adopted into an environment culturally dissimilar from their birth culture. The nonexperimental, correlational design study examined the relationship between adjustment and identity development, and the impact of transracial adoption when considering socioeconomic status and skin tone. The New Immigrant Survey Skin Color Scale, Multiethnic Identity Measure, and Measure of Psychosocial …


Employee Perceptions Of Loyalty As A Factor Of Performance. Grounded Theory Approach, Chanaz Gargouri Jan 2017

Employee Perceptions Of Loyalty As A Factor Of Performance. Grounded Theory Approach, Chanaz Gargouri

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The relationship between employee loyalty and organizational performance has long been recognized but not included in performance appraisal models. This study identifies the perspectives of Master of Business Administration (MBA) candidates at a small private university in the eastern U.S. Fifteen interviews were conducted after distributing flyers among MBA classes and interested students volunteered to participate. The study was qualitative, based on personal interviews, to explore how loyalty is perceived in relation to performance. The theoretical framework used was Hogan's (1983) socioanalytic theory to explain differences in people's performance at work. Through use of a grounded theory approach, employees' perceptions …


Familial Factors Predicting Attitudes Toward Domestic Violence In African American Adolescents, Cassandra Clarke-Williams Jan 2017

Familial Factors Predicting Attitudes Toward Domestic Violence In African American Adolescents, Cassandra Clarke-Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teen dating violence is more prevalent among African Americans than any other racial group in the United States leading to serious health consequences for victims. However, limited data exists on how African American adolescents' attitudes and perceptions regarding dating violence are formed, and whether they are influenced by family members. The purpose of this nonexperimental correlational study was to determine whether nonverbal or verbal communication from family members predicted adolescents' attitudes and perceptions toward dating violence. Survey data from 84 African American men and women ages 18 to 24 were collected using the Normative Beliefs About Aggression Scale, the Acceptance …


Postsecondary Instructor Attitudes Toward Tablet Use For Collaboration And Critical Thinking Development, Jerry Hubbard Jan 2017

Postsecondary Instructor Attitudes Toward Tablet Use For Collaboration And Critical Thinking Development, Jerry Hubbard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although research has identified critical thinking (CT) as an objective of higher education, limited quantitative research has focused on how postsecondary instructors view using handheld devices for classroom collaboration to support CT. There are studies examining how the use of tablet technologies influence collaborative learning (CL), showing a link between CL and CT, and connecting CT to academic achievement. However, understanding how instructors perceive the intersection of these factors has not been well studied. Applying Vygotsky's social cognitive theory as a foundation of CL, using adapted questions from two questionnaires (Technology Acceptance Model and Cooperative Learning Implementation) and two frameworks, …


Professional Development And Self-Efficacy Of Nurses Who Care For Patients Requiring Biocontainment, Denise Occhiuzzo Jan 2017

Professional Development And Self-Efficacy Of Nurses Who Care For Patients Requiring Biocontainment, Denise Occhiuzzo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increasing global occurrences of highly infectious, easily transmissible diseases unfamiliar to nurses affect the learning environment and the required skill set for professional nurses. The global threat of Ebola Virus Disease and other high-risk diseases requiring biocontainment necessitates competency in the management of complex patient needs, while ensuring safety measures that prevent spread of the potentially fatal disease. Guided by Bandura's social cognitive theory, this quantitative correlational study addressed the relationships between nurses' professional characteristics and their perceived self-efficacy when providing care to highly infectious patients requiring biocontainment. A full census of 92 nurses was used to recruit participants from …


Influence Of Leadership Styles On Expatriate Nurses' Professional Integration In The Uae, Emmah Ncube Jan 2017

Influence Of Leadership Styles On Expatriate Nurses' Professional Integration In The Uae, Emmah Ncube

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Transnational nurse migration has evoked a growing interest in the phenomenon of professional integration of expatriate nurses into their host societies. Despite research connecting employee and organizational outcomes such as job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior to the quality of leadership styles, there remains a lack of research linking professional integration of expatriate nurses to nurse leadership styles in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a theory that would explain how nurse leadership styles and behaviors impacted the professional integration of expatriate nurses into the multicultural work environment of the UAE. …