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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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White Undergraduate Student Engagement At A Public Historically Black University, Janelle Simmons Jan 2017

White Undergraduate Student Engagement At A Public Historically Black University, Janelle Simmons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have provided academic and social support to Black students; however, with an increase in White students attending HBCUs, HBCU leaders have been challenged to acquire a better understanding of the White student population to increase their retention and graduation rates. This phenomenological project study addressed how White undergraduate students' participation in curricular and extracurricular activities influenced their academic success. The conceptual framework included elements from Astin's involvement theory and Helms's White racial identity development model. Eight White undergraduate students at a mid-size public HBCU were interviewed over 2 weeks. Exploratory analysis of one-one interviews …


Factors Influencing Doctors Ordering Of Clinical Lab Tests: A Qualitative Study, Lakshmanan Suresh Jan 2017

Factors Influencing Doctors Ordering Of Clinical Lab Tests: A Qualitative Study, Lakshmanan Suresh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Qualitative studies exploring the factors behind a doctor's decisions to order clinical laboratory blood testing are lacking. A better understanding of these factors can help in formulating interventions that could improve the quality of health care and limit costs. The purpose of this qualitative case series study was to identify factors that influence a doctor's decision to order routine clinical laboratory blood tests. Fifteen doctors from Western New York, working in different hospital settings, were interviewed. There were 5 doctors in each case type: major, community, and private hospitals. When analyzed by case, there was a difference between the three …


Nurses' Response To A Heart Failure Video To Teach Patients Self-Management, Lynn Nichols Toth Jan 2017

Nurses' Response To A Heart Failure Video To Teach Patients Self-Management, Lynn Nichols Toth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Numerous scholars have examined multiprocessors and techniques to decrease the heart failure readmission rate and to improve heart failure patient self-management. This project examined a new teaching method to create the experts' awareness of possible solutions to improve heart failure education in a small community hospital. The purpose of this project was the assessment of a new iPad heart failure patient pre-discharge education program video HFPDEV). Pender's health care model (PHM) served as a framework for this project. Five local nursing educator experts (master prepared) were asked to view a new iPad HFPDEV. After reviewing the 15-minute iPad HFPDEV, the …


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 …


The Effect Of Secondary Teacher Personality On Educational Empowerment, Latoya Sharee Alexander Jan 2017

The Effect Of Secondary Teacher Personality On Educational Empowerment, Latoya Sharee Alexander

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Past research has shown a relationship between teachers' personalities and their ability to motivate students to perform, suggesting that teacher behaviors are the most important catalysts for student empowerment. This descriptive quantitative research bridged a knowledge gap by assessing the statistical significance of the relationship between secondary teacher personality types, as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment, and their ability to academically empower their students, as measured by EDUCATEAlabama. A convenience sample of 334 secondary educators completed the MBTI assessment and reported EDUCATEAlabama empowerment scores. A comparison of Title 1 high school and non-Title 1 high school data, …


Priority Schoolteachers' Experiences Of Professional Development To Improve Student Achievement, Joyce Wiggins Wiggins Jan 2017

Priority Schoolteachers' Experiences Of Professional Development To Improve Student Achievement, Joyce Wiggins Wiggins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The New Jersey 2011 Adequate Yearly Progress report revealed that 53% (n = 75) of state schools that failed to meet standards were put on a 'priority school' list. The 2015 priority school list consisted of 66 schools. In response, New Jersey created Regional Achievement Centers to provide collaborative professional development (PD) for effective instruction in the lowest performing schools. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of priority schoolteachers regarding experiences with past PD initiatives and PD under the current Elementary and Secondary Education Act flexibility waiver focusing on collaborative approaches that include …


Strategies For Business Capacity Expansion In Jordanian Pharmaceutical Companies, Tariq Ahmad Al-Jallad Jan 2017

Strategies For Business Capacity Expansion In Jordanian Pharmaceutical Companies, Tariq Ahmad Al-Jallad

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Shareholder investments declined in Jordanian pharmaceutical business expansion between 2007 and 2014, which included a reduction in the supply of essential medicines in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore effective applications of expansion strategies to satisfy demand in the MENA markets among Jordanian generic pharmaceutical companies' managers. The conceptual framework for this study was based on the transformational leadership theory and stakeholders' theory. The purposive sample consisted of 4 chief executive officers and 8 managers from Jordanian pharmaceutical companies who practiced the expansion strategy in the MENA for …


Motivation Of African American Students To Persevere Academically, Stephen C. Anyaka Jan 2017

Motivation Of African American Students To Persevere Academically, Stephen C. Anyaka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American high school students face considerable personal and circumstantial challenges such as poverty, living in high crime neighborhoods, a lack of positive role models, low socioeconomic status, and social inequity in their efforts to achieve academic success. Finding solutions for persistent academic underperformance and closing the achievement disparity gap for minority children are challenging. This generic qualitative study examined the motivations of high-achieving African American high school students to persevere and achieve academic success despite their personal and circumstantial challenges. Social cognitive theory framed the study. Semistructured interview data were collected from 10 high achieving African American high school …


Exploring Social Support Networks Of African American Emancipated Foster Care Women, Donna Marie Barrett Jan 2017

Exploring Social Support Networks Of African American Emancipated Foster Care Women, Donna Marie Barrett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many youth exit the United States foster care system each year and face challenges related to housing, employment, health care, and education. After emancipation, foster youth can experience family instability, educational disruption, incarceration, unemployment, unstable housing, and emotional problems at a much higher rate than youth in the general population. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the experiences of African American foster women and the social support they received in finding housing upon exiting foster care system. Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory provided a conceptual framework of social interrelation for the study. Data were collected from a purposeful …


Marketing Strategies: How Small Restaurant Businesses Use Social Media, Tasheenia Bennett Jan 2017

Marketing Strategies: How Small Restaurant Businesses Use Social Media, Tasheenia Bennett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social media has changed the way businesses relate to their customers. Since the beginning of social media, traditional methods of communicating with customers have begun to decline. The purpose of this multicase study was to determine the strategies of 5 owners of small restaurant businesses in Western North Carolina who successfully used social media marketing for 1 year or more. Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Data collection included semistructured interviews, documents pertaining to social media marketing strategies, and social media pages and websites from the participating restaurants. These data were analyzed following Yin's …


A Quantitative Study Examining How Training Enhances Policy Compliance, Therese C. Bensch Jan 2017

A Quantitative Study Examining How Training Enhances Policy Compliance, Therese C. Bensch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For decades, the Department of Defense has been plagued by persistent cost, schedule, and performance problems in defense acquisition programs. Recent changes in Department of Defense acquisition policy were intended to improve efficiency and are demonstrating some improvement in terms of overall cost improvements, yet little is understood about whether training efforts related to the new policies are producing policy-compliant behavior on the job. Using Edgar Schein's 'Onion Model' of organizational change as the theoretical construct, the purpose of this study was to examine through an ex post facto, cross-sectional longitudinal study whether there is a significant relationship between learning …


Spiritual Leadership: Achieving Positive Health Outcomes In African-American Christian Churches, Cynthia Bracey Jan 2017

Spiritual Leadership: Achieving Positive Health Outcomes In African-American Christian Churches, Cynthia Bracey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, African-American residents are an underserved population with evidence of higher health disparities than those associated with any other race, contributing to escalating health care costs. Despite the absence of health promotion and wellness training, pastors in predominately Black churches accept the responsibility for addressing more than the spiritual needs of their church members. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory research study was to explore the perspectives of African-American Christian pastors on giving health guidance and their lived experiences as health promotion advocates. A total of 10 African-American Christian pastors were voluntarily recruited from 3 southern …


Leadership Practices That Improve The Workplace Safety Environment, Nathan Nomore Chikono Jan 2017

Leadership Practices That Improve The Workplace Safety Environment, Nathan Nomore Chikono

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inadequate leadership is the reason workplace accidents in the mining industry remain high, making the industry one of the most hazardous operational activities in the world. Unsafe leadership practices may result in death or injury to workers. A group of 30 mining company leaders from 3 gold mines in Zimbabwe revealed an exception to these hazardous practices, however, notable through their outstanding safety improvement records. To better understand what these practitioners were doing, this multicase study research design explored their strategies to improve the workplace safety environment in the mines. Data were collected using audio-recorded semistructured interviews and document analyses. …


Satisfaction Of Community College Students Transferring To A Public Research Institution In Southern California, Patricia Danylyshyn-Adams Jan 2017

Satisfaction Of Community College Students Transferring To A Public Research Institution In Southern California, Patricia Danylyshyn-Adams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At a large public research university in Southern California, community college transfer students reported dissatisfaction with their undergraduate college experience. Dissatisfied students may not graduate, may not network with undergraduates at their alma mater, and may not contribute financially to their alma mater. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore why students were dissatisfied with their college experience. Data collection included semi structured interviews with 11 community college transfer students enrolled at the university. The conceptual framework was based on Astin's student involvement theories. The data were analyzed by looking for codes that emerged from the student …


Transitioning Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder From School To Society, Charla Brenta Spurlin Deleo Jan 2017

Transitioning Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder From School To Society, Charla Brenta Spurlin Deleo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High school administrators in a rural school district were providing transition planning to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in order to meet postschool transition goals. Despite these efforts, few students with ASD were employed or enrolled in postsecondary training, and parents reported that they were dissatisfied with the postschool transition process. The purpose of this collective case study was to explore parental and staff perceptions of the postschool transition processes of students with ASD to increase the understanding of the practice related to postschool transitions. Guided by Tinto and Pusser's institutional framework, research questions were focused on the experiences …


Executive Director Experiences With Consumer Operated Service Provider Governing Board Members, Merideth Mccallick Erickson Jan 2017

Executive Director Experiences With Consumer Operated Service Provider Governing Board Members, Merideth Mccallick Erickson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Consumer Operated Service Providers (COSPs) are programs that are directed and administratively controlled by mental health consumers for their peers. As such, many mental health consumers have been placed in the position of serving on a COSP and often with unclear descriptions and no training. As a result, there is often a disconnect between the will of the board and the vision of the executive director, leading to tension and the possibility of failed mission. Using servant leadership as the guide, the goal of this case study was to explore the experiences of executive directors who operate Consumer Operated Service …


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 …


A Qualitative Case Study Evaluation Of A Government Workforce Training And Qualification Program, Walter Meeks Meeks Jan 2017

A Qualitative Case Study Evaluation Of A Government Workforce Training And Qualification Program, Walter Meeks Meeks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In response to a 1993 oversight board recommendation, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) created a technical training and qualification program to address concerns about a shrinking workforce at defense nuclear facilities. The DOE Technical Qualification Program (TQP) applies to federal employees tasked with oversight, direction, and assistance to contractors at defense nuclear facilities. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the TQP by ascertaining program effectiveness, program applicability, program impact on behavior and performance, and program impact on safety, from the participant perspective. Guided by Kirkpatrick's 4-level training evaluation model as the conceptual framework, this …


Educator's Technology Integration Barriers And Student Technology Preparedness As 21st Century Professionals, Joy Anne Pine-Thomas Jan 2017

Educator's Technology Integration Barriers And Student Technology Preparedness As 21st Century Professionals, Joy Anne Pine-Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Millions of dollars have been spent to acquire educational computing tools, and many education, government, and business leaders believe that investing in these computing tools will improve teaching and learning. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether charter school educators face technological barriers hindering them from incorporating technology into their classrooms. If they experienced self-efficacy issues integrating technology in their classrooms and if they believed their students were technologically prepared as 21st century professionals. A 5-point Likert scale survey, validated by a pilot study, was completed by 61 charter high school teachers. Their responses were analyzed, scores …


Age As A Predictor Of Factors Involved In Targeted School Violence, Wendy Leigh Rippon Jan 2017

Age As A Predictor Of Factors Involved In Targeted School Violence, Wendy Leigh Rippon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Targeted school violence (TSV) in the United States is increasing, causing a loss of innocent lives and challenges for teachers and students in building rapport. In addition, TSV increases levels of anxiety and makes it difficult for parents and community members to believe students are safe while at school. Several studies have highlighted the fact that age may be a factor in school shootings, calling for future research to determine if age is indeed influential. The problem is to date age has not been established as a predictive factor, even though the extant research is beginning to identify possible variances. …


Strategies To Retain Millennial Employees At Full-Service Restaurants, Candace A. Ruiz Jan 2017

Strategies To Retain Millennial Employees At Full-Service Restaurants, Candace A. Ruiz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some supervisors lack effective strategies to retain millennial generation employees. The purpose of this multicase study was to explore effective strategies supervisors use to retain culinary-educated millennial employees in full-service restaurants. Nine millennials and 3 supervisors from 3 full-service restaurants in Denver, Colorado consented to face-to-face semistructured interviews with open-ended interview questions concerning retention strategies. The conceptual framework of Herzberg's two-factor theory served to guide the scope and the data analysis for the multicase study. The interview transcripts were coded and grouped into themes. Explanation building for the data analysis assisted in finding causal links between cases and the unit …


Students' Decision-Making After Florida Senate Bill 1720: Guiding Students Through Math Placement, Rebecka Jo Sare Jan 2017

Students' Decision-Making After Florida Senate Bill 1720: Guiding Students Through Math Placement, Rebecka Jo Sare

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

After Senate Bill (SB) 1720, exempt students enrolling in colleges in Florida no longer have to take a college placement test or enroll in developmental education courses before enrolling in college-level classes. SB1720 caused Florida colleges to find new methods of placement for incoming students, a concern because incorrect placement can have detrimental effects for the student and institution. Bounded rationality theory and Bahr's interpretation of student typology informed this study. The purpose of this survey study was to compare the exempt students who enrolled in remedial math to those who enrolled in college-level math. Research questions asked what differences …


Strategies Of Small Business Owners To Acquire Federal Government Contracts, Delores Ann Tyms Jan 2017

Strategies Of Small Business Owners To Acquire Federal Government Contracts, Delores Ann Tyms

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business owners are not acquiring U.S. federal government contracts at the government established target rate. The government's small business procurement goals remain unmet, which represents an underutilized source of revenues for many small business owners. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies of 3 small business owners operating in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area to acquire federal government contracts to increase profitability. The thematic findings were in the context of the resource-based view as the conceptual framework. The participants answered questions in semistructured interviews and provided organizational documents for review. Triangulation of multiple data sources …


Perceptions Of Organizational Change Among Minority Owners Of Small Businesses, Chad E. Walizer Jan 2017

Perceptions Of Organizational Change Among Minority Owners Of Small Businesses, Chad E. Walizer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses continue to be a dominant portion of the global economy, and their owners need to understand how they can effectively make organizational changes, including implementing sound decision-making processes and innovation, as well as competing with much larger businesses. Minority small business owners have a particular need for organizational change because of their limited financial opportunities in relation to their nonminority counterparts. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine how minority small business leaders in the food service industry in south central Pennsylvania experience and perceive organizational change. Organizational change theory, contingency theory, and situational theory provided …


Evaluating Student Use Patterns Of Streaming Video Lecture Capture In A Large Undergraduate Classroom, Nathan E. Whitley-Grassi Jan 2017

Evaluating Student Use Patterns Of Streaming Video Lecture Capture In A Large Undergraduate Classroom, Nathan E. Whitley-Grassi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Large classes that allow smaller amounts of instructor-student interaction have become more common in today's colleges. The best way to provide needed opportunities for students to overcome this lack of interaction with instructors remains unidentified. This research evaluated the use of video lecture capture (VLC) as a supplemental method for teacher-student interaction and what, if any, impact it and attendance have on student performance in large lecture courses. This ex post facto study conducted at a Northeastern research university utilized cognitive and andragogical frameworks to examine the relationships between the independent variables frequency of video viewing, quantity of videos viewed, …


Perceptions Of Educational Accountability Among Single African American Mothers, Tierra Winston Jan 2017

Perceptions Of Educational Accountability Among Single African American Mothers, Tierra Winston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The construct of educational accountability formally originated in 2001 as a means to improve education standards by holding teachers accountable for student academic progress; however, the definition of educational accountability for parents continues to be illusive. The purpose of this generic, qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of educational accountability among single, African American mothers of high school-aged children. The research question asked about how the beliefs of educational accountability among single African American mothers related to any involvement in their children's education. Azjen's theory of planned behavior, which outlines the relation of intention to action, was the framework …


The Role Of Prenatal Care And Systematic Hiv Testing In Preventing Perinatal Transmission In Tanzania, 2011-2012, Nkembi Lydie Bianda Jan 2017

The Role Of Prenatal Care And Systematic Hiv Testing In Preventing Perinatal Transmission In Tanzania, 2011-2012, Nkembi Lydie Bianda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2012, Tanzania, the prevalence of HIV infection among Tanzanian women was 6.3%; that same year, 18% of Tanzanian children were born already infected with HIV. The purpose of this study was to determine the importance of prenatal care attendance on comprehensive knowledge of HIV mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), and HIV testing and counseling, as well as awareness of HIV testing coverage services, in Tanzania. The study population was Tanzanian women of childbearing, aged 15 to 49 years old. Guided by the health belief model, this cross-sectional survey design used secondary data from the 2011-2012 Tanzania Demographic Health Survey. Independent variables …


The Andacollo's Mining Community: Ethnographic Work-Based Approach To Corporate Social Responsibility Policies And Practices, Ubirata De Oliveira Jan 2017

The Andacollo's Mining Community: Ethnographic Work-Based Approach To Corporate Social Responsibility Policies And Practices, Ubirata De Oliveira

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This ethnographic study was designed to explore the phenomenon of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the mining industry. The research addressed the impacts of a problematic, systemic, and ethnocentric (top-down) CSR approach driven by a transnational mining company, and proposed a novel cultural relativist (bottom-up) CSR approach looking at the social needs of the community. Solving the problem stemming from the ethnocentric approach is important for both the mining company and the community affected by the CSR program, as it will alter dynamics between actors and mitigate social conflicts. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that improve …


Educators' Perceptions Of Best Practices For Increasing Literacy Among High-Poverty Students, Giuseppe Di Monte Jan 2017

Educators' Perceptions Of Best Practices For Increasing Literacy Among High-Poverty Students, Giuseppe Di Monte

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The local problem addressed in this study was the low reading achievement of high-poverty fourth-grade students in a small rural school in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The purpose of this instrumental case study was to examine the perceptions of the campus principal and teachers at a sampled high-poverty and high achieving elementary school to determine best practices for meeting literacy needs of high-poverty students. This knowledge is important because student success in reading achievement contributes to overall academic success. The neo-sociocultural conceptual paradigm of Wertsch, del Rio, and Alverez, which links cognitive and cultural learning processes, was …


Common Psycholinguistic Themes In Mass Murderer Manifestos, Laura E. Hamlett Jan 2017

Common Psycholinguistic Themes In Mass Murderer Manifestos, Laura E. Hamlett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mass murder in the United States is increasing, yet understanding of mass murderers is still relatively limited. Many perpetrators compose manifestos, which include journals, blogs, letters, videos, and other writings. Previous research has indicated that personal messages are of great social and psychological importance; however, there remains an important gap in the current literature regarding studies specific to these manifestos. As such, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to provide greater understanding of mass murderers' motives and mindsets through psycholinguistic analysis of their recorded words. The constructivist conceptual framework enabled gathering, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting thematic language …