Digital Commons Network^™

The Connection Between Wellness Programs And Employee Job Satisfaction In Higher Education, Donel J. Richemond

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job dissatisfaction is becoming a fundamental concern for employers. Employee engagement makes an organization more productive and can reduce absenteeism. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between employer-sponsored wellness-program participation and job satisfaction among for-profit college and university leaders. Data collection involved an online survey of 400 faculty members' from for-profit universities in the United States contacted using the Job Satisfaction Survey; 103 participants completed the survey. The theoretical framework was the need-satisfaction theory, which includes the factors that promote job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction. The results came from a multiple regression analysis that indicated …

Student Perceptions Of Flipped Learning In A High School Math Classroom, Daniel Strohmyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Flipped classrooms are implemented in more schools each year, particularly in courses requiring increased teacher guidance for mastery. While a foundation of research related to pedagogy and academic outcomes exists, research is limited surrounding student perceptions of the social and learning culture during flipped learning. The purpose of this study was to explore high school math students' lived experiences of flipped learning related to content and instruction, critical thinking, and collaboration and interactions. A phenomenological design was employed using a conceptual framework combining cognitive load theory, sociocultural learning theory, and schema theory. Students from two public high schools in the …

The Bop Energy Challenge And Pro-Poor Responses: Strategic Entry Pathways For Entrepreneurs, Felix Motekah Tang

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many large multinational energy company leaders lack strategies to successfully enter and thrive in bottom of the pyramid (BOP) markets. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies using a purposeful selection of 7 senior managers from a U. S. based global multinational energy leader with experience in BOP markets in the Republic of Cameroon. The BOP concept served as the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with senior managers, relevant websites, and government publications. Several themes emerged that were narrowed through categorical aggregation to identify strategies. Major themes included BOP readiness …

The Impact Of Transformational Leadership Style On The Success Of Global Virtual Teams, Shery Wojtara-Perry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizations in the age of modern technology have a diverse workforce, who are spread around the globe, and the business leaders of the 21st century need to understand how best to manage, overcome new challenges, and know the various skills of team members to capitalize on their differences and unique skills. To allow those geographically dispersed workers to reach their full potential and facilitate team success. Global virtual teams (GVTs) operate in complex environments characterized by diverse cultural and organizational elements. The primary purpose of this correlational and nonexperimental quantitative research was to examine the impact of transformational leadership on …

Knowledge Management And Innovation On Firm Performance Of United States Ship Repair, Cynthia Jane Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the decreasing labor forces throughout the United States, if leadership of the ship repair industry does not incorporate knowledge sharing and innovation into their daily business practices, knowledge will be lost during employee departures and turnover of teams from project-to-project, resulting in decreasing firm performance within their organizations. This was a correlation study to determine if there was a correlation between knowledge management, innovation, and firm performance. Data were collected from 69 CEO/Presidents, Human Resource personnel, or members in leadership positions of the Virginia Ship Repair Association in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The theoretical framework for …

Single-Gender Education At An Urban Middle School, Calvin Rogers Hooks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Several recent studies have critiqued the cognitive science behind single gender education, and social cognitive theory has demonstrated that gender inequality in the classroom may inhibit students' academic achievement. This study examined a single-gender education program for both middle school boys and girls established to remedy academic achievement deficiencies at a public charter school, to be identified as Urban Charter School (UCS), located in an urban area. The key research questions examined the trend in mathematics and reading student outcomes over a 6-year period, the relationship between gender and outcomes in mathematics and reading, and the comparison of outcomes between …

Parental Beliefs About Maladaptive Eating Behaviors In Adolescents, Teresa Loar Sage

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over 25 million people in the United States are affected by eating disorders, and understanding children's eating style can help determine maladaptive eating behaviors. This study was an investigation of parents' beliefs about their children's eating behaviors in relation to parental work status. Two theoretical frameworks were used to guide the study. Symbolic interactionism focused on communication between parents and children. Social learning theory focused on adolescents possibly learning their eating behaviors from observing their parents' eating habits. The research questions and hypotheses examined if there was a relationship between the work status of parents and their beliefs about maladaptive …

Comparative Analysis: Successes And Failures Of St. Louis, Stephen Anane-Boakye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The St. Louis School District (SLSD) provided its students with a virtual education program (VEP) but abandoned it following a cut in federal funding, omitting an alternative pathway for students to complete their education. The problem addressed in this study was the effect of technology and management's decision to discontinue the VEP. The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine management's role and the effect of the technology in discontinuing the VEP. Dewey's theory of education and Koskela and Howell's theory of management established the theoretical foundation for the study. A purposeful sampling selection approach was used to recruit …

Managing State-Owned Enterprises: The Special Projects Of Ghana, Edward Akuamoah Boateng

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

State-owned enterprise (SOE) failures continue to burden the government of Ghana. During the 5-year period ending in 2012, the profits from these equity investments dropped by 80%. This study was an exploratory case study of how top-down, board-directed governance structure impact the control and ethical structure of special projects. Sixteen participants, comprised of managers, technicians, and board members, were recruited from 4 separate special projects in northern, central, and southern Ghana. Agency theory formed the conceptual framework for this study. Data collected from the face-to-face interviews and supporting documents were processed and analyzed to discern emergent themes. Through methodological triangulation, …

Individual Characteristics As Predictive Variables Of The Level And Impact Of Contrapower Harassment Of Faculty Teaching In Schools Of Pharmacy, Joel M. Epps

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A review of literature documents that higher education faculty are likely to be the target of student harassment. A scenario in which a person of lesser power in an organization harasses a person of greater power is known as contrapower harassment. Students' acts of harassment range from mild incivilities to aggressive and threatening behaviors. The purpose of this quantitative web-based survey study is to document (a) the prevalence of contrapower harassment in a sample of U.S. pharmacy school faculty (n = 110), a previously unstudied population, (b) gender differences in faculty experiences of contrapower harassment, (c) faculty characteristics which may …

Corporate Social Responsibility And Financial Performance Of Banks In The United States, Waidi Alani Gbadamosi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Corporate social responsibility has evolved as a business strategy, but the business worth of voluntary social conduct has not been well understood. The contradictory research findings mean that social performance is not maximized, which constrains economic growth and sustainable development. Grounded by stakeholder theory, this correlational study was aimed at examining the effect of social responsibility factors on the market-based Fama-French cost of capital. Within a sample of 71 United States banks, the publicly available ethical ratings, financial data, and stock market data were analyzed using multiple regression models. Contrary to the positive effect of social conduct on financial performance …

The Effect Of Higher Education Classroom Management Behavior Strategies On Learning, Kalebra Henderson Henderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Higher education instructors experience many uncivil behavior challenges among students in the classroom that affect learning. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the effect of higher education classroom management behavior strategies on learning. Guided by Bandura's social learning theory and Piaget's cognitive theory, the research questions were designed to explore the perceptions of instructors and students about classroom management behavior strategies used in college settings and how student classroom incivility affects learning. The study included a panel of experts to aid in determining the feasibility of the project study protocol, testing the adequacy of research instruments, and …

Strategies To Reduce Voluntary Employee Turnover In Small Business, Angel M. Major

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increasing turnover rates are costly to businesses, causing problems with workloads and workflow. The annual resignation rate in the United States has approached 25%, which small business owners cannot afford. Guided by the Herzberg 2-factor theory, the purpose of this descriptive case study was to explore what strategies some small business owners have used to reduce voluntary employee turnover in the United States. Data saturation was achieved after conducting semistructured interviews and document reviews with 4 small business owners in southeast North Carolina who have been in business for at least 5 years and have not experienced any voluntary employee …

A Case Study Of Middle Schools Teachers' Perceptions Of The Use Of Classroom Websites, Deborah Mau

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has confirmed the benefits of incorporating technology, such as course websites, within public school classrooms to enhance student learning. However, many teachers do not incorporate technology or class websites. The purpose of this case study was to investigate technology integration within classroom websites to enhance student learning. Guided by the theory of constructivism, the concerns-based adoption model, and the technological pedagogical content knowledge framework, the research questions focused on teachers' perceptions of how a classroom website influences teaching practices and the key benefits of technology integration. Data were collected from 12 certified teachers in 2 middle schools who were …

Conflict And Diversity Associated With Four Generations In The Workforce, Rodney S. Milligan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Four generations of workers share the workforce for the first time in history. Business leaders' failure to address generational conflict may lead to low productivity, high turnover rates, employee frustration, and reduced profits. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of business leaders, managers, and supervisors in leading a multigenerational workforce within their companies. The conceptual framework was based on McClelland's theory, identifying key motivators that drive characteristics of people, including affiliation. A purposive sample of 20 local employees, spanning 4 generations from the retail grocery industry in Hampton Roads, Virginia, were interviewed to explore general …

Examining U.S. Middle School Students' Achievement In A Blended Learning Environment, Bernadette Ortiz-Brewster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

U.S. middle schools are increasing offering blended learning curricula that integrates virtual and face-to-face instruction, but the effectiveness of this mode of instruction at the middle school level has not been adequately explored. This investigation provides additional data to the current body of knowledge related to blended learning as a viable option for middle school students. The theoretical framework for this investigation derives from Lev Vygotsky's social development theory and Jean Piaget's constructivist theory of knowledge. The central research question focused on the difference in achievement scores between 6th grade students participating in a virtual course as compared to …

Marketing And Microbusiness, Joran Premo-Hurt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Marketing plays an influential role in small business survival. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the mechanisms used by microbusiness retail store owners for collecting, monitoring, and transforming market data into operational marketing activities. Marketing orientation (MO) provided the conceptual framework for this study. Guided by an abridged interview protocol, 4 retail microbusiness owners from Delaware participated in audio-recorded, semistructured interviews. Saturation of data occurred after 3 interviews, confirmed when the 4th interview produced no new information. After transcribing the interviews, member checking occurred, as each participant received a summary of the interview, along with thematic …

Exploring Transition Factors Among Female Veterans Of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (Oif/Oef), Myra Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many transitional challenges have affected female veterans after returning from serving in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The number of females joining the military and becoming involved in combat has increased within the past 10 years. Research exists on the transitional challenges of male veterans. However, little research exists on the reintegration challenges faced by female veterans. As these females become veterans, they are more visible in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System. Given this increase in number of female veterans, it is important to address transitional challenges experienced by females who served in Operations Enduring Freedom and Operation …

Factors Impacting Older Adults' Adoption Of Mobile Technology In Emergency Communications, William A. Scerra

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increasing number of older adults must continue working, which requires that they maintain their competencies and work skills, including use of mobile technology (MT). However, little is known about older adult adoption of MT in relation to work. This study used Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory and Davis's technology acceptance model as a framework. The purpose of this exploratory sequential mixed methods study was to examine the experiences of older adults' who adopted MT in the emergency communications (EC) field. Participants came from an emergency services LinkedIn group. Data sources included surveys completed by 85 respondents and interviews of …

Gender Differences, Learning Styles, And Participation In Higher Mathematics, Hilary Elizabeth Seifert

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students' lack of participation in higher-level mathematics courses is a pressing concern. In a small rural district in Alaska, many high school students elect to opt out of taking higher-level mathematics once the minimum requirement is reached. According to Bandura's self-efficacy construct, a learners' motivation is influenced by their self-beliefs and affect towards learning. Moreover, research on student learning experiences in mathematics suggests a gender difference, with girls preferring that less abstract conceptual knowledge be taught through hands-on activities. As mathematics instruction is traditionally taught through lecture and demonstration, both of which are preferences of the assimilator learning style, this …

Social Studies Teachers' Use Of Differentiated Instruction To Help Struggling Learners, Nicole Waid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students in a local rural northeastern high school have demonstrated decreasing academic performance in social studies courses for the past 5 years. The purpose of this bounded qualitative case study of the local social studies department was to investigate how social studies teachers and administrators for grades 7-12 describe differentiated instruction (DI) and professional development in DI. This study was grounded in the zone of proximal development, which stressed the importance of providing instruction at students' instructional levels, and DI, which emphasized tailoring instruction to address students' needs. Three research questions focused on how social studies teachers and administrators viewed …

Strategies To Improve Marine Inspection Performance In The U.S. Coast Guard, Joshua Buck

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

U.S. Coast Guard leaders have received feedback concerning gaps in performance management of the Marine Inspection Program (MIP) from maritime industry stakeholders, Department of Homeland Security representatives, and internal agents over the past decade. The purpose of this case study was to explore strategies to improve performance in the U.S. Coast Guard MIP. Data were gathered through a review of documentation pertinent to marine inspection (i.e., policy, requirements, analyses, reports, and job aids) and 13 semistructured interviews with personnel from 3 distinct organizational levels. Study participants represented civilian and active duty personnel from all geographical U.S. Coast Guard districts, as …

Psychological Capital As A Mediator Between Team Cohesion And Productivity, Robert John Cesaro

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizations attempting to optimize productivity are seeking new ways to develop psychological capital in teams. The researcher conducted a quantitative study to determine whether team cohesion, as assessed by the Revised Group Environment Questionnaire (RGEQ), impacts team productivity, as assessed by the Performance Measurement Team (PMT) Manufacturing Resource System (MRS); whether this relationship can be attributed to a team's level of psychological capital, as assessed by the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-12); and whether psychological capital mediates the relationship between team cohesion and team productivity. Forty-five PMTs in a large U.S. defense manufacturing organization were surveyed using the PCQ-12 and the …

Adherence To Self-Care Management Of Sickle Cell Disease Among Caregivers, Muinah Adenike Fowora

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The self-care management of sickle cell disease (SCD) improves mortality rate; however, compliance with SCD self-care management remains a problem. The purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge and factors that influence compliance with SCD self-care management recommendations among caregivers of children with SCD. The health belief model was used as the theoretical foundation of this study, theorizing that caregivers' perceived susceptibility, severity, and benefits of SCD self-care management will influence compliance. The study used a quantitative research design. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 100 caregivers of children with SCD attending sickle cell clinics in Lagos, Nigeria …

Decoding Metacommunication Patterns From African American Single Mothers To Sons, Michael-Kamau Henderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With a significant number of African American single-parent families responsible for raising a generation of male children, the focus of this qualitative case study was on exploring the African American single mother-son dyad to identify metacommunicative signals delivered from mothers to sons. This study was grounded in a theoretical framework combining attachment theory and social learning theory. The research questions focused on identifying metacommunication messages passed from mothers to sons and how metacommunication patterns influence the youth's social identity. Four single mothers with adolescent sons and 4 unrelated adult sons of single mothers participated in semistructured interviews. Data were collected …

Identifying The Beliefs And Barriers To Mammography In Rural African Women, Linda Harper Mangum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in African-American (AA) women and is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States among AA women ages 40 to 55 years of age. The 5-year breast cancer survival rates for AA women (78%) are lower than are those of Caucasian women (90%). The purpose of this project was to describe the benefits and barriers toward screening mammograms for breast cancer in AA women living in the Southside Health District in Virginia. The subscales of The Champion's Mammography Beliefs and Attitudes Questionnaire (MBAQ, 1999), which is based on the …

Relationship Between Stress And Young Adults' Complementary And Alternative Medicine Use, Anupama Kizhakkeveettil

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) refers to a group of diverse medical and healthcare systems, practices, and products not treated as conventional medicine. The body of literature on stress and stress management among young adults has not addressed the use of CAM modalities for stress management among this population. The theoretical foundation of the study was based upon the transactional model of stress and coping, which describes stress as an interaction between an external stressor and the resources available to eliminate the stressor. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether variables such as exposure to CAM, stress …

Electronic Warfare Receiver Resource Management And Optimization, William Metz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Optimization of electronic warfare (EW) receiver scan strategies is critical to improving the probability of surviving military missions in hostile environments. The problem is that the limited understanding of how dynamic variations in radar and EW receiver characteristics has influenced the response time to detect enemy threats. The dependent variable was the EW receiver response time and the 4 independent variables were EW receiver revisit interval, EW receiver dwell time, radar scan time, and radar illumination time. Previous researchers have not explained how dynamic variations of independent variables affected response time. The purpose of this experimental study was to develop …

Strategies For Implementing A Successful Enterprise Resource Planning System, Wanda A. Swanier

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. Department of Defense executives consider enterprise resource planning systems as a critical technology because of increasingly global operations and audit compliance pressures, which may affect organizational performance and overall success. The estimated cost to implement enterprise resources systems to avoid failure and meet budget cost across the Department of Defense services and agencies has ranged from $530 million to $2.4 billion. Guided by the general systems theory, the purpose of this single-case study was to explore enterprise resource planning strategies developed and implemented by United States Marine Corps military leaders. Data collection consisted of a review of organizational …

High School Science Teachers' Perceptions Of Teaching Content-Related Reading Comprehension Instruction, Theresa D. Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In order to achieve academic success, students must be able to comprehend written material in content-area textbooks. However, a large number of high school students struggle to comprehend science content. Research findings have demonstrated that students make measurable gains in comprehending content-area textbooks when provided quality reading comprehension instruction. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of how high school science teachers perceived their responsibility to provide content-related comprehension instruction and 10 high school science teachers were interviewed for this study. Data analysis consisted of open, axial, and selective coding. The findings revealed that 8 out of …