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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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The Relationship Between Science Curriculum Aligned To Common Core State Standards And Scientific Literacy, Amber Lee Struthers Jan 2015

The Relationship Between Science Curriculum Aligned To Common Core State Standards And Scientific Literacy, Amber Lee Struthers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Supporting the development of scientifically literate students is a priority in public school education, and understanding how that development is influenced by the Common Core State Standards is vital to quality science education. However, little quantitative research has been conducted about how the Common Core State Standards impact science education. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine how the alignment of science curriculum and instruction to the Common Core English Language Arts State Standards impacts the development of students' scientific literacy skills. Bybee's framework for scientific literacy provided the theoretical framework. Participants included 7 middle school students in …


Secondary School Choral Teachers' Perceptions Of Quality Professional Development, Raymond Owen West Jan 2015

Secondary School Choral Teachers' Perceptions Of Quality Professional Development, Raymond Owen West

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Quality professional development is essential to enhance and sustain teacher efficacy. In a Southeastern school district, content-based, job-embedded professional development was not practiced or available for secondary school choral teachers. The purpose of this research was to discover the perceptions that choral teachers possess about what constitutes quality professional development. Guided by Bruner's constructivist approach, Knowles' concept of andragogy, and DuFour's professional development practices, this study examined the connection between these 3 ideas and supplied the foundation for the development of a professional development program. Using a case study design, data were collected through interviews and lesson plan documents from …


Chlamydia Trachomatis And Neisseria Gonorrhoeae: Impact Of Health Literacy On Prevalence, Patricia Alice Abshier Jan 2015

Chlamydia Trachomatis And Neisseria Gonorrhoeae: Impact Of Health Literacy On Prevalence, Patricia Alice Abshier

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Millions of dollars are spent each year on preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), yet the rates of chlamydia trachomatis (chlamydia) and neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonorrhea) infection continue to be high. Health literacy and its impact have been recognized in diabetes maintenance, control of hypertension, medical adherence, and reproductive health outcomes, yet no research has been conducted regarding the relationship between health literacy and chlamydia and gonorrhea prevalence. This study examined the relationship between health literacy scores and chlamydia and gonorrhea prevalence health literacy scores and reproductive health/STD knowledge, and reproductive health/STD knowledge and chlamydia and gonorrhea prevalence. Participants included 114 women …


Counselor Supervisors' Perceptions Of Tertiary Trauma, Eric David Jett Jan 2015

Counselor Supervisors' Perceptions Of Tertiary Trauma, Eric David Jett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Vicarious trauma impacts counselors in various ways: by diminishing their feelings of importance in the profession, hindering their completion of adequate work with clients, and negatively affecting their personal life choices. Although numerous qualitative and quantitative studies have been conducted on vicarious trauma over the past 20 years, there is a rarity of research investigating the implications of trauma for counseling supervisors. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences and perceptions of tertiary trauma among 11 counselor supervisors from Oklahoma and Missouri who were providing active supervision. This study was approached through a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology. …


Relationship Between Product Quality And Customer Satisfaction, Albert Vitales Cruz Jan 2015

Relationship Between Product Quality And Customer Satisfaction, Albert Vitales Cruz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The National Safety Council (NSC) estimated that over 35,000 people died in U.S. traffic accidents. About 3.8 million traffic crash injuries requiring medical attention occurred in 2013, and the number of deaths was about the same over the last 5 years. The NSC found that product recalls, car repairs, injuries, and deaths were due to unsafe product designs or inferior product quality. These statistics underscore the challenge of producing quality vehicles while satisfying customers. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to examine relationships among product (vehicle) quality, product cost, product safety, and consumer satisfaction. The hypotheses inquired the extent …


High School Visual Art Students' Perceptions Of Creativity, Jacqueline B. Henson-Dacey Jan 2015

High School Visual Art Students' Perceptions Of Creativity, Jacqueline B. Henson-Dacey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

When high school art teachers do not understand how their students experience creativity, studio art programs are less effective in fostering student learning than they would otherwise be. Nevertheless, extant research does not reveal a consistent or comprehensive understanding of how adolescents experience creativity in art education. Drawing on Csikszentmihalyi's theory of creativity and flow, this study explored students' perceptions of creativity and its relationship to flow, or the state of consciousness associated with optimal pleasure. This phenomenological study investigated students' perceptions of creativity and flow by interviewing nine high school advanced placement students in a public high school in …


Cultural Backgrounds Influencing Virtual Team Performance, Vyacheslav Semenovich Lerner Jan 2015

Cultural Backgrounds Influencing Virtual Team Performance, Vyacheslav Semenovich Lerner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Virtual teams improve organizational performance and competitiveness because they reduce business travel and allow team members to work from anywhere, anytime, using the Internet to complete projects. Although researchers have identified benefits of using virtual teams, knowledge about how cultural backgrounds influence virtual team performance is limited. Illuminating this relationship may help leadership improve team performance. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of team members with different cultural backgrounds to understand their effect on team performance. The research questions were based on the conceptual framework of organizational cultural theories developed by Schein and Trompenaars …


Job Expectations Of Employees In The Millennial Generation, Samantha Jean Linden Jan 2015

Job Expectations Of Employees In The Millennial Generation, Samantha Jean Linden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Understanding Millennials' job expectations is critical for employee retention because of the number of Generation X workers who are unable to fill the job openings that Baby Boomers leave vacant when retiring from the workforce. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore Millennial employees' job expectations. Interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 20 Millennials who had at least a bachelor's degree, had at least 1 year of employment experience, and worked in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. The inclusion criteria established work experience as a foundation for determining Millennials' job expectations. The conceptual frameworks of this study …


Organizational Innovation's Moderation Of Culture Effects On Company Financial Performance, Christopher Lee Slaughter Jan 2015

Organizational Innovation's Moderation Of Culture Effects On Company Financial Performance, Christopher Lee Slaughter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite 40 years of research, little is known about what moderates the relationship between organizational culture and company financial performance. This quantitative study examined if innovation moderates the relationship between an organization's culture, as measured by the Denison Organizational Culture Survey, and a company's financial performance, as indicated by return on assets (ROA). Understanding if innovation moderates the relationship between organizational culture and ROA could help business leaders foster a culture that maximizes financial performance. Lewin's field theory was the theoretical foundation explaining organizational culture. Denison Consulting provided the archival dataset, which included organizational culture scores and ROA data for …


Using Sustainable Development As A Competitive Strategy, Pat Spearman Jan 2015

Using Sustainable Development As A Competitive Strategy, Pat Spearman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sustainable development reduces construction waste by 43%, generating 50% cost savings. Residential construction executives lacking adequate knowledge regarding the benefits of sustainable development practices are at a competitive disadvantage. Drawing from the diffusion of innovation theory, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore knowledge acquisition within the bounds of sustainable residential construction. The purposive sample size of 11 executive decision makers fulfilled the sample size requirements and enabled the extraction of meaningful data. Participants were members of the National Home Builders Association and had experience of a minimum of 5 years in residential construction. The research question …


Evaluating A Strategic Initiative's Efficiency To Enhance Community College Financial Sustainability, Anne S. Williams Jan 2015

Evaluating A Strategic Initiative's Efficiency To Enhance Community College Financial Sustainability, Anne S. Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

During the first decade of the 21st Century, U.S. college enrollment rates increased, public funding fell by 30%, oversight structures changed, and funding algorithms switched to outcome-based metrics such as retention, progression, and graduation rates. Drawing from Vroom's expectancy theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to provide decision makers with information about the factors associated with an implemented strategic initiative at a Connecticut community college. The research question addressed the correlation between the strategic initiative, retention, and organizational financial sustainability using hierarchical, binary regression analysis of archival data for 2,558 first-time full-time students at a Connecticut community college. …


Soft Skills Perceived By Students And Employers As Relevant Employability Skills, Ann-Marie Claudia Williams Jan 2015

Soft Skills Perceived By Students And Employers As Relevant Employability Skills, Ann-Marie Claudia Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Local employers believe the lack of prerequisite soft skills is inhibiting the graduates from a local community college from securing employment. The rationale of this phenomenological study was to investigate the perceptions of students and employers related to the soft skills needed to be successful in future employment. The theoretical framework was based on Mezirow's transformational and Daloz's mentorship theories. Individual face-to-face, semistructured interviews were used to gather data from 12 business and computer students and 7 employers (N=19) who were selected using purposeful random sampling. The typewritten transcripts of participants' responses were imported in MAXQDA 11, then were open …


Identifying Successful Online Adult Learners, Lester Wright Jan 2015

Identifying Successful Online Adult Learners, Lester Wright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative case study examined the lack of success by and high attrition rates of adult learners enrolled in online higher education courses at a public research university in the southeastern United States. The conceptual framework integrated Knowles' theory of andragogy with a composited model that combined elements of Tinto's persistence model with Bean and Metzner's student attrition model. The research questions examined factors and characteristics contributing to the unsuccessful completion of online courses for adult learners. The data were collected in 2 separate phases using a purposeful sample comprised of 152 adult learners who volunteered to participate in the …


Exploring The Impact Of Wyoming's Pathways To Professional Development Program On Childcare Providers And Quality Early Childcare, Colleen Kay Bartlett Jan 2015

Exploring The Impact Of Wyoming's Pathways To Professional Development Program On Childcare Providers And Quality Early Childcare, Colleen Kay Bartlett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childcare programs that provide high quality care can strengthen children's early development. One component of a quality program is having providers who are knowledgeable in child development; however, despite the understanding of these known predictors of child development, Wyoming does not require childcare providers to complete any training before beginning to work with children. Guided by the constructivist theories of Piaget, Vygotsky, Dewey, and Bruner, this objectives-based program evaluation investigated the Pathways to Professional Development program to determine participants' perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of the program. A researcher-produced survey was created based on the objectives of the program …


Exploring Critical Success Factors For Managing Complex Information Technology Projects In Federal Agencies, Kyle Dean Boyles Jan 2015

Exploring Critical Success Factors For Managing Complex Information Technology Projects In Federal Agencies, Kyle Dean Boyles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was the lack of understanding about failures of government leadership in accomplishing complex information technology (IT) projects and the ways such failures can negatively affect organizational performance. The purpose was to query subject matter experts and leaders with the intent to identify methods to reduce complex IT project failure rates in government organizations. This qualitative study drew on the technology acceptance model and the capability maturity model integration framework to evaluate organizations' abilities to manage complex IT projects. The research questions focused on exploring senior managers' experiences, the tacit knowledge of project management methodologies, …


Alcohol Use Disorder And The Sibling Relationship: A Phenomenological Enquiry, Christine Rhodes Jan 2015

Alcohol Use Disorder And The Sibling Relationship: A Phenomenological Enquiry, Christine Rhodes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous researchers have indicated that alcohol use disorder affects relationships between family members. Exposure to parental alcohol use disorder disrupts important relationship skill-building development between the children of the family, and may impact conflict resolution in later life relationships. The sibling relationship provides a learning opportunity on how to manage conflict, yet little is known about the effects of parental alcohol use disorder on the sibling-to-sibling relationship from the perspective of adult siblings. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological enquiry was to explore the lived experiences of adult siblings who experienced parental alcohol use disorder in their family of origin. …


Massage Therapy Effects On Pain And Distress/Anxiety In Breast Cancer Patients, Tanya Brigitte Buchrieser Jan 2015

Massage Therapy Effects On Pain And Distress/Anxiety In Breast Cancer Patients, Tanya Brigitte Buchrieser

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Pain and distress/anxiety are likely to result from breast cancer and/or the medical treatment associated with this illness. Breast cancer researchers have focused on massage therapy and its influence on pain and distress in breast cancer patients; however, these research efforts were limited by small sample sizes, homogeneous populations, and small to medium effect sizes. This study explores the effectiveness of massage therapy for decreasing pain and distress in a larger, heterogeneous population of breast cancer patients and across all durations and frequencies of treatment by pooling the findings of former studies. The gate control theory which relates to the …


Factors Relating To Underrepresentation Of Black American Women In Health Care Administration, Alquietta Lavayle Brown Jan 2015

Factors Relating To Underrepresentation Of Black American Women In Health Care Administration, Alquietta Lavayle Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a low representation of Black American women (BAW) in health care senior leadership. With the high level of health problems found among the Black community, diversifying the executive leadership with BAW may be instrumental in increasing provider trust and reducing discriminatory action. Using critical race theory as the conceptual framework, this study examined the experiences, perceptions, and influential or deterrent factors inhibiting advancement of BAW in the health care field. Inquiry centered on factors related to lack of advancement, experiences at different stages of career progression, and strategies impacting career advancement. A qualitative research design using a transcendental …


The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy And Employee Commitment Among Perfusionists, Gilbert F. Garcia Jan 2015

The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy And Employee Commitment Among Perfusionists, Gilbert F. Garcia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Certified clinical perfusionists (CCPs) operate a variety of complex, invasive devices to provide heart-lung support. Job-related stress has been identified as having unfavorable influences on self-efficacy and commitment of employees in many domains, but this relationship has not been examined among CCPs. Guided by self-efficacy theory and organizational commitment model, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether a relationship exists between self-efficacy and commitment among CCPs and the extent to which age, gender, workload, experience, or education impacted CCPs' commitment. Data were collected from 264 respondents via 2 established survey instruments: the organizational commitment questionnaire and the work …


The Role Of Childhood Trauma And Methamphetamine-Induced Violence In Women, Ashley Kennedy Ibbotson Jan 2015

The Role Of Childhood Trauma And Methamphetamine-Induced Violence In Women, Ashley Kennedy Ibbotson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Victims of childhood trauma are vulnerable to substance abuse due to their inability to develop coping skills following trauma, which can lead to criminal and violent behavior. Guided by the ecodevelopmental theory, this phenomenological study attempted to relate the perceived experiences of violent behaviors as a result of methamphetamine use in women to the types of childhood trauma the women experienced. Fourteen women were recruited using purposive sampling in collaboration with the South Brunswick Counseling Center, based on inclusion criteria that included being over the age of 18; having abstained from methamphetamine use for at least a year; having experienced …


Sustainability Of Enterprise Resource Planning (Erp) Benefits Postimplementation: An Individual User Perspective, Mohamed Abdalla Mohamed Badreldin Lotfy Jan 2015

Sustainability Of Enterprise Resource Planning (Erp) Benefits Postimplementation: An Individual User Perspective, Mohamed Abdalla Mohamed Badreldin Lotfy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although there is research about the use of enterprise resource planning (ERP) from a management perspective, the research is not clear as to whether the ERP benefits justify the costs, not only in dollars, but also in effort, from the end user's perspective. Using the theory of diffusion of innovation (DOI), the purpose of this quantitative research was to identify the set of postimplementation sustainability factors that maximized ERP user value, which are major issues for management, and measured their relative significance. The study's structural model incorporated the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework, which is a conceptualization of the theory of diffusion …


Relationship Between Leadership, Organizational Commitment, And Intent To Stay Among Junior Executives, Lorraine Elizabeth Anderson Jan 2015

Relationship Between Leadership, Organizational Commitment, And Intent To Stay Among Junior Executives, Lorraine Elizabeth Anderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Executive-level attrition rates from retiring baby boomers may result in a shortage of qualified junior executives to replace the retirees. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the efficacy of leadership style and organizational commitment in predicting intent to stay among junior executives. The Multifaceted Leadership Questionnaire, Three-Component Model (TCM) Employee Commitment Survey, and Intent to Stay Scale were administered to 147 junior executives employed in the southern region of the United States. Motivation theory served as the theoretical foundation in this study. The results of the bivariate regression were significant, F(1, 105) = 27.82, p < .001, R2 = .21, suggesting that leadership style significantly predicted intent to stay. The results of the multiple linear regression were significant, F(2, 104) = 19.42, p < .001, R2 = .27, suggesting that the model as a whole was able to significantly predict intent to stay. Affective commitment, B = 0.64, p < .001, was the only significant contributor to the model. The implications for positive social change include the potential to provide senior management with a better understanding of factors that relate to junior executive retention. The potential exists to provide senior executives with the necessary tools to increase retention. The social change implications include the potential for senior management to create a more desirable workplace, higher job satisfaction, and overall organization environment, making it more desirable to stay with the organization.


Depression And Hiv Risk Among African American Men Who Have Sex With Men, Sonya Anyaka Jan 2015

Depression And Hiv Risk Among African American Men Who Have Sex With Men, Sonya Anyaka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American men who have sex with men (AAMSM) are at a greater risk of contracting HIV than any other ethnic group, subpopulation, or race. Personal, environmental, and social variables can affect risk behavior. Driven by Beck's cognitive theory of depression, this quantitative study examined the relationship between depression and HIV risk behaviors in a sample of AAMSM (n = 108). Data was gathered via the Beck Depression Inventory and the HIV Risk Behavior Questionnaire. Simple and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted to analyze the data to determine the correlation between HIV risk behavior and depression. According to study …


Disaster Management And Efforts To Mitigate The Destruction Of The Human-Environment, Dorothy Henderson Bell Jan 2015

Disaster Management And Efforts To Mitigate The Destruction Of The Human-Environment, Dorothy Henderson Bell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Natural disasters expose the fact that poverty, race, gender, and other indicators of social disadvantage are linked to the population of citizens who struggle the most to recover after a disaster, yet these factors are not accounted for in public policy that guides decision making related to federal assistance to residents affected by a disaster. This study used neural networks as a research strategy to determine whether the current policies under the Stafford Act related to assistance comply with Congressional intent and law that uses a formula for assistance distribution, and whether human factors such as culture, measured as residing …


A Correlation Of Community College Math Readiness And Student Success, Jayna Nicole Brown Jan 2015

A Correlation Of Community College Math Readiness And Student Success, Jayna Nicole Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although traditional college students are more prepared for college-level math based on college admissions tests, little data have been collected on nontraditional adult learners. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between math placement tests and community college students' success in math courses and persistence to degree or certificate completion. Guided by Tinto's theory of departure and student retention, the research questions addressed relationships and predictability of math Computer-adaptive Placement Assessment and Support System (COMPASS) test scores and students' performance in math courses, persistence in college, and degree completion. After conducting correlation and regression analyses, no significant relationships …


Promoting Critical Thinking And Reflection In A Capstone Course For Adult Learners, James-Etta Goodloe Jan 2015

Promoting Critical Thinking And Reflection In A Capstone Course For Adult Learners, James-Etta Goodloe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

University instructors can improve how they promote critical thinking in the classroom by fostering reflective writing habits with students. Midwest University requires all undergraduate students to complete 2 capstone courses, which are framed around a critical thinking curriculum. The skills of analyzing and reflecting on experiences are important components of critical thinking. Despite this acknowledged importance of critical thinking, there is currently no structured training for instructors of the capstone course on how to develop critical thinking abilities among adult students. The purpose of this case study was to examine the perceptions of the instructors of the capstone courses and …


Mathematics Boot Camps: A Strategy For Helping Students To Bypass Remedial Courses, Marilyn Ann Louise Hamilton Jan 2015

Mathematics Boot Camps: A Strategy For Helping Students To Bypass Remedial Courses, Marilyn Ann Louise Hamilton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many community colleges struggle to find the best strategy to help incoming at-risk students prepare for the placement test. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study, was to answer the question as to which of 2 programs, a 2-week, face-to-face mathematics refresher program, Math Boost-Up, or an online-only program, might increase the ACCUPLACER posttest scores of incoming community college students. The study used archival data for 136 students who self-selected to either participate in the Math Boost-Up program (the experiment group), or in the online-only program (the comparison group). Knowles's theory of adult learning, andragogy, served as the theoretical framework. …


Silence Improves Anxiety Levels And Test Scores Among Children With Disabilities, Hanna Matatyaho Jan 2015

Silence Improves Anxiety Levels And Test Scores Among Children With Disabilities, Hanna Matatyaho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with disabilities may experience more anxiety when taking a test than do students without a disability. The purpose of this study was to assess whether a technique called 1-minute of silence reduces anxiety and improves test scores among students with disabilities. The theoretical framework for this study was the theory of planned behavior/reasoned action and the health belief model. Two research questions were used, one to determine the difference in anxiety levels in students with special needs and the other to determine the difference in New York State (NYS) Math posttest scores in children with special needs (no silence, …


Using The Delta-Model For End-Stage Liver Disease To Improve The Decision-Making Process For The Donor Liver System, Joanne Chin Jan 2015

Using The Delta-Model For End-Stage Liver Disease To Improve The Decision-Making Process For The Donor Liver System, Joanne Chin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this experimental research was to determine whether using delta-MELD as a criterion for the liver transplant patient selection process could improve the U.S. liver allocation system. This research closed a gap in current literature on the utility of delta-MELD for liver transplant patient selection. The frameworks of systems theory, the analytic hierarchy process, and the Kalman filter contributed to the development of 2 simulation models of the liver allocation system: one that used delta-MELD and one that did not use delta-MELD. The research question examined whether using delta-MELD could improve the liver allocation system by reducing the …


Teacher Perceptions About Retention And Classroom Climate In Remote Schools In Western Canada, Chris De Feijter Jan 2015

Teacher Perceptions About Retention And Classroom Climate In Remote Schools In Western Canada, Chris De Feijter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In rural and remote schools in Western Canada, researchers have discovered that high teacher turnover affects school climate as well as student achievement. The purpose of this project study was to explore novice teachers' and administrators' perceptions about the influence of school-related and classroom activities on decisions to stay or leave permanent teaching positions at a large remote school in Precambrian Shield School Division. Boylan's theory of teacher retention was the conceptual framework for the study. The guiding research questions were focused on teachers' and administrators' perceptions of various aspects of school and classroom activities in remote schools that might …