Digital Commons Network^™

Social Capital Variables As Predictors Of Hiv Risk-Taking Behaviors Among Sub-Saharan African Immigrants In The United States, Gbadebo Ogundiran Ogungbade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Vulnerable populations, including immigrants, are often at risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection because of their risk-taking behaviors. This study investigated risk-taking behavior for HIV infection among Sub-Saharan African (SSA) immigrants in United States. Using social capital as a theoretical foundation, the study aimed to address the question, is there any association between social capital assets of educational opportunity, employment, and eligibility for social assistance and HIV risk-taking behavior, defined as condom use before sex (CUBS) among SSA immigrant in the U.S? Potential participants were recruited through religious and social organizations in a southwestern US state. The survey generated …

Toward A Grounded Theory On The Management Of Orphanages In South Africa And Zimbabwe, Anna Siyavora

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of orphaned children in many parts of Africa is increasing as their parents die from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The research problem addressed in this qualitative study was lack of understanding by others about how the managers of orphanages in 2 African countries -- South Africa and Zimbabwe - were responding to the emotional and social needs of these orphans. The purpose of this study was to develop an orphanage management theory or model that could replicate the African kinship environment in the orphanages under study. Nurturing leadership theory provided the conceptual …

Manual Handling Workload And Musculoskeletal Discomfort Among Warehouse Personnel, Terrance N. Knox

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSD), specifically physical and muscular discomfort in the upper arm, lower arm, thigh, lower leg, wrist, shoulders, back, or neck, are among the most frequently reported workplace injuries in the United States. The dearth of knowledge about the types of workloads that may contribute to the development of WRMSD was the impetus of this research. The study aimed to identify antecedents of WRMSD among warehouse workers in order to reduce WRMSDs and increase productivity as expressed in a systems perspective on industrial health. The research questions examined the prevalence of specific WRMSDs, the relationship of high-risk tasks …

A Comparison Of Lifestyle Intervention Sessions And Clinical Screening As Motivators In The South Dakota Wisewoman Program, Jacy Clarke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

WISEWOMAN (WW) is a comprehensive program for medically underserved women in South Dakota (SD), aged 30 to 64, which aims to reduce morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases. Screening services include blood total cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose, and body mass index (BMI). Lifestyle intervention (LSI) sessions are also offered to address physical activity and nutrition. The purpose of this retrospective longitudinal study was to quantitatively examine whether the combination of LSI's and clinical screenings or clinical screenings alone lead to improvements in blood pressure, blood glucose, total cholesterol, and/or BMI at rescreening 10 to14 months from initial screening. …

Air Force Users' Perceptions Of The Value Of Information Technology-Enabled Enterprise Business Systems, Kathleen Thome-Diorio

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Based on the Government Performance and Results Act, the United States Air Force is transforming its business through e-government, the adoption of information technology enabled enterprise business systems. The problem this research addressed was the lack of theory on implementation success of enterprise business systems, especially when users perceive that organizational mission and the value of the systems differ from the enterprise vision and goals. The purpose of the study was to conceptualize the acceptance of enterprise business systems by internal users. The research was based on theories about the influence and interaction of drivers of technology adoption and user …

Promoting Breast Cancer Screening Among Chinese American Women Through Young Children's Theatrical Performance, Angela Sun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has revealed that underutilization of breast cancer screening by ethnic minorities often is related to language difficulties and cultural values and beliefs about cancer. The problem addressed in this secondary data analysis was the late diagnosis of breast cancer in the Chinese immigrant community. The purpose of the quasi-experimental study was to test the efficacy of a theatrical preschool performance, guided by the diffusion of innovation theory, in educating Chinese American women about breast cancer detection. The research questions sought to determine whether the performance increased the participants' knowledge of breast cancer screening guidelines and whether country of origin, …

The Effects Of Art Education On Self -Efficacy In Middle School Students, Ellen P. Mitchell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have theorized that student achievement and its contingent effects on self-efficacy are important factors in art education. There is, however, a paucity of research addressing this relationship, which in turn affects students' and educators' levels of success. Accordingly, this study was an investigation of the relationship between art education and self-efficacy in middle school students and tested the constructivist theory, as embodied in Bandera's theories on the foundations of self-efficacy beliefs. This pretest-posttest control-group true experimental design tested the relationship between the independent variable, art education and the dependent variable, self-efficacy in middle school students. The instrument, Patterns of …

Exploring Knowledge Loss In The Contact Center: Key Loss Areas, Contributing Factors, And Performance Metric Implications, Elizabeth M. Herman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Knowledge loss, or organizational forgetting, is often overlooked in knowledge management frameworks, yet it costs organizations money, personnel, efficiency, and customer service. The purpose of this mixed model case study was to understand, using a model of forgetting as the conceptual framework, where and why loss occurred and to examine performance implications. An inbound telephone contact center was studied because of prolific changes in that industry regarding knowledge complexity and performance. The researcher interviewed 20 participants, observed 63 calls, and reviewed 3 months of performance data including average handle time, first call resolution percentages, and time spent on after call …

The Application Of Learning Organization Principles To Church Growth, Colleen S. Bryan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While many studies showed evidence of the use of learning organization theory in a variety of venues, these theories have been studied in a limited capacity in church settings. This research attempted to substantiate the presence of learning organization principles in churches experiencing growth, and to refine a tool to measure these characteristics in churches. Relationships and strengths of association between and among 3 learning organization principles of leadership, job structure and systems, and performance and development, and degrees of growth defined as negative, plateau, and positive growth were examined in a sample of Nazarene churches via a revised survey …

Prognostic Factors Of Varying Treatment Outcomes For Onychomycosis (Nail Fungal Infection) Patients, Bin Cai

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prevalence of onychomycosis, as high as 26.9% in the general population, can be reduced by improving current antifungal treatment. This could be accomplished by understanding prognostic factors, especially healthy nail growth, associated with achieving complete cure. This population-based study aimed to evaluate if healthy nail length or percentage of total full nail length as healthy can be early indictors for complete cure. Logistics regression analyses were performed by comparing variables between a population who achieved the complete cure and a population who failed after both populations received the same antifungal treatment in two large randomized double-blinded clinical trials that assessed …

Portfolio Construction: The Efficient Diversification Of Marketing Investments, Michael P. Haydock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Efforts in the marketing sciences can be distinguished between the analysis of individual customers and the examination of portfolios of customers, giving scarce theoretical guidance concerning the strategic allocation of promotional investments. Yet, strategic asset allocation is considered in financial economics theory to be the most important set of investment decisions. The problem addressed in this study was the application of strategic asset allocation theory from financial economics to marketing science with the aim of improving the financial results of investment in direct marketing promotions. This research investigated the components of efficient marketing portfolio construction which include multiattribute numerical optimization, …

Student Satisfaction With Online Learning Effectiveness At A Connecticut Community College, Alina R. Payne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In recent years, institutions of higher education have dramatically increased the number of online courses and degree programs offered to students, and yet it remains unclear what factors determine student satisfaction with online course and instructor effectiveness. Accordingly, the purpose of this exploratory correlation study was to examine how factors related to courses and instructors contributed to student perceptions of course quality (CQ) and instructor effectiveness (IE). Six stepwise regression procedures assessed the effects of specific course and instructor characteristics on perceptions of CQ and IE across one year of course evaluation data collected in a northeastern 2-year college. Results …

The Relationship Between Learning Style Preference And Achievement In The Adult Student In A Multicultural College., Matilde E. Roig

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Minority college students have varied learning styles and process information from distinct background and cultural perspectives, which influences their learning. Accordingly, the way faculty approach teaching affects student achievement. Few minorities are in scientific fields, with a shortage of scientists predicted. A problem exists in understanding the relationship between learning style preferences and achievement of minority college students. The purpose of the study was to investigate this relationship in adult minority students in a South Florida college's biology courses. Research questions pertained to relationships between learning style preferences, race, ethnicity and grades. This quantitative study used the online Felder-Soloman Inventory …

The Impact Of A Professional Learning Community On Student Achievement, Brandon S. Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professional learning communities (PLC) have the potential to strengthen students' academic achievement. An academic pyramid of interventions, one aspect of PLCs, may be especially helpful in schools where subgroups of students are underperforming relative to other students on standardized testing. This quantitative, one-group, pretest-posttest study examined the impact of implementing an academic pyramid of interventions as part of a PLC on middle school student academic achievement. The 100 students from grade 7 and 8 who participated in the study were identified by teachers as being at-risk for success on the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). The reading and math test …

The Impact Of Visual Art Instruction On Student Creativity, Jeanie S. Parker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This researcher examined the relationship between visual arts programs and creative thinking skills of high school students taking a foundations of music course and an introductory visual art course. A gap existed in the current literature concerning visual art experience and creativity among high school students. This study was based upon the theories of Eisner, Gardner, and Csikszentmihalyi concerning creativity and art experiences. This researcher used a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group design. A convenience sample of 2 high school fine arts classes was comprised of 1 visual art class and 1 foundations of music class, giving a sample of 50 …

Intimate Partner Violence Among Male And Female U.S. Community College Students, Shakiera Benson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate partner violence affects a significant portion of college-aged individuals, but researchers know little about how the intersection of age, race, class, and gender influence intimate partner violence among community college students in the United States. In this quantitative correlational study, I examined the relationship between intimate partner violence and gender, race, age, class, marital status, and past abuse among community college students using the intersectionality theory. I used the Abusive Behavior Inventory and a demographic survey to collect data via a convenience sample of the target population of men (n = 220) and women (n = 330) attending a …

The Relationship Of Consideration And Structure Leadership Styles To Employee Job Satisfaction In Nonprofit Child Care Organizations, Stephanie L. Brooke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study examined the relationship between leadership style, as measured by the Leadership Opinion Questionnaire, and job satisfaction, global job satisfaction, and satisfaction with supervision, as measured by the Job Satisfaction Survey. Past research suggests that leaders with a considerate style of leadership are associated with greater job satisfaction compared to leaders who initiate structure. Although many studies of leadership style have been conducted in for-profit organizations, the objective of this research was to better understand the relationship of leadership style to job satisfaction in nonprofit child care centers. Eight directors in nonprofit child care centers in Rochester, New York, …

Theater Education And Emerging Technologies, Michael E. Butterworth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Theater educators need compelling arguments for including the use of emerging technologies in the secondary theater classroom. The research documents the current uses of emerging technologies in the secondary theater classroom and contrasts the uses of traditional theater technologies with the uses of emerging technologies. Interviews with theater professionals identify current issues and practices in the theater community regarding the usage of technology.

A telephone survey of theater teachers reveals patterns of technology use in the Seattle School District. The research concludes that theater teachers have many tools at their disposal to teach students the processes of artistic problem solving …

The Role Of Small To Medium-Size Private Companies As Change Agents In Manpower Development In The Eastern Province Of Saudi Arabia, Abdulrahman Mohammed Al-Kadi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of the study was to explore in depth the problem of the skilled Saudi labor shortage in Saudi Arabia. More specifically, it investigated the role of small to medium-size private companies in developing manpower for the kingdom. To investigate this role, the study sought to answer the following research questions:

1. To what extent do small and medium-size firms attract Saudi youth to work in practical skill areas?

2. Do small and medium-size firms offering training take traditional values or customs into consideration when determining training needs?

3. Is Saudization a factor when determining training needs?

4. Are …

Perceived Effect Of Personal Use Of Managerial Workstations On Individual Productivity, Katherine Stewart Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this research was to determine the extent of penetration of managerial workstations into the management ranks; and whether age, education and exposure to automation do affect perceptions and subsequent productivity gains from workstation utilization.

Are the attitudes and beliefs of older managers the key factor in slowing progress in implementing change and reaping the benefits of productivity? Or, are companies failing in their implementation strategies and participative management approaches?

A descriptive-survey design was utilized. The cover letter and three-page questionnaire were circulated to 490 companies in the five-county metropolitan Atlanta area. Represented in this sample was a …

A Study Of Attitudinal Responses Of Selected School District Personnel And Related Others Regarding Six Performance Contracting Hypotheses In Seventeen Selected Performance Contracting Projects In The United States For The Year 1970-71, Jerome D. Cianfrini

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract not visible.

An Experimental Study Of The Effectiveness Of The Developmental Mathematics Course At Lehigh County Community College, Robert G. Clark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Developmental Mathematics program at the Lehigh county Community College. There was no positive evidence that the existing method of selecting students and/or the material content of the course was affective in achieving its stated objective; that of bringing the skill and ability of weak students needing remedial treatment up to the minimum level required for probable success in first-year college mathematics. The general hypothesis posed was that the students who took the Developmental Mathematics course would perform better in first-year college mathematics than those students whose ACT …

An Investigation Into The Affect Of The Borg-Warner System 80 Machine On The Reading Program Of Selected Primary Students, Daniel T. Cunniff

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bibliography

An Investigation into the Affect of the BorgWarner System 80 Machine on the Reading Program of Selected Primary Students.

Purpose

Measured the effect of individualized phonics instruction presented by teaching machine upon a group of low achieving kindergarten children.

Methods

Four kindergarten classes in a suburban elementary school were screened thru the use of a phonics inventory. The lowest achieving children were assigned to a daily tutorial lesson on Borg-Warner’s System 80 Audio-Visual Unit. The other children in the kindergarten classes proceeded with their normal classroom activities. At the end of nine weeks, the phonics inventory was re-administered and …

Challenges Of Humanistic Psychology For Secondary Education, Walter P. Dember

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A new conception of man is now being unfolded in a very different orientation toward psychology or in a new psychology called "Humanistic Psychology." It is the purpose of this thesis to arrive at these new concepts of man through research into the writings of and about four humanistic psychologists--Gordon W. Allport, James F. T. Bugental, Abraham H. Maslow, and Carl R. Rogers--and to use their own writings to interpret what may be the effects of the major concepts of their humanistic psychology on education. I have used the historical approach in my own study of the movement in the …

An Institutional Research For The Purpose Of Measuring The Effectiveness Of Instructional, Cirricular, And Personal Services To The Transfer Students At Olney Central College, Raymond T. Emrick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An Institutional Research for the Purpose of Measuring the Effectiveness of Instructional, Curricular, and Personnel Services to the Transfer Students at Olney Central College was conducted in 1971-72. The population of the study consisted of thirty-five students, twenty-two males and thirteen females, for the pilot study, and 259 students, 159 males and one hundred females, for the final study. The students were graduates of Olney Central College·during the years 1968, 1969, and 1970, who had transferred to four-year colleges or universities as indicated by their personnel records. All of the students were selected by random sampling. An open-end type of …

Advanced Computer Program Models : A Talking Textbook Based On Three Languages, John Thomas Gardner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this dissertation was to develop a learning instrument, to be used by programmers preparing for the Data Processing Management Association Test as a self study book, or by college business programming and computer science students who have completed a course in data processing and a course in programming a higher level language. The mathematical ability requirement was minimized by developing the algorithms in parallel with the programs. The learner should experience _emphasis in the following .areas:

l. The type of activities required to pass the DPMA test (the programming part)

2. Data Structures

3. Fortran (at the …

The Dichotomy Between The Actual And The Perceived Role Of The Elementary Guidance Counselor In The State Of Massachusetts, Frederick E. Ellis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the nationwide concern for accountability in education, the elementary school counselor is often the center of controversy. What is the role of the elementary counselor? How does he define is role and how does his administrators define it? Is there a difference between his view of his actual functions and those he feels he should perform and does his view differ from that of administrators and counselor educators? How relevant are current educational and certification requirements? An approach to answering these questions is to survey the groups involved to discover their attitudes toward and views of the elementary guidance …

A Comparative Study Of Teaching Trends And Practices In The General Biology Laboratory As Offered By The Public Community Colleges Of California, Frank L. Bonham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

None provided.

An Evaluative Study Of Financial Management For Institutions Of Higher Education As Related To Government Negotiated Research Contracting, Howard Haire

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study explores five elements pertaining to sound financial management in institutions of higher education as related to Government negotiated research contracting. The research tested the feasibility of five hypotheses presented as elements to be investigated in the study. Responses to a mail questionnaire were analyzed and final audit reports were examined. The data obtained were used as evidence to support the contention that sound financial management in universities as related to research negotiated contracting is important and can be improved through these five elements:

1. Financial management aids in developing the climate in which research can best be performed. …

Counseling For The Seventies: A Compendium Of Published Articles, Joseph Henry Koch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This article, which appeared in the January '72 edition of The School Counselor, talks about what counselors have done, doing, and what the author, a school counselor, thinks they should be doing. He discusses some factors operating to narrow the counselor's role: the student stereotype of counselors as "schedule-changers," the administrative view of counseling as a clerical function, the "psychiatric myth" which casts any person in a helping profession in the role of dream analyst and explorer of the dark unconscious. The writer sees counseling as the major pupil personnel service available on the school campus. Counseling should be concerned …