Digital Commons Network^™

Rural Year-Round Growing To Ameliorate A Possible Negative Effect From Climate Change, Kimberlie A. Brussa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggested that, as the world population grows, food and water shortages will become even more serious issues (IPPC's 2014 predictions about the future effects of climate change (CC), Year-round growing (YRG) may provide a way for communities to extend growing seasons, expand local farm systems, and provide food year round. This case study included a detailed analysis of responses from representatives of all sectors of rural Mesa County, Colorado, regarding YRG and a local food and farm plan due to CC. The case was bounded by time (6 months of data collection) which …

Dynamically Hedging Oil And Currency Futures Using Receding Horizontal Control And Stochastic Programming, Paul Edward Cottrell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a lack of research in the area of hedging future contracts, especially in illiquid or very volatile market conditions. It is important to understand the volatility of the oil and currency markets because reduced fluctuations in these markets could lead to better hedging performance. This study compared different hedging methods by using a hedging error metric, supplementing the Receding Horizontal Control and Stochastic Programming (RHCSP) method by utilizing the London Interbank Offered Rate with the Levy process. The RHCSP hedging method was investigated to determine if improved hedging error was accomplished compared to the Black-Scholes, Leland, and Whalley …

A Qualitative Assessment: Adult Perceptions Of Collaboration As Mitigation For Statistics Anxiety, Karl James Kinkead

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Math anxiety, defined as feelings of apprehension and fear of courses involving mathematics, often interferes with student learning in a variety of college-level courses. A related phenomenon, statistics anxiety, affects the performance of many students in statistics courses. Researchers have found evidence that including collaborative problem solving as an instructional methodology is effective at reducing the negative effects of statistics anxiety. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore adult perceptions of collaborative problem solving as an instructional methodology focused on improving the learning environment in a business statistics course. Behaviorist, constructivist, and adult learning theories provided the …

Preceptor Training And Nurse Retention, Laurie Lynn Squillaci

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse turnover is a significant problem that has led to a nursing shortage in hospitals, particularly in rural hospitals. The nursing shortage will continue to grow if changes are not implemented to retain qualified nurses. Nurse turnover puts patients at risk for substandard care and increases healthcare-related costs, as organizations try to recoup costs to train and orient new nurses. Retention, turnover, and quality of care are important organizational drivers. One strategy that targets each of these drivers is to have newly hired nurses partake in a preceptorship, where a preceptor facilitates the assimilation and amalgamation of newly hired nurses …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Migrant Women Farmworkers' A Qualitative Analysis Of Migrant Women Farmworkers’ Perceptions Of Maternal Care Management, Stacey A. Pilling

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine migrant women farmworkers' views of perinatal care management while working in the fields. Like men, women migrant farmworkers are exposed to many physical, chemical, and biological hazards that pose human health risks. However, women of childbearing age are at an increased risk of having reproductive health difficulties and adverse pregnancy outcomes, and the infant mortality rate among migrant farmworkers is estimated to be twice the national average. Perinatal care is a critical factor in reducing adverse outcomes for perinatal and newborn mortality. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 15 migrant women farmworkers …

The Relationship Between Compassion Fatigue And Self-Transcendence Among Inpatient Hospice Nurses, Donna Marie Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health care complexities have limited the understanding of nursing care and have jeopardized the "soft skills" or foundation of caring as the art of nursing. Hospice nurses provide a deeper, more spiritual and complex type of care for critically ill and end-of-life (EOL) patients, which place them at a high risk for compassion fatigue. Using Reed's middle range theory of self-transcendence, the purpose of this project was to examine the relationship between compassion fatigue and self-transcendence among inpatient hospice nurses. A descriptive, correlational research methodology guided this inquiry surveying a convenience sample of 42 inpatient hospice nurses at 4 hospice …

Personality Traits Associated With Environmental Concern, Tara Rae Wuertz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The 5 factor model of personality, including the traits of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, is a well-established theoretical model for describing how personality is structured. Hirsh (2010) demonstrated the big 5 personality traits, excluding extraversion, were correlated with pro-environmental attitudes. The purpose of this quantitative study was to replicate previous findings, and discover if there was a correlation with a person's pro-environmental behaviors and the big 5 personality traits. A total of 100 participants from an online participant pool completed a survey, which included the Environmental Concern Scale to measure concern and attitudes about the environment, and the …

Math Teacher Perceptions Of Professional Development And Student Mathematics Performance, Michael Edward Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Math Teacher Perceptions of Professional Development

and Student Mathematics Performance

by

Michael Edward Smith

EdS, Tennessee Technical University, 2007

MA, Tennessee Technical University, 2006

BS, University of Tennessee Chattanooga, 2003

Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Education

Walden University

February 2015

The standardized math test scores at a Tennessee high school have trended below the state and national averages. One strategy to improve math performance is a pedagogical structure that facilitates peer interaction and discovery learning. A program of professional development (PD) designed to foster such interactive learning was delivered to …

A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Psychoeducational Program In Postpartum Support Groups, Marina Pesserl

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Postpartum Depression (PPD) affects 15% of women after childbirth. Its etiology includes psychoneuroimmunologic factors with long-lasting postpartum stressors that lead to allostatic overload. Using mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for PPD has not yet been studied. Addressing this literature gap, the potential benefits of including an 8-week MBSR component based on Beck's theory of PPD at support groups were examined in this phenomenological study based on a sample of 10 women and 2 group facilitators. Purposes of the study included describing the experience of PPD and the MBSR program, identifying the stage of behavioral change of the participants, and describing the …

Bedside Nurses' Influence On Patients' Continuum Of Care Through Effective Discharge Teaching, Mary Ann Whicker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The evolution of person-centered healthcare reinforces the need for nursing to provide effective patient education. Literature suggests nurses desire to provide strong discharge education to patients, but are challenged by knowledge gaps and other barriers. This DNP project developed a plan for integrating teach-back on a 30-bed cardiac unit, focusing on heart failure patients. Following a logic model, the process improvement plan to implement teach-back includes education on teach-back, empowerment of unit champions to support the project and evaluation of effectiveness of the education plan and impact on heart failure patients. The sample size of 15 cardiac nurses provides a …

Predictors Of Full Childhood Immunization Status In Owerri, Nigeria, Osuala Uzor Kelvin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Full (complete) childhood immunization against tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, yellow fever, measles, and the maternal retention of immunization documentation are the most cost-effective interventions against vaccine-preventable childhood diseases. The full childhood immunization rate in Nigeria has not reached the expected target level of compliance at 90%. Using the social ecological model, this study investigated the influence of maternal satisfaction with postnatal services and paternal support on full childhood immunization status; it also examined the association between maternal factors and the maternal retention of immunization documentation in Owerri, Nigeria. The hypotheses were that maternal satisfaction with postnatal services and …

Learned Helplessness And Depression: Comparison Of Skilled Nursing And Assisted Living Facilities, Paul Lynn Susic

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research with geriatric populations suggests high levels of clinical depression and greater financial and psychological costs of treatment in long-term care facilities with more restrictive care. Research on learned helplessness, a construct separate from depression, suggests learned helplessness and perceived control are useful theories for the study of elder depression, but the relationship between depression and learned helplessness in this population is not clear. This cross-sectional quantitative study examined the relationship between depression and learned helplessness by comparing residents over age 65 in less restrictive assisted living (n =42) versus those in more restrictive skilled nursing facilities (n =63). Data …

The Effect Of A Drama On Young Adults' Attitudes About Domestic Violence, Regina Watson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate partner abuse has been and remains a pervasive problem that has been documented in every race, religion, class, and level of education. This study presented the rationale for achieving positive social change by examining the problem through prevention rather than reaction and intervention. Although many theories of causation have been presented at various times, none has been proven or offers a complete explanation. Social ecological theory examines the interaction of individual, community, relational, and societal influences on the development of attitudes and behavior acceptance. This pre and post-survey group, quasi-experimental study examined the effects of an intervention on attitudes …

The Space Debris Environment And Satellite Manufacturing, Walter Tam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Space debris is a growing threat to operational satellites and satellite manufacturing organizations. Leaders in satellite manufacturing organizations lacking adequate knowledge on the space debris risks could be at a competitive disadvantage. The purpose of this explorative case study was to explore strategies leaders in satellite manufacturing organizations use to mitigate risks through the conceptual lens of stakeholder theory, contingency theory, and general system theory. The research questions addressed strategies to mitigate the debris threat from the perspectives of both ongoing concerns and long-term risk resolution. Data were collected via in-depth interviews with 12 leaders, purposively selected, in satellite manufacturing …

Health Care Seeking Behavior And Provider Responses For Hcv-Positive African Americans, Kathleen Susanna Bailey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Of the 3.5 million persons infected with chronic HCV in the United States, the African American population is the largest racial group with chronic HCV. Disparities in access to care and treatment involve a complex set of individual, interpersonal, socioeconomic, and environmental factors that influence the course of HCV infection in the African American population, resulting in poorer outcomes and survival. Drawing upon both the theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behavior, this study was conducted to determine whether the seeking of health care by HCV-positive African Americans and the responses of health care providers to HCV-positive …

Social Skills Comparison Of Online And Traditional High School Students, Jo Shaw

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Online education has evolved over the last 18 years as technology continues to advance. Starting at age 5, children are able to forego traditional classrooms and begin attending school from a computer in their homes. Research has not identified significant academic differences between traditional and online schools; however, there is limited research on differences in social competency in these settings. Bandura's social learning theory was used as a framework to compare social competency skills in traditional (n = 113) and online (n = 28) high school students living in Pennsylvania using the Social Skills Inventory (SSI). Participants were recruited using …

Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Prevention Bundle, Patricia Cal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a serious complication in critically ill patients; it can prolong intubation, increase intensive care unit and hospital length of stay, and increase mortality to twice the level of patients who do not develop VAP. The purpose of this project was to determine the effect of an evidence-based educational program to prevent VAP on ICU nurses' actual and documented practices for preventing VAP. The research questions addressed whether an educational program focused on VAP prevention will affect critical care nurses' compliance with a VAP prevention bundle, and whether the education will result in maintenance of a rate …

The Impact Of Peer-Mediated Video Modeling On The Mathematics Achievement Of High School Students, Keriann Currlin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A significant percentage of US students are not reaching expected proficiency on mathematics content. As a response, educators have been urged to use more evidence-based practices; however, due to the lack of readily available strategies, these efforts have been thwarted. In related fields, video modeling (VM) has been successful in teaching behavioral skills through edited video clips that allow target populations to observe models successfully performing featured tasks. Stemming from Bandura's social learning theory, the intent of VM is to increase the frequency of the modeled behavior through observational learning. Despite the many studies that have shown success with VM, …

Uterine Fibroid Symptom Severity And Impact On Health-Related Quality Of Life Among African American Women, Ilisher Ford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A disproportionate number of African American women are at increased risk for uterine fibroid tumors (UF) compared to their Caucasian, Asian, and Hispanic counterparts. Researchers have indicated that women diagnosed with UF can have a poorer health-related quality of life (HRQOL) when compared to women who do not have a diagnosis of UF. The overall aim of this study was to explore the impact of UF symptoms on the HRQOL of African American women. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was employed utilizing the revised version of Wilson and Cleary's model of HRQOL. A sample was gathered of 80 participants who were …

An Examination Of The Differential Impact Of University/College Research Emphasis On Levels Of Counselors' Resilience, Erica Ann Handon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Counselor resilience is the ability to transform adversity into growth opportunities that become part of the professional's identity and the core values of a counselor. However, researchers have yet to identify why some counselors exhibit higher levels of resilience while others exhibit less. Counselor resilience can be learned and nurtured at any point of an individual's development. The purpose of this study was to examine how differences within the foundational edification of a research-embedded curriculum impact a counselor's level of resilience. Participants included practicing counselors who received their counseling degrees from a 2014 U.S News and World Report (USNWR) Nationally …

The Influence Of Demographics And Cultural Attitudes On Sexual Orientation Attitudes In African American Adults., Bernadette Dawn Harrell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) are discriminated against in the African American community. Sociodemographics such as income, education, age, and religion/spirituality have been shown to be associated with sexual prejudice. There is limited research on how African American cultural attitudes influence attitudes towards sexual orientation. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which demographic variables and African American cultural attitudes (measured by the African American Acculturation Scale-Revised; AAAS-R) predict attitudes toward sexual orientation in African American adults (measured by the Attitudes towards Lesbians and Gay Men Scale; ATLG). Social identity …

Impact Of Pretreatment Self-Perceived Quality Of Life On Chronic Pain Patients, Michelle Laird

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers and practitioners have developed new treatment options for chronic pain management based on biopsychosocial models of pain known as interdisciplinary pain management programs (IPMP), which involve interdisciplinary care that integrates physical treatment with emotional, environmental, behavioral, and cognitive interventions. Despite literature documenting the effectiveness of IPMPs, patients find it difficult to obtain authorization for these programs from third party insurance payers. The purpose of this quantitative causal comparative study was to explore whether a patient's perceived quality of life after injury but prior to treatment will affect his or her success in an IPMP. This study was based in …

Perceptions Of Empty Nest Mothers From Diverse Socioeconomic Backgrounds With Boomerang Kids, Banning Kent Lary

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, a growing number of young people are failing to launch into self-sufficiency, a characteristic of adulthood recognized by most cultural groups. These "boomerang children" return home and interrupt the life course development of their "empty nest" mothers who must suspend plans for self-development. How mothers from different socioeconomic backgrounds cope with this countertransitional phenomenon while preparing their children for successful relaunch is not well known. Elder's life course paradigm provided the theoretical framework for this phenomenological study. Perceptions were collected from an ethnically diverse group of 23 empty nest mothers with 30 boomerang children and seven …

Program Evaluation Of A Tutoring Program To Prepare Disenfranchised Students For College, Rhonda Lee Petrini

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since 2001, the San Colombano Project has provided the College-Bound Tutoring program for disenfranchised prospective first-generation college students in a southwestern community of the United States. However, an evaluation of the program had never been conducted. The purpose of the study was to conduct a qualitative, responsive program evaluation in a naturalistic setting using a case-study approach with a constructivist lens to create a narrative portrait of the program. Guided by critical race theory, Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, and Wlodkowski's motivational theory, the study explored the effectiveness of the program. Interviews were conducted and archival data were examined to …

Perceptions Of High School Teachers On Integrating Technology Following Professional Development, Charnice Starks Ray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers integrate technology to make the learning environment interactive and appealing to students. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore perceptions of teachers at one high school working to integrate technology into instruction following participation in professional development. Guided by Dewey's constructivist theory and Mishra and Koehler's technological pedagogical content knowledge model, this study explored teachers' perceptions of pedagogy and technology integration following participation in professional development and the strategies they used to overcome barriers to integrating technology. Twelve purposefully selected high school teachers from English, social studies, mathematics, science, electives, health education, and special education provided …

Promoting Information Literacy Through Teacher - School Library Media Specialist Collaboration, Pamela Denise Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Schools that support collaboration between teachers and school library media specialists (SLMS) outperform those that do not. Teachers at a rural Georgia middle school were not using the library media program or being trained on how to collaborate with the SLMS to promote student achievement. Guided by Bruner's socioconstructivist theory of learning, the purpose of this descriptive case study was to investigate teachers' experiences with integrating technology and information literacy into the curriculum and to examine the collaborative services the SLMS could provide to enhance integration. Eight teachers in Grades 6th through 8th comprised the sample. Data sources included teacher …

Cultural Competence In Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Martina Renee Steed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For several decades, the field of nursing has focused on the integration of cultural competence content into its prelicensure educational programs. Despite this focus, little is known about the cultural competence of nurses extending their education past initial licensure into an advanced practice nursing specialty, such as nurse anesthesia. Researchers in other fields have found that provider race and previous cultural competence training are associated with higher levels of cultural competence. This research, guided by the culture care diversity and universality theory, sought to determine the relationship between the two subscales, Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity (CAS) and the Cultural Competence …

Health Education To Decrease Obesity In Adolescents With Asthma, Mitzie Eumarie Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity increases asthma severity and is costing the health care industry a significant amount of money. Decreasing adolescents' obesity will decrease the risk for chronic health problems, which can have a significant impact in adulthood. Implementing a school-based health education program can decrease the prevalence of obesity amongst adolescents. This program will be implemented by school nurses in the after-school program at Public School 59 (P.S) in New York City. The purpose of this project is to develop adolescents' school-based obesity prevention policies and documentation which will focus on increasing their nutrition education, increasing physical activities, and providing skills to …

Southeastern United States' Parental Perspectives To Promote Adolescent Sleep Health, Steven Mark Tompa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many U.S. adolescents suffer from sleep disorders. Although poor sleep habits may contribute to health issues, less is known about how parental perspectives influence sleep health in adolescents. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to address a knowledge gap in understanding parental views to promote better sleep habits in adolescents. The blended theoretical framework included the theories of caring science, social learning, advocacy paradigm, and repair and restoration of sleep. Twenty parents in the Southeastern United States participated in open-ended interviews. Research questions were designed to elicit parental perspectives about recognizing unhealthy sleep habits, improving daily sleep health …

Implementing Change: How, Why, And When Teachers Change Their Classroom Practices, Diane Beth Van Bodegraven

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher implementation of school reforms varies widely and often results in inconsistent student outcomes. Teachers adopt or resist change for complex reasons that are not fully understood. This qualitative study explored how veteran teachers described their experiences with school reform and changes in classroom practices that occurred over the course of their careers; it also examined factors that teachers identified as having positive and negative influences on their adoptions of change. The conceptual framework was based on Senge's systems theory as applied to learning organizations and Goleman's emotional intelligence theory. The research questions focused on: (a) How veteran teachers described …