Digital Commons Network^™

Staff Education Project: The Emergency Severity Index, Jo Crabtree

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe triage process is an important precursor to ensuring expeditious and appropriate medical care in the Emergency Department (ED). There is a positive correlation between proper triage technique and improved patient outcomes, making triage an essential issue for nursing practice. The purpose of this project addressed the results of a staff education program directed at teaching the Emergency Severity Index (ESI) Triage System to 42 triage nurses working in an ED in a critical access facility in the rural Midwest. The practice-focused problem for this project was as follows: Will a staff educational program improve understanding of the ESI triage …

The Lived Experiences Of Burnout Among Human Service Professionals Working With Domestic Violence Victims During Covid-19., Michelle J. Clark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract Job-related aspects of working in the mental health and human service field, such as job demands, workload, excessively long hours, and leadership roles, are known to cause burnout. Feelings of burnout and job-related stress may have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for professionals working with those experiencing domestic violence. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of burnout among human service professionals (HSPs) working with domestic violence victims during COVID-19. Relational cultural and burnout theories provided the conceptual framework for this study. The data collected from the nine participants were obtained …

Latinx Parents’ Mental Health Advocacy Efforts In School Settings, Christine R. Durfee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Latinx parents want to participate in their child’s education plan but are faced with increased challenges since the 2016 anti-immigrant policies amplified the disparities in utilizing mental health services. Latinx parents want to collaborate with school psychologists and mental health providers to help their children but do not readily trust them based on their negative past experiences. Therefore, Latinx parents struggle to receive academic accommodations for their children with mental health challenges. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to address this gap and explore the lived experience of Latinx parents who advocate on behalf of their children with mental …

The Perceived Effectiveness And Evolution Of First-Semester Nursing Students’ Studying Methods, Elizabeth Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Little research has been done to identify the study strategies used by nursing students during their first nursing classes despite studies indicating they have poor study skills, making the nursing program challenging and causing many of the students to decide to leave after their first semester. The purpose of this qualitative study was to improve the understanding of registered nursing students’ study strategies during their first semester of nursing classes. Winne and Hadwin’s self-regulated learning model was used as the conceptual framework to answer the research questions about students’ study strategies during their first semester of nursing classes, how they …

Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity Education For Perianesthesia Nurses, Rachelle Lynn Dix

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) is a potentially life-threatening event following a local anesthetic bolus into the circulatory system. Because LAST is a low-volume, high-risk event, clinical exposure is lacking, creating a knowledge gap among perianesthesia nurses. A knowledge gap regarding LAST among perianesthesia nurses was identified at the project site, an ambulatory surgery center in south Mississippi. The practice-focused question was: Whether a web-based education intervention would increase perianesthesia nurses’ knowledge about LAST. The doctoral project aimed to provide perianesthesia nurses with the clinical knowledge essential for early detection of LAST symptoms. A LAST education module was developed using …

Unvoiced Lgbt Individuals’ Perceptions And Experiences Of The School-To-Prison Pipeline, Dr. Deshaunt'e A. Burns

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies have shown that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals face discrimination, harassment, and bullying by different education and criminal justice system entities because of their sexuality. Research has also indicated that when it comes to the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP), children of color are often mistreated and face harsher penalties, and research must be done to see how LGBT individuals are treated because they are considered abnormal because of their sexuality. Little is known about the perceptions and experiences of LGBT individuals when they are punished for violating minor infractions in school. This study addressed the critical race theory …

Health Literacy, Race, And Understanding Health Information Among Women, Adrienne Clark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health literacy is a topic often referred to by public health professionals to help improve the health of a population. This study used a quantitative approach to understanding health information among women of different races, income levels, household sizes, and education levels within a specific age range. This study used the socio-ecological model for its framework. The overall goal of this study was to improve health disparities and improve health communication one population at a time. Women tend to be the pillar of communities. Having a better understanding of how women understand health information could improve public health outreach. The …

Professional Discretion Of Child Protective Services Investigators In Foster Care Placements, Leonard Fikes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Families of color in North Carolina have been disproportionately affected in the child welfare system, particularly in the foster care system. The purpose of this qualitative research study examined the discretionary powers of Child Protective Services (CPS) investigators and how they interpreted and applied child welfare policies that disproportionally impacted African American families from marginalized, underrepresented communities. Guided by Wallander and Molander’s professional discretion as the framework, this research expanded the current literature and increased awareness of racial disproportionality and the continued disproportionality of African American children in the child welfare system, especially foster care placements. The central research question …

Moral Foundations For Political Party Preference Among Residents Of Politically Polarized U.S. Cities, Antoine Lee Barton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Excessive polarization, partisanship, and animosity can promote legislative gridlock in the American political electorate and can have a negative impact on democracy. The purpose of this qualitative study was to obtain a greater understanding of the moral foundations used by residents in polarized cities to determine political party preferences. Haidt and Graham’s moral foundations theory and Janis’s groupthink theory provided the conceptual framework. Secondary data consisting of open-ended responses from the 2020 American National Election Studies time series study were used. Secondary data were collected regarding likes and dislikes about the two major political parties (Democrat and Republican) from respondents …

Academic Acculturation, Linguistic Diversity, And Inclusivity In Online Adult Learning, Jeannie Elizabeth Headley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem of practice addressed in this study is that online writing tutors in higher education are challenged to support multilingual adult online learners in the development of standard academic writing, including learners of different English dialects. The purpose of the qualitative basic study was to explore the challenges writing tutors face while supporting multilingual adult online learners in the development of standard academic writing. Social constructivism theory was used to bridge the gap between old concepts and new concepts of writing pedagogy used by participants to mitigate linguistic diversity challenges. Seven one-on-one semistructured interviews were conducted with writing center …

Critical Retention Issues Related To Social Skills In Ghanaian Universities, Samuel Essah-Hienwo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The specific problem addressed through this study is the need for more research examining the potential of poor social skills to influence low retention levels in Ghanaian universities. Reasons for low student retention in Ghanaian universities, including students with inadequate social skills to complete their degrees, were explored in this qualitative study. The first research question asked about the lived experiences of university students in Ghana as they relate to the extent of social development skills in higher education, and the second question asked about the lived experiences of university students in Ghana surrounding decisions to leave or stay in …

Understanding Experiences Of Racial Microaggressions Among African American Women In Cross-Racial Supervision, Nicole Daley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Racial microaggressions are statements that occur in everyday life that are regarded as instances of subtle or unintentional discrimination against members of a racial or ethnic minority. For African Americans, racial microaggressions are feelings of denigration and exclusion. Racial aggressions experienced by African American women in clinical counseling profession (counseling, psychology, social work, mental health) supervision have not been well-studied. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used in this qualitative study to explore African American women supervisees' experience of racial microaggressions in cross-racial supervision. Intersectionality theory and identity negotiation theory were used to guide the development and analysis plan. Semistructured, audio-recorded interviews …

The Role Of Mistrust In African American Organ Donation, Gina M. Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAfrican Americans (AAs) who suffer from life-threatening organ failure often need an organ transplant to sustain or to improve their quality of life. The shortage of donor organs, and AAs willing to become organ donors, limits the number of organs available for transplant. The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experience of AAs regarding the role of mistrust and to understand its influence on their organ donation decision-making. Social cognitive theory guided this qualitative descriptive phenomenological study designed to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of the AAs related to the role of mistrust in their …

Strategies Used By Small Traditional Retail Business Owners For Sustainability, Linda Ogbah Faas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses fail at an alarming rate, negatively affecting job creation because small business owners create a major portion of jobs in the United States. In March of 2020, 274,000 businesses failed in the United States, resulting in 76,000 lost jobs. Owners of small traditional retail stores are significantly challenged to avoid financial failure. Grounded in Schumpeter’s entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies owners of small traditional retail stores used to survive beyond the first 5 years of operations. Participants included five owners of small traditional retail stores in Missouri whose businesses survived …

Improving The Care Of Neonates With Hyperbilirubinemia, Kellie Busse Kainer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractProviders at a community-based pediatric hospital in the southern region of the United States have traditionally transferred otherwise healthy neonates with hyperbilirubinemia requiring inpatient treatment to a tertiary care facility. The question addressed was whether the implementation of an evidence-based, organizational protocol increases the quality and decreases the cost of caring for neonates with hyperbilirubinemia in the community-based, pediatric acute care hospital. The main goal of the organization’s quality improvement (QI) project was to facilitate the provision of high-quality, cost-effective care to neonates with hyperbilirubinemia using an evidence-based approach as evidenced by a reduction in the number of neonates with …

Psychological Manipulation And Cluster-B Personality Traits Of Cult Leaders, Jennifer Henderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cults, thousands of which exist in the United States, present a societal problem due to their ability to rob followers of free will, sever familial ties, and even incite violence, such as the case of the Manson Family. Their leaders' manipulation of followers can be dangerous, resulting in emotional and physical abuse. There is a lack of meaningful literature on how personality traits may affect cult leaders’ abilities to recruit and maintain members. The purpose of this study was to examine how Cluster-B personality traits (narcissism, borderline, antisocial, and histrionic) relate to cult leaders’ abilities to manipulate. The qualitative case …

Head Start Teachers’ Perspectives On The Implementation Of Head Start Program Performance Standard 1302.17, Leslie Shumate Floyd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Federal Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) were revised in 2016 to strengthen and improve the quality of all Head Start (HS) programs. The problem addressed in this basic qualitative study is that teachers in a local urban HS program in the southwestern region of Virginia have decreased levels of job satisfaction and cannot support the social-emotional development of their students due to difficulty implementing the standard HSPPS 1302.17. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate the perspectives of HS teachers regarding their job satisfaction while supporting the implementation of HSPPS 1302.17. Lacey’s theory of social strategies …

How It Professionals Acquire Soft Skills, Paul Majett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIn this study, I investigated how information technology (IT) professionals learn/acquire soft skills. Little is understood about how IT professionals describe and apply the soft skills that they consider necessary for their own employability. Exploring how IT professionals describe and apply soft skills is important to their future work and career advancement. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to better understand how IT professionals learn/acquire soft skills. Bandura’s 1986, social learning theory served as the organizational conceptual framework of this study and guided the research question, which asked how IT professionals acquire learn/acquire soft skills. This research question …

Stress And Wellness Among Correctional Officers In The State Of Oregon, Dewayne Hendrix

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It remained unknown if the effects of the employee wellness policy implemented in Oregon in 2018 were reducing stress and improving the health of correctional officers which if it does may benefit the local communities to help enhance social stability. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of the employee wellness policy, as implemented in the state of Oregon in 2018, in reducing stress and improving the health of correctional officers. This study was guided by the perceived organizational support theory, which holds that employees develop existential views about how much their employer values their contributions and …

Workplace Experiences Of Blind College-Educated Women, Lynne Koral

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractBecause of the limited research on workplace experiences of blind college-educated women, policies have not been implemented that will lead to greater equity for this group. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the workplace experiences of blind college-educated women using the social construction theory. Data were collected from semi structured interviews with 11 blind college-educated women. Results indicated that accessibility in college or at work with websites and job applications presented the greatest obstacle to successful job seeking. State rehabilitative agencies were not considered to be effective in job development, placement, or promotion. Working from home was …

Nonprofit Business And Management Challenges Encountered When Delivering Services And Fulfilling Organizational Missions, Becky A. Hammer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Failure of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) causes negative impacts to community service users and the NPO workforce. Although the impact of NPO failure has been researched, a comprehensive understanding of business and organizational challenges from the NPO leaders’ perspective was not well documented. Learning more about these challenges may assist with understanding how to best support and solve them. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the business and management-related barriers and challenges NPO leaders encounter when delivering services and fulfilling organizational missions in the Greater Austin Metropolitan Statistical Area in Texas. The conceptual model included the …

Middle School Teachers’ Perceptions Of Using Multicultural Literature In Their Classroom To Teach Reading, Kearstin Jacobs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study is that multicultural literature is not being used consistently to address the needs of the growing diverse population in the local middle school language arts classroom. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore middle school teachers’ perceptions of using multicultural literature to teach language arts to address the needs of the increasing population of students. The conceptual framework that guided this study was Ladson-Billings' culturally relevant pedagogy and Austin et al.’s ideas about student representation in texts. For this basic qualitative study, I conducted 11 interviews with teachers who are teaching …

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Internalized Homophobia, Alcohol Use, And Suicide Ideation And Attempts Among Sexual Minority Msm Of Color, Odion Clunis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexual minority men of color who engage in sexual activity with men (MSM) are twice as likely to experience a psychological episode contributing to suicide ideation or attempts when compared to White MSM. These MSM are underserved in health systems, underrepresented in research, and limited in their access to health care services and interventions. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine relationships between adverse childhood experiences, internalized homophobia, alcohol use, and suicide ideation and attempts while controlling for age, income, education, and employment among sexual minority men of color (Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern, Native Hawaiian/Pacific islanders, …

The Lived Experiences Of Black Women With Hysterectomy For Benign Fibroids, Clarise M. Jackson-Hall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black women are more likely than women of any other race in the United States to undergo an abdominal hysterectomy instead of a less invasive and less damaging laparoscopic or robotic procedure for benign fibroids. Although Black women are the population most disparately affected by benign fibroids, as evidenced by higher morbidity and mortality rates due to complications, they are often excluded in clinical research. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Black women who decided to undergo an invasive abdominal hysterectomy for benign fibroids. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 14 Black women, …

Predictive Effects Of Length Of Treatment And Type Of Dialysis On African Americans’ Quality Of Life, Latoya Benjamin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals on dialysis often face challenges with the management of their health, resulting in low health-related quality of life (HRQOL), but the extent of this impact has not been fully examined. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was, having accounted for relevant demographic variables such as age, gender, family history, employment status, to examine the effects of length of time for treatment and type of dialysis on HRQOL in African American end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. This study was guided by the socioecological model. Secondary data from 2016 to 2021 was obtained from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) …

Trauma-Informed Behavioral Health Leadership And Employee Engagement At A Child Advocacy Center, Andrew Krantz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee engagement is essential for an organization to meet its mission and vision. When employees are not engaged, there are higher levels of turnover, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout. Furthermore, when employees are not engaged, there is a decrease in the quality of patient care. Behavioral health leaders can positively impact employee engagement by engaging in trauma-informed behavioral health leadership. This qualitative case study reviews the impact of trauma-informed behavioral health leadership on employee engagement at a large Child Advocacy Center in the northeastern United States who was struggling with low levels of employee engagement and high levels of turnover …

Advisor Perceptions On Relationship-Based Advising And Student Retention, Sharene Leek

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research shows that relationship-based advising has a track record of producing better student outcomes and retention, thus local college administrators chose relationship-based advising as the advising model to be used at the campus. The problem addressed in this study was inconsistent implementation of the relationship-based advising model by the advisors at the local community college. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate how advisors were implementing the relationship-based advising method when advising students. Guided by Vygotsky’s social interaction theory, the perspectives and experiences of advisors were explored regarding how relationship-based advising was implemented at the college. Ten …

Generational Information Security Awareness And The Role Of Big Five Personality Traits, Gloria Mccue

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractTechnological change drives organizations to safeguard information systems. However, such safeguards are dependent upon people to follow security rules. This study examined generational cohorts and personality traits and their impact on information security awareness. Participants in this study were 137 volunteers who completed an anonymous survey online. Two tools were utilized to collect data from the participants: the Human Aspects of Information Security Questionnaire and the Big Five Inventory, which captured behaviors and personality traits, respectively. The three main generational cohorts represented in the study, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y, were in today’s workforce. The results of the …

Minority Supervisees’ Experiences With Parallel Processing In Counseling Supervision, Dorothy Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The population of mental health counselors mirrors the diversity of the people served by the counseling profession. Becoming a professional counselor in the United States requires a designated number of clinical supervision hours. The supervision process is designed to ensure a supervisee is equipped with the skills and develops the professional identity to serve the public. Studies have explored the phenomenon of parallel processing (the processes at work between a supervisee and client reflected in their relationship) from clinical supervisors’ perspectives, yet researchers agree that the supervisee initiates the phenomenon, and the voices of supervisees have not been captured. The …

Impact Of Resilience On Quality Of Life In Spinal Cord Injured Clients, Crystal D. Glover

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract Impact of Resilience on Quality of Life in Spinal Cord Injured Clients by Crystal D. Glover

MSM, Troy University, 2006BSN, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1995

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health

Walden University August 2023