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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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Strategies For Teaching Reading Comprehension To Children Of Migrant Workers, Dianne Pennington Jan 2020

Strategies For Teaching Reading Comprehension To Children Of Migrant Workers, Dianne Pennington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A high percentage of migrant students are not meeting state content standards in readability and legibility within a small independent school district located in California's Central Valley. Prior research indicates that if a student is not proficient in reading skills by the 5th grade, academic success will not be attained effecting the student, parents, educators, and economics of the community. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative case study was to explore the teaching strategies that were used to help migrant students increase their reading comprehension skills. This study has its theoretical basis in the learning theories of Dewey, Slavin, and …


Service Members With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Who Face Employment Challenges Postdeployment, Donna Scurlark Sargent Jan 2020

Service Members With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Who Face Employment Challenges Postdeployment, Donna Scurlark Sargent

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe Iraq War was the longest war in the history of the United States, involving over 2 million service members. Service members who served in Iraq or Afghanistan experienced a high rate of mental health disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and substance abuse as they returned from deployment. Research is lacking in regard to how Army reservists and National Guardsmen function at home, school, work, and in the community upon their return from service. The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of service members with PTSD who experienced challenges with work …


Suicide Attempt Impact On United States Coast Guard Career Retention, James Woodrow Bailey Jan 2020

Suicide Attempt Impact On United States Coast Guard Career Retention, James Woodrow Bailey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Suicide is of great concern nationally and has become a significant social problem within the last 10years. One group of growing concern is those who served in the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and the impact of a suicide attempt on their career retention. Previous studies had focused on potential risk factors that may lead an individual to attempt suicide, but there was limited research on the impact of a suicide attempt on an individual's career retention. It was unknown if the desire of USCG veterans to retain their career can primarily influence their decision not to attempt suicide. The …


Perceptions Of African American Faculty Retention Practices In Community College, Kyle Huntington Bright Jan 2020

Perceptions Of African American Faculty Retention Practices In Community College, Kyle Huntington Bright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The retention of African American faculty at predominantly White institutions (PWI) has long been a point of concern in higher education. Midwest Community College (MCC), a PWI, 2-year public institution, has a problem of retaining African American faculty employed by the college. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of African American faculty retention practices at MCC since little is known about the African American faculty experience at PWIs. Delagado and Stefancic's critical race theory conceptual framework of counter storytelling, Whiteness as property, interest conversion, and critique of liberalism guided this study. A qualitative case study research …


Gratitude Among Mothers Raising A Child With Special Health Care Needs, Keli Jean Kleindorfer Jan 2020

Gratitude Among Mothers Raising A Child With Special Health Care Needs, Keli Jean Kleindorfer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For a mother raising a child with special health care needs (CSHCN), maintaining positive feelings of gratitude can become challenging because of the stress associated with caregiving, as well as the consequences of unmanaged stress, which include decreases in both physical and psychological health and well-being. Chronic, unmanaged stress has been associated with various health issues that can be severe and potentially life-threatening. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine how mothers raising a CSHCN experience gratitude. A secondary purpose was to identify possible barriers to experiencing gratitude, which, when implemented as a coping style, may decrease the …


A Sub-Sahara African Army's Perspectives Of Security Force Assistance Training Effectiveness, Richard Kemp Jan 2020

A Sub-Sahara African Army's Perspectives Of Security Force Assistance Training Effectiveness, Richard Kemp

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Past research and government reports document that Security Force Assistance (SFA) provided by the United States to partner nations often failed to achieve the desired impact of developing the capacity and capability of the partner to defeat an insurgency and maintain security. A lack of research and available data inhibit the identification of reasons SFA programs fail. In this qualitative phenomenological study, the perspectives of recipients of training were explored to understand the factors that impact the development of capability and capacity as a result of SFA training. The agency theory was applied as the theoretical framework in the study …


Effectiveness Of End Of Shift Bedside Report, Glory Abuajah Jan 2020

Effectiveness Of End Of Shift Bedside Report, Glory Abuajah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractNursing shift reports are the primary communication mechanism for outgoing nurses to transfer information about a patient to oncoming nurses. Nurse shift reports and nurse handovers are two of the most critical patient care processes that can support patient safety and reduce medical errors. But many nurses do not recognize the evidence supporting the practice of bedside reporting (BSR). In response to this practice problem, this project involved education on the importance of BSR on a telemetry unit in line with the best available evidence. The goal of the staff education project was to educate the staff on the value …


Public Librarians' Adoption Of Technology In Two Southeastern States, Ashley Ea Dowdy Jan 2020

Public Librarians' Adoption Of Technology In Two Southeastern States, Ashley Ea Dowdy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public libraries have become community hubs of technology, changing the responsibilities of public librarians. The problem is a gap between public library technology needs, the skills librarians have with technologies, and the strategies they use to acquire skills. The purpose of this predictive, sequential, explanatory mixed method study was to examine public librarians' attitudes about learning new technology and their behavioral intention to adopt it. Two frameworks guided this study: the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model and the diffusion of innovations theory. Quantitative data (N= 202) were collected by survey and analyzed through multiple linear regression …


Potential Impacts Of Artificial Intelligence On Spine Imaging Interpretation And Diagnosis, David Howard Durrant Jan 2020

Potential Impacts Of Artificial Intelligence On Spine Imaging Interpretation And Diagnosis, David Howard Durrant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Spine and related disorders represent one of the most common causes of pain and disability in the United States. Imaging represents an important diagnostic procedure in spine care. Imaging studies contain actionable data and insights undetectable through routine visual analysis. Convergent advances in imaging, artificial intelligence (AI), and radiomic methods has revealed the potential of multiscale in vivo interrogation to improve the assessment and monitoring of pathology. AI offers various types of decision support through the analysis of structured and unstructured data. The primary purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to identify the potential impacts of AI solutions …


Unfunded Stakeholder Mandates And Nonprofit Performance Impacts, Courtney Lyn Coe Jan 2020

Unfunded Stakeholder Mandates And Nonprofit Performance Impacts, Courtney Lyn Coe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small nonprofit organizations, with annual budgets of $500,000 or less, are assigned many obligations by external stakeholders while conducting their mission-related work. However, little is known about the impact of these obligations or mandates being received from their external stakeholders, which rarely have funding allocated to minimize any capacity impact they create. The purpose of this study was to learn about whether, and how, the organizational capacity of small nonprofit organizations is impacted by unfunded mandates. Applying the theoretical framework of rational choice theory, the patterns revealed by the data allow the ability to draw conclusions based upon the lived …


Emotional Intelligence And Psychopathic Personality Traits: Examination Of Adult Male Sex Offenders In New Jersey, Kelly Rose White Jan 2020

Emotional Intelligence And Psychopathic Personality Traits: Examination Of Adult Male Sex Offenders In New Jersey, Kelly Rose White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexual assault and abuse have a significant impact on victims and society. Although there has been a plethora of research studies examining the criminogenic aspects of sexual offending, sparse literature exists on the emotional aspects of sexual offending. Prior research established that sex offenders hold deficits in their emotional functioning that could be a result of psychopathic personality traits. This research study sought to expand the literature on sex offenders and investigate if adult male sex offenders in New Jersey differ in emotional intelligence and psychopathic personality traits depending on victim typology. This study was grounded in coercion and integrated …


Emotional Intelligence As Mediator Between Culture And Transformational Leadership In Jamaican Female Managers, Audrey Jean Allen Jan 2020

Emotional Intelligence As Mediator Between Culture And Transformational Leadership In Jamaican Female Managers, Audrey Jean Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While women continue to make progress in terms of graduate level education, discrepancies remain between women and men when it comes to opportunities for professional growth and development into executive leadership positions and playing a role in the boardroom. Guided by the theories of emotional intelligence (EI), transformational leadership (TL), and Hofstede's cultural values, the purpose of this quantitative mediation analysis was to determine the mediating effect of EI on the relationship between cultural values and TL in Jamaican female managers. Data were collected from 38 Jamaican female managers who were working with varied public and private sector entities located …


Young African American Men's Conception Of Fatherhood Among Survivors Of Childhood Abuse, Ohan Patricia Carter Jan 2020

Young African American Men's Conception Of Fatherhood Among Survivors Of Childhood Abuse, Ohan Patricia Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Male survivors of abuse who become fathers themselves face challenges different from female survivors, such as conceptualizing their roles as providers and heads of households after the traumatic and often belittling experiences of abuse. However, very few researchers have studied the connection between child abuse and fatherhood, and none specific to young African American fathers. An interpretative phenomenological approach enabled exploration of how African American fathers who were abused as children, conceptualized and perceived their own experiences with fatherhood. The theoretical framework for this study was identity theory, which indicates that how people conceptualize a social role influences their actions …


Perceptions Of Curriculum Quality Management In A Multicampus Community College District, Cathy Donald-Whitney Jan 2020

Perceptions Of Curriculum Quality Management In A Multicampus Community College District, Cathy Donald-Whitney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Community college systems must create and maintain curriculum quality management processes and mechanisms to assess the effectiveness of curricula as mandated by state accountability measures. This basic qualitative study was employed to understand the perceptions of members of a curriculum quality management team at a multicampus community college district. Senge's learning organization theory and tenets of Gronn's distributive leadership principles guided this study. Semistructured interviews were used as the data collection method to examine perceptions of 8 full-time curriculum team members at a multicampus community college district in the southwestern United States about the organization, collaborative formats, and governing procedures …


Effect Of Chemoscan Creation On High School Students' Attitudes Toward Science, Deborah Mcpherson Ezell Jan 2020

Effect Of Chemoscan Creation On High School Students' Attitudes Toward Science, Deborah Mcpherson Ezell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Whether the activity of creating digital art influences high school students' attitudes toward science is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine if the creation of artistic digital chemoscans by high school students influences their attitudes toward science. In this study, ninth grade high school students' attitudes toward science were examined after participating in the creation of chemoscans in their science classroom. The theory of affective domain helped explain the process that leads to a person's behavior toward a certain phenomenon in the educational setting. The research questions concerned the use of chemoscan creation in the physical science …


Staff Education: Prediabetes Lifestyle Modification Toolkit, Vivian Elege Jan 2020

Staff Education: Prediabetes Lifestyle Modification Toolkit, Vivian Elege

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prediabetes patients are at a high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The purpose of this project was to educate the medical staff of the project site clinic on lifestyle modifications that can help patients prevent prediabetes from progressing to Type 2 diabetes. The project took place at an outpatient clinic in the Southwestern United States. The clinic patient population is mostly African American, a population at risk for diabetes. The theoretical framework to support the project was the Iowa model of evidence-based practice. Staff education on patient diabetes prevention was the goal of the project. The project question focused …


Elementary Principals' Behaviors And Collaborative Professional Learning Communities, Lisa Gaines High Jan 2020

Elementary Principals' Behaviors And Collaborative Professional Learning Communities, Lisa Gaines High

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Principals need to possess leadership skills and behaviors that help set expectations for collaborative work. The problem in this case study was that little was known about the collaboration-building behaviors principals use that promote effective collaboration between members of the school community. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe the behaviors principals exhibit when building collaboration through the implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The conceptual framework was based on 3 elements: leadership styles and approaches, collaboration, and the implementation of effective PLCs. The primary research question explored how principal behaviors contribute to collaborative professional learning …


Teachers' Perspectives Of Best Instructional Practices In Motivating African American Boys To Read, Jamilia R. Howard Jan 2020

Teachers' Perspectives Of Best Instructional Practices In Motivating African American Boys To Read, Jamilia R. Howard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Elementary school officials have reported difficulty motivating young African American boys to read. It is important that teachers understand why these children have not been motivated to read and create classroom environments that encourage reading motivation. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore teachers' perspectives on best instructional practices for motivating 3rd -grade African American boys to read. The conceptual framework for this study consisted of critical race theory, self-determination theory, and the theory of social constructivism. The research questions focused on teachers' perspectives regarding 3rd -grade African American boys' motivation to read and best instructional practices …


The Impact Of Human Resources On Nurses' Turnover Intention, Anita Estell Jackson Jan 2020

The Impact Of Human Resources On Nurses' Turnover Intention, Anita Estell Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse retention is of great concern to healthcare organizations including hospitals. With so many countries reporting a shortage in nursing personnel, healthcare organizations are now seeking ways to reduce this shortage. It is known that job satisfaction and turnover intention impact nurses' continued employment. However, the role of human resources (HR) impact on nurses' job satisfaction and turnover intention is unknown. The theoretical basis of this study came from the work of Bowen and Ostroff who argued the strength of HRM system regulates employee perceptions and outcomes within an organization. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the …


Early Childhood Teacher Perspectives Regarding Preparedness To Teach Children Experiencing Trauma, Christina Lombardi-Davis Jan 2020

Early Childhood Teacher Perspectives Regarding Preparedness To Teach Children Experiencing Trauma, Christina Lombardi-Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, approximately 26% of children will witness or experience a traumatic event before they turn 4 years old. Therefore, teachers must be prepared to meet the individual needs of children who exhibit symptoms of trauma. However, there is a gap in research regarding teachers' perspectives about how teacher preparation experiences influence teaching strategies and the creation of supportive environments for preschool children who have experienced trauma. Using Bandura's theory of self-efficacy, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore how teachers' perspectives about teacher preparation experiences influenced their teaching strategies and the creation of supportive …


Epidemiology And Criminology: Managing Youth Firearm Homicide Violence In Urban Areas, Joseph Anthony Mcmillan Jan 2020

Epidemiology And Criminology: Managing Youth Firearm Homicide Violence In Urban Areas, Joseph Anthony Mcmillan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Violence is considered a public health problem in the United States, yet little is known about the benefit of using a combined epidemiology and criminology (EpiCrim) approach to focus on urban youth gun violence. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to determine in what ways Akers and Lanier's EpiCrim approach in tandem with Benet's polarities of democracy approach is explanatory of gun homicides by youth in U.S. urban areas and if the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System adequately addresses gun abatement measures. Data were collected through semi structured interviews of 16 criminal justice practitioners and medical professionals with …


Relationships Among Patterns Of Criminal Thinking Styles And Recidivism In Non-Violent Offenders On Probation, Dr. Louise Mitsianis Jan 2020

Relationships Among Patterns Of Criminal Thinking Styles And Recidivism In Non-Violent Offenders On Probation, Dr. Louise Mitsianis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The 3-year rate of recidivism in the United States is around 43%, costing taxpayers millions of dollars every year. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between criminal thinking styles and self-reported recidivism, which included crimes committed that were not reported to authorities. According to Ellis' Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy theory, behavior is a direct result of cognitive activity. The research question asked what relationship existed between criminal thinking styles and recidivism for post-release non-violent offenders on probation. Using the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles, this study used a non-experimental survey approach, correlating scores from this measure …


Educator Perceptions Of Transition Programming For Youth With Disabilities, Jessie C. Reeves Jan 2020

Educator Perceptions Of Transition Programming For Youth With Disabilities, Jessie C. Reeves

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A local problem exists with transition service providers lacking the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively implement transition planning practices, ensuring youth with disabilities experience positive in-school and post school success. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate transition service provider perceptions of implementation variables that impact the transition service providers' use of evidence-based practices with youth with disabilities. Kohler, Gothberg, Fowler, and Coyle's Taxonomy for Transition Programming 2.0 was used as the conceptual framework for this study. Interview participants included 5 special educators, 4 general educators, 2 district administrators, 2 child study team members, and 2 …


Health Literacy And Discharge Planning In Social Work Practice, Michele Munzner Jan 2020

Health Literacy And Discharge Planning In Social Work Practice, Michele Munzner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low health literacy is a public health crisis, currently, there is limited research on social worker engagement with the low health literate patient. The research questions for this study examined health literacy knowledge in medical social workers and how their MSW curricula built their knowledge of health literacy. It also explored challenges that arise when discharge planning for patients with low health literacy. It also asked what social workers can do to aid patients with limited health literacy during the discharge planning process. This basic qualitative research study used criterion sampling and was informed by the socioecological model. Data collection …


Administrators' Experiences Implementing Veterans Housing Units In U.S. Correctional Institutions, Lori J. Riedel Jan 2020

Administrators' Experiences Implementing Veterans Housing Units In U.S. Correctional Institutions, Lori J. Riedel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a higher rate of recidivism for U.S. veterans compared to the general population of offenders. To address the unique needs of veterans, separate housing units for veterans (VSUs) are now operating within correctional facilities in 29 U.S. states. Despite reports that VSUs are having a positive impact on recidivism, little is known of the experiences of correctional administrators who have implemented a VSU. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of several individuals who have implemented a VSU in their correctional facility. Guided by the quality implementation framework (QIF), data collected through …


Racial Differences In Hospital Readmission And Reimbursement Rates For Patients With Congestive Heart Failure, Catherine Talongwa Jan 2020

Racial Differences In Hospital Readmission And Reimbursement Rates For Patients With Congestive Heart Failure, Catherine Talongwa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is associated with a significant economic burden that includes frequent emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and readmissions. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences, if any, between hospital readmission rates and insurance reimbursement rates for non-Hispanic Black and White CHF patients in California. The theoretical framework was Bandura's social cognitive theory. Secondary data for this quantitative study were obtained from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development and State Inpatient Databases from Healthcare Cost and Utilization for calendar year 2014-2016. A t-test and Levene's test for equality of variance were conducted on a …


Enhancing The Resilience Of Acute Care Psychiatric Nurses Through A Brief Gratitude Intervention, Patricia D. Sullivan Jan 2020

Enhancing The Resilience Of Acute Care Psychiatric Nurses Through A Brief Gratitude Intervention, Patricia D. Sullivan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stressors affecting healthcare providers have accelerated in recent years, causing increasing rates of burnout and emotional exhaustion. Evidence suggests that improving general mental well-being of nurses could enhance their resilience and ability to cope in stressful situations. Psychiatric nurses are at risk by caring for involuntary and manipulative patients who can be violent and abusive. The purpose of this project was to improve psychiatric nurses' mental well-being through the implementation of a gratitude practice and examined the effect of this brief gratitude intervention on their mental well-being. Models informing this project were human caring theory, resilience theory, and positive psychology …


The Impact Of Instagram Usage And Other Social Factors On Self-Esteem Scores, Yael Treitel Jan 2020

The Impact Of Instagram Usage And Other Social Factors On Self-Esteem Scores, Yael Treitel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Instagram has more than 400 million monthly active users and 80 million shared photos with 3.5 billion likes daily. On Instagram, many people post their entire lives for others to see and comment on. This leads to people judging, commenting, and even trying to emulate others they see on social media. This constant comparing to others can lead to a host of psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. As social media becomes more of a staple in people's lives, it is important to study and understand the possible pitfalls to the culture it perpetuates. The purpose of …


Differentiated Instruction In Middle School Inclusion Classrooms To Support Special Education Students, Latoya Keyona Benjamin Jan 2020

Differentiated Instruction In Middle School Inclusion Classrooms To Support Special Education Students, Latoya Keyona Benjamin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Differentiated instruction (DI) research has shown many benefits of implementing instructional practices within an inclusive classroom. However, many teachers do not utilize this instructional practice regularly. An instrumental qualitative case study design that included teachers from one middle school in a rural school district in a southeastern state was used in this study to explore rural middle school teachers' experiences with incorporating the components of DI to support special education students in an inclusion classroom. The challenges faced when incorporating DI were also examined. Tomlinson's model of differentiated instruction framed this study, as it explores the need for teachers to …


Young African American Men's Conception Of Fatherhood Among Survivors Of Childhood Abuse, Ohan Patricia Carter Jan 2020

Young African American Men's Conception Of Fatherhood Among Survivors Of Childhood Abuse, Ohan Patricia Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Male survivors of abuse who become fathers themselves face challenges different from female survivors, such as conceptualizing their roles as providers and heads of households after the traumatic and often belittling experiences of abuse. However, very few researchers have studied the connection between child abuse and fatherhood, and none specific to young African American fathers. An interpretative phenomenological approach enabled exploration of how African American fathers who were abused as children, conceptualized and perceived their own experiences with fatherhood. The theoretical framework for this study was identity theory, which indicates that how people conceptualize a social role influences their actions …