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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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An Exploration Of A State Mandated Health Education Program, Patricia Lyons Jan 2016

An Exploration Of A State Mandated Health Education Program, Patricia Lyons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) is one of the most violent forms of physical child abuse. In 2007, the State of Ohio enacted a health education mandate known as Claire's law. Claire's law requires all birthing hospitals to provide SBS education to mothers prior to their discharge. This law is the result of public demand and advocacy initiatives; however, it was not clear how the mandate was developed or whether or not the mandate and subsequent educational programs have had an impact on efforts to prevent SBS. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the state of Ohio's …


Nurse Practitioners' Attitudes Toward Nonpharmacological Interventions For Individuals Diagnosed With Clinical Depression, Joseph Ocran Jan 2016

Nurse Practitioners' Attitudes Toward Nonpharmacological Interventions For Individuals Diagnosed With Clinical Depression, Joseph Ocran

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Depression negatively impacts the American economy, and there is a shortage of physicians to provide treatment. Nurse practitioners are viable alternatives to provide high-quality treatment of depression. The project's purpose was to describe nurse practitioners' attitudes toward nonpharmacological interventions to treat clinical depression. Attitude theory provided the theoretical framework. The American Psychiatric Association's guidelines for treating major depression provided the conceptual framework. The project used a quantitative nonexperimental descriptive survey research design. A purposeful sample of 63 nurse practitioners was obtained from members of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Data were collected through an online survey that included questions …


Perceptions Of Career And Technical Education Held By High School Career Counselors, Marlon Thornburg Jan 2016

Perceptions Of Career And Technical Education Held By High School Career Counselors, Marlon Thornburg

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current enrollment in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in the United States and in the state of Kansas is lagging behind the future demand for skilled workers. With millions of skilled labor positions unfilled and the pending retirement of the baby boomer generation, the United States is at a critical juncture to compete in the global marketplace. High school career counselors are the primary resource for CTE program recruitment. The purpose of this study was to examine whether high school career counselors' educational backgrounds, knowledge levels of CTE initiatives and programs in Kansas, and available counseling time were associated …


Relationships Among Middle School Teachers' Perceptions Regarding Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities In General Education Classrooms, Stacey O. Forrester Jan 2016

Relationships Among Middle School Teachers' Perceptions Regarding Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities In General Education Classrooms, Stacey O. Forrester

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Accommodating students with disabilities in a general education class often requires instructional modification and extra student support. Research has shown that making required changes can evoke different responses from teachers and can influence their willingness to accommodate the needs of students with disabilities. However, research has not examined the relationships between middle school teachers' preparation for and experiences with inclusion instruction and their attitudes toward inclusion. The purpose of this correlational study was to explore possible relationships between middle school teachers' attitudes about including students with mild to moderate disabilities in the general education setting and the teachers' education level, …


Mutuality, Inter Organizational Cultural Understanding, And The Efficacy Of Humanitarian Response, Elizabeth Anne Yeomans Jan 2016

Mutuality, Inter Organizational Cultural Understanding, And The Efficacy Of Humanitarian Response, Elizabeth Anne Yeomans

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizations responding to humanitarian crises often have different organizational cultures and observational lenses, presenting barriers to collaborative efforts at the outset of a crisis. The inherently chaotic nature of these crises exacerbates this problem, slowing the speed of response and the degree of efficacy of the response effort. Researchers have examined these organizational differences but have not defined barriers to mutuality and possible ways to overcome those barriers presenting a gap in knowledge. The purpose of this study was to fill this gap by offering areas to focus on to improve cultural awareness between disparate organizations. The central research question …


Behavioral Health Medical Interpreters: Cluster Analysis Of Vicarious Traumatization And Posttraumatic Growth, Pauline N. Stahlbrodt Jan 2016

Behavioral Health Medical Interpreters: Cluster Analysis Of Vicarious Traumatization And Posttraumatic Growth, Pauline N. Stahlbrodt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medical interpreter services will be essential for developing and implementing culturally relevant interventions and treatment for limited English proficiency (LEP) populations. This study sought to identify the possible risks or protective factors that may be associated with vicarious traumatization (VT) or vicarious posttraumatic growth among medical interpreters in behavioral health settings. A 2-step cluster analysis was conducted yielding 2 distinct groupings of medical interpreters (Subtype 1, n = 73; Subtype 2, n = 101). The most important predictor determining the 2 subtypes was whether the participant had a personal history of trauma. In addition, there were significant differences between the …


Teacher And Administrator Responses To Bullying Within A Professional Learning Community, Tracey Gomez Jan 2016

Teacher And Administrator Responses To Bullying Within A Professional Learning Community, Tracey Gomez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a local suburban K-8 school in California, administrators and teachers were concerned when more than half of the fifth- and seventh-grade students indicated on the California Healthy Kids Survey that they do not feel safe at school. Researchers have noted that using a professional learning community (PLC) model in schools may assist with addressing bullying. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore teachers' and administrators' responses to incidences of bullying and the PLC processes used to address such incidents in their school. The conceptual framework for this study was Hord's dimensions of the PLC. Data were …


Federal Health Care Fraud Statute Sentencing In Georgia And Florida, 2011-2012, Lisa Walker Johnson Jan 2016

Federal Health Care Fraud Statute Sentencing In Georgia And Florida, 2011-2012, Lisa Walker Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The financial costs of U.S. federal health care fraud continue to increase, and as health care payments due to fraudulent claims increase, the portion of The Medicare Trust Fund available to pay for legitimate health care expenses decreases. Prosecution is one of several fraud management life cycle components that contributes to and can alter the course of increasing health care fraud; however, despite this recognition, there is a gap in the literature regarding the consistency of prosecution for federal health care fraud across different judicial districts. The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory multiple case study was to explore the federal …


The Utility Of Health Care Performance Indicators In Evaluating Low Back Surgery, Pradeep K. Narotam Jan 2016

The Utility Of Health Care Performance Indicators In Evaluating Low Back Surgery, Pradeep K. Narotam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low back syndrome affects 20% of people, and it is estimated that 30% of patients are unable to return to work after surgery. The monitoring of health care outcomes could improve the delivery of health services. The health performance conceptual framework, derived from the Donabedian model, was used to evaluate the functional outcome, clinical recovery, response to surgery, and physician performance of the surgical management of lumbar spine degeneration. A quantitative study (n=685) was undertaken using an administrative database in a repeated-measures design. The clinical and functional outcome improvements were analyzed using t tests. Surgical complexity on health outcome was …


The Impact Of Technology Acceptance And Openess To Innovaion On Software Implementation, Michael Marin Bertini Jan 2016

The Impact Of Technology Acceptance And Openess To Innovaion On Software Implementation, Michael Marin Bertini

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Senior management decisions to foster innovation and adopt new technology solutions have serious implications for the success of their organization change initiatives. This project examined the issue of senior management decision or reasons of their decision to adopt new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems as a solution to solve their business problems. This project investigated the degree that perceived ease of use and usefulness of the ERP system influenced decisions made by senior managers to innovate. Roger's diffusion of innovations theory and Davis technology acceptance model theory were used to predict when senior managers were open to innovation, and whether …


A Case Study Of Middle Schools Teachers' Perceptions Of The Use Of Classroom Websites, Deborah Mau Jan 2016

A Case Study Of Middle Schools Teachers' Perceptions Of The Use Of Classroom Websites, Deborah Mau

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has confirmed the benefits of incorporating technology, such as course websites, within public school classrooms to enhance student learning. However, many teachers do not incorporate technology or class websites. The purpose of this case study was to investigate technology integration within classroom websites to enhance student learning. Guided by the theory of constructivism, the concerns-based adoption model, and the technological pedagogical content knowledge framework, the research questions focused on teachers' perceptions of how a classroom website influences teaching practices and the key benefits of technology integration. Data were collected from 12 certified teachers in 2 middle schools who were …


Military Child Care Providers And Challenging Behaviors Of Early Childhood Students, Donna J. Blackburn Jan 2016

Military Child Care Providers And Challenging Behaviors Of Early Childhood Students, Donna J. Blackburn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job satisfaction of early childhood teachers in military programs and satisfaction changes as teachers deal with challenging behaviors in the workplace was the focus of this study. The goal of The National Association for the Education of Young Children is to ensure quality programming that promotes positive child development experiences. Child development experiences are impacted by teaching staff, partnerships, administration, and the children's' environment. This case study examined the specific environment and behaviors that military childcare providers experience at a small military installation and explored how working with children with challenging behaviors impacts the job satisfaction of early childhood teachers. …


Implementation Of A Nurse Practitioner Residency Program In Critical Access Hospitals, Anna Ngwisah Bolima Jan 2016

Implementation Of A Nurse Practitioner Residency Program In Critical Access Hospitals, Anna Ngwisah Bolima

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Access to health care in rural communities is challenged by workforce shortages. Nurse practitioners (NPs) have been filling the gap created by physician migration into specialty areas. Flex hospital legislation allows critical access hospitals (CAHs) to staff the emergency department with NPs without on-site physicians. NP education often lacks emergency and trauma curriculum, resulting in gaps in practice expectations and significant role transition stress and turnover. The purpose of this project was to construct from the scholarly literature a transition-to-practice residency program to support NP's in providing emergency department care in the CAH. The limbo to legitimacy theory guided the …


Elementary Teachers' Support Of Positive Development Of Immigrant Africans In An Urban School District, Kelly Marie Ballard Jan 2016

Elementary Teachers' Support Of Positive Development Of Immigrant Africans In An Urban School District, Kelly Marie Ballard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Walter Pope School District (WPSD), a predominantly African American district, has experienced a new wave of immigrant students arriving from African nations such as Liberia and Sierra Leone. Many students arrive with little or no formal education, and they are not achieving academic success. This purpose of this study was to discover successful instructional strategies that academically, socially, and culturally support the immigrant students. Guided by Portes and Rumbaut's segmented assimilation theory, this study examined the experiences of WPSD African immigrant learners and explored instructional approaches to reinforce their learning. The research questions focused on teachers' perceptions of factors …


Junior High Latino Parents' Perceived Roles In Home And School Partnerships, Mytzy Vania Rodriguez-Kufner Jan 2016

Junior High Latino Parents' Perceived Roles In Home And School Partnerships, Mytzy Vania Rodriguez-Kufner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A rural K-12 district in the Midwest evidenced a rise in the Latino population from 2002 to 2013, yet parental participation amongst Latino parents at the junior high was low. Low parental involvement has been linked to lowered self-efficacy, which impacts student learning. Although there is a plethora of research on the positive aspects of parental involvement, there is little research on Latino parent involvement in small rural communities. Within this instrumental case study, Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's model of parent involvement was used to explore Latino parents' perceptions of their roles and responsibilities of communication strategies within the junior high …


Nigerian Educators' Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Knowledge And Classroom Behavior Management Practices, Arthur N. Ojionuka Jan 2016

Nigerian Educators' Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Knowledge And Classroom Behavior Management Practices, Arthur N. Ojionuka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This correlational study assessed Nigerian educators' knowledge about attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and inclusive classroom management practices when serving students with ADHD. Specifically, the study examined the predictive correlation between teachers' demographic characteristics, including years of teaching experience, level of education, and knowledge about ADHD, as well as how their knowledge informed their choice of behavior management interventions. Teachers are accountable for pedagogical responsibilities including maintenance and management of a learning environment that promotes learning and inclusion. Further, they play a significant role in identifying and supporting students with learning impairments including ADHD. Thus, it is critical for teachers to …


Predictability Of Delinquency Through Psychosocial And Environmental Variables Across Three Generational Status Groups, Margaret Frances Sabia Jan 2016

Predictability Of Delinquency Through Psychosocial And Environmental Variables Across Three Generational Status Groups, Margaret Frances Sabia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Issues such as the rapid growth of the immigrant youth population and delinquency among adolescents generate public safety concerns among the U.S. population. However, delinquency intervention strategies for immigrant youth in the United States remain scant, which is problematic because these youth face acculturative challenges that increase their risk for maladaptive outcomes. This quantitative, cross-sectional study addressed a research gap regarding the differential influence of risk factors in predicting delinquency across 3 generational statuses. The theoretical framework guiding the study consisted of acculturation theory, the immigrant paradox, and differential association theory. Two research questions were evaluated using a stratified random …


Nigerian Women's Empowerment Status And Its Influence On Access To Reproductive Health Services, Temi Aregbesola Jan 2016

Nigerian Women's Empowerment Status And Its Influence On Access To Reproductive Health Services, Temi Aregbesola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nigeria is a patriarchal society, which puts women in subordinate positions that may prompt gender-based discrimination. While evidence of this phenomenon has been investigated in Nigeria and other African countries, no such investigation has been conducted with immigrant and first-generation Nigerian women in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of a Nigerian woman's perceived empowerment and status on her willingness to access reproductive health services. The research questions examined views of Nigerian traditional beliefs' influence on status and how attitudes around traditional beliefs relate to access to reproductive health services and/or knowledge. Data …


The Effect Of Personal Beliefs And Perceptions On Influenza Vaccination Uptake Among Older Adults, Rani Sujatha Athota Jan 2016

The Effect Of Personal Beliefs And Perceptions On Influenza Vaccination Uptake Among Older Adults, Rani Sujatha Athota

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite a 90% fatality rate and high risk of complications from influenza infection, vaccination coverage remains lower among African American (AA) and Hispanic American (HA) older adults. Health care professionals, families, and older adults are concerned with improving vaccination uptake. The purpose of this study was to examine differences among older adult AA and HA compared to European Americans (EA) on how their personal beliefs and perceptions affect vaccination uptake. The health belief model guided this study. The study research design was a quantitative cross-sectional analysis of the 2009 National H1N1 Flu Survey. Weighed prevalence of vaccine uptake indicated all …


Predictors Of Stress Among Caribbean Community College Students, Jean Merle Da Silva Jan 2016

Predictors Of Stress Among Caribbean Community College Students, Jean Merle Da Silva

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research on North American and European students have reported moderate to severe levels of stress in more than 90% of students, which has been linked to negative health outcomes. However, there is a paucity of data on the stress of Caribbean students. Higher education in the Caribbean has undergone a transformation with wider access and higher enrollment; thus, it is important that the effects and characteristics of this transformation are researched and documented. Accordingly, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the experience of students in 2 year community colleges in the Caribbean. Using the theoretical foundation of …


Electricity Sector Reform: Sourcing And Cost Management Of Electricity For Steel Manufacturing In Nigeria, Christopher Ndubuisi Okonkwo Jan 2016

Electricity Sector Reform: Sourcing And Cost Management Of Electricity For Steel Manufacturing In Nigeria, Christopher Ndubuisi Okonkwo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2014, Lazard levelized cost of energy analysis model priced diesel powered systems at $0.225 – $0.404/KWh and a range of $0.165 – $0.242/KWh for gas-powered systems. The model gave a range of $0.28 – $0.33/kWh for diesel and a range of $0.14/kWh – $0.16/kW for gas fired. Nigeria has an abundance of gas reserves, but heavy gas flaring by oil companies perpetuates power failure across Nigeria. What has resulted is an unreliable electricity infrastructure and a high cost of alternative energy. The Electricity Power Sector Reform Act of 2005 started the reform process. Guided by decision theory, the purpose …


The Impact Of The Universal Basic Education Program In Addressing Rural Secondary School Drop Outs, Chinwe Anwuli Mordi Jan 2016

The Impact Of The Universal Basic Education Program In Addressing Rural Secondary School Drop Outs, Chinwe Anwuli Mordi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Universal Basic Education (UBE) was designed to address the social problem of drop outs in secondary schools, but dropout rates in secondary schools are still at a 42% high in Enugu State, Nigeria. This study sought to understand teachers' perceptions of the program, the ways the UBE impacted the dropout problem, and what could be done to the UBE program to make it more effective. This study provided an important contribution to the literature, as it examined an often neglected perspective: the input of teachers in the field, as opposed to those of policy planners at the top. The …


Relocation Based On Slow-Onset Climate-Induced Environmental Change In Keta, Ghana, Abdul-Moomin Ansong Salifu Jan 2016

Relocation Based On Slow-Onset Climate-Induced Environmental Change In Keta, Ghana, Abdul-Moomin Ansong Salifu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Coastal indigenous communities in Keta, Ghana, are experiencing resettlement as a result of slow-onset, climate-induced flooding and erosion. Previous researchers have documented the risk of relocation from rapid-onset events, but little is known about the effectiveness of policies developed in response to slow-onset changes. This phenomenological study investigated the ongoing lived experiences of adult household members in Keta who were relocated by the government. Jun's critical theory provided a constructionist interpretive framework to determine whether Ghana's national policy on climate change resettlement adequately meets Rawls's criteria for distributive social justice. Policy documents and transcriptions of interviews with a purposeful sample …


Using Early Alert Data To Increase Success Rates Among U.S., Donald Michael Ball Jan 2016

Using Early Alert Data To Increase Success Rates Among U.S., Donald Michael Ball

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More U.S. students are attending college than at any time in history, but many of these students are poorly prepared for college coursework. Higher education institutions are challenged to increase the overall student success rate. The study community college implemented an early alert system to identify students with potential course performance concerns, but it is not known whether other student data might also predict academic performance at the study site. Guided by Tinto's and Astin's respective works on student persistence, the purpose of this correlational study was to investigate the relationships between students' demographic, background, and environmental variables and course …


The Influence Of Student Coaching On Student Success In Developmental Math Courses, Tammie Marie Briggs Jan 2016

The Influence Of Student Coaching On Student Success In Developmental Math Courses, Tammie Marie Briggs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although many academically underprepared students are able to attend community colleges via open access policies, these students struggle with completing their degrees. At a rural community college in the southeastern United States, students who tested into developmental education courses have struggled more with persistence and completion than have their college-ready counterparts. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to evaluate the influence that student coaching had on student success in developmental math at this community college. Tinto's dropout theory and Astin's engagement theory provided the theoretical framework for a study of 62 developmental math students who were offered student coaching …


Retail Inventory Control Strategies, Mackie Johnson Jan 2016

Retail Inventory Control Strategies, Mackie Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite using computerized merchandise control systems in retail, the rate of stockouts has remained stagnant. The inability to satisfy customer needs has caused a loss of 4% in potential revenue and resulted in dissatisfied customers. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore cost-effective inventory control strategies used by discount retail managers. The conceptual framework that grounded the study was chaos theory, which helped identify why some business leaders rely on forecasting techniques or other cost-effective strategies as an attempt to prevent stockouts. The target population was comprised of discount retail managers located throughout northeast Jacksonville, Florida. …


Business Strategies For Asean's Single Window In Southeast Asia, Craig Allen Mcgee Jones Jan 2016

Business Strategies For Asean's Single Window In Southeast Asia, Craig Allen Mcgee Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 and the Global Financial Crisis of 2007, members of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) have sought to strengthen ASEAN's regional economies through a digital trade project known as the ASEAN Single Window (ASW). The purpose of this case study was to explore the business strategies that multinational organizational leaders used to overcome business barriers while implementing ASEAN partnership contracts and ASW region-wide projects. This study may be unique in that, at the time of this research, there was no published study in which researchers had explored a single window for a …


Employee Engagement And Organizational Profitability, Schrita Osborne Jan 2016

Employee Engagement And Organizational Profitability, Schrita Osborne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disengaged employees typically cost U.S. corporations $350 billion annually. The purpose of this case study was to explore strategies that some communication business leaders used to engage their employees that resulted in increased profits. The target population consisted of 4 communication business leaders located in Jackson, Mississippi who possessed at least 1 year of successful employee engagement experience. The self-determination theory served as the study's conceptual framework. Semistructured interviews were conducted and the participating company's archived documents were gathered. Patterns were identified through a rigorous process of data familiarization, data coding, and theme development and revision. Interpretations from the data …


Effects Of Academic And Nonacademic Factors On Undergraduate Electronic Engineering Program Retention, Munir Sulaiman Jan 2016

Effects Of Academic And Nonacademic Factors On Undergraduate Electronic Engineering Program Retention, Munir Sulaiman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs in higher education institutions, particularly engineering programs, face challenges related to recruitment, retention, and graduation rates. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are significant relationships among students' major preference, academic skills, nonacademic characteristics and perceptions, and retention to year 2 among students in electronic engineering, other STEM, and non STEM majors. The academic skills considered were study habits, intellectual interest, verbal and writing confidence, and academic assistance. The non-academic factors included academic support, family support, financial support, and student social integration into the campus environment. Tinto's theory of retention …


Donor Coordination And Health Aid Effectiveness In The Nigerian Health Sector, Ifeoma Edna Uduji Jan 2016

Donor Coordination And Health Aid Effectiveness In The Nigerian Health Sector, Ifeoma Edna Uduji

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Development partners and donors increasingly acknowledge the importance of coordinating their activities to achieve the outcome of the official development assistance to developing countries. Although stakeholders have recognized the importance of harmonizing donors and development partners' efforts in the Nigerian health sector, little research has addressed the influence of coordination on the health aid effectiveness. This qualitative case study determined the influence of coordination among the donors and development partners involved in the HIV/AIDS, malaria, and nutrition program on the outcome of these programs in Nigeria. Data were collected through interviews with 22 program officers participating in the health programs …