Digital Commons Network^™

Knowledge, Attitude, Lifestyle Practices, And Quality Of Life In Sporadic Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Patients, Shahpar Vafamand

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare lung disease recognized by abnormal growth of smooth muscle cells proliferating in lungs parenchyma, developing benign tumors, migrating to the other organs, and ultimately leading to respiratory failure and death. Despite existing literature mainly on clinical aspects of LAM, there is a gap of literature in regards to the knowledge, attitude, and lifestyle practices (KAPs) of LAM patients and their effects on their quality of life. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the KAPs of the sporadic LAM patients as measured by the Bristol Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Knowledge Questionnaire, Beliefs and …

Healthy Work Environment Orientation Training And Psychiatric Nurse Retention, Lawanda Rollins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to recent research, more than 75% of newly employed nurses leave employment within 6 months. Changes in organizational training programs are needed in order to improve psychiatric nurse retention, nationally and globally. A healthy work environment (HWE) has been described as an environment that includes mentoring for good communication skills; it is also one that explores collaborative strategies for safe practice; professional advancement; and empowerment through research, education, and skill development. Examination of the impact of this HWE psychiatric nurse orientation training program on nurse retention was done using Rogers' theory of diffusion. Study variables included the length of …

A Predictive Model For Dementia Risk In Elderly Adults With Prediabetes, Susan Elizabeth Alford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Dementia is a serious public health concern in the United States, with a prevalence of 5.2 million. There is currently no effective way to prevent or cure dementia, and the precise etiology is unknown, but it appears there are multiple risk factors. Prediabetes (PD) has been identified as a risk factor although the scientific evidence is conflicting. This study is important to those at high risk for dementia and to healthcare professionals who lack substantiated dementia prevention strategies. The purpose of this case control study was to determine whether PD is associated with dementia in adults aged 65-95 years and …

Sustainable Revenue Generation System For Nonprofit Institutions Of Higher Education, Graig Arcuri

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social and individual spending on higher education has outpaced social and individual economic growth, resulting in nonprofit institutions of higher education (NIHEs) growing increasingly dependent upon unsustainable governmental subsidies and tuition increases. The purpose of this study was to examine the interactions among components of the nonprofit university system, existing revenue generation methods, and sustainability of revenue generation, thereby generating a new sustainable revenue theory for nonprofit universities within the United States. This qualitative grounded theory study used a multiphase design incorporating data from the literature review, historical documents, and phone interviews from a theoretical sampling of 10 NIHEs. Participants …

Perspectives Of Parents Of Students With Disabilities Toward Public And Homeschool Learning Environments, Angie Marie Delaney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Homeschool delivery to students is on the rise, particularly in regards to the education of students with disabilities. At this time, there is a lack of research on homeschooled students with disabilities. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how parents choose a model of education for their children with disabilities. A purposeful sample of 3 distinct groups comprising 13 parents of children with disabilities was assembled: (a) parents who are homeschooling their child with a disability, (b) parents who have decided to enroll their child in the public school system after previously homeschooling, and (c) parents who …

Middle School Teachers' Experiences Regarding The Influence Of Data On Instruction, Anne Marie Gwizdak

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This research addressed the data-driven process that teachers utilized to increase student scores on state tests, a process brought forth from a national concern with increased accountability. According to the district website, there is no consistent direction for data use and informal teacher interviews demonstrated varying levels of proficiency and understanding in using available data. Constructivism and learning styles from Vygotsky, Bandura, and Gardner informed this qualitative case study's theoretical framework, which centered on data-driven decision making for instruction. The research questions explored the experiences of middle school teachers in collecting and analyzing data, how the school supported the teachers' …

Understanding Causes Of Attrition Of 1st- And 2nd-Year Nursing Students, Catherine Mary Griswold

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Attrition of nursing students has a negative impact on students, university nursing programs, and the heath care community. At a local university, the nursing program and its stakeholders aspire to increase retention of nursing students in order to mitigate the nursing shortage projected over the next decade. The purpose of this study was to examine issues related to high attrition of 1st- and 2nd-year nursing students at a university located in the mid-Atlantic area of the United States. Tinto's model of retention was used as the foundation to explore variables affecting 1st- and 2nd-year nursing students who remained in (n …

A Narrative Inquiry Of Successful Black Male College Students, Malou Chantal Harrison

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite a growing enrollment of Black males in colleges and universities in the U.S., the nationwide college degree completion rate for Black males remains at disproportionately low numbers as compared to other ethnicities and to that of Black females. The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to evoke and promote the voices of successful Black male students and to understand their perspectives on factors that contributed to their college success. Findings from this research provide insight into college experiences and interventions that have positive implications for Black male college student success. Valencia's (2010) work on educational attainment served as …

The Relationship Between Family, Personal, And School Variables And The Math Achievement Of Elementary Students, Regina Wicker Kerr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School administrators and teachers must determine the factors most associated with academic success in order to meet the academic needs of all students. Researchers have identified general risk factors such as student socioeconomic status (SES), but there may be additional unidentified factors correlated to student achievement. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between a set of school, family, and personal demographic variables and students' math achievement. Bandura's social learning theory, Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, and Feurestein's mediated learning experience served as the guiding frameworks for this study. A descriptive correlational design was used to examine …

Impact Of Online Versus Face-To Face Instruction On Appraisal Student's Morality Levels, Samuel Martin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The financial markets have been in a state of chaos for a number of years. Some of the chaos was attributed to appraisers bending under unethical pressure exerted by lenders. The purpose of this study was to explore whether mode of instruction affected appraiser morality when participating in a Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course, as measured by Rest's Defining Issues Test (DIT-2). The research question examined the difference between the effect on the morality schema of continuing appraisal students taking the 7-hour USPAP CE course online versus students taking the course in a face-to-face environment. The research …

Impact Of Federal Acquisition Regulation Change On Contractor Misconduct, Jeffery Orazio Patrignani

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Project on Government Oversight listed 632 reported acts of government contractor misconduct since 2007 that resulted in settlements or fines totaling $41.95 billion in the government contracting industry. Government contracting officials changed the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) in 2009 to reduce acts of misconduct. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to discover if the change to the FAR in 2009 significantly reduced the rate of reported contractor misconduct and to investigate the impact of the change on government contractor ethics business processes. Deterrence theory guided this study of how the change to the FAR in 2009 impacted the …

Financial Resources And Technology To Transition To 450mm Semiconductor Wafer Foundries, Thomas Earl Pastore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Future 450mm semiconductor wafer foundries are expected to produce billions of low cost, leading-edge processors, memories, and wireless sensors for Internet of Everything applications in smart cities, smart grids, and smart infrastructures. The problem has been a lack of wise investment decision making using traditional semiconductor industry models. The purpose of this study was to design decision-making models to conserve financial resources from conception to commercialization using real options to optimize production capacity, to defer an investment, and to abandon the project. The study consisted of 4 research questions that compared net present value from real option closed-form equations and …

Advanced Nurses' Perspectives On The Drug Addiction Treatment Act, 13 Years Later, Dorothy L. Were

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States experiences opioid addiction at epidemic levels. In 2012, the National Institute of Drug Abuse reported that 23.1 million Americans were in need of addiction treatment services, although only 2.5 million were enrolled in treatment. Following an amendment to the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-310), advanced practice nurses were qualified as providers who could bridge the healthcare gap in treatment access. The purpose of this project was to determine the interest of advanced practice nurses in (a) prescribing buprenorphine and (b) establishing guidelines that would allow them to do so. This quantitative project used …

High School Student Athletes And Nonathletes' Disciplinary Referrals And Grade Point Averages, Jack Willard Calhoun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High School Student Athletes and Nonathletes'

Disciplinary Referrals and Grade Point Averages

by

Jack Calhoun

MEd, Georgia Southwestern State University, 1998

BS, Georgia Southwestern State University, 1997

Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Education

Walden University

December 2014

This quantitative study investigated how athletic participation in public high schools influenced students' academic achievement and positive social behavior. Disciplinary referrals are on the rise in American schools and are a cause of concern for teachers, administrators, parents, and community members. School personnel currently implement programs designed to curb discipline problems in the …

Combining Appreciative Inquiry And Emotional Intelligence To Understand And Improve The Professional Development Of K-12 Teachers, Jamie Elizabeth Dewitt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Creating meaningful and effective professional development (PD) programs for K-12 teachers is an ongoing challenge. The problem is exacerbated when PD models are implemented without fully aligning PD resources and plans with the training needs of teachers and the organization. The guiding question sought to understand the experiences of teachers at an online charter school about the implementation of PD as a means for improving student outcomes. The purpose of the study was to find ways to enhance PD in order to improve student outcomes at the school. The conceptual framework for this study is interwoven through the constructs of …

The Impact Of Common Core Professional Development On Teaching Practices, Elisabeth S. Kannenberg

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics represents a challenge for public educators due to the broad scope of required instructional change. This case study investigated the implementation of a professional development (PD) series across 11 elementary schools, designed to address the problem of insufficient teacher preparation in CCSS pedagogical shifts. Grounded in Vygotsky's social learning theory and constructivism, the training was intended to enhance teacher skills through collaborative, inquiry-based learning. The research questions included in the study examined math teaching practices before and after the implementation of the district training. Through questionnaires and interviews, perceptions …

Enhancing Strategies To Improve Workplace Performance, Francine Williams Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

When employees become dissatisfied at an organization, they may develop negative behaviors that can impede profits and productivity. The purpose of this single case study was to explore what strategies are essential for organizational leaders to improve workplace performance. Maslow's hierarchy of needs served as the conceptual framework for this study. Data collection involved face-to-face, semistructured interviews of 20 managers, floor employees, and clerical staff from a business organization in Southwest Georgia. Participant selection was based on employees' tenure of at least 1 year of experience within the organization. Interviews were transcribed and then coded for common patterns and themes. …

Weight-Loss Interventions Performed To Reduce The Risk Of Obesity-Related Complications, Victoria Stephanie Stewart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The management of obesity before a woman conceives is one of the most effective efforts a woman can take in decreasing her risk of obesity-related complications during pregnancy. Evidence supports the idea that maternal obesity influences maternal and fetal outcomes, leading to maternal and fetal morbidities. Physicians acknowledge the importance of screening women for obesity, but many do not refer patients for weight-loss therapy. In this study, the health belief model was used to explore the associations between participants' obesity risk of complications during pregnancy, the number of weight-loss interventions they attempted to implement prior to pregnancy, and how they …

Grounded Labels From The Behavioral International Economic Development Growth Path Model On Economic Development Patterns From 2002-2012, Kenneth Thomas Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Economic models generally fail to adequately measure positive and negative growth paths in development through agrarian, industry, and service economies. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to design a new model that could accommodate both directions of growth and better measure development paths with particular attention to labors contributions. The theoretical foundation for this study was Walt Whitman Rostow's 5 economic stages of growth classifications. This Study attempted to find the most common economic growth path. While most development models use three to five classifications, this study used nine new classifications giving it a unique and specific look …

A Case Study Of Teachers’ And Administrators’ Experiences Integrating Project-Based Learning, Gastrid Harrigan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Implementation of project-based learning (PBL) has contributed to increases in students’ retention of concepts, engagement, and academic success. The problem for this study is that teachers’ and administrators’ experiences and perceptions have not been sought regarding the integration of PBL in the classroom at the school district. The purpose of this qualitative instrumental case study was to gain a deeper insight into the experiences of teachers and administrators implementing PBL. Centered on the theory of constructivism, the research questions focused on 10 teachers’ and 5 administrators’ experiences integrating PBL. Face-to-face interviews with participants and 10 classroom observations were conducted. Inductive …

Developing A Lifestyle Modification Toolkit To Prevent And Manage Hypertension Among African American Women, Julia Ugochi Ugorji

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hypertension is a global public health issue affecting many people in the United States. African American women remain the highest in percentage by race and ethnicity for developing hypertension with poor risk awareness. Hypertension has costly implications for the health care system. Through lifestyle modifications in the form of a nutrition plan called Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension and increased physical activity, hypertension could be prevented. Among African Americans, the incidence of hypertension increases in their late thirties. The purpose of the project was to develop a toolkit of resources for African American women between the ages of 20 to …

Diminishing Incontinence In Long-Term Care Using Electronic Health Records, Catherine Rodgers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Urinary incontinence affects up to 70% of residents living in a long-term care facility and can affect their quality of life. Specifically, urinary incontinence has a direct impact on older adults in regards to self-esteem, pressure ulcer development, falls, urinary tract infections, and psychosocial wellbeing. The goal of this quality improvement pilot project was to determine if an electronic health record (EHR) assessment tool could help older adults remain continent longer and assist in maintaining an independent lifestyle. Orem's self-care deficit theory and social cognitive theory were used to determine how the electronic health record incontinence template could be used …

Direct-To-Consumer Advertising Of Drugs And Patients' Health Care Seeking Behaviors, Patricia Elaine Kennedy-Tucker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Known as direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA), pharmaceutical companies in the United States are permitted to advertise prescription drugs directly to consumers. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if an association exists between DTCA and health care-seeking behaviors. The theoretical framework for this study involved social learning theory, information integration theory, and prospect theory. The research questions identified if exposure to DTCA (a) is associated with physician office visits, (b) influences a patient/physician conversation regarding a prescription, (c) influences requesting a prescription, and (d) has an impact on patients' ratings of the overall interaction with the physician. Data were …

Early Childhood Perspective Of The K-12 Common Core State Standards Implementation, Anita Lesh Benson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The importance of school readiness and social-emotional development for children who live in poverty is well established. Head Start programs have championed the development of the whole child across all learning domains. The implementation of the K-12 Common Core State Standards (CCSS) focuses instructional skills on reading language arts, and math. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore Head Start teachers' perceptions and experiences of the CCSS implementation. The study was guided by the constructivist learning framework of Piaget and Dewey. Research questions explored the understanding and effects of the K-12 CCSS implementation from a group of …

Challenges Of Experienced Nurses In A Full-Time Online Rn-Bs Nursing Program, Diana Goldammer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Practicing nurses need to be qualified at the baccalaureate level at a rate of 80% by 2020 to meet the needs of the increasingly demanding healthcare industry. Designed to meet this need, the online RN-BS (registered nurses earning a Bachelor of Science) nursing program at a local university has a declining completion rate that needs to be addressed and increased. The conceptual framework for this project was a qualitative program evaluation with a case study design; the project was designed to determine if the structure of the program was limiting student success or if factors experienced by full-time working RNs …

The Presence Of Cyberbullying In Rural Middle Schools: Advanced Technology, School Initiatives, And Parent Involvement, Amy Painter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This descriptive study used preexisting student and parent surveys to examine cyberbullying in two rural middle schools. This study was guided by the social dominance theory, which says that individuals establish themselves in social hierarchies, and by the social-ecological framework theory, which suggests that behavior is influenced by many related systems. This study identified the rates of occurrence of methods used for cyberbullying, types of Internet access available, parental awareness, intervention, and resolution of cyberbullying issues. A simple random sample of 162 parents and 213 students completed the survey. Compared to national results, more local students (9.9%) admitted cyberbullying in …

Academic Analytics In Higher Education: Barriers To Adoption, Willie L. Pomeroy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The analysis of big data points and the use of data analytics have proven successful in improving corporate business efficiencies, growing profits, and increasing competitive advantages. The theory of academic capitalism, which holds that institutions of higher education are becoming more like corporations due to declining operating funds and the need to become more efficient, transparent, and competitive, guided this study. Despite the positive outcomes that analytic tools may produce in advanced efficiencies and competitive growth, college academic administrators have not yet adopted these tools, due in part to barriers facing the administrators. The purpose of this phenomenological study was …

Oral Health Literacy Of Parents And Dental Service Use For Children Enrolled In Medicaid, Angel Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many people in the United States have untreated dental disease due to a lack of dental insurance, a lack of oral health knowledge, and a lack of priority placed on dental health. Despite an increase in dental service use by Medicaid recipients as a result of local programs, children enrolled in Medicaid often have low rates of use of dental services. Using the health literacy framework of the Paasche-Orlow and Wolf (POW) model, the purpose of this study was to explore to the relationship between oral health literacy of parents and dental service use for children enrolled in Medicaid and …

African American Race And Culture And Patients' Perceptions Of Diabetes Health Education, Linda Marie Keenan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans diagnosed with diabetes are less likely to self-manage diabetes-specific modifiable risk factors. As a result, utilization of healthcare services occurs at a greater rate than other racial groups, and thereby incurs higher than expected healthcare costs. This ethnographic study explored the elements of diabetes educational material African Americans in a large city in the southern part of the United States found most useful to facilitate self-management of their disease. Bandura's self-efficacy theory provided the theoretical framework. Research questions addressed the preferred educational content, layout of material, and methods for educational delivery and caregiver support. A purposive sample of …

Voice Over Internet Protocol (Voip), Video Games, And The Adolescent's Perceived Experience, Geoffrey J. Nugent

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Video games are an everyday experience for adolescents and have changed how adolescents interact with one another. Prior research has focused on positive and negative aspects of video game play in general, without distinguishing Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIPing) as the mode of play. Grounded in entertainment theory, motivational theory, and psychological distress theory, this cross-sectional, correlational study examined the relationship between VOIPing and quality of life (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory), Yee's motivation to play video games, and resilience (Child and Youth Resilience Measure). A series of linear regression and multivariate canonical correlation models analyzed self-report responses of 103 …