Digital Commons Network^™

Parental Perceptions Of Inclusion Of Autism Spectrum Disorder Students In The Educational Process, Robin Waltman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex biological disorder that encompasses a wide range of symptoms and varies in degree of severity. Parents and caregivers rely on programs offered by school districts that encourage parental participation in the educational process and have differing views on inclusion in educational decisions. The purpose of the current study was to ascertain the views of parents of children with ASD regarding their inclusion in the educational process. The research question addressed the lived experiences and perceptions of parents of students with and ASD regarding their inclusion in the educational process. A case study methodology …

Territoriality As A Factor In Nursing Incivility, Carolyn Wright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIncivility and hazing in health care results in unsafe environments, not only for the nurse but also for the client, facility, and other health professionals. The project site, a privately owned medical clinic, has a high employee turnover rate with exit interviews indicating bullying and incivility from long-term nursing staff toward new employees as critical reasons for employee resignation. The literature offers minimal information regarding territoriality, a concept associated with aggressive (i.e., alpha) behaviors in animals and humans and incivility in nursing. The purpose of the project was to identify whether territoriality was a behavioral factor that may have contributed …

How Saudi Small Business Managers Increase Retail Electronic Commerce Sales, Ghasan Abdulaziz Almoamen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSaudi policymakers developed short-and long-term plans supporting the electronic commerce of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) to increase sales. Saudi SME managers who do not take advantage of these plans to increase sales may lose profits. Grounded in Rogers’s diffusion of innovations theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies SME business managers use to increase retail electronic commerce sales. The participants comprised 5 Saudi SME managers from 5 different local retail companies who effectively used strategies to increase retail electronic commerce sales. Data were collected through semistructured audio-visual interviews, company websites, and financial documents. …

Emergency Managers’ Perceptions Of Active Threat Preparedness In Higher Education, Shannon Daniel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The shooting on Virginia Tech’s campus that left 32 dead in 2007 and other incidents since then resulted in active threat preparations at institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the United States. Little is known about how emergency managers understand campus preparedness and what enhanced learning in the implementation, training, and effectiveness of policies. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand how campus emergency managers perceived the effectiveness of the design and implementation of their standard operating procedures to protect against an active threat and what the emergency managers perceived enhanced their learning in the design and …

Motivational Interviewing: A Strategy To Improve Health Professional's Communication, Lanita James

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Miscommunication between patients and healthcare professionals is common in U.S. hospitals and is considered one of the chief factors in reduced patient satisfaction with care. Collaboration with the nurse researcher who reviewed the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (HCAHPS) data for a local hospital noted that negative ratings were directly related to the miscommunication between the patient and care providers. Further identified that the nursing staff was not knowledgeable about evidenced-based strategies needed to communicate effectively with the patients. The purpose of this DNP project was to develop an education program to increase nurses' knowledge about …

Alternative Treatment Method For Dementia In The Southwest Region Of Arizona, Angela May Lynch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative professional administrative study was to explore anddevelop a new innovative method of treatment for dementia clients using reminiscence therapy (RT) in a proposed 24-hour care village in Tucson, Arizona. In this proposed 24- hour care village, patients would remain in an environment conducive to a safe and normal lifestyle. This administrative study is a qualitative study using grounded theory and sources of evidence included current research, personal interviews, and articles. Data were collected from interviews with 10 administrators of memory care facilities in Tucson, Arizona, to determine if existing administrative staff were aware of RT …

Discharge Instructions To Decrease Copd Readmissions, Randee S. Marinaro

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in the US. A 301-bed rural hospital in the Midwest had experienced excessive 30-day hospital readmissions with their COPD patients. Two gaps in practice were identified: a lack of uninterrupted time to plan and execute discharge instructions and inconsistent discharge instructions provided to these patients as. The purpose of this project was to educate staff nurses on the importance of implementing a protected time, evidence-based discharge plan for patients diagnosed with COPD. The project explored whether a discharge education program nurses would decrease the 30-day readmission rate for …

The Lived Experiences Of Male Educational Leaders, Natisha Myra Murphy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School systems have been faced with the attrition of male educational leaders in school districts. In particular, male educational leaders in the Maryland school district are pursuing non-educational leadership career paths instead of educational leadership career paths. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative, descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of male educational leaders in the Maryland school district who chose to pursue non-educational leadership career paths instead of educational leadership career paths. The conceptual frameworks that guided this study were Rogers’s concepts of ideal self, self-image, and self-worth and Dawis and Lofquist’s concepts of personality, need, and …

Comparison Of Kidney Disease Risks Among African Americans In Maryland And Neighboring Regional States, Nneka A. Offiah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractChronic kidney disease (CKD) is a recognized global health burden that has affected 10-15% of the general adult population, which is caused by diabetes and has disproportionately affected minority populations such as African Americans. Despite the prevalence of diabetes and hypertension, other variables could predispose this racial group to CKD, hence the need for this study. The purpose of this cross-sectional quantitative study using secondary data analysis methods was to investigate to what extent various factors such as gender, diet, age, exercise, socioeconomic status, diabetes, and hypertension were associated with the prevalence of CKD among African Americans residents in Maryland, …

Factors Associated With Electronic Cigarette Use Among Adolescents In Texas, Christie Anuli Okonkwo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of electronic cigarettes among adolescents has remained a major public health concern. Reports have shown that the adolescent brain is still growing and can be affected by nicotine and cancer-causing chemicals contained in e-cigarettes. The rising trend of e-cigarette use by adolescents has reportedly reached an epidemic, and there is a knowledge gap in the factors associated with this behavior and the provision of appropriate interventions for the at-risk population. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between sociodemographic factors and the tendency of Texas adolescents to use e-cigarettes. This study was a …

The Combined Impact Of Race And Education On Obesity Among U.S. Adults By Fidelis Okoye, Fidelis Chidi Okoye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University

College of Health Professions

This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by

Fidelis Okoye

has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made.

Review Committee Dr. Vasileios Margaritis, Committee Chairperson, Public Health Faculty Dr. Srikanta Banerjee, Committee Member, Public Health Faculty Dr. James Rohrer, University Reviewer, Public Health Faculty

Chief Academic Officer and ProvostSue Subocz, Ph.D.

Walden University2021

AbstractThe Combined Impact of Race and Education on Obesity Among U.S. Adults by Fidelis Okoye

MA, Walden University, 2009BS, Marygrove College, 2001

Dissertation …

Sustainability Strategies For Small Business Organizations, Tajudeen O. Olatunji

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are essential to every nation’s economic growth, including the United States, but more than 67% of SMEs fail within the first 10 years. When SMEs implement long term business sustainability strategies, they continue to generate business and remain profitable, enabling SMEs to remain viable and contribute to local community employment opportunities. Using entrepreneurship theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies used by 3 SME owners in the northeastern region of the United States to sustain their businesses beyond 10 years. Data were collected using semistructured interviews …

Smoothing Patient Flow By Improving Bed Turnover Time, Carrie Lanasha Percell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bed Management Solutions (BMS) is a bed tracking system that provides real-time data into hospital activities, including admissions, transfers, discharges, bed turnover rates, and processing time frames. When BMS is used appropriately, it has the potential to improve bed turnover rates, reduce stress of clinical staff, improve patient satisfaction, and improve patients’ well-being. Delays in bed turnover times can create overcrowding, extended wait times, bottlenecking, delays in patient care, and significant patient flow problems. The purpose of this DNP project was to develop a staff education program to answer the question if the implementation of an educational training program could …

Understanding The Role That The Internet And Social Media Plays In Suicide Survivor Bereavement, Catherine Merle Perusse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Every year more than 47,000 individuals die by suicide in the United States, leaving behind numerous family and friends who become suicide survivors. While there are prodigious amounts of research on suicidal behavior, little research has focused on what the surviving family members, friends, and community members need after the loss. Many suicide survivors use social media to address their grief and pain in a very public manner. A constructionist social theory of grief and existential phenomenology provided the framework for this qualitative study to examine the use of the Internet and social media as a forum for those grieving …

An Examination Of The Absence Of A Comprehensive Smokefree Law In Georgia On College And University Campuses, Nakki Price

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractCigarette smoking is the number one preventable cause of death and disability in the United States. Although there are policies that govern the use of tobacco products, there are jurisdictions that do not employ these policies. Comprehensive smokefree laws govern private-sector entities and prohibit smoking in public places, specifically restaurants, bars, and workplaces. While states have the authority to implement these laws, some include exceptions that limit the intention of the law. Colleges and universities are specific communities for learning and serve as housing for students and an employer for the greater community. There is a gap in the literature …

Addressing The Needs Of Students With Foreign Language Anxiety, Amanda Marie Romero

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Foreign language anxiety is a condition in which students of foreign languages experience test anxiety, avoidance of communication, and fear of evaluation that become so inhibiting that their social and academic progress, along with their ability to become global citizens, is significantly stunted. This sequential mixed-methods research study was conducted so that foreign language educators might be better informed about how best to address foreign language anxiety within their classrooms. Because the concept of foreign language anxiety is based upon the idea of the foreign language classroom being uniquely taxing upon students, the stress-coping theory as well as the anxiety/uncertainty …

The Preparedness Of Suffolk County’S Emergency Managers For Drinking Water Disruptions, Richard Rotanz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractFor many years, a chronic issue within Suffolk County, New York, one of the most populated counties in the country, is the deterioration of its drinking water along with its polluted beaches, lakes, and rivers, which are imperative for tourism and the fishing industry. However, little is known regarding the awareness of, and the preparedness towards, any disruptions of drinking water by the community of emergency managers. Narrowing this gap of knowledge was the purpose of this study. The research question examined the knowledge of, the attitudes, and the preparedness levels of the emergency management community of Suffolk County involving …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Collaboration For Early Literacy In A Response To Intervention Model, Robin Sheffield-Lemkin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Collaboration among teachers positively affects both teachers’ professional development and students’ reading achievement. However, teachers face challenges in collaboration with colleagues. Current research focusing on the collaboration experiences between general education classroom teachers and reading interventionists is absent. The purpose of this study was to understand teachers’ perceptions of the challenges they face in collaboration with shared goals in a reading Response to intervention (RTI) model. Collaboration theory served as the framework of this basic qualitative study. Research questions were designed to understand the perceptions of general education classroom teachers’ and reading interventionists’ collaborative experiences in a reading RTI model. …

Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence, Sales, Social Responsibility, Interpersonal Relationship, And Empathy, Lykesha D. Shelton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractResearch over the past 25 years has shown a relationship between emotional intelligence, job performance, and sales. However, limited research exists relating to job-specific studies from a nonmanagerial perspective and focused on emotional intelligence and sales during the customer’s buying and selling interaction. The focus and purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to determine if there was a statistically significant relationship between emotional intelligence and mortgage loan originators sales performance. The conceptual framework for this study incorporated Bar-On’s social emotional intelligence model. The sample consisted of 18 mortgage loan originators who worked with the retail banking sector throughout the …

Survival Strategies For Information Technology Startups Beyond 5 Years, Matthew Singer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractEntrepreneurship is a leading avenue for job creation in the United States. The lack of access to necessary resources negatively impacts nascent IT-based entrepreneurs’ ability to sustain their business beyond 5 years of beginning operations. Grounded in stakeholder theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies founders of IT-based entrepreneurial ventures use to survive in business for more than 5 years. The participants comprised 4 entrepreneurial IT founders in San Francisco who effectively used strategies to survive beyond 5 years. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Yin’s 5-phase process …

Officer Perceptions Of Cultural Competency And Growing Hispanic Suburbia In Northwest Indiana, Joseph William Swanson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increased interactions between police and Hispanic citizens in suburban communities suggest a need for officers to possess cultural awareness and competency for successful service; however, how cultural competency develops in officers remains elusive. This qualitative interpretative phenomenological study’s purpose was to explore cultural competency’s role in police-Hispanic citizen interactions through the lived experiences of officers in Northwest Indiana. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Bennett’s developmental model for intercultural sensitivity comprised the research frameworks. Data collected through semi-structured interviews of 9 officers representing 4 police departments in northwest Indiana revealed the officers’ existing cultural competency was predicated by self-motivation reflective of …

Program Evaluation Of A Community Collaborative, Chelcee Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As the largest philanthropic foundation that serves the North Tahoe and Truckee region, the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation is the only nonprofit organization that implements a community collaborative program. The program is a partnership of nonprofit and public organizations operating within a stages of collaboration model. The purpose of the study was to complete a comprehensive evaluation of the program. A retrospective impact evaluation using qualitative methodologies explored the factors and indicators associated with effective collaboration. Network analysis and social capital frameworks provided measures on partnerships and relationships. Research in organizational behavioral science provided the outcomes associated with community collaboration. …

Experiences Of Counselors Providing Therapy To Transgender Veterans, Breanne Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This research study question focused on licensed mental health counselors’ experiences when providing therapy to transgender veterans. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to gain insight into the experiences of counselors providing treatment to transgender veteran clients to improve the retainability of transgender veterans seeking mental health care. This study used the research design of hermeneutics to analyze and interpret data gained from in-person interviews. The study sample included eight licensed professional counselors (LPC) who actively see clients and have seen transgender veteran clients. Interviews were recorded, reviewed by the researcher, transcribed using a transcription service; NVivo software …

Family Texting In The Perioperative Care Setting, Crystal Chantel Vestal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Family members experience anxiety not knowing how their loved one is progressing during the surgical process. Communication between perioperative staff and the family can be challenging due to the operating room being in a restricted location. Communication between perioperative staff and the patient family, as reflected in scores on the Press Ganey evaluation report, was below the benchmark for a hospital located in the Western United States. This report measures how satisfied patients were with the information provided to their family during surgery. To address this gap in practice, the hospital implemented a text messaging quality improvement project from August …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Strategies For Parents To Improve Reading Development, Chiekara Shaniecious Grace Waters-Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in the study is the significant numbers of elementary school students who fail to demonstrate proficiency in reading/language arts as determined by the Georgia Milestones English Language Arts Test. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions of effective research-based parental involvement strategies, materials, and training programs that may enable parents to help their children develop grade-level reading skills. Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory and Epstein's parental involvement model are the conceptual frameworks that guided this study. The research questions addressed effective strategies, materials, and training programs for academic success. Data were collected from individual …

Effects Of Hepatitis On Human Immunodeficiency Virus Viral Suppression, Andrenita Checoby West

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and viral hepatitis leads to unfavorable health outcomes, making treatment of HIV difficult and increasing the odds of HIV transmission. The purpose of this study is to assess whether viral hepatitis (B and C) hinders HIV viral suppression and impacts the white blood cell count (CD4) when a person is concurrently infected with both viruses. The syndemics theory guided this study. Two research questions tested whether there was an association between coinfection with viral hepatitis and HIV viral load suppression. The research design was quantitative case-control with secondary data from 65,626 reports of HIV, …

African American Male Ex-Felons' Perspectives Regarding Felon Disenfranchisement, Tymesha Alegra Whitehead

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The tradition of disenfranchising those convicted in the United States of felony crimes has profound historical racial roots that have persisted for decades in the United States. The persistent practice of felon disenfranchisement in the 21st century challenges the essence of democracy, with over six million people disenfranchised. The need for major reform efforts to restore voting rights to ex-felons has been exposed due to this issue. The literature revealed no studies have been undertaken regarding this phenomenon in terms of those directly affected by it. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the effect of …

Strategies For Improving Performance Management In Small And Medium Enterprises, Joseph Winingar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective performance management in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can inhibit organizational growth. SME leaders understand that a lack of organizational growth can lead to business failure. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study, guided by the leader-member exchange theory, was to explore strategies SME leaders used to support performance management to promote organizational growth. The participants included 7 leaders of SMEs with at least 3 years of leadership experience of successfully using performance management strategies to promote SME organizational growth in Washington, DC. These leaders participated in semi structured individual interviews that were conducted virtually. Qualitative thematic analysis …

Exploring The Need For Sustainable Reform Of Local Government To Build Administrative Capacity In Jamaica, Mario Antonio Perez Woode

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of labor and financial resources in local Jamaican governments’ corporation negatively impacts senior management government officials’ sustainability efforts. Grounded in Buchanan’s and Tullock’s public choice theory, the purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences and perceptions of 20 randomly selected Jamaican senior management government officials from two local government corporations concerning the financial and human resource capacity issues. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, government documents, and public and government legislative data. The data were analyzed using the Smith and Osborn interpretative phenomenological analysis, and the Moustakas modified van Kaam 7-step analysis method. …

Junior High General Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of Teaching Students With Mild Disabilities, Carrie Ablin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractStudents with mild disabilities are usually educated in a general education environment. However, limited research exists regarding junior high general education teachers’ perceptions of students with disabilities in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to gather junior high general education teachers’ perceptions of teaching students with disabilities in the general education classroom in both inclusion and coteaching models. In line with Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, the key research questions of this study focused on the perceptions of junior high general education teachers who teach students with mild disabilities regarding their competence and confidence to meet the needs of students …