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Insecticide Treated Nets And Malaria Control Strategy In Sierra Leone, Henry Nk Biayemi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMalaria is a deadly disease and endemic in Sierra Leone. It is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality amongst children younger than five years in Sierra Leone. Insecticide treated nets (ITNs) are not used widely despite free distribution, low health risks, and proven ability to reduce malaria. The purpose of this quantitative crosssectional study was to investigate the association between a set of independent variables (parental education, parents' economic status, household size, and residence) and the use of ITNs among children under five years of age in Sierra Leone. The study used a secondary dataset from the Ministry of …

Educators’ Perspectives On Strategies To Close The Achievement Gap For African American Elementary Students In Mathematics And English Language Arts, Keamber Denise Booker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a persistent academic achievement gap between African American and European American elementary students in mathematics and English language arts. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore third through fifth-grade elementary educators’ perspectives on strategies used to narrow the gap in achievement for African American students in mathematics and English language arts from a school located in the southeastern region of the United States; consequently, the research question was developed to focus on these perspectives. The conceptual framework for this study was Ladson-Billings’s culturally relevant pedagogy. Purposeful sampling and snowball sampling were used to select study …

Strategies To Reduce Fall Rates In A Long-Term Care Facility, Kimberly H. Brewer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractFalls among residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) pose significant threats to their health and quality of life, as falls often lead to life-threatening injuries such as traumatic brain injury and hip fractures. The etiology of the falls is multifactorial and complex; thus, interventions to reduce the falls typically combine two or more evidence-based interventions. The objective of this doctorate project was to develop an evidenced-based clinical practice guideline (CPG) outlining a multifaceted, evidenced-based bundled set of interventions for a fall prevention program to reduce falls for elderly patients living in the LTCFs. Lewin’s 3-step model of change was used …

Experience Of The Obese Population With Weight Bias/Stigma, Gary Mathew Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity management has been identified as an important issue in health promotion, and some researchers have also reported that people who are obese often do not seek health care. Yet, current research is lacking on the complexities of weight stigma from the perspective of people who are obese. The purpose of this qualitive descriptive study was to understand the perceptions of weight bias/stigma of obese individuals. Guided by Goffman’s Theory of Social Stigma and the Health Belief Model, purposive sampling was used to recruit 10 participants who had a body mass index greater than 30 and who lived in West …

Exploring Organizational Values Of The Organizations And Employee-Owners In Worker-Owned Cooperatives, Mary Anne Broner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractResearchers have documented a variety of challenges that worker-owned cooperatives experience as a result of poor management. Most cooperative literature is focused on agriculture economics and cooperative organizations in other countries. The lack of attention in the social science literature on worker cooperatives in the United States reflects a need for further exploration of this business model. Accordingly, this qualitative case study was conducted to explore mismatches in organizational value between the organization and the employee–owners. The goal was to gather the perceptions of employee–owners and managerial personnel that could be leveraged to increase member commitment for a successful worker-owned …

Hospice Social Workers In The Death With Dignity Process, Lisa M. Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hospice social workers are in an ethical conundrum due to the contrast between honoring clients’ self-determined life closure and hospice organization prescribed non-participation in requests for physician-assisted death. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Association and the International Hospice and Palliative Care Association have issued position statements that the hospice philosophy of care is to provide comfort and reduce suffering, not to hasten death. Social workers are bound by a code of ethics to honor patient choice in end-of-life decisions. This generic qualitative study gives voice to hospice social workers in the Pacific Northwest regarding their motivations and responses to …

Preservice Teacher Efficacy To Teach Informational Text Comprehension Through Literature Circles, Amy J. Clark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Preservice teachers in an elementary education teacher preparation program are tasked with teaching informational text comprehension through literature circles during a literacy field experience. The problem addressed is that even after receiving explicit classroom instruction on this topic, preservice teachers expressed apprehension and self-doubt and may not have the self-efficacy to effectively teach informational text comprehension. The purpose of this project study was to explore preservice teachers' perceived self-efficacy to teach informational text comprehension. This study was grounded in a constructivist paradigm centered on Bandura’s concept of self-efficacy. The research questions concerned preservice teachers perceived self-efficacy to teach informational text …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Response-To-Intervention Reading Strategies In Middle Schools, Judy Bernadette Collins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As students enter middle school, many lack literacy skills, especially English language learners (ELLs). The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine what supports middle school teachers perceived they needed to be effective using response to intervention (RTI) strategies with ELLs. This basic qualitative study was framed by the RTI framework as described in the Individual with Disabilities Education Act and by Hall and Hord’s concerns-based adoption model. Interviews were conducted with eight teachers with a minimum of 3 years of service who used RTI practices in their classrooms in middle schools in school districts from the Northeast …

Elementary School Administrators As Instructional Leaders For Improving Student Reading, Charmain Day-Heggie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSchool administrators not only lead and manage a school, but are also required to be strong instructional leaders. In the Sunnybrook Public School District [pseudonym], elementary administrators of Title I schools were challenged to support teachers’ reading instruction for students. The purpose of this basic qualitative research study was to understand how elementary administrators in rural Title I school described the strategies they use to improve reading achievement for students. Data were collected using semistructured interviews from eight elementary school administrators; six were women, and two were men. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis using a priori, open, and axial …

Increasing Fall Awareness Through Nursing Staff Education, Evelyn Ahiante Dennis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patient falls are a significant healthcare concern, with the highest risk being among older adults aged 65 and older. A lack of nursing knowledge can contribute to patient falls. This DNP project was conducted in the medical-surgical trauma unit of a 137-bed local rehabilitation center in Northern Georgia. The intention of the project was to understand if a nursing staff education program would increase knowledge regarding falls prevention. Kurt Lewin’s change theory provided the framework for the project. The project participants were nine medical surgical nurses. Using the analysis, design, development, implementation (ADDIE) model, a falls prevention education program was …

The Importance Of Staff Education About Implementing Ketogenic Diet In Prediabetic Patients, Clarissa L. Dorsey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes, a chronic disease that can lead to many complications, is one of the leading causes of death. Obesity tends to increase the risk of diabetes. Nutritional therapy can not only control diabetes but also prevent it in some cases by decreasing weight. The ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that can prevent and control diabetes. The purpose of this study was to examine the recommendations of medical providers before and after the presentation of educational content on the ketogenic diet as nutritional therapy in prediabetic and diabetic patients. The practice-focused question addressed whether educating medical staff at a …

The Connection Between Pain, Perceived Disability, Emotional/Behavioral Problems, And Treatment Satisfaction, Penny Renee Drake

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With more than 100 million Americans living in chronic pain (CP), there is a growing need for better and more effective pain management strategies. CP can result from an injury, disease, or an emotional or psychological issue. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study using a multiple linear regression procedure was to determine if CP patients’ perception of their disability as measured by the Personality Assessment Screener (PAS) and their emotional and/or behavioral problems as measured by the Oswestry Disability Index predict their satisfaction with their pain management regimen as measured by the researcher-produced instrument Survey of Satisfaction with Pain …

Workplace Spirituality, Organizational Ethics, And Conscious Leadership, Tasha Dufrene

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe problem of organizational ethics was addressed by examining the relationship between organizational ethics, workplace spirituality, and conscious leadership as a catalyst for positive social change. Spiritual leadership theory and social learning theory provided the theoretical frameworks for this study. Both theories provided a theoretical understanding of how learned social behaviors and leadership have an impact on organizational culture. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to understand the relationship between workplace spirituality, organizational ethics, and conscious leadership. It is important to understand the relationship between workplace spirituality, organizational ethics, and conscious leadership because the negative effects of low …

Strategies For Managing Work-Related Stress In The Petroleum Industry, Esang Lazarus Esitikot

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High work-related stress negatively impacts workers’ health and productivity in the Nigerian petroleum industry. Supervisors in the Nigerian petroleum industry who lack strategies to reduce work-related stress significantly lose worker health and organizational productivity. Grounded in person-environment fit theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies Nigerian petroleum industry supervisors use to manage work-related stress. Participants were six supervisors who have successfully used strategies to reduce work-related stress in the Nigerian petroleum industry. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and internal company documents relevant to reducing work-related stress and analyzed using thematic analysis. Three major …

The 2009 Niger Delta Amnesty: Evaluation Of A Policy Failure, Christian Obidiche Eze

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2009, the federal government of Nigeria under then-President Musa Yar’adua established the Presidential Amnesty Program (PAP), which became their flagship program in combating militancy and turning repentant ex-militants into positively contributing citizens. This is a multi-dimensional problem that involves governmental ineptitude, exploitation by multinational oil companies, and lack of sustainable developmental measures as primary drivers of instability in the Niger Delta. There are arguments that the 2009 PAP Program brought about little positive change in the region. This program brought about peace initially in the region until early 2016, when there was a brief but very destructive return to …

The Perspectives Of Parents Who Are Obese On The Standards Of Health For Their Children, Ingrid Facey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity is a burdensome and preventable noncommunicable disease that annually claims the lives of approximately 5% of the global population. Initially, the disease affected only adults, but the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity has become an ongoing concern to health officials and world leaders. Childhood obesity may persist into adulthood and may become a precursor to Type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and socioeconomic complications. Some parents who struggle with obesity may miss signs that their children are obese, which hinders their children’s growth at many levels. Research on the lived experiences of parents who are obese and their coping strategies …

Nonprofit Resource Development From Individual Donors For General Operating Expenses, Zanetta Ford-Byrd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Virginia Community Action Agency (VCAA) provides several programs to meet the needs of low-income families and individuals. There are 31 community action agencies in Virginia. Each agency is independently governed to meet the needs identified within its respective community. For example, if food insecurity is an issue, low-cost food subsidy programs are provided for local community constituents. Since 1965, the mission of the organization, has been to provide the means necessary to enable those who have fallen on hard times to receive assistance and lead quality lives. The purpose of the agency is to provide this assistance, and the …

Strategies To Improve The Survival Rate Beyond 5 Years For Small Business In Guyana, Wayne Forde

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIn Guyana, small business entrepreneurs with less than 25 employees without a success strategy fail at a high rate. These entrepreneurs need to develop strategies to improve survivability beyond 5 years. Grounded in Porter’s five forces theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies used to assist small business entrepreneurs in Guyana to sustain profitability beyond 5 years. Participants were four business owners in the manufacturing and accounting sectors who sustained their business beyond 5 years of operations. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of organizational documents, including websites and meeting notes. …

Strategies For Mitigating Voluntary Employee Turnover In Small Businesses, Eric Regneco Gant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractVoluntary employee turnover costs businesses significant resources in training and recruitment. An employee’s voluntary turnover could cost small business owners $3,000 to $10,000 in training and recruitment costs and reduce company performance, profitability, and competitive advantage. Grounded in Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that owners of small businesses in the eastern United States use to mitigate voluntary employee turnover. Data were collected from semistructured telephone interviews with five small business owners with at least three years of experience mitigating voluntary employee turnover. Data were analyzed using Yin’s five-step approach. …

The Lived Experiences Of Employees Identifying As Belonging Outside Of Workplace Cliques, Patricia O'Neil Foster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cliques are a naturally occurring phenomenon and have been demonstrated to have adverse outcomes. Workplace cliques can lead to negative behaviors that affect organizational effectiveness. Although the effects of cliques have been studied extensively, a deeper understanding is needed by managers of the experiences of employees identifying as belonging outside of workplace cliques. The research question of this transcendental phenomenological study focused on the lived experiences of employees identifying as belonging outside of workplace cliques formed within their organization’s culture. Using convenience sampling, 15 people who identified as having worked in a situation where there was a clique agreed to …

Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards In Washington, Wade W. Gough

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The federal government created the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program in 2007 to keep terrorists from weaponizing hazardous chemicals. The CFATS program did this by targeting high-risk chemical facilities and adding additional regulations, but this has added an additional burden on the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) that could negatively impact their capacity to prepare and collaborate to prevent chemical disasters. The present study was conducted to evaluate the CFATS program from the perspective of LEPCs to fill an existing gap in the literature. The study was conducted using the theoretical frameworks of contingency theory of organizations by Donaldson, …

The Power Of Exogenous Variables In Predicting West Nile Virus In South Carolina, Christopher Lee Glaze

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the availability of medical data, environmental surveillance tools, and heightened public awareness, West Nile Virus (WNv) remains a global health hazard. Reliable methods for predicting WNv outbreaks remain elusive, and environmental health managers must take preventive actions without the benefit of simple predictive tools. The purpose of this ex post facto research was to examine the accuracy and timeliness of exogenous data in predicting outbreaks of WNv in South Carolina. Decision theory, the CYNEFIN construct, and systems theory provided the theoretical framework for this study, allowing the researcher to broaden traditional decision theory concepts with powerful system-level precepts. Using …

Influence Of Parenting Style On Frequency Of Alcohol Consumption By Jewish Male And Female Emerging Adults, Thomas Gross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The health hazards associated with young adults’ frequency of alcohol consumption have been well documented. It has been shown that 40.1% of emerging adults have been involved in binge drinking (i.e., consumption of more than five drinks in a row). The current prevalence rates of alcohol use among young male and female adults are 19% and 26%, respectively. The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of perceived parenting style (i.e., permissive, authoritarian, or authoritative/flexible) on the self-reported frequency of alcohol consumption of 138 U.S. Jewish male and female college students ages 19 to 27 years. The …

Collaborative Governance In Public Education Through Democratic Management Of Polarities, Michele Greene

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a democratic society the use of inter- and intraorganizational collaboration as a pragmatic approach to addressing social issues germane to sustaining that democracy is a challenge, especially in the realm of public education reform. The Common Core State Standards Initiative, an attempt at collaboration to reform public schools initially adopted by more than three fourths of U.S. states, created an ongoing response that included proponents and opposers. The opposition in Pennsylvania led to the State reneging on its original commitment to the Common Core State Standards created by the initiative. Research revealed a gap regarding the ability of the …

The Impact Of Midwifery On Infant And Maternal Outcomes Among Black Mothers, Joann Honoré

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to recent studies, disparities are prevalent in maternal and fetal outcomes between Black and White mothers in the United States. Researchers have established that using a midwife versus other healthcare practitioners can elicit positive maternal and fetal outcomes for Black mothers. However, no within-race research has been conducted exploring midwifery as an insulating factor against these disparities. The purpose of this quantitative retrospective cohort study was to explore the impact of midwifery on infant and maternal outcomes compared to outcomes associated with other prenatal care models/caregivers among Black mothers in California using secondary data. The ecological model was used …

First-Time Participant Experiences Of Socioecological Learning Opportunities In An Environmental Education Program For Adults, Kevin Jenson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many environmental education programs struggle to influence participants towardbehavior that benefits nature and society because their presentation of information is isolated from the social and ecological context where it must be applied. Empirical studies have suggested a link between long-term behavior change and integrated socioecological experiences that influence a person’s sense of identity in connection with nature and society, but few studies have described what socioecological learning opportunities might look like. The purpose of this qualitative basic design study was to explore how first-time adult participants described their experiences of integrated socioecological learning opportunities in a short-term, immersive, community-based, environmental …

Contributions Of Doctoral Educational Leadership Programs To The Development Of Leader Self-Efficacy, Lori Christine Kall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Educational leadership programs have not often focused on leader self-efficacy (LSE) as a program outcome although self-efficacy has been considered a key component for successful leaders. Principals prepared through a doctoral degree were found to be more effective leaders than those without a doctoral degree and may be more skilled to build high-quality teacher teams resulting in higher academic student gains. The connection between participating in a doctoral program and building LSE was not understood. The purpose of this basic design qualitative study was to understand graduates’ perceptions of how their participation in their education doctoral program developed their LSE …

Coping Strategies Of Dual-Role Informal Caregivers, Lorilee Maldonado

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are nearly 43.5 million informal caregivers (ICGs) in the United States, and this number will nearly double by 2030. Trying to fulfill the needs of an aging family member and commitments to work, home, and other relationships create a constant state of stress that may result in either leaving the workforce or placing the care recipient in a facility. Finding strategies that support both roles is economically and socially critical. This study explored the strategies that some ICGs have acquired that enable them to cope with these pressures. Work-family conflict theory, focusing on the conflict between work and family …

A Multicase Study Of Alaskan High School Teachers’ Adoption Of Digital Elements Of Gamification, Paul Marks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recent studies have indicated that gamification, the process of using game-like elements in nongame situations, increases student engagement and comprehension. The problem was that little is known about the extent to which digital elements of gamification are being used to help engage students in high school classes in Alaska. The purpose of this multicase study was to examine the extent to which their teachers were using gamification. The research questions that guided this study addressed the extent to which the teachers used gamification, how the teachers perceived the usefulness of gamification, and how they perceived the ease of use of …

Leaders’ Perceptions Of Innovation Processes In Public Sector Organizations, Ronald Mcgarvey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Successful innovation in the public sector has not yielded the intended results, thus the need exists for public sector leadership to foster innovation. This issue is important as the public sector represents up to 25% of a developed nation’s gross domestic product and is expected to deliver services efficiently. The purpose of this case study was to explore the skills public sector leaders need to foster innovation. The conceptual framework included organizational culture, motivation in innovative environments, implementation of innovation, and organizational relationships of Glor’s public sector organization theory, which helped consider minor or major challenges, intrinsic or extrinsic motivation, …