Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Ninth–12th Grade Teachers’ Experiences And Supports Needed When Using Trauma-Informed Practices, Kimberly C. Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Effective Engagement Strategies For A Multigenerational Workforce, Jonathan Gregory Phillips

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Receiving Isaac Again: Joy And Return To The Finite In Fear And Trembling, Jeffrey M. Matheson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues that joy is a constitutive but underexamined feature of faith in Søren Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling. While the text is often interpreted through sacrifice, silence, dread, paradox, and the teleological suspension of the ethical, these categories do not exhaust Johannes de Silentio’s account of Abraham. By foregrounding Abraham’s joy, this thesis shows that faith is not merely the willingness to surrender the finite, but the capacity to receive the finite again after it has been given up. Isaac is not only Abraham’s beloved son, but the child of promise, the visible form of God’s covenant, and the …

A Mathematical Model Of The Interactions Between A Collagen Lattice, Fibroblasts, And Fixed Surfaces With Varying Topographies, Mary Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations

Collagen is an important structural protein in the body, which plays a role in wound healing, particularly the contraction process. Collagen lattices have been studied for nearly 50 years to provide insight into wound contraction. In some cases, collagen interacts with surfaces that have fixed shapes, such as medical implants. Our model focuses on the interactions of a collagen lattice with such a fixed surface. We mathematically model a collagen lattice as a network of nodes connected by springs. We also model fixed surfaces that have various topographies. Our model includes fibroblast cells that connect to both surfaces and remodel …

Effective Strategies That Small Business Leaders Use To Adapt To Changing Market Trends To Increase Profitability, Teslim Dawodu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Quality Improvement Project Improving Provider Confidence For Medication Adherence Screening Through Use Of The Medication Adherence Rating Scale (Mars), Tamara Cheek

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Medication nonadherence affects 50% to 70% of individuals with serious mental illness. This contributes to symptom relapses, hospitalization, poor treatment outcomes, and higher healthcare costs. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the impact of a competency-based Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS) training program on provider confidence and standardized adherence screening in a psychiatric clinic, to improve confidence and increase use of a standardized assessment. Guided by Bandura's Self-Efficacy Theory and Lewin's Change Management Model and implemented using the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework, the project used a quantitative quasi-experimental pre-post design with eight psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners. Data …

Quality Improvement Project: Addressing Appointment Non-Adherence Through Social Needs Screening, Dorathy Anderson

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Mental health care access in the US faces systemic barriers that delay treatment and disrupt care, often worsening patient outcomes. Unmet social needs of health, such as transportation, financial, and housing issues, lead to missed appointments and fragmented care, thereby increasing health disparities. This quality improvement project evaluated whether targeted staff education improved the identification and response to social needs that affect appointment adherence. Adult Learning Theory guided the training, while Lewin’s Theory of Change and the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework informed implementation and evaluation. The intervention population consisted of five clinic staff members. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used to evaluate …

The Impact Of Telephonic Versus Video Platforms On Nurses’ Intrinsic Motivation: An Evidence-Based Practice Project, Brittney Saldierna

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Ambulatory pediatric nurses frequently rely on telephone-only encounters for telehealth triage and patient education despite the availability of video-enabled technology. Literature demonstrates that the inability to visually assess patients limits clinical assessment accuracy, communication effectiveness, and nurse confidence. The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to evaluate whether educating ambulatory pediatric nurses on the integration of video-enhanced telehealth encounters impacts intrinsic motivation and perceived competence compared with telephone-only encounters. Guided by the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice and the ADKAR Change Management Model, this quantitative, quasi-experimental project was applied utilizing the PDSA cycle implementation framework in ambulatory pediatric specialty …

Quality Improvement Project: The Impact Of Standardized Handoff Communication In A Home Acute Care Setting, Antonius Devon Speed

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Effective nurse-to-nurse handoff communication is essential in hospital-at-home telehealth care, where remote nurses depend on accurate electronic health record documentation and structured shift-to-shift communication. This quality improvement project evaluated whether education and implementation of a standardized Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation (SBAR) workflow improved staff-reported handoff quality and reduced communication-related near-miss events over 8 weeks. Lewin's Change Theory, Rogers's Diffusion of Innovations, and the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework guided implementation and sustainability. A quantitative, quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design was used. The intervention included SBAR education, a workflow checklist, and a handoff template. Outcomes were selected Handover Evaluation Scale (HES) responses and aggregate near-miss …

Covid-19'S Impact On Student Behavior In Rural-Urban Fringe Elementary Schools, Chanel V. Leslie

College of Education

This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on student behavior in rural-urban fringe schools in Northern Alabama. The qualitative narrative inquiry research centers the lived experiences of teachers from four different schools as they navigate and explain this shift during this time. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological systems theory, the study is guided by three research questions that address the changes in student behavior and classroom dynamics; teacher preparedness and the ability to manage post-pandemic behavioral challenges; and effective interventions and support strategies. This research offers further insight into the erosion of foundational social skills, widespread emotional dysregulation, and patterns …

Quality Improvement Project: Implementation Of Trauma-Informed Care Education In An Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic, Ornela Claude Ika

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an evidence-based approach that promotes safe, patient-centered care for individuals with a history of trauma. Many patients receiving services in psychiatric settings have experienced trauma, placing them at risk for retraumatization during healthcare encounters. Despite the recognized benefits of TIC, the outpatient psychiatric clinic involved in this project lacked a formal trauma-informed care education program for staff. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to determine whether implementation of a structured trauma-informed care educational intervention improved staff attitudes toward trauma-informed care. Lewin’s Change Theory and the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework guided project implementation. A quantitative pre-intervention and …

Quality Improvement Project: Impact Of Adjunct Clinical Faculty Mentorship On Self-Confidence: A Quality Improvement Project, Fairah Solomon

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Novice adjunct clinical faculty transitioning from expert clinicians to nurse educators face many challenges, particularly in understanding their roles, responsibilities, and educational frameworks. Despite an established orientation at the project site, a structured mentorship program to support the role transition is lacking. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to improve novice adjunct clinical faculty’s self-confidence through the implementation of a structured mentorship intervention. Guided by Lewin's Change Theory and Constructivist Learning Theory, the project utilized a quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design. Implementation was guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework. A purposive sample of seven novice adjunct clinical faculty with less than …

Strategies Health Care Leaders Use To Align Financial Sustainability With Quality Patient Care, Emmanuel Nyamboga Maseno

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Technology Implementation Strategies In Employees’ Work Processes To Increase Employee Engagement, Canaan Perry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Effectiveness Of Simulations In Workplace Training: A Systematic Analysis, Brittney Gaban

Honors Theses

Beyond the classroom, training simulations can be used in the workplace and have been used in a variety of industries, but most focus on the acceptance and perceived results rather than realworld transferability. To determine the state of simulations in workplace training, five articles met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed by participants, industry, results, perceived effectiveness and transferability of skills, data type collected, and participant feedback. The included studies demonstrated the variety of ways simulations have been integrated into training, primarily through hospital and emergency response teams, clinics, and transportation settings. Virtual reality was the most frequently used out …

Supporting The Wellbeing Of Multilingual Learners A Case Study On Secondary Teachers’ Use Of Transformative Social Emotional Learning Practices, Jaclyn Sparks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study investigated how bilingual and monolingual English-speaking teachers support the wellbeing of Multilingual Learners (MLs) and which aspects of Transformative Social Emotional Learning (TSEL) these teachers perceive themselves incorporating with MLs. Data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. Data analysis was conducted using open coding, axial coding, and constant comparative methods.

Findings indicate that teachers support MLs’ wellbeing by creating inclusive environments through intentionally planned lessons that center equitable opportunities for MLs to engage with the content. Furthermore, teachers perceive to utilize decolonizing practices to make the curriculum accessible for MLs. This …

An Analysis Of Heat Spread Through Smoldering Pine Needles, Timothy Keith

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this thesis is to calculate the average speed of flame spread through smoldering pine needles. We present two different models for doing this: the first is a very large system of ODEs meant to represent the spread of flame through individual needles, the second is a macroscopic model based on the porous medium PDE. Simulations are run for each of these models and compared to each other as well as to existing models and experimental results.

A Holistic Framework For Enhancing Machine Learning Reliability: From Model Architecture And Algorithm Design To Human Interpretability, Kyle Naddeo

Theses and Dissertations

Modern machine learning systems can perform well on benchmarks yet fail in ways that are difficult for users to anticipate, interpret, or manage. This dissertation treats reliability as more than accuracy: a reliable system performs when it can, signals when it should not be trusted, and supports abstention, fallback, escalation, or human review. Unlike robustness, which emphasizes performance under shift, corruption, adversarial perturbation, or drift, reliability also requires recognizing limited competence, preserving useful semantic structure when fine-grained certainty is unjustified, and exposing mechanisms that make failures understandable. The dissertation develops this view through four contributions. Uncertainty-aware decision heads provide portable …

Non-Euclidean Geometries And Fairness Constraints In Advanced Clustering, Arnab Seal

Master’s Dissertations

A fundamental challenge in modern unsupervised learning is adapting classical clustering algorithms to handle complex, real-world data constraints. Traditional models often assume data resides in a flat, Euclidean space and optimize strictly for cluster cohesion, thereby failing to capture intrinsic hierarchical structures and ignoring sociotechnical demographic biases. This thesis addresses these critical limitations by extending generalized mean-shift dynamics into two novel clustering frameworks. First, to natively accommodate data with tree-like structures (e.g., taxonomies and social networks), we propose Hyperbolic Gaussian Blurring Mean Shift (HypeGBMS). By projecting data into the Poincar´e ball model and utilizing M¨obius vector space operations, HypeGBMS successfully …

Leveraging Spatial Statistics For Domain Adaptation Of Vision Language Models In Medical Vqa, Himanshu Raj

Master’s Dissertations

Recent advances in Vision–Language Models (VLMs) have demonstrated strong performance in Medical Visual Question Answering (Medical VQA) task. Although they perform very well within their domains, these models often experience issues with their generalization ability on unknown clinical distribution data because of different imaging technologies and patient groups used in various medical facilities. Generalization problems faced by these models make their practical application in the field of VLM-based medical VQA systems rather difficult. To overcome this limitation we proposed our method named Spatial Semantics Aware Domain Adaptation (SSADA), which is an integrated framework that combines both finetuning and prompt-based in-context …

Efficient Performance Recovery Of Pruned Llms For End Devices, Paul Vardhan Bethapudi

Master’s Dissertations

Large Language Models have shown strong performance across reasoning, language understanding, and generation tasks, but their computational and memory requirements make deployment on low resource devices difficult. This dissertation studies efficient performance recovery of pruned LLMs, focusing on whether a pruned model can regain useful task performance through parameter-efficient fine-tuning while preserving the benefits of compression. The work uses Llama-3.2-3B-Instruct as the dense reference model and applies activationaware Wanda pruning at multiple sparsity levels(20%, 30% and 50%). The pruned models are evaluated on language modeling and reasoning tasks using WikiText-2 perplexity and GSM8K (Grade School Math 8000 problems) accuracy. Adaptation …

Higher Education Administrators’ Perceptions Of The Influence On The Social Construction Of Disability And Institutional Antidiscrimination Policies, Pamela A. Kasyan-Howe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Bridging Gaps In Childhood Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Treated At An Outpatient Clinic, Allen M. Savedra

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Staff Education Project To Improve Nursing Knowledge And Patient Safety, Njideka Maureen Okeke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Wearable Fitness Trackers And Fitness Education On Physical Activity Participation, Physical Competence, And General Self-Efficacy In Inactive And Sedentary College Students, Tiffany Lough

Doctorate in Kinesiology

This study examined the combined effects of wearable fitness trackers and structured fitness education on physical activity participation, perceived physical competence, and general self-efficacy among inactive and sedentary college students. A six-week randomized pretest-posttest design was used. Undergraduate students aged 18–24 who were not meeting recommended physical activity guidelines were recruited from a private liberal arts university and randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. Participants in the experimental group received a wearable fitness tracker along with fitness education sessions integrating Social Cognitive Theory based behavior change techniques including self-monitoring, observational learning, mastery experiences, and goal …

Board-Certified Behavior Analysts Experiences In Providing Health Insurance Resources To Parents Of Children With Autism, Martins Acha

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Self-Compassion And Meaningful Work: Examining The Role Of Personal Resources In Veterinary Medicine Student Burnout Through A Jd-R Framework, Swathi Prabhu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Rates of burnout are known to be markedly high among veterinary professionals but less is known about burnout among U.S. veterinary students. The Job Demands-Resource (JD-R) Theory provides a framework through which veterinary students’ experiences can be investigated in a way that centers supportive organizational and personal resources, instead of focusing on the detrimental aspects of training that have dominated the literature. Using a sample of 469 students enrolled in U.S. colleges of veterinary medicine, the current study examined if two personal resources (self-compassion and work as meaning) mediated the relationship between two sources of support (student peer support and …

The Empathetic-Perverse: A Contemporary Exploration Of The Grotesque In Southern Gothic Literature, Halle Elizabeth Griggs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Contemporary scholars and critics alike can agree that much of our understanding of Southern Gothic literature and its relation to the grotesque comes from Flannery O’Connor. O’Connor often portrays a transformation within that of grotesque characters (characters with moral flaws and/or physical disabilities). These transformations, depicted through use of pain, violence, and outlandish behavior, help to bring these grotesque characters closer to God, experiencing a sort of divine grace or redemption. Yet, often these grotesque characters are depicted in a way void of compassion. Despite describing fiction from the middle of the last century, most critics still rely on the …

Poe: A Clarinet And Percussion Album, Paul Andrew Hayes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

​A clarinet and percussion duo is an underutilized chamber ensemble. This recording project focuses on repertoire that is more accessible to the performer and listener, and offers a varied selection of instruments in the percussion parts. In this project, some percussion parts feature Middle Eastern instruments. It contains three commissioned works: Poe by Andy Harnsberger, Light on the Ice by Josh Gottry for clarinet and marimba, and Quicksand by Marco Schirripa for clarinet and riq. Also included in the project are two works not well represented in recordings: Jubb Jannin by Yousif Sheronick for clarinet and bendir, and Three Pieces …

Barriers Experienced By Committee Members Planning A Center For Teaching And Learning: A Case Study, Vickie Renee Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Increased demand for online and flexible classes after the COVID pandemic meant that college and university faculty were asked to incorporate more online components and emerging technology in their classrooms to meet the demand for more versatile course offerings. This time also brought increased pressure to create engaging classrooms and increase retention (Conner, 2021). Incorporating technology in classes requires training and professional development for instructors who are not accustomed to using technology or adjusting their course design to work with the technology they adopt (Prestridge, 2017). An effective teaching and learning center (TLC) could help focus professional development efforts and …