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What Difference Do Bystanders Make? The Association Of Bystander Involvement With Victim Outcomes In A Community Sample, Sherry L. Hamby, Marcela C. Weber, John H. Grych, Victoria Banyard

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: To fill gaps in the bystander literature by describing patterns of bystander involvement and associations between bystander involvement and victim outcomes across different types of emotional, physical, and sexual victimizations and to expand these considerations to a rural rather than urban sample. Method: Adults and adolescents (n = 1,703) were surveyed about bystander actions, bystander safety, and victim outcomes (injury, disrupted routine, fear level, and current mental health) for 10 forms of victimization. Results: Bystanders were present for roughly 2 thirds of most victimization types (59% to 67%), except sexual victimization (17%). Relatives were the most common bystanders of …

Strengths, Narrative, And Resilience: Restorying Resilience Research, Sherry L. Hamby, Victoria Banyard, John H. Grych

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: To envision a path toward a more strengths-based approach to violence research, prevention, and intervention—a path that focuses on thriving and resilience. Key Points: Both the content and the process of research need to change if we are to transform our efforts to understand and overcome adversity. Greater focus on strengths and the achievement of well-being despite adversity is 1 important avenue; focusing on the narrative and the power of story is another important path. However, merely shifting the focus of traditional research and scholarly efforts is not enough. At another level of analysis, the field needs communication across …

Seven Reasons To Invest In Well-Being, Kathryn H. Howell, John K. Coffey, Gregory M. Fosco, Kristen Kracke, Katherine S. Nelson, Emily F. Rothman, John H. Grych

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: This commentary reviews current conceptualizations of well-being, examines explanations for the lack of attention to well-being research, and provides justification for investing research time and funding into well-being studies. Opportunities for integrating factors related to well-being into prevention and intervention programs are also outlined. Key Points: Well-being may motivate people toward success, improve health and longevity, strengthen relationships, and boost the economy. Well-being can be enhanced in easy and inexpensive ways by incorporating facets of well-being into already-existing individual and systems-level intervention or prevention programs. Implications: Future research into this important construct should focus on objective means to assess …

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

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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

Exercise Training And Functional Connectivity Changes In Mild Cognitive Impairment And Healthy Elders, Theresa J. Chirles, Katherine Reiter, Lauren R. Weiss, Alfonso J. Alfini, Kristy A. Nielson, J. Smith Carson

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background: Effective interventions are needed to improve brain function in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus is a hub of the default mode network (DMN) and is preferentially vulnerable to disruption of functional connectivity in MCI and AD. Objective: We investigated whether 12 weeks of aerobic exercise could enhance functional connectivity of the PCC/precuneus in MCI and healthy elders. Methods: Sixteen MCI and 16 healthy elders (age range = 60–88) engaged in a supervised 12-week walking exercise intervention. Functional MRI was acquired at rest; the PCC/precuneus was used as a …

Validation Of The Vaccination Confidence Scale: A Brief Measure To Identify Parents At Risk For Refusing Adolescent Vaccines, Melissa Gilkey, Paul Reiter, Brooke E. Magnus, Annie-Laurie Mcree, Amanda F. Dempsey, Joseph M. Brewer

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

To validate a brief measure of vaccination confidence using a large, nationally representative sample of parents.

Methods

We analyzed weighted data from 9018 parents who completed the 2010 National Immunization Survey–Teen, an annual, population-based telephone survey. Parents reported on the immunization history of a 13- to 17-year-old child in their households for vaccines including tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap), meningococcal, and human papillomavirus vaccines. For each vaccine, separate logistic regression models assessed associations between parents' mean scores on the 8-item Vaccination Confidence Scale and vaccine refusal, vaccine delay, and vaccination status. We repeated analyses for the scale's 4-item …

Immigration's Impact On Emerging Mental Health Issues Among Kenyans In The Northeast United States, Jane Itumbi Kabuiku

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Immigrants lose their unique psychosocial context when their experiences are subsumed under pan ethnic labels such as Hispanics, Latina/o, Asians or Africans. The stress from navigating different cultural contexts becomes problematic when immigrants operate within mainstream cultural norms that are in conflict with their traditional values. The number of Kenyan immigrants to the United States has steadily increased since the 1980s. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to study the lived experience of Kenyan immigrants by focusing on their integration experience and how the integration processes may have affected their mental health. Very few studies center on the …

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

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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

Effects Of Management Cultural Integration On Merger And Acquisition Failures, Horacio Shettlewood

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Fifty percent of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the United States fail, often resulting in a loss of stakeholder value. A questionnaire study design was used to explore managers' strategies for cultural integration during an M&A. Data were gathered from 94 managers and business leaders in M&A organizations in Texas. Managers' cultural integration strategies, communication, and leadership during M&As were investigated using transformational leadership as the conceptual framework. The study data were gathered from an online questionnaire, formatted into matrices using computer software, and then coded to identify themes. Themes that emerged from the study were that managers used effective …

Executive Banking Leaders And Risk-Management Strategies On Subprime Mortgage Lending, Sam Elbarouki

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

During 2000-2008, subprime mortgage loans were a profitable and popular commodity for banks and lenders alike. The majority of banks that offered this type of mortgage eventually suffered grave financial consequences, largely due to the lack of risk-mitigating processes within their mortgage portfolio. Guided by the stewardship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the risk-mitigation protocols that 4 bank CEOs employed in Northern California used to mitigate the offering of this risky product. Semistructured interviews were used to elicit detailed narratives from these purposively selected bank CEOs on their experiences in risk mitigation. A …

Preparing Faculty To Teach Online: Promoting Success In The Online Classroom, Julia Babcock Hamilton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Distance learning students at a community college in the southeast United States were not completing their coursework as well as were students enrolled in traditional courses. This disparity was negatively affecting the institution's state performance measures, putting at risk the institution's state-based funding under the state's performance model. The purpose of this qualitative, bounded case study was to explore faculty experiences with online course professional development and faculty's teaching practices related to successful student online course completion. Chickering and Gamson's 'Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education' served as the study's conceptual foundation. Distance learning faculty (n = 10), …

Strategies For Accessing Credit By Small And Medium Enterprises, Henry Jefferson Ogoi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium enterprise (SME) business owners play a significant role in the Kenyan economy as they account for approximately 78% of total employment and 57% of the new jobs created. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore what strategies some Kenyan SME business owners used within the past 5 years to access credit to improve company profitability and growth. The target population consisted of 4 SME owners of businesses located in Kakamega Town, Kenya, who have had access to credit within the past 5 years. The conceptual framework for this study was the social capital …

Strategies For E-Commerce Platform Adoption In The Manufacturing Sector In Western India, Neeraj Parikh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While 95% of Indian SME leaders have not adopted an e-commerce platform, the few SME leaders having adopted such platforms reported 64% higher sales and 65% higher profits. The purpose of this multi-case study, guided by the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory, was to explore the strategies that Indian SME leaders used to adopt e-commerce platforms to expand their businesses. Data for this study emerged from conducting face-to-face, semistructured interviews with 3 SME leaders who operated in the manufacturing industry in western India. The data analysis process included validating, coding, interpreting, and summarizing data and generating themes. Methodological triangulation of …

Transformational Leadership Skills Needed By Private Basic School Proprietors In Ghana, Moses Adu-Gyimah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Survival of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) is a critical issue for business leaders. The Ghana Statistical Service reported that over 60% of SMEs, including Ghanaian small and medium scale private basic schools, fail during their first 5 years of operation. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the transformational leadership skills that proprietors of Ghanaian small and medium scale private basic schools have used to enhance employee performance for sustainability beyond 5 years. The conceptual framework for this study was Bass and Avolio's transformational leadership theory. Data collection included semistructured interviews to elicit narratives from …

Effects Of Information Technology Risk Management And Institution Size On Financial Performance, Shaun D'Olene Kecia Barrett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A negative relationship exists between unmanaged IT risk and financial performance of institutions of varying sizes. The purpose for this quantitative correlation study was to examine the relationship between IT risk management, institution size, and the financial performance of credit unions in Jamaica. Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) risk IT model provided the theoretical framework for the study. Audited financial statements and a web-based survey provided data for this study. One hundred and thirty employees from 13 credit unions in Jamaica participated in the study. Results of the multiple regression tests confirmed a statistically significant relationship between IT …

Strategies To Influence A Quality And Compliance Culture, Betsy Jean Macht

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In drug, medical, and consumer products businesses, leaders should establish strategies that ensure production of quality products and drive profitability. Sales of defective or substandard products carry a potential risk of unintended effects on the consumer. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies used by leaders to influence a culture of quality and compliance, leading to production of saleable products, and business profitability. The conceptual framework of the theory of constraints served to guide the scope and data analysis for this study. Participants included ten individuals with a minimum of 5 years of experience at …

Multimedia Technologies' Influence On Language Acquisition In English Language Learners, Larissa Karina Parrilla

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

English as a Second Language (ESL) learners at the upper elementary level have struggled to demonstrate the vocabulary required to read in English at grade-level. Although multimedia technologies have demonstrated positive effects as language acquisition educational tools at the university level, it remains unclear how useful they are for language acquisition at the elementary level. This quasi-experimental study used dual coding theory as a framework to examine the relationship between the level of reading comprehension upper elementary students developed and their construction of word meanings through use of multimedia technologies. The study utilized convenience sampling of 85 students divided into …

Electronic Learning Management System Integration Impact On Tertiary Care Hospital Learners' Educational Performance, Ahmad Tassi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Technological innovations have been shown to improve the quality of health information and improve safety in health care systems. The purpose of this project was to offer hospital nurses a more flexible and practical alternative to education and training than the traditional face-to-face method, supporting nurse educators in overcoming many of the obstacles in responding to nurses' needs in the clinical areas. This project used a randomized, 2-group posttest-only experimental design to measure the effect of treatment at a targeted hospital. The experimental group received a new instructional approach using an Electronic Learning Management System (ELMS) and the control group …

Beliefs Among Mothers Of Adolescent Females On Cervical Cancer Vaccination, Aja Rochelle Gardner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hispanic and African American women are infected with sexually transmitted diseases more often than are Caucasian women. This racial disparity is also seen in the incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer. The medical connection between HPV and cervical cancer is often unknown or misunderstood among women. This study addressed the beliefs and subsequent health decisions of minority parents regarding whether to get their daughters vaccinated against HPV. The theoretical framework for this study was Rosenstock's health belief model (HBM). The specific study design used was Husserl and Heidegher's theory on Phenomenology. This qualitative study utilized focus groups containing …

The Aesthetic Experience, Flow, And Smart Technology: Viewing Art In A Virtual Environment, Carol Ikard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Smart technology can support art educators and museum professionals in mediating the aesthetic experience. It can also increase museum attendance, enrich the viewer's delight and engagement with artworks and art collections, and provide an avenue for extending art on a global level. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which a mobile art app with text-based narrative influences scores on an aesthetic experience questionnaire. This quantitative research measured the difference in pretest and posttest human-computer interaction scores on the Aesthetic Experience Questionnaire Form after participants used two versions of a mobile art app. Csikszentmihalyi's flow was …

Telehealth: Improving Quality Of Life In Veterans With Congestive Heart Failure, Marcia Callender Callender

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Congestive heart failure (CHF) affects an estimated 5.1 million Americans over the age of 20. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether there is a difference in the Quality of Life (QOL) for Congestive heart failure patients receiving care through telehealth compared to patients receiving face-to-face care (usual care). Guiding this project was the Self-Care Model of Chronic Illness because the primary outcome of the self-care model is illness stability, well-being, and quality of life. Seventy-seven veterans with Heart Failure (HF) from the Washington D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) participated in the project. Forty reported they …

The Credibility Of Government Budget: The Case Of Sierra Leone, Patrick Saidu Conteh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Fiscal reports have, since 2010, documented weak budget credibility in Sierra Leone public financial management noting that the government budget does not constitute a dependable framework for the planning, allocation and efficient use of the nation's resources. The purpose of this study was to develop a budgetary reform agenda and the research question that guided the study related to the reasons for the high monetary variances between the approved budget and the year-end financial reports. Government budgets and financial reports were reviewed for 2010-2014 and senior government officials were interviewed regarding the main stages of the annual budgetary process. The …

Effect Of An Interactive Component On Students' Conceptual Understanding Of Hypothesis Testing, Sarah Anne Inkpen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Premier Technical College of Qatar (PTC-Q) has seen high failure rates among students taking a college statistics course. The students are English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in business studies and health sciences. Course delivery has involved conventional content/curriculum-centered instruction with minimal to no interactive components. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to assess the effectiveness of an interactive approach to teaching and learning statistics used in North America and the United Kingdom when used with EFL students in the Middle East. Guided by von Glasersfeld's constructivist framework, this study compared conceptual understanding between a convenience sample …

Exploring Skills That Liberian Small-Business Entrepreneurs Use To Succeed In Business, Mars Mellish

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over 35 years of gross economic mismanagement and business failures led Liberia's gross domestic product to collapse by 90% in less than two decades. As a result of a general lack of business skills, up to 80% of Liberian small-business entrepreneurs fail in business beyond the first year. Based on the theory of constraints, the purpose of this exploratory multiple case study was to explore the business skills that Liberian small-business entrepreneurs used to succeed in business beyond the first year. Data came from semistructured face-to-face interviews with 5 central regional Liberian small-business entrepreneurs who had succeeded in business beyond …

Branding Strategies Of Private International Schools In India, Balasubramanian Varadarajan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Private international schools in India are considered by many to be a quality brand. They have grown rapidly leading to competition among schools for student enrollments. The purpose of this case study was to explore the branding strategies used by leaders of Indian private international schools. The study population consisted of private international school leaders in India as well as the faculty and parents from the study site. The double vortex brand model served as the conceptual framework for the study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 5 school leaders, 5 faculty, and 5 parents from an international school in Chennai. …

Phenomenological Study Of The Educational Component Of The Formal Disarmament, Demobilization, And Reintegration Program Of Ex-Militants In Liberia, John Tamba Wollie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A significant number of Liberian ex-militants are unemployed and underemployed despite the job skills, formal education, and entrepreneurial training they received as participants in the Formal Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) program that was established to reintegrate combatants into civilian society at the end of the two civil wars in Liberia in 2003. The purpose of this study was to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the vocational training offered by the DDR program. Informed by the theories of Human Capital, Peace Building, and Bronfrenbrenner, the research questions for this study assessed the benefits of the educational component of DDR. …

Understanding The Influence Of Human Emotions In Organizations: The Emotional Extent Effects, Lambert Ikechi Ofoegbu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emotional disengagement of employees may cause poor organizational performance, while emotional commitment of employees may enhance organizational performance. Informed by the theory of psychological ownership in organizations, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore how employee emotional interactions in the workplace related to organizational performance within 3 multinational companies in Nigeria. The 3 selected companies represented the 3 industrial sectors in Nigeria were financial, construction, and oil and gas. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 24 participants with a minimum of 5 years' experience in their respective organizations. Data analysis included transcription, coding, and querying, which produced …

Parental Involvement Of Ghanaian And Nigerian Immigrant Parents In Urban Public Schools, Joseph O. Quaye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Immigrant parents face unique challenges in getting involved in their children's education. Research is limited about how immigrant parents cope with these challenges in supporting their children's education. The purpose of this qualitative study, as reflected in the central research question, was to describe the lived experiences of Ghanaian and Nigerian immigrant parents in relation to their involvement in their children's education. The conceptual framework was based on Epstein's theory of parental involvement concerning how the school, family, and community relate to each other. A phenomenological design was used, and participants included 11 Ghanaian and Nigerian immigrant parents living …

The Effect Of Acculturative In The Psychological Adjustment Of Immigrant Hispanic Parents, Estela Garcia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hispanic immigrant parents are a growing yet understudied population. Few studies have addressed the relationship between Hispanic immigrant parents and the acculturation process. The purpose of this study was to determine how acculturative stress, racism, language proficiency, poor coping style, and low levels of social support affect the psychological adjustment of Hispanic immigrant parents. Using the framework of acculturation theory, this quantitative study examined 92 immigrant Hispanic parents from an urban northeast school in the United States. Several established instruments that measured racism, coping style, language proficiency, social support, and psychological distress were used. The results of the multiple regression …

“Big Data” And The Risk Of Employment Discrimination, Allan G. King, Marko Mrkonich

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.