Digital Commons Network^™

A Purposeful Approach To Student Conduct With Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Learners, Heidi Lynn Jordan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students spend more time in conflict resolution than their general education colleagues do. Although emerging research suggests that both students and teachers benefit from an approach to student conduct that is more purposeful than traditional behavior modification models, further research was necessary to clarify how such an effective purposeful program would work. The purpose of this inquiry was to explore how teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students perceived and used a purposeful approach to student conduct. Deutsch's conflict resolution theory served as the conceptual framework. A single case study design was …

Strategies For Employee Engagement In A Small Business Enterprise, Jennifer L. Kizer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2013, 35% of the workforce was not engaged, which results in lack of productivity and loss of profitability for small business enterprises (SBEs). The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore successful strategies that frontline leaders in a 4 generation, family-owned excavating business used to engage their frontline employees. The excavating business was started in 1947 by the father of the current business owners. William Kahn's employee engagement theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through a focus group and direct observations of engagement during meetings and frontline areas from a population of …

Effects Of Ceo Changes On Senior Management Leadership Teams Of U.S. Airports, Gale Larine Laroche

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Changes in the top leadership position in U.S. airports occur frequently. The purpose of the present phenomenological study was to understand the shared, lived experiences of senior managers who work in a U.S. airport and who have undergone a change in the top leadership position. Airports are of critical importance to their local regions and communities and are economic engines for their respective regions. The results of the study may provide positive social change for airport staff and the surrounding community by drawing attention to the complexity in leadership transition. The study was grounded in organizational stress, uncertainty theory of …

Examining The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence And Interpersonal Forgiveness Among Internet Users, Noelle Lowry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emotional Intelligence (EI) and forgiveness both involve interpreting emotional content. Empirical study of a relationship between these two constructs is lacking. This is a problem as many psychological studies infer a relationship between these two constructs. The purposes of this study were to explore whether EI and forgiveness are correlated and to identify whether predictor variables (empathy, life satisfaction, emotional management, and emotional understanding) contribute to the probability of forgiveness within an interpersonal relationship. A quantitative, nonexperimental research design, based on the theory of mind, was used to answer two research questions: Does a correlational relationship exist between the two …

Influence Of Patient Engagement Protocol On Health Outcomes And Medication Adherence Of Patients With Metabolic Syndrome, Angela H. Mcconnell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

August 2016

Management of metabolic syndrome (MetS) may be enhanced by promoting patient engagement. Training health care providers in the conceptual and practical application of integrative patient centered care tools may promote patient lifestyle behaviors for better management of MetS. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was to assess the impact of training providers in integrative patient centered care for patients with MetS. The biopsychosocial construct provided the conceptual framework for the study. Two groups of physicians were included; one received training in an integrative model (IM) while the second received no training and provided usual care (UC). Following …

Exploring Best Practices To Utilize Business Intelligence Systems, John James Mchenry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational leaders who can manage business intelligence system (BIS) resources may achieve sustainable success in economic, political, and corporate environments. The review of professional literature indicated that effective resource management in a BIS environment requires the establishment of best practice. The purpose of this qualitative, single-case study was to explore best practices among 9 BIS practitioners for effective resource management. Participation criteria included the active engagement in BIS professional disciplines and the willingness to share their perspectives. The conceptual framework for this study was the cognitive experiential self-theory (CEST). Five leaders and 4 data analysts at an eastern U.S. county …

Fresh Fruits And Vegetables In A Rural Elementary School: A Mixed-Methods Program Evaluation, Patricia Marie Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program is a federally funded program intended to increase public school students' fruit and vegetable consumption. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to evaluate the implementation of this program at a rural southwestern Title 1 elementary school to determine teacher perceptions of the program and whether the program met federal goals. Social ecological model and social cognitive theory grounded the investigation. The mixed method design included semi-structured interviews with 11 teachers accompanied by an anonymous web-based open response questionnaire and document reviews. Descriptive statistics were reported for Likert scale survey items and invoice documents …

Trait Emotional Intelligence, Motivation, Engagement, And Intended Retention Of Court-Appointed Special Advocate Volunteers, Kim Obenoskey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

U.S. volunteer-dependent organizations continue to look for more effective ways to support their volunteer recruitment, training, and retention efforts. No prior research has evaluated what variables support sustained volunteerism for CASA volunteers. The purpose of this study was to investigate sustained volunteerism by evaluating the relationships between trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) measured using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire, motivation to volunteer using the Volunteers Functional Inventory, volunteer work engagement using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, and intended retention of CASA volunteers. One hundred fifty five CASA volunteers from different CASA organizations responded to an on-line survey. Correlational and regression …

Parent-Adolescent Sexual Health Communication In Immigrant Nigerian American Families, Susan Modupe Ogunnowo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Poor sexual health communication among first generation Nigerian American parents and their adolescent children due to disparities in cultural integration constitutes a barrier to effective parent-child relationships. The purpose of this phenomenological study, which was guided by the acculturative family distancing (AFD) model, was to explore the lived experience of Nigerian immigrant families in the United States regarding communication effectiveness about sex and integration into the American way of life. The research questions addressed cultural bias, parent-adolescent communication effectiveness, strategies employed, resources available to new immigrants, and barriers to their usage. Data collection was by individual interviews of 5 Nigerian-born …

Strategies To Retain Employees In Clinical Laboratories, Amber Rose Phipps

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With 30 million citizens gaining access to U.S. healthcare through the Affordable Care Act by 2016, healthcare managers need preanalytic employees to ensure quality healthcare services can be provided. The purpose of this qualitative single case study explored strategies used to retain preanalytic employees. The target population consisted of 10 clinical laboratory managers in a single community-based clinical laboratory in the mid-southern United States, selected because of prior success in improved employee retention strategies. The conceptual framework grounding this study was the theory of work adjustment. Data triangulation occurred from using semistructured interviews and company documents. All interpretations from the …

Exploring Women's Lived Experiences And Expectations With In-Patient Maternity Care Within The U.S. Military Healthcare System, Michelle Ashley Recame

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Satisfaction with in-patient maternity care within the Military Healthcare System (MHS) continues to score significantly below national benchmarks when compared to civilian hospitals and doctors. Lack of independent, qualitative research in this area has left the MHS with few answers as to why patients are satisfied, but still unhappy, with specific aspects of care. Discrepancy theory was used in conjunction with grounded theory as the foundation and framework for understanding the expectations and experiences of women who have given birth in the MHS within the past year. Using grounded theory and a hermeneutical approach to interview participants, qualitative data were …

Emotional Intelligence And Instigation Of Workplace Incivility In A Business Organization, Nancy Ann Ricciotti

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace incivility is increasing in prevalence and is associated with increased job stress, depression, and anxiety; it is also associated with decreased productivity, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Despite the monetary and psychosocial cost of incivility to organizations and individuals, little research has focused on mitigation strategies. The purpose of this correlational study was to determine the relationships between emotional intelligence and instigation of workplace incivility. The theoretical framework was emotional intelligence theory. The central research question posited that higher levels of emotional intelligence are inversely related to instigated workplace incivility. Data were collected electronically from 260 full time employed …

Midlevel Manager Strategies To Improve Employee Engagement In Small Businesses, Patricia Ann Silva

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The ability to improve employee engagement in small businesses is critical, not only to workers but also to midlevel managers who want to retain productive employees in the workplace. Supervisors who lack efficient managerial practices also risk decreases in productivity, profitability, and sustainability. The conceptual framework for this qualitative, exploratory single-case study was Kahn's theory of personal engagement and disengagement. The population consisted of 2 midlevel managers from a single, small, franchise company in metropolitan Alabama, both of whom used engagement practices, and managed at least 5 subordinates in the company. Data collected, analyzed, and triangulated were from semistructured interviews, …

Examining Parental Involvement In An Elementary School's Prekindergarten Program, Stephanie Michele Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Parental involvement is integral to promoting a high quality school environment. A lack of parent involvement is a problem that currently exists in an urban, public elementary school in Texas. This issue is important because once the parents increase their engagement, the home school relationship can be improved. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate how pre-kindergarten parents at the study elementary school perceive parent involvement and how principals and teachers at the school can help parents improve their involvement. This study is based upon Epstein's theory of 6 types of parent involvement. This study examined parents' …

An Exploration Of Male Batterers' Perceptions Of A Standardized Batterers' Treatment Program, Dionne Lynn Spooner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The focus of this hermeneutic phenomenological, qualitative study was to gather an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of male batterers participating in a standardized Duluth-model batterers' treatment group. The study had three main goals: (a) to understand the experience of male batterers participating in a standardized male batterers' treatment program, (b) to improve the treatment being provided to male batterers, and (c) to improve services to those impacted by domestic violence. Results from previous studies indicated that treatment for male batterers is ineffective and inconsistent and that the treatment provided, regardless of framework or modality, has little or no …

Exploring Mentoring And Career Advancement: A Community College Case Study, Latonya Steele

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Senior administrators' retirement rates between 2012 and 2022 will create a shortage of community college leaders. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore how the mentoring programs at community colleges may contribute to the career advancement of potential academic leaders for senior leadership positions. Kram's mentor role theory grounded the study. Data collection included semistructured face-to-face interviews with a purposeful sample of 3 academic, senior administrative leaders from 3 North Carolina community colleges who have participated in leadership mentoring programs, a review of organizational documents, and a review of the literature. Using Yin's 5 step analytic …

Workplace Bullying: A Quantitative Study Of Adult Victims, Joyce Lynn Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace bullying has gained widespread attention as contributing to the increase in organizational costs and the reduction in employee productivity. Organizations and human resource departments have conducted studies and developed prevention programs to address bullies, but few studies or programs have focused on the role of victims in the onset of bullying. This quantitative study examined the relationship between bullying victimization in the workplace, focusing on personality traits, specific problem solving, and a victim's locus of control belief. A sample (N = 94) of male and female college students completed the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised, Heppner's Problem-Solving Inventory, Levenson's Locus of …

Supporting The Professional Needs Of Alternatively Certified Secondary Education Teachers, Michelle Latrice Washington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The reliance on alternative teacher certification to address teacher quality and quantity is an educational issue worthy of study because non-traditionally prepared teachers fill the nation's classrooms. This qualitative case study explored the experiences of secondary education teachers with no preservice training who earned a professional educator certificate in Alabama through the alternative baccalaureate-level program. The central research questions of this study related to the professional needs of alternatively certified teachers and how educational leaders supported those professional needs. The conceptual framework of this project study included the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education's differentiated induction model based …

How Does Play In Dramatic Play Centers Help Preschool Children Develop Oral Language And Literacy Skills?, Linda M. Wright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, early childhood educators are expected to follow the trend to enforce academic curriculum for preschoolers. This effort diminishes the value of play in the young developmental years of children. The purpose of this study was to explore the type of activities and strategies that promote development of language and literacy skills of preschool children while playing in a dramatic play center. Vygotsky's sociocultural theory teaches that children acquire skills through play and discovery in a developmentally appropriate environment. The study was conducted within a qualitative framework using a case study approach. How parents and teachers encourage …

Examining Teachers' Lesson Plans Following Universal Design For Learning Training, Georgeann A. Winter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With a growing population of culturally and academically diverse student populations in K -12 education, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has the potential to improve the quality of teaching and learning for all students. However, there is a lack of research on UDL teacher in-service training to determine whether teachers are more effective at implementing UDL once they receive adequate training. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine changes in teachers' lesson plans following UDL professional training. Seventeen teachers from 5 school districts in the state of Mississippi participated in the study. Teachers' lesson plans were evaluated at …

Promoting Annual Depression Screening In A Federally Qualified Healthcare Center, Denise Lesley Alleyne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to the World Health Organization, depression affects about 350 million people worldwide. In 2014, only 50% of the adult patients were screened for depression in the community-based Federally Qualified Healthcare Center (FQHC) for which this doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) project was developed. In an effort to meet the 100% benchmark set nationally for the screening of adult patients in the primary care settings, the FQHC's quality improvement team now requires that 80% of adult patients in the clinic be screened for depression. Framed within the Iowa model of evidence-based practice, the purposes of this project were to: (a) …

Marketing Strategies Used By Franchise Small Businesses To Retain Customers, Hilda Jordan Arline

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Franchised small businesses will not survive their first 5 years if they cannot implement marketing strategies that appeal to their customers. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the marketing strategies that successful franchise small business leaders used to retain customers. The population comprised 4 business leaders at franchise small businesses in North Carolina. Competitive advantage theory and blue ocean theory grounded this study. Data were collected using semistructured face-to-face interviews and review of company marketing materials. Data were thematically analyzed, and 6 themes emerged: personalization of customer service, market segmentation, innovative advertising, networking, brand identity, and …

Strategies To Improve Employee Performance In The U.S. Aerospace Industry, Nicole Therese Balderrama

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Outsourcing is a sought out practice within business and, in particular, the U.S. aerospace industry; however, some outsourced firms cannot meet client expectations. The purpose of this single case study was to explore what strategies outsourced firm company leaders use to improve the performance of employees. The sample comprised 4 senior managers employed with a firm that has been producing parts for 109 years for a major aerospace company in Southern California. The conceptual framework for this study built upon systems thinking to identify the structure of the outsourcing and supplier relationship and Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory to understand work motivation …

An Evidence-Based Educational Intervention To Improve Nursing Staff's Critical Thinking And Decision-Making Skills, Rene Norene Barron-Kagan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An Evidence-Based Educational Intervention to Improve Nursing Staff's Critical Thinking and Decision-Making Skills

by

Rene N. Kagan

MSN, University of New Mexico, 2009

BS, University of Phoenix, 2000

Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Walden University

September 2016

Hospitalized patients in acute care settings are at a high risk of developing health complications that can eventually lead to failure to rescue (FTR) situations. The aim of this project was to deliver a structured comprehensive medical-surgical competency plan for acute care nurses to detect deterioration in a patient's condition through the …

The Relationship Between Male Involvement In Early Childhood Education And Student Academic Achievement, Carla Christinia Barnes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have found that the limited involvement of fathers in their children's academic activities may negatively affect children's academic development. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the role of father involvement in the academic achievement of young children in early childhood classes and to assess barriers to such involvement. Guided by Erikson, Vygotsky, and Bronfenbrenner theories of learning and development, the research questions examined fathers' perceived level of educational involvement, barriers to educational involvement, and the relationship between the level of recorded father involvement and student achievement. Data were collected using a modified Parental Involvement Survey that …

Experiences Of Nonincarcerated African American Male Youth With An Incarcerated Male Sibling, Fred Nana Biney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately half of all incarcerated individuals in the United States are young African American men. Researchers have documented that nonincarcerated siblings may commit a crime when their sibling is in prison. The current study addressed literature regarding the experiences, and coping strategies of nonincarcerated young African American men who live in the inner city, and have a male sibling in prison. Guided by Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study explored the lived experiences and coping strategies of African

American male youth with a brother in incarceration. Purposive sampling was used to select 3 nonincarcerated African American …

Experiences Of Middle School Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders In Adapted Physical Education, Arkansas Josephine Blagrave

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School-age children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are rarely asked to describe their experiences within the programs that they receive and are largely missing from the narrative of their own lives. Adapted physical education (APE), a subdiscipline of physical education, is one of the services frequently accessed by this population. Current literature on the experiences of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has focused on special education classrooms, sensory perceptions, and general physical education classes. However, no prior studies had addressed how school-age children with ASD perceive their APE experience. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was to use …

High School Teachers' Perceptions Of Mental Health And Adolescent Depression, Christine Ann Breuer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adolescents have a high rate of untreated mental health issues, specifically related to depression. Current literature does not indicate the impact of teachers' attitudes toward mental health on their decisions to refer students for services. This study provides understanding specifically, how teachers' beliefs about mental health, as well as their age, gender, ethnicity, years of education, and years of teaching, were analyzed to determine the impact each these characteristics had on the decision to refer a student for services. 92 high school teachers participated in this quantitative study by completing a survey measuring their attitudes of mental health, and then …

Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness, And Personal Growth Initiative Among Postpartum Women, Tamar Mary Boyd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prior research on maternal postpartum care, the transition to motherhood, pelvic floor dysfunction, and pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) has revealed that postpartum women are often denied the basic information, instruction, and preventive strategies necessary for optimal postbirth rehabilitation and psychological well-being. Employing a dual framework of self-determination theory and personal growth initiative (PGI) theory, this quantitative study utilized a cross-sectional design to investigate if autonomy, competence, and relatedness satisfaction predicted PGI in postpartum women. Differences in autonomy, competence, relatedness, and PGI between PFMT practicing and nonpracticing postpartum women were also examined. A web-based survey method was employed to collect …

Self-Evaluative Salience And Motivational Salience As Predictors Of Depressive Affect And Appearance Based Rejection Sensitivity., Mandana Toosi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the psychological effects of appearance schemas have been studied in the general population, we know little about the relation of these schemas to appearance-based rejection sensitivity. This study examined the relations among predictive variables of appearance-invested self-schemas (self-evaluative salience [SES] and motivational salience [MS]), appearance-based rejection sensitivity, and depressive affect. Self-discrepancy theory was used to theorize that when individuals experience discrepancies with self, conflict arises in self-schemas, and that this conflict relates to an increase in depressive affect and appearance-based rejection sensitivity. The sample consisted of 131 adult female college students participating in a continuing education program. Multiple regression …