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Factors Related To Muscle Dysmorphia Symptomology In Adolescent Males, Sylvania Ann Briseno-Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by

Sylvania Ann Jones

has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects,

and that any and all revisions required by

the review committee have been made.

Review Committee

Dr. Anthony Perry, Committee Chairperson, Psychology Faculty

Dr. Stephen Burgess, Committee Member, Psychology Faculty

Dr. James Carroll, University Reviewer, Psychology Faculty

Chief Academic Officer

Eric Riedel, Ph.D.

Walden University

2017

Factors Related to Muscle Dysmorphia Symptomology in Adolescent Males

by

Sylvania Ann Jones

BS, Wayland Baptist University 1999

MA, Wayland Baptist University 2009 …

The Impact Of Maternity Healthcare Employees Professional Development On Pregnant Teen Health, Patricia.Kelley Kelley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Knowledge gaps exist related to the care and education of pregnant teens. This project study addressed the problem of an inadequate amount of professional development (PD) and training for healthcare professionals (HCPs) caring for pregnant teens at a maternity clinic in the Southeastern United States. Unless HCPs are appropriately trained, the ability to meet the needs of pregnant teens is deficient and negative health outcomes for these patients are likely to be exacerbated. The humanistic learning theory was used in this phenomenological exploratory study to explore perception of 9 HCPs who had the responsibility for patient teaching, clinical care, and …

Teachers' And Parents' Perceptions Of Special Education Referral For African American Students, Darlene Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patterns of representation of African Americans in K-12 special education programs vary across the United States. A school district in Arizona has a 13% African American population, yet the African American special education representation is 17%. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to generate an understanding of the processes related to special education referral and assignment of African American elementary students as perceived by 7 teachers and 6 parents in the school district. Inductive analysis including open, axial, and selective coding led to the categorization of three themes: complexity in the referral process, inadequate teacher-parent communication and lack …

Staff Member Perceptions Of Bullying In An Afterschool Center, Sherrich Monsher Thegg

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Peer-to-peer bullying negatively impacts over 20% of school-aged children annually. While much literature exists on bullying on school premises, peer-to-peer bullying outside of the classroom is still relatively understudied. Despite states' implementation of antibullying legislation, peer-to-peer bullying has continued in schools and other areas such as afterschool centers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate staff perceptions of peer-to-peer bullying in afterschool centers. It specifically investigated bullying and the hierarchical imbalance of power using Sidanius and Pratto's social dominance theory. The research questions were designed to investigate the staff members' knowledge of bullying at the Boys and Girls …

Assessing Learning Styles Of Adult Students In Online, Classroom, And Combination Learning Environments, Theresa M. Bane

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was an investigation of Kolb's experiential learning model and learning styles (LS) in adult students of different learning environments. Previous research utilizing Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory (LSI) produced results that were often contradictory to expectations based on Kolb's model. Many of these studies were limited in sample sizes or to particular participant education or career fields. The purpose of this study was to identify significant differences in LS of adult students of 3 different learning environments-online, classroom, and combination (blended). A convenience sample of adult learners (N = 180) from a social media site and an online university's …

Needs Assessment For A Lifestyle Intervention Weight Loss Program For Hospital Employees, Karen Baumann

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The rate of obesity is increasing in the United States. In Florida, almost 60% of the population will be obese by 2030. This increase is expected to contribute to millions of cases of preventable chronic diseases costing the state an estimated $34 billion dollars. Employer-sponsored health programs can positively influence employees' lifestyle choices and support weight loss programs to reduce health-related costs to the employee and the employer. Guided by the transtheoretical model, the purpose of the project was to conduct an employee assessment to determine the need for, interest in, and readiness for a lifestyle intervention weight loss program. …

Elementary School Social Workers' Perspectives On The Development Of Resilience In Early Childhood, Dan Podraza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have stressed the importance of addressing the social/emotional needs of early childhood (EC) children, including the development of resilience; however, some U.S. school personnel focus more on academics than on these needs. When young children possess these skills, they can handle social/emotional challenges later in life. The purpose of this qualitative bounded case study was to explore school social workers' (SWs) perspectives about resilience in EC settings. Research questions focused on knowledge of existing programs, participants' perceptions of the successes and challenges of working with EC students, and their recommendations to improve EC students' education. Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory …

Leadership Among Directors Of Social Services At Rehabilitative Healthcare Chains, John Paul Tuanqui Abenojarj

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rehabilitation and healthcare centers (RHCs) provide ongoing care to the elderly and chronically ill. To maximize the quality of this care, RHC staff must be properly trained to respond to patient care crises and communicate across departments. Although researchers have studied the leadership styles, strategies, and interactions of facility administrators and nursing directors, there is a substantial gap in the literature on the leadership styles and strategies employed by directors of social services (DSSs). The aim of this phenomenological study was to address this gap in the research by exploring how DSSs influenced leadership policies, prepared subordinates for crisis intervention …

How Same-Sex Spouses Of Female Enlisted Soldiers Perceive Support In Military Communities Post-Dadt/Doma Repeals, Cristina F. Gutman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The end of the Vietnam War heralded the beginning of the all-volunteer Army. In the interest of soldier retention, research focused on the military spouse, their challenges and needs. Four decades of research indicate that soldier deployments, separation from loved ones, and limited career options were among factors negatively impacting psychological and physiological well-being of this population. Support offered through military formal and informal support networks, however, provides some relief. The repeals of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and Defense of Marriage Act expanded the military family to include same-sex spouses yet a review of the literature revealed no research on …

Spiritual Well-Being, Intelligence, And Job Satisfaction Among U.S. Federal Employees, Jesse Earl Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Until a slight 1% increase in FY2015, job satisfaction within the United States federal government had decreased between 2010 and 2014. However, even with the slight increase, the job satisfaction level was low which presents a cause for concern for federal government agencies. A growing body of research has indicated that employees are looking for ways to express their spiritual essence in the workplace. Research in this area has suggested that when organizations allow their employees to exercise their spiritual essence in the workplace it not only increases job satisfaction for the employee but also increases job performance. This study …

The Development And Use Of A Research Self-Efficacy Scale To Assess The Effectiveness Of A Research Training Program For Academic Librarians, Kristine R. Brancolini, Marie R. Kennedy

Librarian Publications & Presentations

Research self-efficacy – or research confidence – has been shown to be a predictor of research productivity. There is also some evidence that it is a mediating factor between the research training environment and research productivity. To explore the connection between research training and research self-efficacy, the authors developed, validated, and later expanded a scale to measure research self-efficacy among academic librarians. They used the expanded 38-item scale to measure the research self-efficacy of participants from a three-year research training workshop for academic librarians, comparing results before and after the workshop. Participants experienced significant increases in research self-efficacy across all …

The Organization Of Prosecutorial Discretion, William H. Simon

Faculty Scholarship

Contemporary understanding of prosecutorial discretion is influenced by anachronistic conceptions of judgment and organization. These conceptions have lost ground dramatically in professions like medicine, teaching, and social work. Yet, they remain prominent to a unique degree in law. They are embedded both in the general professional culture and in legal doctrine. Innovative prosecutorial practices have emerged in recent decades, but their progress has been inhibited by attachment to these older conceptions.

The older conceptions understand professional judgment as a substantially tacit and ineffable decision by a single professional grounded in a relatively static and comprehensive discipline. The associated model of …

Effectiveness Of Prisoner Reentry Programs For Reduction Of Repeat Incarcerations In Nigeria, Emmanuel Dejo Oluwaniyi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The persistently high rate of repeat incarcerations poses a threat to the safety of lives and properties. The problem that led to this study was the prevailing high rate of repeat incarcerations in Nigeria, despite interventions to reduce their occurrences. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of prisoner reentry programs in reducing reincarcerations of ex-prisoners. The focus of the research questions was on whether treatment and the type (faith- or non-faith-based) made a difference in a prisoner's reincarceration status after release. The theoretical foundation was based on the transtheoretical model of change. Reincarceration outcomes were analyzed …

Breast Cancer, Mana'olana/Hope, And The Experience Of Native Hawaiian Women, Karla Marie Calumet

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among women. A diagnosis of cancer is a stressful event that requires an individual to adapt to new stressors. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the perceptions of mana'olana/hope and living with breast cancer among Native Hawaiian women. The conceptual framework of this phenomenological study was positive psychology. Data collection included in-depth interviews with 5 Native Hawaiian women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Data coding and analysis resulted in identification of 8 themes.

The themes included: (a) mana'olana /hope is the essence …

Career Reentry Strategies For Highly Educated Stay-At-Home Mothers, Cheryl Mendinueto Guc

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Most stay-at-home mothers wish to return to the workplace; yet, the majority are not successful. There is a looming labor shortage and increasing organizational initiatives to increase female participation at most levels, providing opportunity for this talent pool. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the reentry strategies of networking, volunteerism, additional education, and additional training upon the reentry success for highly educated, stay-at-home mothers. In conjunction with the theoretical framework of the social cognitive career theory, self-efficacy, as measured by the New General Self-Efficacy Scale, was also examined as a reentry strategy. Survey research was used to …

High School To College Transition Among Black Males: An Action Research Project, Orval Albert Jewett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A participatory action research project involving social workers as stakeholders from high schools and the local community college in Nassau County, New York, provided the basis for an inquiry that addressed the effectiveness and implementation of clinical social work practice with Black male students transitioning to community college from high school. This study addresses how clinical social work practice may be utilized to enhance the experience of the transition process for Black male students from high school to college. Through the use of a qualitative in-depth interview process, 16 school-based social workers provided professional perspective and expertise that resulted in …

Puerto Rican Women Living With Hiv And Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence, Sharon Danesa Cuba-Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Puerto Rican women experience increased risk of bio-psychosocial challenges due to their ethnicity. This phenomenological study examined Puerto Rican HIV-positive women's perceptions of intimate partner violence (IPV), which consists of physical, sexual, verbal, and psychological abuse. Although HIV-positive status and IPV have been a focus of previous research, specific research examining the phenomenological experiences of HIV-positive Puerto Rican women who experienced IPV has not been studied. The basis of the study was feminist intersectionality theory, which supported the process used to explore and understand the essence of the participants' experiences. Feminist intersectionality theory examines intersecting social systems including gender, ethnicity, …

The Poverty Simulation: Increasing Teacher Sensitivity For Students Living In Poverty, Aviva Goelman Rice, Linda Ann Mccall, Jacquelyn E. Ogden

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Journal

Studies of children growing up in poverty describe increasingly devastating effects on many areas of development (e.g., cognitive, linguistic, socio-emotional, affective, psychomotor). Teachers need to be aware of these findings; they also need to develop empathy for their students living in poverty. One way to do this is to experience a poverty simulation wherein participants (i.e., teachers) learn what it is like to “walk in their students’ shoes.” This report describes the history of a poverty simulation in southeast Georgia. Analysis of quantitative data, collected via surveys administered before and after recent poverty simulations, revealed the following findings: increased teacher …

An Analysis Of Campus Civility: Best Practices From Student Affairs Professionals, Amy Zieziula

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Incivility on college campuses is an issue that can disrupt the learning environment and the retention of students, as well as harm the reputation of a college campus. This is a pertinent issue for leaders in higher education to address and to promote a more civil campus both inside and outside of the classroom. There is no research that addresses how Student Affairs Professionals best promote civility on college campuses, and this study fills that research gap. This qualitative study was conducted using Student Affairs Professionals at eight SUNY institutions. The Generational Theory and Work Place Incivility Theory were utilized …

Exploring Job Satisfaction And Preceptorship Capacity Among Applied Epidemiologists, Jessica C. Arrazola

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Job satisfaction is important to consider when developing strategies for recruitment and retention. The Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS) conducted in 2014 was the first nationally representative assessment of the state public health workforce. Prior to this assessment, the job satisfaction of state agency public health workers and preceptor capacity had not been measured. This study fills the current research gaps by studying the job satisfaction among the applied epidemiology workforce, identifying factors influencing job satisfaction, and the describing the preceptorship capacity among epidemiologists. This research is based on the 2014 PH WINS data. The analysis …

How Does Parental Attachment Affect Black Male Delinquency In Rural And Urban Contexts?, Chelsea J. King

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

For more than a century, there has been concern about the nature and extent of crime in the African American community. African American adolescents are more likely viewed to be involved in delinquency than adolescents from other racial/ethnic groups. Guided by social bonding theory, this study examined how African American males’ relationship with their parents and living in rural and non-rural context, affects delinquent behavior. This study analyzes data from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescents to Adult Health (Add Health). Three main hypotheses are tested in regards to parental attachment, family structure, and living in rural and non-rural contexts. …

Polish Systems Of Innovations – Trends, Challenges And Policies, Krzysztof Klincewicz, Magdalena Marczewska

Monografie/Monographs

The book presents an overall analysis of the Polish sysytem of innovations. It elaborates on key actors in the R&I system, identifies main challenges that Polish system of innovations faces nawadays and assesses the policy response. The wide range of topics covered by the book include: structure of the economy, business environment, market creation and stimulation, public sector innovations, civil society innovations and recent developments in the Polish innovation policy.

Funding Challenges Of Voluntary Welfare Organizations In Singapore's Disability Sector, Joo Lay Isabel Sim, Lye Chye Alfred Loh, Siu Loon Hoe

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The Singapore government has spent considerable amount of resources in recent years to build new social service capabilities. This exploratory study examines the funding challenges faced by Voluntary Welfare Organizations (VWOs) operating in the disability sector. An analysis of the financial statements of 39 VWOs shows that large VWOs receive the highest proportion of government support as compared to medium and small VWOs. The latter being more dependent on donations. Interviews were conducted with five VWOs and two government funders to gather their views on developing a sustainable funding model. While the government funders provide a high level of financial …

Mediating Intimacies Through Mobile Communication: Chinese Migrant Mothers’ Digital ‘Bridge Of Magpies’, Yang Wang, Sun Sun Lim

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This chapter introduces a closer investigation of the quotidian routines of mobile communication by Chinese study mothers and their families in their home country, with a particular focus on the contextual constraints that shape their transnational communication practices. It seeks to demonstrate how transnational life situations posed significant constraints on the migrants' expression of intimacies, while also showing that the migrants could be highly creative in circumventing these contextual limitations. Similar to the romantic Chinese legend of the weaver girl and the cowherd who reunite only once a year on a bridge formed by magpies, transnational families who are separated …

Using Cell Phones For Data Collection: Benefits, Outcomes, And Intervention Possibilities With Homeless Youth, Kimberly A. Tyler, Rachel M. Schmitz

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

While many homeless youth use cell phones to stay socially connected, and maintaining positive social ties can contribute to pathways out of homelessness, little is known about how using cell phones for data collection can improve these young people’s lives. We conducted baseline and follow-up interviews with 150 homeless youth as well as provided them with a cell phone for 30 days to gather daily data using short message service (SMS) surveying. This paper examines youths’ opinions about study participation and how they used the cell phone. Results revealed that youth liked participating in the study because the SMS texting …

“I Wanted To Raise My Hand And Say I’M Not A Feminist”: College Men’S Use Of Hybrid Masculinities To Negotiate Attachments To Feminism And Gender Studies, Rachel Schmitz, Trenton M. Haltom

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Using a hybrid masculinities framework, we qualitatively analyzed 15 college men’s experiences with feminism and gender scholarship in Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) courses. Men described adopting particular strategies of discourse in their social interactions to manage varied reactions to feminism and gender studies. As a way of justifying their choice of academic study, these men also learned to navigate social relationships by highlighting or downplaying their own masculinity (i.e., creating or deconstructing a hybrid masculinity). Finally, men reconciled the multiple meanings of feminism and WGS studies by drawing from dominant cultural norms and expectations in attempts to make sense …

Building Blocks Of Professionalism: Values, Principles, And Ethics In Youth Work, Deena Zubulake

Journal of Youth Development

This research began with questions about youth work professionalism and discovering the why and how behind youth work practice. This article explores relationship-centered values, principles of positive youth development, and ethics of professional youth work as the foundation for informing and guiding youth work professional practice

Strength In The Face Of Adversity: Resilience Among Mexican Nationals And Mexican Immigrants To The United States, Melissa L. Morgan, Rufus R. Gonzales

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

This exploratory, qualitative study looks at resilience in Mexican Nationals and Mexican Immigrants. Eight Mexican Nationals and six Mexican Immigrants participated in one to three hour semi-structured interviews that asked about their perceptions of stressors, motivation and success in life. Participant responses were analyzed thematically for resilience using Thematic Analysis (Boyatzis, 1998). Contrastive Analysis of themes indicated that resilience can differ based on cultural circumstances (i.e., Mexican National/Mexican Immigrant) given that barriers and therefore potential gains differ by population. In further results, resilience was highlighted as the result of a process, or combination and interaction of experiences as opposed to …

Perceptions And Practices Of Administrators And Teachers In Jesuit Secondary Schools In The Hazaribag Province Of India Regarding Ideal Ignatian Educators, Vincent Hansdak

Doctoral Dissertations

The growing number of complex learning contexts and needs of students has challenged the quality of education at all levels. The need to offer the most satisfactory and meaningful education to all students consistently attracts researchers, policymakers, and educators to comprehensively understand what comprises successful learning, and in particular, what qualities do effective teachers have around the world. Though some developed countries have made significant progress toward quality education, many developing countries experience numerous obstructions to guaranteeing quality education to students. Most importantly, India, due to its economic, cultural, and social divides, still grapples with equity and the quality of …

Queens Speak - A Youth Participatory Action Research Project: Exploring Critical Post-Traumatic Growth Among Black Girls Within The School To Prison Pipeline, Stacey Michelle Ault

Doctoral Dissertations

A gap exists in both research and practice when it comes to issues related to girls within the school-to-prison pipeline. Girls are also often ignored in the educational literature about trauma. Educators tend to take a deficit approach toward youth experiencing trauma and often reinforce trauma through discriminatory and exclusionary disciplinary practices. Using a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) methodology centered in the lives of Black girls, with an intentional focus on their agency and growth, this study educated, coached, and supported a research team called Queens Speak. The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to elevate the voices …