Digital Commons Network^™

Metacognitive Strategies Used For Reading Comprehension Among Adult Postsecondary Learners, Mary Lukes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractA significant positive correlation between higher metacognitive strategy use and better reading comprehension among native English-speaking children and adult learners of English as an additional language, consistently presented in the literature, has not been consistently or directly found among native English-speaking adult high school graduates who enroll in postsecondary learning programs such as university programs. Consequences for adult learners with lower reading comprehension scores at college entry include significantly lower earnings over their lifespan due in part to greater risk for not completing a postsecondary program. This nonexperimental cross-sectional study was guided by two theoretical frameworks, one for adult reading …

Impact Of Out-Of-Pocket Fees On Under-5 Infant Mortality In Cameroon, Amelie Olga Mafotsing Fopoussi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health facilities in Cameroon charge fees for treatment and services, which can affect health outcomes for those unable to pay for services. Some studies have shown that the removal of user fees had a positive impact on child health outcomes in selected African countries. The aim of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to understand whether there is a link between out-of-pocket expenses and under-5 mortality in Cameron. The study was guided by the social ecological framework. Secondary data from the 2011 Cameroon Demographic Health Survey were used in the study. Chi-square, binary logistic regression, and multicollinearity analyses were used to …

Unmet Needs Of Children With Special Health Care Needs When Transitioning To Adult Services, Kiara Monee Moseby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health care transition planning could help decrease health care disparities among those who identify as an individual on the autism spectrum; however, less than a quarter of the adolescent population living with autism spectrum disorder receive transition planning. Decreasing health care disparities could lead to an increase in health care quality and longevity. The purpose of this study was to analyze if there was a relationship between (a) the number of physician visits, (b) if the physician treats only children, (c) if the physician talks about the child seeing physicians who treat adults, (d) if the physician worked with the …

Interrelationships Of Sociodemographic And Biological Factors In Breast Cancer Mortality Disparity Affecting Young Black Women, Richard Mutyabule

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite improved overall survival among breast cancer patients, race and biological subtype-specific disparities persist. Subsequently, this retrospective longitudinal study, guided by ecosocial theory, examined associations between biological subtypes of breast cancer and patient-level sociodemographic factors on survival outcomes in women 25 to 44 years of age. Using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, 34,007 breast cancer cases between 2013 and 2018 were extracted. Kaplan Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model were used to examine time to event and the adjusted mortality risk by race and breast cancer subtype. There was a statistically significant difference in survival among young …

The Impact Of Effective Patient Advocacy In Ghana Health Care Reform, Gladys Opong-Tetteh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPatient advocacy has become a vital concept for healthcare providers all over the world. There is evidence that the concept of patient advocacy is not new in Ghana. However, the degree of its practice continues to be negative and quite narrow in Ghana and even in Africa as a whole. It has also been argued that effective patience advocacy practice is either scarce or non-existent in Ghana. To address this issue, an assessment of the medical policies in Ghana was conducted, informed by the applied psychology theoretical framework. This study focused on using phenomenological inquiry to better understand patients’ experiences …

Effectiveness Of Cancer Survivorship Plans On The Emotional, Psychosocial, And Physical Well-Being Of Breast Cancer Survivors, Amber Renee Purdie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractCancer survivorship is essential for the longevity of all cancer survivors, and breast cancer survivorship has become the focus of public health organizations to help address the unmet needs of breast cancer survivors. This quantitative cross-sectional study explored the impact on the Quality of Life (QoL) and health outcomes of female breast cancer survivors in cancer survivorship programs or tertiary care. The ages of the survivors in the study sample ranged from 18 to 80, and all participants were at least 6 months into their cancer survivorship journey. Surveys used were the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer’s …

Collective Teacher Efficacy And Teachers’ Intent To Teach And Site Performance, David Ruiz Ramirez Iii

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher attrition has been a widely researched topic in the United States. However, little research has been conducted in large urban districts divided by high- and low-performing schools in regards to collective teacher efficacy and teachers’ intent to continue teaching. Considering this research gap, this quantitative study was conducted to examine collective teacher efficacy in relation to middle-school and high-school teachers’ intent to continue teaching and their perceptions of school performance. Within the conceptual framework of collective teacher efficacy, the research questions addressed the extent the independent variable, collective teacher efficacy, predicted the dependent variable, teachers’ intent to continue teaching …

Public Sector Leadership And The Implementation Of Corruption Mitigation Strategies In Ethiopia, Alem Zeray Reda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPublic sector leaders in less developed countries, like Ethiopia, experience challenges in implementing anticorruption strategies successfully. Ineffective strategy implementation exacerbates the adverse effects of corruption on organizations and the people at large. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to identify and report the lived experiences of public sector senior leaders regarding the implementation of corruption mitigation strategies in the Tigray region in Ethiopia. The research question focused on senior public sector officials' lived experiences with the execution of anti-corruption policies. The conceptual framework was the strategic leadership theory, focusing on strategy implementation processes and related challenges. The …

Improving Nurses’ Knowledge To Provide Diabetes Self-Management Education For African Americans, Jakeyla Reed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans are at high risk for type II diabetes compared to other ethnic groups due to biological, socioeconomic, and psychosocial risks. Specifically, African American adults are nearly two times more likely than White individuals to develop type II diabetes. The meaningful gap-in-practice addressed by this doctoral project was nurses’ lack of diabetes knowledge affecting their ability to provide diabetes care and diabetes self-management education (DSME) to their patients with diabetes. The clinical practice-focused question asked whether an education intervention for outpatient clinic nurses could improve their knowledge of DSME. Orem’s self-care model, Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, and Lewin’s change theory …

Disparities In The Use Of Radiation Therapy For Postlumpectomy Breast Cancer, Deborah Rothley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early-stage breast cancer can be highly curable when properly treated using national standards of care. However, disparities in treatment, including radiation therapy after lumpectomy, may result in disproportional mortality rates in African American women. The purpose of this study was to add to the body of research to help determine the reasons for an underutilization of radiation therapy among African American women and whether the disparity has continued by analyzing recent patient data. Anderson’s behavioral model was used to frame the study and help determine the associations between the predisposing and enabling independent variables of race, age, health insurance status, …

Social Workers' Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Interventions On Csec Behavior, Tonia Ifeanyi Ukanwoke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractCommercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) and child sex trafficking involve the sexual abuse, exploitation, and the trafficking of minors for financial benefits or in exchange for something valuable, which may include monetary or nonmonetary benefits that are given or received by any person. It is imperative to develop interventions that provide direct service to CSEC and/or sex-trafficked youths. The intervention used should adopt evidence-based modalities that have demonstrated efficacy and effectiveness with CSEC and sex trafficked youths. Seeking safety therapy is one such evidence-based therapy that could address CSEC behavior and safety in New York City (NYC) and ultimately …

Relationship Among Health Literacy Superstitious Beliefs And Self-Care Among Diabetic Patients In Warri, Nigeria, Nkemakolam Simpson Ukpabi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractDiabetes imposes significant burdens in medical expenditures, medication use, outpatient visits, and treatment of its chronic complications. Self-care behaviors such as medication adherence and foot care have been shown to reduce hospitalizations and complications, and high health literacy levels have been positively associated with self-care adoption. However, the effect of superstition on this relationship has not been studied among diabetic patients in Warri, Nigeria. This study was conducted to determine the moderating effects of superstitious or cultural beliefs on the relationship between health literacy and self-care adoption among diabetes patients in Warri, Nigeria. A quantitative, observational, cross-sectional design guided this …

Workplace Bullying/Interpersonal Conflict, Job Stress, Coworker Support And Hypertension Among Women, Kia Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Interpersonal conflict in the workplace, such as workplace bullying, is recognized as a growing public health issue that could lead to poor health outcomes like hypertension among women workers. However, there is limited research on the role that interpersonal conflict, as well as other job-related factors such as job stress and coworker support, may collectively have on hypertensive outcomes among minority women workers, specifically in younger age groups. The purpose of this cross-sectional quantitative study was to examine the extent to which certain job risk factors (interpersonal conflict, job stress and coworker support) were associated with being treated for hypertension …

Social Work Practice And Systemic Stigmatization Of Low-Income, African American, Single Mothers, Alfreda Dearing Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIn the United States, low-income, African American, single mothers meet with little success in financial stability and career and educational attainment because of difficulties in escaping systemic inequities that impede their socioeconomic well-being. The focus of this action research study was to examine how bachelor social workers (BSW) and master social workers (MSW) understand the impact of systemic stigmatization on the socioeconomic well-being of low-income, African American, single mothers. The theoretical framework that guided this study was stigma theory. A Zoom focus group was conducted with 5 social workers (i.e., BSW and MSW) who work with low-income, African American, single …

Predictability Of Missing Data Theory To Improve U.S. Estimator’S Unreliable Data Problem, Tomeka S. Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since the topic of improving data quality has not been addressed for the U.S. defense cost estimating discipline beyond changes in public policy, the goal of the study was to close this gap and provide empirical evidence that supports expanding options to improve software cost estimation data matrices for U.S. defense cost estimators. The purpose of this quantitative study was to test and measure the level of predictive accuracy of missing data theory techniques that were referenced as traditional approaches in the literature, compare each theories’ results to a complete data matrix used in support of the U.S. defense cost …

The Influences Of Cultural Norms On Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Of Female Adolescents In Jamaica, Valeta Wilson-James

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a global epidemic that became a national crisis affecting female adolescents in Jamaica. CSA occurs in all cultures, and prevention policies are well researched to address this problem. However, little is known about the influence that cultural norms have on CSA prevention policies in Jamaica. Other researchers have focused on CSA prevention policies, but none have explored the influences of cultural norms from the perception of law enforcement and child welfare workers. With the social-ecological model, this qualitative case study addressed the cultural norms influencing the enforcement of CSA prevention policies affecting Jamaican female adolescents. …

Examining Terrorism Attacks And Regional Preparedness In The United States, Trebor Curtis Yocum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. government renewed efforts to prepare for future attacks. Despite research on federal and state government preparedness, there was a lack of scholarship on trends in terrorist attacks at the local level. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to examine trends in terrorism attacks in the United States between 2001 and 2018 and determine whether significance exists between characteristics of the terrorism incidents (weapon used, target type) and region. The conceptual framework included Grundmann’s risk management and Tomuzia et al.’s risk assessment scenario models. Answering the research questions entailed examining trends in …

The Poverty-Conflict Nexus And The Activities Of Boko Haram In Northeast Nigeria, Emmanuel Tiku Agbormbai

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract:

In recent years Northeast Nigeria has experienced violence carried out by Boko Haram. Previous research studies on the conflict in Northeast Nigeria have not focused on the experiences and perceptions of those affected by the conflict. This study was an exploration of the poverty-conflict nexus and the activities of Boko Haram in Northeast Nigeria as seen through the experiences and perceptions of those impacted by the violence. Benet’s polarities of democracy was used as the theoretical framework to examine those experiences and perceptions. The research questions addressed how the people of Northeast Nigeria attacked by Boko Haram perceive the …

Succession Planning As A Strategy To Reduce Attrition In Advertising Agencies In Nigeria, Adenrele Babatunde Akinde

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAn advertising agency is a professional service organization where workers create advertisements for the media on behalf of clients. The general problem was that leaders in advertising agencies in Nigeria were challenged with a high attrition rate, which was 43% in 2017, up from 40% in 2015. Attrition leads to the premature promotion of ill-prepared managers. The specific problem was that leaders of advertising agencies in Nigeria seem to lack strategies for succession planning. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of leaders in advertising agencies in Nigeria regarding succession planning in terms of …

Access To Preventive Health Care Services And Effects On Health Outcomes For Hispanic Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, Shafa Al-Showk

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite elevated prevalence of diabetes among Hispanic, Hispanic older adults face challenges in self-control and management of their glucose levels, and they have less access to preventive health care services. The purpose of this retrospective quantitative cross-sectional study was to examine the associations between access to preventive health care services and Type 2 diabetes outcomes among Hispanic adults aged 65 years and older. The social-ecological model provided the framework for the study. The research question for this study examined the extent to which doctor visits, diabetes education and blood sugar checks correlate with HbA1c levels. Data were collected from 566 …

Mentoring Strategies For Enabling Employees’ Career Progression, Anticia Alston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizations without mentorship programs are at risk for leadership skill development. Using successful mentoring strategies, human resource managers may increase their talent pool, increase organizational opportunities, and improve the organization’s overall climate. Guided by Kram’s mentoring theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore mentoring strategies that some human resource management (HRM) leaders working in civil service within the federal government successfully use to assist the professional development of their employees. Participants included five civil service HRM leaders within the federal government in the southeastern region of the United States who used mentoring strategies to assist …

Ghanaian Immigrant Women In The United States Beliefs About Maternal Nutrition And Fetal Development, Yassi Azhdari

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ghanaian women, in their native country, experience a high rate of anemia, malaria, and malnutrition while pregnant. Poor health outcomes for mother and child are caused by a lack of protein in their diet, food taboos, consumption of nutrient-poor foods, and infections. These conditions may cause pregnancy complications such as premature birth, or maternal or fetal death. There is little known about, the differences between the Ghanaian and U.S. birth experience, and foods used by Ghanaian immigrant women while pregnant. The biopsychosocial model was used in this descriptive qualitative study to examine how Ghanaian immigrant women are impacted by pregnancy …

Exploring Strategies To Reduce Voluntary Employee Turnover In Public Higher Education Institutions, Jennifer Christine Brito

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The cost of voluntary employee turnover affects business success or failure. Turnover costs for replacing mission-critical, public higher education institutions employees influence student experience and satisfaction. Grounded in Herzberg’s motivational-hygiene theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies three department managers at a public higher education institution use to reduce voluntary employee turnover in South Florida. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis of semistructured interviews and organizational documents such as policies and procedures. Four themes emerged were the need for personnel action forms, organizational policies, performance reports, and training reports. A key recommendation for higher …

Social Worker Perceptions Of Lgbt Cultural Competent Practice Within Hospitals, Ronald Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social work cultural competence within a hospital setting has gained importance due to the various changes to how health care is delivered within the United States hospital system. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) individuals seeking care have reported negative experiences and discrimination, adversely impacting their treatment in a hospital setting. Those experiences have resulted in decreased use of medical treatment. Researchers have established the need for increased levels of cultural competence from social workers within hospital settings to develop rapport with LGBT individuals when delivering social work services as a part of the hospital treatment team. With cultural humility …

Licensure Decisions Among South Carolina Counselors With Master’S Degrees, Stephanie Rhodenia Jamison-Void

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractLicensure has many benefits to master’s level counselors, including higher wages, legal recognition, and third-party reimbursements, however many professional counselors do not pursue licensure. South Carolina graduates of a master’s level counseling program are not required to obtain licensure in order to provide counseling services. This qualitative comparative case study was conducted to capture why some counseling graduates choose to pursue licensure and others do not based on the experiences, knowledge, skills, and abilities counseling graduates in transition in South Carolina. The research was informed by social cognitive career theory and social learning for career decision making. Participants included four …

Human Resource Strategies For Retaining Clinical Health Care Professionals, Shagunna Renee Muse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human resource (HR) professionals who lack effective clinical employee retention strategies negatively affect patient care, employee well-being, and organizational culture. Grounded in the human capital theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore effective strategies HR professionals use to retain clinical human capital. The study participants were five health care, HR professionals from one health care organization in the Northeast United States who successfully implemented strategies to improve clinical human capital. Data were collected from organizational documents and conducting semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, and four themes emerged: work-life balance, compensation, effective communication, …

Motivation To Persevere Among Nontraditional Black Online College Students, Alice Ginwright Sapp

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is limited research on grit among nontraditional online adult learners, especially focusing on male and female Black college students who are adult online learners, including those who are older than 40. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was to examine possible between-group differences in motivation to persevere, as defined by grit, among nontraditional-age Black online college students. The theoretical framework for this study was life-span development theory and the grit motivational factor model. A sample of 138 Black male and female online, nontraditional-age college students completed an online survey. Demographic information was collected, and scores from the Short …

Network Function Virtualization Technology Adoption Strategies, Abdlrazaq Ayodeji Adeyi Shittu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Network function virtualization (NFV) is a novel system adopted by service providers and organizations, which has become a critical organizational success factor. Chief information officers (CIOs) aim to adopt NFV to consolidate and optimize network processes unavailable in conventional methods. Grounded in the diffusion of innovation theory (DOI), the purpose of this multiple case research study was to explore strategies chief information officers utilized to adopt NFV technology. Participants include two CIOs, one chief security information officer (CSIO), one chief technical officer (CTO), and two senior information technology (IT) executives. Data were collected through semi-structured telephone interviews and eight organizational …

Early Childhood Teachers’ Perspectives Of Teaching Children Who Are Experiencing Toxic Stress, Stephanie Renee Abell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A growing number of children entering early childhood classrooms are experiencing toxic stress. Early childhood teachers are responsible for meeting the educational needs as well as fostering their social and emotional development. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore early childhood teachers’ perspectives of being challenged to support the emotional and academic needs of young children who are experiencing toxic stress in the early childhood classroom, which the research questions focused on. The theory of social constructivism was the conceptual framework for this study. Purposeful sampling was used to select 10 early childhood teachers to share their …

Accurate Diagnosis Of Colorectal Cancer Based On Histopathology Images Using Artificial Intelligence, K. S. Wang, G. Yu, C. Xu, X. H. Meng, J. Zhou, W. Zhou, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Background: Accurate and robust pathological image analysis for colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis is time-consuming and knowledge-intensive, but is essential for CRC patients’ treatment. The current heavy workload of pathologists in clinics/hospitals may easily lead to unconscious misdiagnosis of CRC based on daily image analyses. Methods: Based on a state-of-the-art transfer-learned deep convolutional neural network in artificial intelligence (AI), we proposed a novel patch aggregation strategy for clinic CRC diagnosis using weakly labeled pathological whole-slide image (WSI) patches. This approach was trained and validated using an unprecedented and enormously large number of 170,099 patches, > 14,680 WSIs, from > 9631 subjects that covered …