Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

Journalism Graduates’ Perceptions And Experiences Of Internships And Employment, Breanne L. Ahearn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Graduates who do not have an internship show greater difficulty in obtaining gainful employment compared to those who do have an internship. However, simply believing that internships may translate into employment does not explain how students perceive the role of the internship in obtaining employment in the field. The purpose of the study was to investigate the graduates’ perceptions and experiences of how internships might affect journalism majors’ gaining employment in the field within 6 months of graduation. Kolb’s four stages of experiential learning theory was used as the conceptual framework to investigate how journalism-related major graduates described their journalism …

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 …

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 …

Social Support, Substance Use, And Mental Health Services Utilization Among African Americans, Thomas Symche Bendu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mental illness is more prevalent among African Americans than their Non-Hispanic White counterparts; however, this population is less inclined to receive behavioral treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between perceived social support, substance use, and gender with mental health care services utilization among African Americans. The social ecological model and social support theory grounded this study. The research design was a quantitative cross-sectional analysis of the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. The sample consisted of 486,3030 African American adults that represented the U.S. population using weighted estimates. The overall logistic regression models for the …

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 …

The Effect Of Integrating Explicit Instruction Of Literacy And Numeracy In Cte Technology Business Education On Student Achievement, Lori Canty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractCareer and Technology Education (CTE) high school students often exhibit difficulty reaching academic proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA) and math. To address this problem, one local school district developed and implemented an integrated curriculum using explicit instruction of literacy and numeracy in CTE business education courses. Guided by Archer and Hughes’s theory of explicit instruction, the purpose of this ex post facto quasi-experimental study was to determine the difference in ELA and math High School Assessment Program (HSAP) standardized test scores between 10th grade CTE business education students who participated in integrated curriculum business courses and students who had …

Lived Experiences Of Newly Graduated Registered Nurses, Tonya Lyn Chancey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Attrition rates for first year newly graduated registered nurses (NGRNs) are between 30% to 60%; high level of attrition negatively affects hospital organizations, other nurses, and patient outcomes. Transitioning from student nurse to clinical nurse poses challenges for NGRNs which includes assuming responsibilities for a full patient load, communicating with physicians, and adjusting to shift work. The purpose of this phenomenological study, guided by Kramer’s reality shock theory and Duffy’s quality caring model, was to examine the lived experiences of a first-year cohort of NGRNs working in the acute care setting of a Florida hospital. Thirteen NGRNs were interviewed using …

Medical Spas: Ensuring Compliance And Patient Safety, Mike Chammout

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nonsurgical aesthetic procedures continue to grow in popularity; however, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines that can assist providers when performing aesthetic treatments are lacking. This gap in practice can result in the increased prevalence of side effects from treatments that can compromise patient safety and result in increased litigation. The goal of this project was the development of a clinical practice guideline (CPG) that can be used by aesthetic providers to standardize care when performing nonsurgical aesthetic procedures that can ultimately improve provider knowledge, which would improve patient safety. This CPG sought to answer the practice-focused question involving whether the development …

Insider Threats' Behaviors And Data Security Management Strategies, Gladys C. Cooley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As insider threats and data security management concerns become more prevalent, the identification of risky behaviors in the workplace is crucial for the privacy of individuals and the survival of organizations. The purpose of this three-round qualitative Delphi study was to identify real-time consensus among 25 information technology (IT) subject matter experts (SMEs) in the Washington metropolitan area about insider threats and data security management. The SMEs participating in this study were adult IT professionals and senior managers with certification in their area of specialization and at least 5 years of practical experience. The dark triad theory was the conceptual …

Health Care Manager Electronic Medical Record Systems Implementation Strategies To Improve Patient Outcomes, Mcarthur Bruno Damis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective implementation of electronic medical record systems (EMRS) among health care outpatient clinics results in substantial financial loss. Health care managers (HCMs) in outpatient clinics who fail to implement EMRS adversely affect employee usage and performance. Grounded in fayolism theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies health care managers used to implement EMRS in their organizations. The participants were six HCMs in a U.S East Coast city. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data from semistructured interviews and internal company documents. Five themes emerged: internal communication, overcoming barriers, time management, compensation improving …

Engaging English Learners In Purposeful Discourse In Elementary Mathematics, Karlyn E. Davis-Welton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers are experiencing a change in practice, from teacher-centered to student-centered, which affects their work with English learners (ELs) in third through fifth grade mathematics classrooms. The implementation of student-centered discourse practices is essential to orchestrating productive mathematical discussions. However, the common practice is teacher-centered instruction where teacher talk is prevalent. Although the school district in this study provided professional development (PD) to address student-centered practices, PD for teaching ELs to interact in English in their mathematics classrooms remained to be addressed. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of teachers’ experiences with new discourse practices and …

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 …

The Influence Of Community-Based Interventions On Behaviors Of Hiv+ Persons In Congo-Kinshasa, Max Ebengho Bokelo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSub-Saharan African communities bear the highest burden of HIV/AIDS in the world. Because of identifiable cultural links and local beliefs, people are more likely to engage in sexual mores that could negatively impact their lives. Starting in early 2000, Congolese HIV+ patients have undergone a variety of inputs designed to decrease HIV risk behaviors among people. The purpose of this inquiry was to understand the impact of those actions within the community. Data grounded on the socioecological model were collected regarding any changes in (1) behavioral rejection of condoms, (2) Kintwidi phenomenon, (3) levirate and (4) sororate marriage, (5) sexual …

Business Strategies For Small Business Success In Obtaining Federal Defense Contracts, Christina K. Firth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has one of the largest federal agency budgets for small business set-asides; yet, billions of dollars remain unawarded each fiscal year. Despite the multitude of Congressional programs for small businesses, small business leaders’ engagement with the programs and receipt of successful awards remains low. Grounded in agency theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies five small business owners operating in the southeastern U.S. use to secure and conduct DOD procurement contracts. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, business websites, and archival data. Through thematic analysis, four themes emerged: …

Lived Experiences Of Parents Regarding Their Elementary-Age Child’S Exclusion From School Due To Behavioral Problems, Lauren Claire Ferber

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractDisciplinary exclusion, particularly school expulsion, presents a significant challenge to school-age children and their families. Although the impacts of disciplinary exclusion from school on children are well-known, less is known about how this phenomenon affects their parents. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of parents who have a child who has been subjected to disciplinary exclusion due to behavioral problems in the classroom. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory provided the framework for this study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 12 parents of children who faced exclusion. Four themes emerged from coding analysis: …

Counseling System Documentation And The Relationship Between Treatment Plans And Client Outcomes, Moraima N. Frangiosa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide a method for evaluating counseling services delivered to patients during treatment. The evaluation of the study required the use of methods that are repeatable and effective that would allow a clinic to continue using them over time to grow a database of valuable information about counseling and patient outcomes. The new database would allow the clinic to change counseling methods and approaches of delivery to promote organizational change. The evidence-based practice (EBP) for counseling therapy would encourage the connection between public administration and public policy in the health care system. Public …

Parenting A Child With Autism: Predictors Of Parental Self-Efficacy, Robert Milton Guy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As the rate of children being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) increases, so too does the number of parents learning to cope with their child’s disability and its effects on their own health, well-being, and parental self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which subjective social status, parental social supports, and fatigue were factors predicting parental self-efficacy in parents of children diagnosed with ASD residing in the state of Oregon. Bandura’s social cognitive theory was used to frame this study. The sample for this study consisted of 120 parents of children diagnosed with ASD …

Improving Fall Risk Knowledge Through Staff Education In An Assisted Living Facility, Assumpta Egowure Ike

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPatient safety and fall prevention are crucial for nurses and healthcare workers especially in assisted living facilities considering the age and health status of the patients. Low staff knowledge of fall risk measures in an assisted living facility may have contributed to an increase in the number of falls recorded in the facility by 20% in the last 2 years. This project addressed the questions of whether an education project could increase staff’s level of knowledge on fall risk measures, and whether any improved knowledge would coincide with the number of falls per patient day in the assisted living facility? …

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 …

Improving The Patient Experience With Case Management Follow Up Phone Calls: A Quality Improvement Project Evaluation, Karen Jarrell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In January of 2020, a follow-up phone call quality improvement initiative was implemented by the case management department of an acute care facility located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, to improve the patients’ healthcare experience. The intent was to improve the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) scores. This quality improvement (QI) project was conducted using the Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle along with the Kotter’s 8-step change model. The purpose of the QI project evaluation was to determine if a QI initiative using follow up phone calls had a positive effect on increasing CAHPS survey scores. The …

Exploring African American Women’S Transition From High School To A Postsecondary Setting, Keniesha Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAfrican American women encounter obstacles that diminish the effectiveness of mental health treatment received through postsecondary school-based service. Consequently, there is a reduction in the population’s socioeconomic outcomes. The purpose of the study was to increase awareness of the mental health treatment experience of African American women and identify strategies that would be helpful to prepare African American women for the postsecondary setting. Black feminist theory was used to guide the research questions for the study, which examined the experiences of African American female students and identified strategies used by certified school social workers, that African American women thought prepared …

Black Mothers’ Birthing Center Experiences And Exclusive Breastfeeding Practices, Natashia King-Conner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The persistence of racial disparities in breastfeeding is associated with a range of interconnected factors, such as historical, cultural, social, social, and psychological. The current gap in the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among Black mothers and White mothers has led to rising concerns in the United States. A basic qualitative approach was used to conceptualize the multidimensional constructs of the social–ecological model to investigate the individual, interpersonal, institutional, and community-level structures and existing policies in birthing centers that inadvertently harbor biases that impede care for Black mothers. Data were gathered through purposeful sampling and semistructured interviews with 10 Black mothers …

Nonprofit Organizations’ Program Evaluation Of Education Toward Prevention Of Teens Using Electronic Cigarettes And Vaping, Paulette Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe pervasiveness of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and vaping among teenagers has led to a need for effective interventions to address this problem. One type of intervention that nonprofit organizations (NPOs) such as the American Lung Association (ALA) have adopted is the use of educational programs. For instance, ALA introduced an educational program referred to as Nicotine Dependence: Education, Prevention, Tobacco, and Health (INDEPTH), which acts as an alternative to suspension and citation of teens engaged in e-cigarette smoking or vaping. Despite such interventions, the use of e-cigarettes persists, suggesting the need to determine the perceived effectiveness of such programs. This …

Emergency Managers' Perspectives On Social Media Use For Situational Awareness During Disasters, Teresa Anne Scott Hoggard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emergency managers are responsible for protecting lives, property, and the environment. Decisions are made based on the availability of information provided to emergency managers from the disaster site. Communication between first responders and emergency managers is crucial for obtaining situational awareness for decision-making purposes during disasters. The purpose of this qualitative explanatory case study was to understand the perspectives of emergency managers regarding the use of social media in obtaining situational awareness and providing disaster-specific information necessary for emergency managers to make informed decisions during disasters. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Endsley’s situational awareness model and …

Using Knowledge Management Practices In Small Business Organizations, Brandon Stewart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses struggle to attain, retain, and transfer knowledge using knowledge management (KM). Small business enterprise (SBE) leaders who do not leverage core competencies of KM are at high risk of failure. Grounded in Nonaka’s dynamic theory of knowledge creation, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the KM strategies small retail business leaders in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area use for sustainability. The participants comprised 4 small business enterprise leaders in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area who effectively used KM strategies to sustain business beyond 5 years. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and internal and external …

Modern Black Codes: Presidential Crime Control Rhetoric And Black Criminalization, Earnest Ujaama

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The rate of Black imprisonment in the United States is nearly 6 times that of Whites. Wholesale criminalization of Black Americans denote institutional racism within America’s criminal justice system. Limited research is available examining crime control rhetoric of U.S. presidents to determine if Blacks are constructed as criminals through carefully coded crime control discourse. The purpose of this qualitative, case study was to investigate whether presidents used language that construct Black criminality. A social construction theoretical framework and critical discourse analysis was applied. The data used for this study included scripted speeches. The collection of data began with 54 speeches …

The Impact Of Recession-Era Austerity Measures On The Work-Life Balance Of Public Employees, Judith Small-Benn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe downturn in the economy from 2009 to 2011 caused public service leaders to adopt austerity measures, such as increased costs of nonwage benefits, mandatory furlough days, and merit increase freezes. There is little research on the impact of austerity measures on the lives of public service employees. The purpose of this study was to bridge this knowledge gap through an exploration of the long-term effects of austerity measures on the lives of the state agency employees. The theoretical framework for this study was Perry and Wise’s public service motivation theory. The study presented the impact of austerity measures on …

Emotional Support Dogs’ Effects On Anxiety, Depression, And Somatization In Elementary Students, Truman Arthur James Spring

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Within the last few decades, there has been an ever-increasing clinical role for trained emotional support dogs (ESD) and their trained therapists in hospitals, courtrooms, and schools. More recently, within the last 5 years, there has been a prevalent trend toward introducing ESDs into schools, which has created an ongoing controversy about the legitimacy of this practice due to the lack of objective data and research on the topic. In this study, archival data analysis was conducted using data from 68 students with elevated scores for anxiety, depression, or somatization, 34 of which were in the treatment group and the …

Educational Intervention To Increase Telemedicine Knowledge In Nurses, Jean Sylvestre Ayissi Essono

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited access to healthcare services is a factor that can reduce quality of care, and it is more pronounced in rural settings. One plausible solution to this concern is telemedicine, the use of electronic information and telecommunication technologies to provide care when an individual and provider are not in the same location. Although telemedicine has been suggested as a solution to the access to care concern, it is not widely integrated into the nursing practice. Using Nightingale’s holistic theory of caring, the purpose of this DNP project was to determine if an educational study geared towards telemedicine increased knowledge and …