Digital Commons Network^™

Effective Police Recruitment: Professional Misconduct Risk Regression Analysis For Law Enforcement Officers, Clinton Jenkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police departments are responsible for evaluating applicants to find suitable recruits to join a department’s training program. It was not known how police officer recruits feel about the recruitment and selection process. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine to what extent the 2 M-PULSE scale scores (sexually offensive conduct and racially offensive behavior) account for variance in the MMPI-2RF (anger proneness and behavior/externalizing dysfunctional) subscales scores. Archival data was provided by a private business that conducts these screenings for multiple law enforcement organizations (local and state). Law enforcement candidates (N = 107) were evaluated by a private …

Family-Owned Restaurant Owners' Strategies For Business Sustainability, Vickie Eileen Matson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractRestaurants are competitive, high-risk enterprises and have high failure rates. In this environment, family-owned restaurant business owners need operational strategies to sustain their businesses. Grounded in the balanced scorecard theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the operational strategies used by family-owned restaurant owners to sustain their businesses beyond five years. Five family-owned restaurant business owners from South Texas who successfully implemented sound operational strategies participated in the study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and company documents, including training manuals, financial reports, business licenses, permits, press releases, and fictitious business name statements. Thematic analysis …

Implementation Of International Society For Technology In Education Standards In Elementary School Teachers’ Pedagogical Science Practices, Rochelle Anne Mccoy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study addressed the problem of whether elementary school teachers are consistently implementing the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards in their pedagogical practices of teaching science. It was evident that half of all teachers in the United States do not consistently implement technology into their instruction. The purpose of this study was to understand elementary school teachers’ perceptions about how teachers are using the three selected ISTE standards during their pedagogical practices when teaching elementary science in order to maximize learning. The technology acceptance model was the conceptual framework used in this study. The research questions focused …

Parental Perceptions Of Inclusion Of Autism Spectrum Disorder Students In The Educational Process, Robin Waltman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex biological disorder that encompasses a wide range of symptoms and varies in degree of severity. Parents and caregivers rely on programs offered by school districts that encourage parental participation in the educational process and have differing views on inclusion in educational decisions. The purpose of the current study was to ascertain the views of parents of children with ASD regarding their inclusion in the educational process. The research question addressed the lived experiences and perceptions of parents of students with and ASD regarding their inclusion in the educational process. A case study methodology …

Territoriality As A Factor In Nursing Incivility, Carolyn Wright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIncivility and hazing in health care results in unsafe environments, not only for the nurse but also for the client, facility, and other health professionals. The project site, a privately owned medical clinic, has a high employee turnover rate with exit interviews indicating bullying and incivility from long-term nursing staff toward new employees as critical reasons for employee resignation. The literature offers minimal information regarding territoriality, a concept associated with aggressive (i.e., alpha) behaviors in animals and humans and incivility in nursing. The purpose of the project was to identify whether territoriality was a behavioral factor that may have contributed …

How Saudi Small Business Managers Increase Retail Electronic Commerce Sales, Ghasan Abdulaziz Almoamen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSaudi policymakers developed short-and long-term plans supporting the electronic commerce of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) to increase sales. Saudi SME managers who do not take advantage of these plans to increase sales may lose profits. Grounded in Rogers’s diffusion of innovations theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies SME business managers use to increase retail electronic commerce sales. The participants comprised 5 Saudi SME managers from 5 different local retail companies who effectively used strategies to increase retail electronic commerce sales. Data were collected through semistructured audio-visual interviews, company websites, and financial documents. …

Alternative Treatment Method For Dementia In The Southwest Region Of Arizona, Angela May Lynch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative professional administrative study was to explore anddevelop a new innovative method of treatment for dementia clients using reminiscence therapy (RT) in a proposed 24-hour care village in Tucson, Arizona. In this proposed 24- hour care village, patients would remain in an environment conducive to a safe and normal lifestyle. This administrative study is a qualitative study using grounded theory and sources of evidence included current research, personal interviews, and articles. Data were collected from interviews with 10 administrators of memory care facilities in Tucson, Arizona, to determine if existing administrative staff were aware of RT …

The Lived Experiences Of Male Educational Leaders, Natisha Myra Murphy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School systems have been faced with the attrition of male educational leaders in school districts. In particular, male educational leaders in the Maryland school district are pursuing non-educational leadership career paths instead of educational leadership career paths. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative, descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of male educational leaders in the Maryland school district who chose to pursue non-educational leadership career paths instead of educational leadership career paths. The conceptual frameworks that guided this study were Rogers’s concepts of ideal self, self-image, and self-worth and Dawis and Lofquist’s concepts of personality, need, and …

The Combined Impact Of Race And Education On Obesity Among U.S. Adults By Fidelis Okoye, Fidelis Chidi Okoye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University

College of Health Professions

This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by

Fidelis Okoye

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. Vasileios Margaritis, Committee Chairperson, Public Health Faculty Dr. Srikanta Banerjee, Committee Member, Public Health Faculty Dr. James Rohrer, University Reviewer, Public Health Faculty

Chief Academic Officer and ProvostSue Subocz, Ph.D.

Walden University2021

AbstractThe Combined Impact of Race and Education on Obesity Among U.S. Adults by Fidelis Okoye

MA, Walden University, 2009BS, Marygrove College, 2001

Dissertation …

Sustainability Strategies For Small Business Organizations, Tajudeen O. Olatunji

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are essential to every nation’s economic growth, including the United States, but more than 67% of SMEs fail within the first 10 years. When SMEs implement long term business sustainability strategies, they continue to generate business and remain profitable, enabling SMEs to remain viable and contribute to local community employment opportunities. Using entrepreneurship theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies used by 3 SME owners in the northeastern region of the United States to sustain their businesses beyond 10 years. Data were collected using semistructured interviews …

Understanding The Role That The Internet And Social Media Plays In Suicide Survivor Bereavement, Catherine Merle Perusse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Every year more than 47,000 individuals die by suicide in the United States, leaving behind numerous family and friends who become suicide survivors. While there are prodigious amounts of research on suicidal behavior, little research has focused on what the surviving family members, friends, and community members need after the loss. Many suicide survivors use social media to address their grief and pain in a very public manner. A constructionist social theory of grief and existential phenomenology provided the framework for this qualitative study to examine the use of the Internet and social media as a forum for those grieving …

Addressing The Needs Of Students With Foreign Language Anxiety, Amanda Marie Romero

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Foreign language anxiety is a condition in which students of foreign languages experience test anxiety, avoidance of communication, and fear of evaluation that become so inhibiting that their social and academic progress, along with their ability to become global citizens, is significantly stunted. This sequential mixed-methods research study was conducted so that foreign language educators might be better informed about how best to address foreign language anxiety within their classrooms. Because the concept of foreign language anxiety is based upon the idea of the foreign language classroom being uniquely taxing upon students, the stress-coping theory as well as the anxiety/uncertainty …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Collaboration For Early Literacy In A Response To Intervention Model, Robin Sheffield-Lemkin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Collaboration among teachers positively affects both teachers’ professional development and students’ reading achievement. However, teachers face challenges in collaboration with colleagues. Current research focusing on the collaboration experiences between general education classroom teachers and reading interventionists is absent. The purpose of this study was to understand teachers’ perceptions of the challenges they face in collaboration with shared goals in a reading Response to intervention (RTI) model. Collaboration theory served as the framework of this basic qualitative study. Research questions were designed to understand the perceptions of general education classroom teachers’ and reading interventionists’ collaborative experiences in a reading RTI model. …

Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence, Sales, Social Responsibility, Interpersonal Relationship, And Empathy, Lykesha D. Shelton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractResearch over the past 25 years has shown a relationship between emotional intelligence, job performance, and sales. However, limited research exists relating to job-specific studies from a nonmanagerial perspective and focused on emotional intelligence and sales during the customer’s buying and selling interaction. The focus and purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to determine if there was a statistically significant relationship between emotional intelligence and mortgage loan originators sales performance. The conceptual framework for this study incorporated Bar-On’s social emotional intelligence model. The sample consisted of 18 mortgage loan originators who worked with the retail banking sector throughout the …

Officer Perceptions Of Cultural Competency And Growing Hispanic Suburbia In Northwest Indiana, Joseph William Swanson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increased interactions between police and Hispanic citizens in suburban communities suggest a need for officers to possess cultural awareness and competency for successful service; however, how cultural competency develops in officers remains elusive. This qualitative interpretative phenomenological study’s purpose was to explore cultural competency’s role in police-Hispanic citizen interactions through the lived experiences of officers in Northwest Indiana. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Bennett’s developmental model for intercultural sensitivity comprised the research frameworks. Data collected through semi-structured interviews of 9 officers representing 4 police departments in northwest Indiana revealed the officers’ existing cultural competency was predicated by self-motivation reflective of …

Experiences Of Counselors Providing Therapy To Transgender Veterans, Breanne Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This research study question focused on licensed mental health counselors’ experiences when providing therapy to transgender veterans. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to gain insight into the experiences of counselors providing treatment to transgender veteran clients to improve the retainability of transgender veterans seeking mental health care. This study used the research design of hermeneutics to analyze and interpret data gained from in-person interviews. The study sample included eight licensed professional counselors (LPC) who actively see clients and have seen transgender veteran clients. Interviews were recorded, reviewed by the researcher, transcribed using a transcription service; NVivo software …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Strategies For Parents To Improve Reading Development, Chiekara Shaniecious Grace Waters-Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in the study is the significant numbers of elementary school students who fail to demonstrate proficiency in reading/language arts as determined by the Georgia Milestones English Language Arts Test. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions of effective research-based parental involvement strategies, materials, and training programs that may enable parents to help their children develop grade-level reading skills. Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory and Epstein's parental involvement model are the conceptual frameworks that guided this study. The research questions addressed effective strategies, materials, and training programs for academic success. Data were collected from individual …

Junior High General Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of Teaching Students With Mild Disabilities, Carrie Ablin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractStudents with mild disabilities are usually educated in a general education environment. However, limited research exists regarding junior high general education teachers’ perceptions of students with disabilities in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to gather junior high general education teachers’ perceptions of teaching students with disabilities in the general education classroom in both inclusion and coteaching models. In line with Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, the key research questions of this study focused on the perceptions of junior high general education teachers who teach students with mild disabilities regarding their competence and confidence to meet the needs of students …

Hispanic Graduates’ Perspectives On Experiences Contributing To Successful Community College Degree Completion, Catherine Aguilar-Morgan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While the Hispanic population is the fastest-growing in both the United States and higher education enrollment, the gap in degree attainment for Hispanic students is not closing at the same rate. Degree completion provides Hispanics the opportunity to secure jobs that require skills learned in higher education and, in turn, can increase their socioeconomic status. Hispanic graduates’ perspectives on the experiences that contributed to community college degree completion is the focus of this basic qualitative study. Tinto’s theory of student departure was used for the conceptual framework. The two research questions that guided the study were what community college experiences …

The Lived Experiences Of Grandparents As Primary Caregivers For Children Of Incarcerated Parents, Idonia Kaleena Barrett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the last decade, the number of grandparents in the United States acting as caregivers for children who have incarcerated parents has increased significantly. Incarceration separates individuals from their families and limits contact with the outside world. The imprisoned parent is dependent on the caregiver, who becomes the "gatekeeper" to maintain contact with their child. It can be challenging for the grandparent to maintain parent-child contact because of the hardships they endure as primary caregivers, which may cause them to experience strain. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive phenomenological study was to determine the lived experiences of grandparents who serve …

A Lexical Approach To Collective Personality Using Nongroup Members As Raters, Robert Cameron Black

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The construct of personality exhibits utility in predicting group outcomes. However, quantifying a group personality construct has almost exclusively been accomplished by aggregating individual group member five-factor personality scores to derive the group personality score. This type of operationalizing rests on the assumption that collective personality exists and has a five-factor structure, makes results context specific, and limits cross-comparison of different types of groups. The purpose of this quantitative study was to apply a lexical approach and exploratory factor analysis to explore personality structure of a group at a group level. The research question focused on identifying if a construct …

District Scores And Demographics As Predictors Of State Mathematics Assessment Scores, Carlos Alexander Bocel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prior research in mathematical assessments has indicated varying results of predictive variables and further research has been recommended to support students, parents, teachers, and school administration. The purpose of this research was to determine how well a student’s performance on a mathematics domain at the state level may be predicted based on student’s midyear and end of the year assessment scores, race, gender, and socioeconomic status. The constructivist theoretical foundation was reviewed because of the impact that this theory has on the assessments being researched. Archival records (n = 100) for eighth grade students were received from suburban South Florida …

Generation X And Millennial Registered Nurse Job Satisfaction, Germika Brandon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe healthcare sector in the United States faces challenges in recruiting and retaining nurses, resulting in a shortage of professional nurses to provide care. Workplace job dissatisfaction among generations has been recognized as a contributor to the ongoing nursing shortage problem. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study, guided by Maslow’s and Herzberg’s theories, was to compare registered nurse (RN) job satisfaction by gender, generation, union and Magnet affiliations, and nurse turnover using secondary data obtained from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation Newly Licensed Registered Nurses (NLRN) Work Study Project. The random sample of 220 cases was drawn from the …

The Relationship Between Parental Involvement And Reading Achievement For Middle School-Aged Children With Autism, Kathy Jean Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that is addressed in this study is that the relationship between parental involvement (PI) and reading levels among middle school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not sufficiently known. Studies have shown the importance of providing reading material to elementary-level children for home use; however, there is little research on middle school students. The purpose of this study was to discover if a relationship exists between PI and improved reading scores of middle school students with ASD. The study included parents of 27 middle school students with autism. Thorndike’s stimulus-response theory on the transfer of learning provided …

Clinical Practice Guideline For The Treatment Of Osteoarthritic Pain Among Elderly Patients, Marylie Palomo Buckoski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Osteoarthritic (OA) pain is a debilitating condition associated with significant medical, emotional, and economic burdens affecting approximately 27 million Americans and causes billions of dollars for medical expenditures. OA pain is a frequent cause of disability among elderly patients in the United States and requires effective pain management to decrease pain and improve their quality of life. The nurse practitioners (NPs) working in the seven affiliated pain management practices in the Southwest area of the United States, do not consistently follow current evidence-based pain management protocols when providing care for patients with OA pain. The purpose of this DNP project …

Perceptions Of Acculturative Stress And English Language Learning In Latino Immigrants, Jamilah L. Byrom

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe process of English language learning (ELL) is a phenomenon, within the acculturation process, that poses challenges for first-generation Latino immigrants and potentially contributes to the susceptibility to acculturative stress. There has been little research on how second language acquisition influences acculturative stress. This study examined the perceptions of the experiences of young adult Latino immigrants who completed an English language learning program in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. A generic qualitative study using face-to-face virtual interviews inquired about first-generation, young adult Latino immigrants’ perceptions of acculturative stress relative to experiences in adult ELL programs. Berry’s model of acculturation guided …

Retention And Employability Of Native American And Alaskan Native Undergraduates In Public Universities, Dottie Hines Chicquelo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Scholars have called for generalized academic and social change for the United States Native American and Alaskan Native students (the U.S. NA/AN) and the need for reform continues. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore strategies used at the U.S. public universities to support U.S. NA/AN students and identify strategies to improved students’ employment pathways after graduation. The management problem was the lack of retention strategies used to support the U.S. NA/AN student engagement within communities after graduation. The general management problem looked at how the lack of retention strategies affected the U.S. NA/AN student employability after …

Dynamics Of Male-On-Male Penetrative Sexual Assaults In The United States Army, Nicole Cunningham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Male-on-male sexual assaults are a challenge for prevention and response personnel, law enforcement, and the military justice system. Limited research has been conducted on the military sex offender population, and none has been done specifically on military male-on-male assaults resulting in a gap in the research on offenders, what factors make their victims vulnerable, and the situational dynamics of the assaults. In this quantitative exploratory study, 171 cases of penetrative male-on-male sexual assaults were examined through the lens of the routine activity theory. The results of this exploration found that both victims and offenders were most likely to be 18-24 …

Puerto Rico School Administrators’ Authentic Leadership And Turnover Intent Moderated By Supervisor Support, Cristal Vazquez Davila

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The turnover rates of Puerto Rican high school teachers continue to increase and have an adverse effect not only on the quality of education but also on the budget of Puerto Rico’s Department of Education (PRDE). By examining the factors of perceived supervisor support and authentic leadership influencing teachers’ turnover intentions, steps can be taken to reduce the turnover rates. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between school administrators’ authenticity and the turnover intentions of a sample of high school teachers employed by the PRDE. The framework was based on social exchange theory, authentic leadership theory, …

Strategies Worker-Owned Cooperatives Use To Remain Profitable During Economic Downturns, Termaine Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

New managers of worker-owned cooperatives who fail to adapt to changing conditions can threaten the organization’s viability. Some new managers of worker-owned cooperatives may lack the strategies they need to maintain consistent employment levels during economic downturns. Grounded in the expected utility theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by managers of worker-owned cooperatives to maintain consistent employment levels during sustained periods of low revenue. Participants comprised seven managers of worker-owned cooperatives with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in the Midwest of the United States managing cooperatives during sustained periods of …