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The Impact Of Electronic Cigarettes Use On Traditional Cigarette Uses Among U.S. Adolescents, Ismail Mensah Dwumfour-Poku

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The increased usage of e-cigarettes among adolescents in the United States (U.S.) is a major public health concern. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nicotine, an active ingredient in e-cigarettes, is the most addictive drug in use today. The purpose of the current study was to explore the relationship between smoking of e- cigarettes and the risk of smoking traditional cigarettes among middle and high school students in Grades 6 through 12 in the U.S., and to determine if demographic factors contribute to this predisposition. This, quantitative cross-sectional study used the social ecological model as the …

Perceptions Of Human Services Case Workers Regarding Culturally Sensitive, Evidence-Based Services In Child Welfare, John Dyrkacz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The perceptions of human services case workers toward their racial minority clients may affect the quality of service that racial minority families who are involved in the child welfare system receive. In the child welfare system, some African American families are not offered services that are culturally sensitive or tailored to their race or ethnicity. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore human services case workers’ perceptions of offering culturally appropriate, evidence-based services to their African American and racial minority clients in an Upper Midwest urban setting in the United States. Family systems theory was used to …

Strategies For Reducing Employee Turnover In Small And Medium Enterprises, Olusegun Ayinde Fadahunsi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover negatively impacts small and medium enterprises (SME) sustainability. SME leaders are interested in finding workable strategies to reduce turnover and the high cost of hiring new employees. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies SME leaders in Nigeria used to reduce employee turnover. The participants were three SME business owners who successfully reduced employee turnover. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Through thematic analysis, four themes were identified: effective leadership practices, focus on employees’ working conditions, enhancing employees’ competence, and implementing …

Non Reporting Of Sexual Victimization In Male Prisoners, Christopher Elliott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexual assault within prisons continues to occur despite federally mandated safety protocols and reporting procedures. Male inmates must also navigate the challenge of upholding societal gender norms to meet the ideal of hegemonic masculinity as identified in Gender Order Theory. Seven formerly incarcerated males were interviewed for this study. The interviews were designed to explore four relevant topical points which explored the roles that stereotypical/hegemonic masculinity traits play in the reporting of sexual victimization in males who were sexually victimized during incarceration. 2) The role gender roles stress/conflict play in the reporting of sexual victimization in males who were sexually …

Lived Experiences Of Mothers Balancing Work And Family In The Restaurant And Food Services Industry, Brandi M. Fannell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Women account for over half of restaurant and food service employees in the United States. The hours required to manage obligation to both jobs and families impact work–life balance among this population, which can lead to burnout behaviors such as complaints, turnover, and absenteeism. Guided by both self-efficacy and role conflict theories, a phenomenological study was conducted to understand work–life balance, engagement, and job satisfaction among working mothers in the restaurant and food service industry. Working mothers with children between ages 5 months and 17 years, who were employed full-time at casual restaurants and similar food service organizations, were interviewed …

Assessing Online Faculty Likelihood To Refer Students To University Mental Health Services, Karin Evans

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The negative impact of mental health concerns experienced by college students has prompted faculty teaching in-person to become gatekeepers, assisting students in accessing mental health services. COVID-19 has changed the learning environment and presented a need to explore the role online faculty play as gatekeepers. The purpose of this study was to investigate online faculty’s willingness to refer students to university mental health services by applying factors shown to influence in-person faculty in context of the health belief model. Using a quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional study design, 182 online faculty completed an online survey assessing the likelihood of making a referral …

Moral Obligation And Social Influence Predictors Of Compliance Behavior And Organizational Ethical Climate Among Healthcare Leaders, Tara M. Farmer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. Congress has enacted many regulations managed by branches of government such as Medicare to ensure healthcare organizations comply. Organizational leaders who place value on building effective compliance programs seek ways to enhance compliance. Understanding what motivates individuals to behave in a compliant way may help leaders develop programs that enhance those motivations. This nonexperimental, correlational, quantitative research study tested the relationship between the predictor variables, moral obligation, and social influence, with the criterion variable compliance behaviors among healthcare organizational leaders and to determine the mediating effect of ethical climate on the relationship. A total of 186 managers working …

Improving Medication Adherence For African American Patients With Hypertension, Kimberly Fitzgerald

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adherence to antihypertensive medications is essential for positive outcomes in treating hypertension (HTN). But the rate of nonadherence to antihypertensive medications among African Americans (AA) is low. The purpose of this DNP project was to develop a clinical practice guideline (CPG) that would assist in improving hypertensive medication adherence in the AA patient population as well as assess whether the CPG would be recommended by a team of content experts for use in their practice. The Hypertension Medication Adherence CPG incorporated the medication adherence model and the transtheoretical model to generate evidence-based interventions. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation …

Strategies For Developing Millennials And Generation Z Into Future Nonprofit Leaders, Tracy M. Foote

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, leaders who manage the one and a half million nonprofit organizations (NPOs) nationally are aging and preparing to retire. The nonprofit sector faces a leadership development deficit as many NPOs are without a succession plan. The management problem is that NPOs have struggled to employ strategies to prepare Millennials or Generation Z (Gen Z) workers to assume leadership roles in NPOs. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies NPOs employ to prepare Millennials or Gen Z workers to assume leadership roles. The research question asked: What strategies do NPOs employ …

Empowerment Strategies For Sustaining Small Business Moving Companies, Leroy Jr Peter Fontenette

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of empowerment strategies can cause high employee attrition for small moving company owners and lead to business closures within 5 years. Small moving company owners using effective empowerment strategies can reduce attrition and increase business longevity. Grounded in the transformational theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore empowerment strategies three small moving company owners in California used for sustaining their business beyond 5 years. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and company documents, such as logistics instruments, a combined agreement contract for moving services, and a freight bill. Using thematic analysis, the three …

A Phenomenological Examination Of African American Men’S Experiences In Community College, Abdulhalim Faruq

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe community college, given its accessibility and affordability, has become the institution of choice for many African American men pursuing academic, vocational, and technical advancement. However, African American men attending community colleges are less likely to graduate and persist than their European American male and female peers. Limited research exists on academic persistence among African American men attending community colleges and their academic self-efficacy. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of African American male community college students regarding their academic persistence, formal and informal interactions with their instructors, and self-efficacy. Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy …

Barriers To Completing Bachelor’S Degrees For Nontraditional Nebraska Students, Melba Dinorah Fix-Padilla

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractNontraditional students in Nebraska colleges have lower graduation rates than traditional students. Approximately 40% of nontraditional students at a private college withdraw before completing a degree. The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover barriers preventing nontraditional students from completing a degree. The conceptual frameworks were Tinto’s student integration model and Bean’s student attrition model, which involve financial, social, and academic completion resources. Research questions involve financial, social, and academic challenges preventing nontraditional students from completing a degree. The sample consisted of eight nontraditional undergraduate students between the ages of 25 to 65, an undergraduate administrator, and a focus …

Challenges Child Life Specialist Faculty Face In Supporting Child Life Specialist Candidates Seeking Internships, Deborah Sue Fingerhut

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University

College of Education

This is to certify that the doctoral study by

Deborah Fingerhut

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. Joanna Karet, Committee Chairperson, Education Faculty Dr. Sydney Parent, Committee Member, Education Faculty Dr. Leslie VanGelder, University Reviewer, Education Faculty

Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D.

Walden University2022

Abstract Challenges Child Life Specialist Faculty Face in Supporting Child Life Specialist Candidates Seeking Internships by Deborah Fingerhut

MA, Mills College, 1983BS, California State University, Sacramento, …

Nursing Students’ Perceptions Of Using An Educational Modality Of Online Clinical Learning, Esther Edgal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMany clinical nursing courses have changed to an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing challenges for both students and faculty in supporting students’ academic needs. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate nursing students’ perceptions of how the instruction in online modality clinical nursing courses supported their academic needs and faculty behaviors as well as gather the students’ suggestions of what would improve online nursing education. The conceptual framework was adapted from Kearsley and Shneiderman’s theory of engagement that offers instructional best practices for the online environment. The research questions related to nursing students’ perceptions …

Strategies For Developing Leadership Development Programs To Meet Organizational Goals, James Christopher Edge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Financial business leaders lack strategies to successfully develop leadership development programs to meet organizational goals. Financial business leaders are concerned that all business organizations struggle with leadership development. Grounded in the substitutes for leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore strategies financial business leaders use to successfully develop leadership development programs to meet organizational goals. The participants comprised three financial executives located in the southeastern United States who are responsible for leadership development. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of organizational electronic information. Three themes emerged: training, resources, and communications. The key …

A Clinical Practice Guideline To Promote Medication Adherence Among Adult African Americans With Hypertension, Beatrice Chisara Ekechukwu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medication nonadherence represents one of the major barriers to achieving optimal health, particularly for African Americans (AAs). Poor adherence to medications is a significant problem that can lead to increased morbidity, mortality, and health care costs. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) provide current, evidence-based interventions for changing health behaviors to improve medication adherence (MA). The purpose of this project was to develop an evidence-based patient education CPG to address MA among AA patients with hypertension (HTN). The project site was a medium-sized health care clinic in the South Central United States with a high rate of uncontrolled HTN among AA patients. …

Strategies Nursing Managers Use To Prevent And Address Workplace Conflicts, Ifeanyi Emmanuel Ezeani

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace conflicts negatively impact organizational performance. Health care leaders are concerned that workplace conflicts lead to stress and low performance by nurses and negatively affect the delivery of care to patients. Grounded in the social exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies health care nursing managers use to address workplace conflict. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with five nursing managers from multiple healthcare organizations in the Western region of the United States who have successful strategies to address workplace conflict. The data analysis using Yin’s five-step approach identified four main themes: perception …

Information Communication And Technology Strategies For Improving Nonprofit Organizations’ Effectiveness, Richard T. Evans

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSome nonprofit organization leaders lack strategies to incorporate information communication and technology (ICT) into the business operations of organizations. A nonprofit organization lacking strategies involving integrating technology into their business operations decreases the likelihood of being efficient, productive, and effective. Grounded in the information technology (IT) competency model, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the ICT strategies of a nonprofit organization leader in the south suburbs of Chicago. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, direct observations, and reviews of organizational documents. The Marshall and Rossman seven-step process was used to analyze data. Three themes emerged …

The Experience Of Providing Direct Care To Children Victims Of Boko Haram Insurgencies In Nigeria, Felicia Etuke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The insurgency of terrorism leaves lasting economic, social, academics, spiritual, religious, and psychological effects, but often children’s psychological welfare is neglected in the aftermath of terrorist attacks. Boko Haram’s presence in Nigeria has left many children orphaned, displaced, and impoverished. Thus, there is a need to highlight the importance of the role that care providers play in securing the psychological health of the child victims of Boko Haram insurgency. This qualitative, phenomenological study explored the experiences of care providers to the child victims of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. Compassion fatigue theory was used as a theoretical framework for the …

Understanding How Healthcare Social Workers Respond To Adult Medical Trauma, Sonya Anthony

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medical trauma in the hospital is a growing health disparity often accompanied by social determinants. Assisting in alleviating disparities and social determinants is a standard of care embedded in social work practice. This research was conducted to examine healthcare social workers’ experiences responding to and managing the psychosocial impacts of adult medical trauma in an acute inpatient environment. The goal of the research was to identify if a need exists for trauma-informed training among healthcare social workers. The research question examined how healthcare social workers respond to medical trauma. The model of case management, trauma-informed care, and systems theory were …

Understanding The Leadership Crisis In Africa Using The Case Of Nigeria, Jones Oladehinde Arogbofa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leadership effectiveness is instrumental in the socioeconomic and political development of any society. In Africa, ineffective leadership has resulted in crises of varying degrees, with poor development visible in the society. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand individual lived experiences of leadership crisis in Nigeria, specifically, and its impact on the relationship between the leaders and their followers, in order to extrapolate to the continent. Using transformational leadership theory, the study sought to understand breakdowns in trust networks between leaders and followers, perceptions of leadership accountability, failure of leaders to align their campaign promises with their …

Removing Carbon Dioxide Through Artificial Upwelling And Downwelling: Legal Challenges And Opportunities, Romany M. Webb, Korey Silverman-Roati, Michael B. Gerrard

Faculty Scholarship

A 2022 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that, to keep global average temperatures within 1.5oC above pre-industrial levels, emissions must reach net-zero by mid-century. The report concluded that achieving net-zero emissions will require the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere “to counterbalance hard-to-abate emissions” from sectors like agriculture, aviation, and shipping. The report further noted that, if deployed at large scales, carbon dioxide removal (“CDR”) could also be used to achieve net negative emissions and thus effectively reduce the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide.

A variety of CDR techniques, both terrestrial and ocean-based, have been …

Systematic Approach To Recruiting And Retention Of Instrumental Students In Division One University Marching Band, Michael G. Yopp

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examines recruitment and retention in Division One (D1) university marching bands, while understanding high school and university directors’ perspectives and impact on student choice. This project surveyed university band directors, seeking commonalities for recruiting and retention of instrumental students. Based on the results, universities will have better strategies on what, how, and why recruitment and retention issues should be addressed. Student enrollment is important to the well-being, development, and continuity of marching band programs. They may result in better recruitment and retention for other university ensembles, applied studios, the music department, and the university enrollment overall. This study …

A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Client And Stylist Interaction As A Culturally Specific Form Of Coping With Stress For Black Women In The United States, Nicole Michelle Holden

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to describe the experience of Black women who visit the salon regularly in the United States. This study is constructed around the culturally intimate relationship of the stylist-client interaction in the Black community as a historical coping mechanism in which Black women utilize for stress and life challenges rather than seek professional mental health services. Although COVID-19 continues to mount a significant mortality rate and financial hardships, its disproportionate effects on communities of color will have lasting implications on their mental health. The need for mental health services has increased due to the mental …

(Re)Turning To Freirean Philosophy In Preparing Content Teachers To Work With Multilingual Students, Kara Viesca, Peiwen Wang, Brandon Heinz, Alexa Yunes-Koch

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In 2019, Bettina Love published a call for abolitionist teaching, an effort for educational freedom and racial justice. In her work, she centered the role of theory in teaching calling it a "North Star." She suggested that theory provides teachers a "steadfast tool" that explains the experiences of people minoritized due to racism, sexism, ableism, linguicism, etc., as well as provides language for and knowledge about intersectional issues of injustice. Love literally calls theory a "practical guide" as well as a "location for healing" (Love, 2019, p. 132).

The work of Paulo Freire has long served as the kind of …

Research Team As Methodology: The Value Of Pluri-National Research Teams For Studying Education And Migration., Edmund T. Hamann, Betsabé Román, Juan Sánchez García, Víctor Zúñiga

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Research team membership should be understood as a prospective dimension of research design. When the phenomenon to be examined is pluri-national – i.e., involving more than one country – as has been our case for more than two-decades of consideration of the educations of transnationally mobile children and youth, it follows that much can be gained by organizing a research team that is also pluri-national. Here, we suggest ways that our team’s border-spanning composition has supported our efforts to pursue empirical questions, like who, where, and how many. It has also allowed us to consider perception questions regarding how transnational …

Seeking Clarity In Murky Waters: Nuances Of Equity And Social Justice From A Teacher Perspective, Elaine J. Chan

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In this study, I examined interactions between an English teacher and her students to illustrate ways in which issues of equity and social justice may play out in nuanced ways in the implementation of school curriculum in a diverse, Midwestern high school. These stories of classroom teacher and student experiences reveal complexities of how equity and social justice might unfold for students, and be understood by a teacher as she works with her students, to build a body of “teacher knowledge” (Clandinin and Connelly, 1996) that grows as the teacher gains experience. Examining complexities of “teacher knowledge” as a classroom …

Considering The Needs, Challenges, And Assets Of School Systems In Rural Meatpacking Communities During Covid-19: The Roles Of Schools As Vehicles Of Community, Edmund T. Hamann, Amanda R. Morales, Ricardo Martinez

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

For more than 40 years, the relocation of meatpacking from urban to rural communities and the related change of who works in these high-risk, modestly compensated positions has brought Spanish-speaking and African and Asian refugee populations to communities like the seven focal Nebraska communities we consider here. These seven, five rural and two part of multi-county metropolitan areas, all have majority Latinx school enrollments and they all have been particularly hard hit by both the first and third waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. They were each also foci of a special new course we co-taught in December 2020 called: “Pandemics, …

Maternal-Fetal Immune Responses In Pregnant Women Infected With Sars-Cov-2, Arya Hanjagi, Arya Revankar, Meghana Sunkara, Tvisha Vanteru

VCU's Medical Journal Club: The Work of Future Health Professionals

This study aimed to provide more insight into how much of an effect these unique maternal-fetal immune responses have during pregnancy and examine the likelihood of placental infections. Pregnant women with positive RT-PCR results for SARS-CoV-2 and healthy gestational age-matched controls made up the study's two primary groups. The study comprised a total of 23 women, 12 women (8 asymptomatic; 1 with mild symptoms; 3 had severe COVID-19 (requiring oxygen supplementation). Sections from the center of the placenta and placental disk were taken and histologically examined. Researchers obtained and analyzed differences in SARS-CoV-2 human maternal peripheral blood, umbilical cord blood, …

Prefrontal Glutamate Neurotransmission In Ptsd: A Novel Approach To Estimate Synaptic Strength In Vivo In Humans, Lynnette A Averill, Lihong Jiang, Prerana Purohit, Anastasia Coppoli, Christopher L Averill, Jeremy Roscoe, Benjamin Kelmendi, Henk M De Feyter, Robin A De Graaf, Ralitza Gueorguieva, Gerard Sanacora, John H Krystal, Douglas L Rothman, Graeme F Mason, Chadi G Abdallah

Staff and Researcher Publications

Background: Trauma and chronic stress are believed to induce and exacerbate psychopathology by disrupting glutamate synaptic strength. However, in vivo in human methods to estimate synaptic strength are limited. In this study, we established a novel putative biomarker of glutamatergic synaptic strength, termed energy-per-cycle (EPC). Then, we used EPC to investigate the role of prefrontal neurotransmission in trauma-related psychopathology.

Methods: Healthy controls (n = 18) and patients with posttraumatic stress (PTSD; n = 16) completed 13C-acetate magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) scans to estimate prefrontal EPC, which is the ratio of neuronal energetic needs per glutamate neurotransmission cycle (VTCA/VCycle).

Results: Patients …