Digital Commons Network^™

Perspectives Of Social Barriers To Accessing Health Care Insurance Among The Homeless Population, Abedalhakeem Damin Abukhalil

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Access to healthcare services and healthcare insurance has been considered problematic for many populations in the United States. Despite many efforts to solve these issues, there is a significant gap in research related to the perceptions of the population experiencing homelessness associated with the social barriers they face with access to health insurance and health care. The behavioral-ecological framework best suited this study. In this qualitative descriptive study the perceptions of a sample of 10 individuals experiencing homelessness, who accepted to sit for 60-minute interviews, were investigated. Purposeful sampling was used to identify these individuals, whose age 18-60 years old, …

Leadership Strategies To Improve Faculty Engagement And Performance In Higher Education, Lasasha Adams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of faculty engagement in higher education institutions could result in adverse outcomes. Higher education leaders are concerned with the lack of faculty engagement as it correlates to decreased productivity, commitment, and low employee job satisfaction. Grounded in the employee engagement theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore leadership strategies some higher education leaders use to improve faculty engagement and performance. The participants included 13 higher education leaders of public universities in Kentucky, USA, who used effective leadership strategies to improve faculty engagement and performance. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, one focus group, …

Civilian School Educators’ Perspectives Of Needed Supports For Military-Connected Early Childhood Students, Demetreia D Head Adderley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The support needed for military-connected children in civilian schools remains a largely unexplored subject. Military-connected children and their families face unique stressors due to the nature of military life and culture. The problem is that civilian educators are often unaware of the presence of military-connected students in their schools and of the academic and behavioral support these students require to be successful. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of educators concerning the support needed for military-connected early childhood students in civilian schools to be successful. The three research questions focused specifically on teachers’ perspectives on …

Accessibility To Vaping Products, Vaping, And Use Of Cigarettes Among Adolescents, Sherri Adeosun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There has been a continuous increase in the use of e-cigarettes among adolescents. The growth threatens to nullify the years of successfully reducing cigarette smoking among this age demographic. Additionally, the increase has been a concern for public healthcare workers due to the limited research on the effects of long-term use of e-cigarettes on adolescents. I investigated the possible side effects of exposure to e-cigarette advertisements and the use of e-cigarettes. Additionally, the study reviewed the relationship between the age e-cigarette use was initiated and the subsequent use of cigarettes. The conceptual framework was based on the multi-theory model and …

Hospital Readmission Reduction Penalties And Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Readmissions, Anthony Aduro

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a serious disease that affects the respiratory system, creating poor patient outcomes. Additionally, persons with COPD have higher hospital readmission rates than other patient populations. Not only is hospital readmission indicative of poor patient outcomes, but hospital readmissions are costly to healthcare organizations as well. High readmission rates are associated with wasted resources and money, and negatively impact organizational performance. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) implemented the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) to reduce the rate of avoidable hospital readmissions for diseases including COPD. However, how HRRP penalties have impacted readmission …

Stakeholder Success Measures Of A Safe Parking Pilot Program For Individuals Sheltering In Vehicles, Obiageri Constance Aginam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Safe Parking Pilot Program was a crisis response to the recent increase in vehicular homelessness in a Northern Californian city. The city identified issues of unsheltered individuals due to the increase housing cost and unaffordable housing. The city partnered with faith-based organizations to provide safe locations for individuals sheltering in vehicles. The current research aimed to evaluate benchmarks and metrics to measure the safe parking pilot program. The purpose of the study was to help the city leaders and the key stakeholders identify measures of success and how they might improve the program in one Northern Californian city. Semistructured …

How College Faculty Adapted Instruction To Online Learning During The Covid-19, Rosie Ah Chee-Toeava

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was the challenges of the transition of courses to online platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to collect and examine the experiences of XYZ (pseudonym) faculty who transitioned their courses to online learning platforms in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Piaget’s constructivism was the conceptual framework of this project. The research questions examined the experiences of college faculty members about previous knowledge that contributed to the transition of courses using online platforms. Ten research participants were selected using purposeful sampling while conducting semistructured interviews. Content thematic analysis …

Improving Nurse Retention: Experiences Of 1st-Year Nurses With A Residency Program, James Uchenna Akwarandu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse residency programs have been identified as a strategy for supporting new nurses as they transition to clinical and professional practice but the impact has not been adequately explored. Exploring the transition experiences of new nurses in residency programs supports healthcare administrators’ understanding and may provide enhancements. Guided by Bridges’s transition theory, this research gave nurses who had recently graduated from a residency program, the opportunity to express their unique transition experience. Using snowball sampling and semi structured telephone interviews, participants responded to the guiding question of how new nurses describe their transition experiences in a nurse residency program. Interviews …

Media And Body Image Discrepancy Among African American Women, Jacqueline M. Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Exposure to thin images in mass media is associated with body image dissatisfaction and eating disorders. However, there is insufficient information on the effect of the media on body image discrepancy among African American women. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to investigate the role of media exposure, including Facebook, in body image discrepancy among African American women. Self-discrepancy theory, the self-objectification theory, and the social comparison theory helped to guide this study. Two hundred and twenty-four African American women ages 18-29 years residing in the United States were surveyed through convenience sampling and multiple regression and descriptive …

Employee Perceived Justice As Mediator Between Ethical Leadership And Employee Turnover Intention, Moaiad Almousa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The means by which business leaders implement human resources management strategies to improve employee retention during crisis is currently not well understood. This indicates that theoretical understanding of the relationship between ethical leadership behaviors, perceptions of justice, and employee turnover in the context of crises is deficient. The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect, if any, of perceived overall justice on the relationship between ethical leadership behaviors and employee turnover intention during a moment of crisis, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social learning theory and the categorical framework of context provided a theoretical foundation …

Cultural Diversity Instructional Challenges Faced By Junior High School Teachers In Calgary, Lumbesi Amanwi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many Canadian children under the age of 15 were born to at least one foreign-born parent, representing 37.5% or 2.2 million children of the total population of children. Although this cultural diversity provides opportunities for teachers to use as a strength, it also poses instructional challenges. Much research has focused on cultural diversity challenges, yet it is not known whether specific cultural diversity instructional challenges have been overcome or how. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate specific cultural diversity instructional challenges faced by junior high school teachers and explore how teachers use Gay’s culturally responsive teaching …

The Impact Of Behavioral Health Leaders On Psychiatrist Job Satisfaction And Retention, Lanae Ampersand

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job satisfaction and retention of psychiatrists are essential for behavioral health organizations. As the recruitment of psychiatrists becomes more challenging, there is value for organizations to retain psychiatrists to remain competitive in the behavioral health field. Leadership plays a vital role in organizational culture and can impact turnover and retention of the organization’s workforce. This case study utilized the Baldrige Framework of Excellence to guide an organizational assessment for senior leadership of an urban health care facility in the United States. The assessment allowed the organization to understand leadership impact, areas where they can take personal ownership, factors contributing to …

Factors That Affect Anxiety And Acculturation In Syrian Emigrants, Thomas H. Anderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, more than 6 million Syrians have registered as refugees. Many displaced Syrians suffer myriad mental health disorders, including anxiety, which become a burden as they attempt to acculturate into a foreign culture. Research to understand the Syrian refugees has been conducted since the conflict began; however, the findings are inconsistent. Existing academic research does not adequately capture the depth of anxiety of Syrian emigrants, nor does it present an accurate picture of the challenges of acculturation. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the differences in anxiety and acculturation based …

The Ethicality And Political Skill Of Leaders And Subordinate Job Satisfaction: A Study Of Accounting Faculty, Donald L. Ariail

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Using a sample of 539 accounting faculty teaching in the United States, this study explored perceptions of the ethicality and political skill of their direct supervisors and self-reported levels of job satisfaction. Ethicality was measured with the Ethical Leadership Scale (ELS) and the Behavioral Integrity (BI) Scale. These measures, which were highly correlated, were proxy measures for accounting faculty perceptions of the tone-at-the-top (TATT)—the ethical leadership under which faculty teach and research. The results indicated that while the majority of accounting faculty perceived their direct supervisor as being ethical, about a third (28% BI, 34.8% ELS) of them did not …

The Tragedy Of Caspian: C. S. Lewis And His Trauma, Chandler Hanton

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis reconsiders C.S.Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia as a type of scriptotherapy that enabled Lewis to process and come to terms with a life full of serious and significant traumatic events. Trauma theory offers a vehicle for us to consider the alignments and connections between Lewis himself and his fictional creation, Caspian. In the specifics of both characterization and incident, Lewis mirrors the events and relationships that instilled and healed the trauma in his own life. In situating Caspian as his alter-ego, Lewis allowed his writing to function as a gender-specific therapeutic process for addressing the effects of his …

A Secondary Data Analysis Exploring The Impacts Of Synchronous And Asynchronous Sexual Assault Bystander Intervention Training: A Pilot Study, Jacquelyn A. Mesenbrink

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Campus sexual assault has been recognized as one of the most pressing issues on college campuses and an epidemic across the U.S. The purpose of this study is to explore perceived prosocial behavior change of one bystander intervention training in two different modalities: synchronous virtual via Zoom and asynchronous online training via a learning management system (LMS). To date, there is no research study that evaluates the same bystander intervention program across different intervention delivery modalities. This research is the first of its kind to examine the relationship between intervention delivery modality and post-evaluation questions and serves as a pilot …

Perplexions: Perceptions, Plexi And Prose, Amy B. Nelson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

An understanding of our world is unique to each individual and their experiences. While experiences are often shared, we all process them according to our own schema. Through exploration into the multiple facets of plexiglass, my work examines trauma, loss and its lasting effect on a person's memory of the past, present and perception of the future. These experiences can cause an abrupt shift in personal schema and reshape one’s perception of the world. Through the combination of visual and linguistic stimuli, my trauma-informed work can be a catalyst for my viewers to discuss what they are experiencing and why. …

Eeg Signals Classification Using Lstm-Based Models And Majority Logic, James A. Orgeron

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The study of elecroencephalograms (EEGs) has gained enormous interest in the last decade with the increase of computational power and availability of EEG signals collected from various human activities or produced during medical tests. The applicability of analyzing EEG signals ranges from helping impaired people communicate or move (using appropriate medical equipment) to understanding people's feelings and detecting diseases.

We proposed new methodology and models for analyzing and classifying EEG signals collected from individuals observing visual stimuli. Our models rely on powerful Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) Neural Network models, which are currently the state of the art models for performing …

The Funeral's The Thing: Unification Through The Burial Rite In Hamlet, Ferrell J. Mowell

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The funeral service is an ancient custom that is deeply cultural, and Shakespeare uses it prominently in Hamlet. The play's ending with Fortinbras commanding a military-like tribute for Hamlet is somewhat surprising because Hamlet was never a soldier, and he has breached the etiquette of funeral rites in the cases of Polonius, by withholding the remains immediately after the death, and Ophelia by making a spectacle with Laertes in her grave. Additionally, he has arranged for the execution before the observance of confessional rites in the case of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet's dead march is an example of how …

The Impact Of Gloves And Simulated Occupational Tasks On Handgrip Strength In Structural Firefighters, Sarah Lanham

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Adequate handgrip strength (HGS) is important to safely and effectively perform fireground tasks. However, there is limited research describing the deleterious impact of glove use and fatigue from occupational tasks on HGS. Therefore, the aims of this investigation were to quantify the impact of glove use and occupational tasks on HGS, to explore the relationship between HGS versus the glove and task-induced decrement in HGS, and to evaluate the relationship between HGS and decrement in HGS versus occupational performance. Fourteen (Males: n=13) career structural firefighters performed a maximal isometric HGS assessment with and without gloves before and immediately following completion …

Developing And Validating A Machine Learning-Based Student Attentiveness Tracking System, Andrew L. Sanders

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Academic instructors and institutions desire the ability to accurately and autonomously measure the attentiveness of students in the classroom. Generally, college departments use unreliable direct communication from students (i.e. emails, phone calls), distracting and Hawthorne effect-inducing observational sit-ins, and end-of-semester surveys to collect feedback regarding their courses. Each of these methods of collecting feedback is useful but does not provide automatic feedback regarding the pace and direction of lectures. Young et al. discuss that attention levels during passive classroom lectures generally drop after about ten to thirty minutes and can be restored to normal levels with regular breaks, novel activities, …

The Development Of A Novel Throwing Assessment For Children With Cerebral Palsy, Cory Cribb

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Cerebral palsy is one of childhood's most common developmental disabilities. Cerebral palsy leads to dysfunction in the upper extremities due to symptoms such as low muscle power, spasticity, and increased tone. A modified throwing assessment was constructed to examine throwing performance as a measure of upper extremity function. Purpose: To determine if the modified throwing assessment is a reliable measure of throwing performance and if the modified throwing assessment is a valid measure of upper extremity power in children with CP. Methods: The study employed a test-retest design aimed at determining the reliability of a modified throwing assessment. Seven …

The Effect Of Magnitude And Probability On Plea Bargain Decision-Making, Megan L. Small

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Decision-making is studied in various aspects of life and can be especially vital in the context of the criminal justice system, such as plea bargains. Previous research in this area used a less commonly used task (fill-in-the-blank) in addition to a student sample (Falligant & Pence, 2019). The current study uses probability discounting to study the choice between accepting a plea bargain for a shorter incarceration sentence or risking a trial with a longer sentence on a sample of adults with experience in the criminal justice system. Three sentence durations, or magnitudes, were used (1 year, 5 years, and 25 …

The Use Of An Evidenced Based Mobile App For Ptsd Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial Of Stair Coach, Jason Brooks

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Many individuals experience traumatic events within their lifetime and between 7 and 9% will be diagnosed with PTSD (Kilpatrick et al., 2013; National Center for PTSD, 2018); however, many will not receive treatment due to a variety of barriers, including stigma, limited mental health literacy, high cost, lack of transportation, and other factors (Blais et al., 2014; Chikovani et al., 2015; Hom et al., 2017; Gavrilovic Kantor et al., 2017; Kulesza et al., 2015). Mobile apps may offer a way to overcome some these barriers (Kantor et al., 2017). Prior research demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of mobile apps for …

A Form Of Our Own: An Examination Of Black Sonnet-Samplers, Lavonna D. Wright

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study responds to the need for understanding and terminology regarding Black poets’ engagement with the sonnet form. Referring to sampling strategies in Hip-Hop to analyze Black sonnets, this study disputes limiting ideas about sonnets as ineffective mediums to portray Black narratives and honors strategies maintained in Hip-Hop culture that define Black narrative expression, resistance to assimilation, and social reflection. Black sonnets are an ever-evolving vehicle of resistance to elitist ideas about traditional forms, Black aesthetics, and the ways that poetic strategies can be defined. This study names past and present Black sonneteers’ adherence to, remixing in, and rejection of …

Neosublime, Reframing The Philosophical, Kathy Varadi

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Why have the sunsets and sunrises become so amazingly colorful and awe inspiring recently? Eighteenth century philosophers said such events were examples of the sublime. They defined the sublime as that which is the most absolutely great combined with an underlying element of fear usually caused by the actions of God. This infers that the sublime is something that you can’t fully understand or wrap your head around and leaves you speechless and spell bound. Contemporary art critics say that the sublime is no longer applicable to art because it has been overused. I disagree, and in my art, I …

Instinct, Eric Sanders

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

There is a convergence point of my interests that I explore in this body of work. As a service member and wildlife enthusiast, I pursue not only an outlet for my own creative expression and illustrative ambitions, but a platform to support creative advocacy for military service members and their families. With the principles of relational aesthetics and art as social practice supporting illustrative and design-centric work, I have found that convergence. This dream continues to manifest in Noble Instinct Artworks, a creative-based company I founded that incorporates the fine art methodology, business practices, and artistic collaboration with outreach potential …

The Use Of Differential Reinforcement Of Other Behavior To Decrease Scripting, Kathleen Egbert, Robbie Hanson

Theses

Vocal scripting is a behavior commonly targeted for reduction with individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) when it occurs at a rate or severity that interferes with learning (e.g., Koegel & Covert, 1972). Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) has been shown to be effective for reducing scripting in previous research, however additional replications of these results would add to the research literature to continue to support its use for this issue. The purpose of this study was to implement a DRO schedule with a young girl with ASD to reduce vocal scripting. The results showed a slight decrease in …

The Effects Of Preference Assessments On The Duration Of Independent Play For A Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Elise Amo, Robbie Hanson

Theses

Plays skills are important within typical development and independent play has shown to lead to the development of other skills, such as increased social interactions (Edwards et al., 2018). Previous research has demonstrated increases in independent play for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who display skill deficits in this area. However, research has been largely lacking for increasing independent play for individuals with ASD who simply display a preference for interacting with adults. The current study examined the effectiveness of incorporating a multiple-stimulus without replacement (MSWO) preference assessment to increase the duration of independent play for a child with …

The Effects Of Behavioral Skills Training On Staff Member Implementation Of Behavior Intervention Plans, Riley Young, Robbie Hanson

Theses

Behavioral skills training (BST) is a well-researched and empirically validated teaching method that typically involves the use of instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback to improve staff and client performance (Leaf et al., 2015). Previous studies have shown the effectiveness of BST across a wide variety of populations and skill sets, including within educational environments (Kirkpatrick et al., 2019). However, limited research exists on the use of BST to improve staff member implementation of behavior intervention plans (BIPs), particularly for staff members who have a history of incorrect implementation. The current study examines the effectiveness of in-person BST in a school …