Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Confirmation Bias In Criminal Investigative Decision Making, Wayne A. Wallace

Harold L. Hodgkinson Award for Outstanding Dissertation

Confirmation bias occurs when a person believes in or searches for evidence to support his or her favored theory while ignoring or excusing disconfirmatory evidence and is disinclined to change his or her belief once he or she arrives at a conclusion. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether emotionally charged evidence and evidence presentation order could influence an investigator's belief in a suspect's guilt. The study included 166 sworn police officers (basic training recruits, patrol officers, and criminal investigators) who completed online surveys in response to criminal vignettes across different scenarios to record their measure of …

Using Multi-Theory Model For Physical Activity Behavior Change, Manoj Sharma

2010-2016 Archived Posters

Physical inactivity is a major public health problem. College students are a vulnerable group. This study was aimed at using multi-theory model (MTM) of health behavior change to predict physical activity behavior change in college students. Regression revealed that 26% of the variance in the initiation of physical activity was explained by advantages outweighing disadvantages, behavioral confidence, work status, and changes in physical environment. About 30% of the variance in sustenance of physical activity was explained by emotional transformation, practice for change, and changes in social environment.

Lived Experiences Of Women Over 50 Who Have Experienced Involuntary Job Loss, Roxine D. Phillips

2010-2016 Archived Posters

This study explored the lived experiences of women over 50 following job loss. Findings indicate women experienced financial, emotional and psychosocial experiences. Age discrimination, organizational practices, technological challenges, and stereotypical beliefs emerged as barriers to reemployment. Organizational leaders and policy makers can use the findings to gain a greater understanding of the experiences of women over 50 following job loss.

Single Mothers Of Young Children And Continuing Education, Jackiethsha Lynette Fluellen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of households headed by single mothers living in poverty exceeds that of all other categories of poverty-stricken households, and poverty impacts the children negatively in various ways. When single mothers choose not to continue their education, they lessen their chances of finding higher paying jobs and raising their families out of poverty. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to better understand why some single mothers decided to continue into higher education. The study considered the decisions of 6 single mothers of young children in Montgomery County, Texas, and the obstacles they overcame while completing their education. The …

A Qualitative Case Study Of Police Officers' Perception Of Sexual Offender Registration, Tracy Lee Veri

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although many research studies about sexual offender registration exist, there is no qualitative study on the perspective of police officers whose job duties include the implementation of Sex Offender Registration and Notification (SORN) laws. The purpose of this case study was to explore specific police officers' perceptions of sex offender registration. Six police officers were hand selected for face-to-face interviews based on their unique job duties that included responsibilities and training related to the implementation of the sexual offender registration and community notification protocols. Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory provided the theoretical framework for this research study. According to study findings, …

Impact Of A Rural Public School District On Community Culture, Lynnwood Michael Baade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals and families often migrate to rural areas anticipating a utopian environment and a school system that supports their beliefs and values. Little qualitative research, however, has been conducted about the impact of rural public school districts on their local communities. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study, as reflected in the central research question, was to explore how a rural public school district contributed to community culture. Maslow's motivational theory related to a hierarchy of human needs formed the conceptual framework for this study. A single case study was executed as the method of inquiry. Participants included 6 residents …

The Relationship Between Juvenile Sex Offender Registration And Depression In Adulthood, Sharon E. Denniston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Accounts of sexual abuse appear daily in the media. Rightfully, this issue demands attention. Juveniles may be victims; they may also be offenders who are subject to sex offender registration and notification (SORN) policies. Growing research finds that SORN policies fail to achieve intended public policy outcomes. Little is known, however, about the unintended consequences of SORN for juvenile offenders. This study contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of these policies on this population. Merton's concept of manifest and latent functions of purposive social action and an alternate non-criminogenic form of Lemert's secondary deviance proposition provided the …

The Predictive Relationship Between Emotional Expressiveness And Discussing Death With Children: An Exploratory Study With Online College Parents, Sally A. Gill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Death is a sensitive topic, and discussing death with children may be difficult for parents, especially parents who are uncomfortable with emotional expression. Many factors are associated with parents' decision to discuss death; however, a dearth of recent literature existed examining the role of parental emotional expressiveness and discussing death with children. Using Jackson's communications theory within the broader family systems theory, this exploratory non-experimental quantitative study examined if one or more of the selected variables of parents' emotional expressiveness, parents' gender, and any previous discussions about death with a child adequately predicted the age of a child when parents …

Development Of A Practice Guideline For Dnp Prepared Nurse Practitoners Working In Long-Term Care Facilities, Ashley M. Marshall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Clinical evidence-based practice guidelines providing recommendations for health care decision making have become vital components of long-term health care practice in the United States. Frequently changing guidelines have complicated nurse practitioners' (NPs) efforts to implement evidence-based practice into the daily care that they provide to patients. The purpose of this project was to develop an evidence-based practice guideline for doctoral-prepared NPs working in long-term care facilities. This project is important because practitioners use practice guidelines to provide patients with the most appropriate, evidence-based care. Kolcaba's comfort theory was used to guide this project. Kolcaba's theory holds that comfort exists in …

Training And Experiences Of General Educators Who Have Students With Externalizing Behaviors, Sheila Ruann Lachelt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In California classrooms, general education teachers have experienced stress due to an increasing number of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). This study used a hermeneutical phenomenological inquiry approach to explore teachers' perspectives of their pre-service professional development (PD), in-service PD, and classroom experiences with students who have externalizing EBD. The theoretical framework centered on social constructivism. Research questions addressed the teachers' perceptions of their pre-service and in-service PD on students with EBD and their experiences with students' externalizing behaviors. Twenty California general education teachers, each from a different school district, volunteered to participate in face-to-face interviews. Stratified purposeful …

The Question Of Homeland Security In Rural America, Manuel Gonzalez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Following the issuance of the National Preparedness Guidelines in 2009 by the Department of Homeland Security, it remains unknown whether homeland security programs have been consistently implemented in the nation's rural areas. Research findings have been inconsistent and inconclusive on the degree of implementation. Two problems may result from inadequate implementation of these programs: weakened national security from the failure to protect critical infrastructure in remote areas and a threat to public safety in rural towns. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and describe the reasons for possible noncompliance through purposeful interviews with 10 law enforcement …

Compassion Fatigue And Crisis Workers' Attitude To Work, Maria Adneza Loolo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Past research has revealed that mental health practitioners experience challenging reactions in the course of their professional interactions with traumatized clients in the clinical work setting. The demands of caring, without commensurate replenishment, deplete the practitioners' empathy and produces forms of apathy and indifference towards the suffering of others, known as compassion fatigue. This quantitative, exploratory, cross sectional study examined the predictive relationships between compassion fatigue and work attitudes in primary care physicians located in West Africa. The etiological model of compassion fatigue and constructivist self-development theory (CSDT) formed the conceptual framework for examining clinician responses to trauma-related experiences in …

Experiences Of Nonincarcerated African American Male Youth With An Incarcerated Male Sibling, Fred Nana Biney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately half of all incarcerated individuals in the United States are young African American men. Researchers have documented that nonincarcerated siblings may commit a crime when their sibling is in prison. The current study addressed literature regarding the experiences, and coping strategies of nonincarcerated young African American men who live in the inner city, and have a male sibling in prison. Guided by Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study explored the lived experiences and coping strategies of African

American male youth with a brother in incarceration. Purposive sampling was used to select 3 nonincarcerated African American …

Perceptions Of Homeless Individuals Regarding Public Housing Use, Shirley Elaine Hicks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research on how homeless individuals perceive shelters, housing programs, and their agents has been limited, especially in relation to the reasons for engaging in or avoiding programs. This phenomenological study explored the perspectives of chronically homeless individuals in Wake County, North Carolina, regarding shelters and housing programs, examining their reasons for using or not using shelters or public housing. Using Glidden's structuration theory as the framework, the research questions for this study were based on exploring the perceptions of homeless individuals use of public resources related to housing and shelters to better understand why some use, and perhaps more importantly, …

Haitian Adult Immigrants As Learners And Parents, Dayana Octavien Philippi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Haitian immigrant parents often face challenges to visibly engage in their children's education in the United States due to social, cultural, and economic factors. This study addressed parent involvement (PI) among Haitian immigrant parents of adolescents in a Florida community. The purpose of this exploratory, multiple-case study was to better understand connections between immigrant Haitian parents' beliefs and learning experiences and their experiences supporting their adolescents' learning. Three research questions were developed to explore Haitian adults' lived experiences and perceptions of themselves as keepers of knowledge and as learners, their experiences and perceived roles as parents, and the resources they …

Transitional Planning And Homelessness Of Youths Emancipated From Foster Care, Sharon Patricia Sutherland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research has indicated that approximately 25% of the 30,000 youths emancipated from foster care each year experience negative outcomes including poor education attainment, limited employment opportunities, homelessness, lack of access to healthcare, and poor social networks. Despite the existence of federal legislation that requires foster care agencies to assist foster youths to make the transition to independent living, research has revealed that the current transitional planning process is not effective. There is a gap in the current literature regarding qualitative research on youths' shared experiences of the transitional planning process as they transit out of foster care. This study …

Grandparent Support And Juvenile Delinquent Youth, Anita Marie Taboh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Juvenile delinquency is a social issue which has been shown to have a significant cost to society in a variety of ways which include community safety, the cost of arrest, charges, and court processes, as well as the damage done in families and to the youth through the label of juvenile delinquent or Person in Need of Supervision (PINs). One important area in treatment and discharge planning for youth designated as either juvenile delinquent or Persons in Need of Supervision is the inclusion of supports to help youth change the trajectory from these behaviors into more socially acceptable activities and …

Identifying Business Risk Factors Of Identity Theft, Robert K. Minniti

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Businesses are under pressure to identify and control risks affecting profitability, including the risk of fraud. Identity theft, a type of fraud, costs businesses, governments, and individuals in excess of $56 billion a year. In order to develop good internal controls to help prevent and detect fraud, it is necessary to identify the risks to the business, but business owners are not always aware of what risk factors relate to identity theft. A nonexperimental research design formed the basis of this research study. The population for this study was data from all 50 U.S. states, represented via government databases maintained …

Educational Stakeholders' Perceptions Of Parental Involvement In An Urban School Setting, Cassandra Grady

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diverse populations of students in public schools have led to differences in how the phrase parental involvement is understood. The problem at one local elementary preparatory school in urban Southern California was this varied understanding on what parental involvement entailed, specifically in school activities. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of parents, teachers, and administrators regarding parental involvement and the influence of parental involvement on student academic progress. Bandura's theory of self-efficacy and Lee and Bowen's theory of social and cultural capital provided lenses into parental involvement and students' academic progress. A qualitative case study design …

Job Satisfaction In The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, Calvin Colbert

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately every 20 years, a new generation is born and eventually dominates the workforce; although changes occur with each new generation, the importance of job satisfaction remains constant. Research within the U.S. Intelligence Community is lacking with regard to changing trends of job satisfaction levels. The purpose of this study was to explore job satisfaction levels between Generation X and Generation Y workforce employees at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). The central research question addressed how job satisfaction differed by generational differences in the workforce. A quantitative method was used to assess survey data. A structural equation modeling technique was …

Local Governmental Development Of Alternative Food Systems In Distressed Urban Areas, Jeremy Earle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alternative food systems (AFS) projects are designed to address issues of environmental justice, food security and insecurity, community health disparities between the affluent and the poor, and access to healthful foods in distressed urban areas. Past research has questioned the efficacy and long-term viability of such interventions, particularly in distressed primarily Black urban areas. The purpose of this intrinsic case study (ICS) was to understand the ways in which local governmental entities collaborated with each other and with nongovernmental partners to help develop an AFS in South Florida through the creation of a market garden called the PATCH. Critical race …

Emergency Responder Causal Reasoning Impact, Derek Skuzenski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This ethnographic and phenomenological study examined the relationship between the benefits and compensation afforded to emergency responders; their perceptions of work equity, equality, justice, and risk management; and the effect of perceived equity, equality, justice, and risk management on the execution of an emergency responder's duties. The data was collected through interviews with members of the culture group, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical responder's (n = 24). The interviews were audio recorded, then manually transcribed by the researcher. The raw data was coded for reoccurring themes and commonalities. The reoccurring themes were organized and displayed in tables …

Initial And Long-Term Homeless Shelter Volunteerism: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Study, Jonathon Andrew Wade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was implemented to explore

and describe the initial and long-term motivations of community volunteers within a selected homeless shelter in central Indiana. The settlement house movement of human service delivery was the conceptual framework, which provided guidance and understanding concerning why and how community members provide human services through volunteerism. The research question examined the ways in which long-term volunteers thought about and made sense of their motivations to volunteer initially and over the long term at a homeless shelter. To answer the research question, the IPA methodology was implemented with 6 long-term community …

Web 2.0 Tools And Communities Of Practice: Bridging Gaps In Novice Teacher Training, Stacey Donaldson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Novice teachers do not have sufficient opportunities to troubleshoot real-world teaching situations prior to having their own classrooms. Antiquated professional development (PD) models lack the collaboration element that provides authentic application of concepts. This qualitative case study was conducted to fill a gap in research on novice teachers' voluntary participation in an online community of practice. The study explored how the situated learning in this virtual community addressed the cognitive and social needs of early career teachers as they made the theory to practice connections. The community of practice framework and the social learning theories supported socialization as essential in …

A Phenomenological Inquiry Into Identity Change On The Path To Long-Term Criminal Desistance, Leah B. Mazzola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Growing federal attention to addressing collateral damages of the era of mass conviction and mass incarceration has led to millions in funding allocated to support successful reentry for offenders in contact with the justice system. In line with this initiative, federal agencies have recently turned to criminal desistance research to build on earlier recidivism studies and to inform successful reentry programs. In an effort to contribute to opportunities for future research within the desistance paradigm, this study was designed to explore the identity change process of the offender from deviant to prosocial, a continuously emerging concept within the desistance literature …

Family Continuity And Multiple Incarcerations Among African American Women, Dorenda Karen Dixon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Scholars have studied incarceration among women in the United States of America for more than a decade, but few studies have explored the influence of repeated incarcerations among African American women and their family relationships. The research question for this study examined how African American women describe the effects of multiple incarcerations on family trust relationships and their ability to reintegrate into the family system and society. This multiple case study was conducted in Chicago, Illinois, and drew a sample of 4 African American women released from prison with histories of multiple incarcerations. The study explored their perspectives through a …

High Wire, No Net: Emergence From Generational Poverty Without Higher Education, Corey Alan Caugherty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Existing literature indicates that education is vital to overcoming poverty, yet educational prospects for those in persistent, generational poverty (GP) are often limited. This qualitative phenomenological study centered on the emergence from GP of individuals without formal education beyond 12th grade or a high school equivalency certificate, and explored how those who have done it perceived their experiences. Rutter's resilience theory was the conceptual framework for examining this phenomenon and its challenges and processes. A sample of five adult participants from the United States were recruited using a snowball method, completed a screening survey, and then participated in in-depth interviews. …

Law Enforcement Employees' Experiences Of Skillful Recognition By Leaders, Dimitra Patterson Cornelius

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The performance of public agency employees and their management teams have long been subject to critical comments and public doubt. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of police leaders and staff with regard to skillful recognition of excellent performance within the profession. Twenty law enforcement employees, including leaders, sworn officers, and nonuniformed civilian employees in southwestern North Carolina, consented to in-depth, semistructured interviews concerning their lived experiences. Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory was the conceptual framework for this study. A modified van Kaam analysis resulted in the identification of 5 significant, but broad, themes. The themes …

Best Practices For Controlling Tuberculosis - Training In Correctional Facilities: A Mixed Methods Evaluation, Ellen Reynolds Murray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to the literature, identifying and treating tuberculosis (TB) in correctional facilities have been problematic for the inmates and also for the communities into which inmates are released. The importance of training those who can identify this disease early into incarceration is vital to halt the transmission. Although some training has been done by public health authorities for corrections, there is little to no evaluation of such training. The aim of this mixed methods retrospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a training to control TB in correctional facilities. The Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center (SNTC) conducted 12 trainings between …

Investigating How Families Experience School Criminalization, Monique Tate

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public school students across the United States have been criminalized for minor youth behavior issues such as truancy, defiance, and minor fighting incidents. The presence of law enforcement is expanding in school spaces, increasing the likelihood of young students facing court systems for minor offenses. Criminalization of students is counterproductive considering schools are designed to promote student growth and development. Little is known about how students and parents experience school criminalization. The purpose of this multi-case study, based on Freire's conceptual framework of critical consciousness, was to investigate how a small group of families experienced school criminalization. Three families of …