Education Commons^™

Perceptions Of Air Force Civilians Regarding Participation In Nonresident Professional Military Education, Edward Hodge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In spite of a 2009 memorandum from senior Air Force leaders calling for civilian employees to participate in nonresident Professional Military Education (PME) courses, employees' PME completion rates have remained low. This qualitative study investigated the perceptions of nonresident PME held by 12 employees at an installation with a nonresident PME completion rate of less than 3% in 2013. The theories of reasoned action and planned behavior guided the 5 main questions that asked participants to describe their familiarity with nonresident PME course content, availability, and structure; as well as their perceptions of organizational support for PME course participation, their …

Improving Quality Of Life In Older Adults With Depression And Diabetes Through Medication Compliance Education, Valreen Hinds-Beharrie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Improving Quality-of-Life in Older Adults with Depression and Diabetes through Medication Compliance Education

by

Valreen Hinds-Beharrie

MSN, Adelphi University, 1997

BSN, Adelphi University, 1986

Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirement for the Degree of

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Walden University

March 2016

Diabetes and depression are prevalent diseases that cause morbidity and mortality. Diabetes is a heterogeneous metabolic disease in which hypoglycemia is a central feature. Depression is associated with increased counter-regulatory, hormone release, and alteration in glucose transport function. Depression occurs in some individuals with diabetes and is associated with poor metabolic control, inadequate control of diet, …

The Effectiveness Of Adult And Pediatric Code Blue Simulation-Based Team Trainings, Pamela Joy Corey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The adult and pediatric healthcare providers at a New England medical center attended simulation training for responding to cardiac arrests that incorporated the current American Heart Association (AHA) evidence-based standards. The purpose of this concurrent mixed method program evaluation was to compare the adult code blue and pediatric team training programs to the AHA's standards and identify if the staff learned the necessary skills to care for patients in cardiac arrest. The conceptual models used for the study were Crisis Resource Management and the transfer of learning model. The study sample was 660 adult and 269 pediatric healthcare providers who …

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 …

Nurses' Experiences Transitioning From Staff Nurse To Management In A Community Hospital, Jennifer Sylvia Buffenbarger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project study addressed the problem of frequent turnover of nurse managers at a Northeastern community hospital. The lack of retention of nurse managers has led to attenuated support for the nursing staff who continued to hold the front line in patient care. The purpose of this qualitative bounded case study was to explore nurse managers' experiences with turnover in order to identify strategies for enhancing retention. Work empowerment and servant leadership theories served as the frameworks for the study. Research questions focused on nurse managers' perceptions of empowerment and servant leadership characteristics that were important in decisions to assume …

Exploring Literacy Coaching As A Form Of Staff Development, Kate Matthews Welborn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Following a 2011 audit a school district in the south central United States clarified the role of the literacy coach. However, there were still differences among the literacy coaches as to how they were performing their duties. As a result, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the role of the literacy coach in the participating school district. The theoretical foundation of this study addressed adult learning and was based upon Kegan's constructive development theory and Knowles's theory of androgogy. A case study design was used to explore how 5 literacy coaches implemented literacy staff development …

Case Study Of Teen Mother Perceptions Of Their Influence On Preschoolers' Language Development, Mary Schmidt Duncan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children born to teen mothers tend to score lower on language development assessments and to have school readiness delays. To support teen mothers and their children in improving language development, educators need information about mothers' daily interactions with their children and how they contribute to their children's language development. The purpose of this descriptive case study was to understand mothers'perceptions of how they influenced their children's language development through play, routines, and other informal interactions. Flavell, Vygotsky, and Bruner's views on how learners' construct knowledge informed the study. Research questions were focused on the mothers' perceptions regarding interactions during routines …

Preparing Faculty To Teach Online: Promoting Success In The Online Classroom, Julia Babcock Hamilton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Distance learning students at a community college in the southeast United States were not completing their coursework as well as were students enrolled in traditional courses. This disparity was negatively affecting the institution's state performance measures, putting at risk the institution's state-based funding under the state's performance model. The purpose of this qualitative, bounded case study was to explore faculty experiences with online course professional development and faculty's teaching practices related to successful student online course completion. Chickering and Gamson's 'Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education' served as the study's conceptual foundation. Distance learning faculty (n = 10), …

Adult Learning-Focused Professional Development For Dental Hygiene Clinical Instructors, Meghan Ann Mcguinness

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At a dental hygiene program within a community college in New York State, clinical instructors are hired based on their expertise as practitioners. Most clinical instructors lack a background in adult learning theory and practice, which is an issue because their students are adult learners whose average age is 26. The instructors' lack of knowledge in this area challenges their effectiveness. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore dental hygiene instructors' views about what kind of professional development offerings related to adult learning might help improve their teaching effectiveness. The conceptual framework for this project study was …

Online Training Impact On Adjunct Faculty Compliance And Satisfaction With Professional Development, Elizabeth Pete

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed by this project study was low levels of adjunct faculty compliance and satisfaction with the professional development program at a local college. The purpose of the study was to determine if an alternative delivery method would yield higher levels of compliance and satisfaction than would a traditional professional development workshop. The guiding research question was whether an alternative delivery method would yield higher levels of compliance and satisfaction than a traditional professional development workshop. The theoretical base included andragogy, self-directed learning, and connectivism. Using an experimental design, the project examined archival data concerning compliance and satisfaction for …

Scholarly Writing Among Graduate Students: A Qualitative Project Study, Marsha Armstrong Harwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project study focused on scholarly writing skills of adult students enrolled in a private graduate institution in the West Indies. The institution provided writing instruction, but scholarly writing skills remained inadequate for some students when they began their final projects. The project study provided insight into the most pervasive writing skill deficits and the positive and negative influences on writing skill development among graduate students. The research design was an applied qualitative case study using data collected from a purposeful sample of convenience within a bounded system of current students, faculty members, and administrators in one institution. Open-ended questionnaires …

Examining Barriers To Retention Of Adult Learners In Rural Education Programs, Tiffany Minyon Spivey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The retention of adult learners in rural educational settings throughout the United States is challenging for adult education instructors. Adult learners in rural areas encounter internal and external barriers, including lack of self-efficacy and minimal transportation. Research exists regarding the retention of adult learners, but little is known about the barriers to persistence among adult learners in rural areas, or the motivations experienced by students and instructors. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify perceived barriers to retention at a rural adult learning center in Georgia and to provide suggestions to improve adult education and literacy initiatives. …

Making A Difference: Evidence Based Palliative Care Education For Neonatal Nurses, Sherry Elaine Pye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The death of a neonate is a life-changing and tragic experience for the individuals involved in the final moments of the infant's life. As the frontline provider in this clinical scenario, the bedside nurse supports the patient and family through their individual journey of loss. If the nurse does not possess the palliative care educational background and communication skills to support this unique care delivery process, the journey of death can evolve into a particularly negative experience for the parents and the nurse. This specific delivery of care concern was identified and gleaned from a parental bereavement exit interview after …

Nurses' Occupational Trauma Exposure, Resilience, And Coping Education, Sherry Lynn Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nursing education courses and professional development (PD) do not include coping and resilience training for registered nurses (RNs) who work in emergency departments (EDs). Exposure to traumatic events, death, and dying may lead to health issues, substance abuse, stress symptoms, nursing staff turnover, and compassion fatigue among ED RNs. Without training, the pattern of adverse outcomes may continue. The purpose of this study was to explore ED RNs' experiences with occupational traumatic stress (OTS), and their recommendations for change to nursing PD programs, using a qualitative bounded intrinsic case study. The conceptual framework for this study included social learning and …

Narratives Of Elementary And Secondary Teacher Leaders As Agents Of Transformational Change, Cassandra Mason

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Historically, being self-reflective has not been evidenced as critical to the career advancement of teachers aspiring to leadership roles. Five teacher leaders in a southwestern school district participated in a district Teacher Leadership Certificate Program (TLCP), which included self-reflective practices to broaden their understanding of the tools necessary to be an effective leader in 21st century schools. Theories of change suggest that teachers must acquire new knowledge and apply this new knowledge in practice. The theoretical framework for this project study was Mezirow's transformative learning theory. A narrative design was employed to identify the change process experienced by the 5 …

Factors That Impact African American High School Equivalency (Hse) Students' Pursuit Of Higher Education, Jamiyla Chandler-Melton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans account for a disproportionate percentage of students who pursue college education in comparison to European Americans. Indeed, a considerable number of African American High School Equivalency (HSE) students are not enrolling in college once they earn their HSE diploma. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine 3 African American HSE students' perceptions about factors that influenced their pursuit of higher education at the selected HSE study site. These 3 students were selected for their inclusion because of their ethnicity, enrollment in the HSE program, academic underpreparedness and lack of pursuit of higher education, and strong …

Evaluation Of A College Of Medicine Peer-Mentoring Program, Myra Haney Singleton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Peer-mentoring experiences in higher education have been largely effective largely effective, however institutions implement them differently. The focus of this program evaluation was a peer-mentoring program at a medical school in the southeastern region of the United States, which had not previously been evaluated. Guided by Kolb's experiential learning theory, the purpose of the evaluation in this study was to examine whether the peer-mentoring experience was perceived as helpful to new students and how students thought the program could be improved. The sequential mixed-method design consisted of a survey of 179 students and interviews of 8 students. A thematic analysis …

Improving Graduate Students' Satisfaction With Academic Advising, Jamie Loretta Green

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Academic advising is associated with increased student retention and academic success. However, advising at an urban graduate school of education in Tennessee has been criticized for limited advisor availability, poor communication, and lack of advising knowledge. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain a deeper understanding of the reasons for student satisfaction or dissatisfaction and to identify techniques to improve academic advising. This study was guided by the conceptual frameworks of Kelly's personal construct theory and Daloz's psycho-developmental perspective. The research question addressed the perceived role of academic advisors that graduate students associated with academic success. The …

Effect Of An Interactive Component On Students' Conceptual Understanding Of Hypothesis Testing, Sarah Anne Inkpen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Premier Technical College of Qatar (PTC-Q) has seen high failure rates among students taking a college statistics course. The students are English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in business studies and health sciences. Course delivery has involved conventional content/curriculum-centered instruction with minimal to no interactive components. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to assess the effectiveness of an interactive approach to teaching and learning statistics used in North America and the United Kingdom when used with EFL students in the Middle East. Guided by von Glasersfeld's constructivist framework, this study compared conceptual understanding between a convenience sample …

Professional Development To Enhance Instructional Leadership And Practice Of Central Office Administrators, Cheryl A. R. Mccue

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professional Development to Enhance Instructional Leadership and Practice of

Central Office Administrators

by

Cheryl A. R. McCue

M. Ed., Lehigh University, 1990

BS, Kutztown University, 1987

Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Education

Walden University

June 2016

Decades of research and practice suggest that educational administrators need to experience opportunities for professional development and continuous learning. This project study addressed the problem regarding the lack of a formal or systemic plan for professional development of central office administrators in a large suburban school district in northeastern United States. Supported by Lave …

Nursing Distance Learning Course Comparison Of Assignments And Examination Scores, Jennifer Mundine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nursing programs have embraced distance learning in their curricula, but discussion is ongoing about course assignments and grading criteria to increase examination scores in nursing distance learning courses. Because course examinations are a predictor of success on the postgraduate licensing examination (NCLEX-RN), the purpose of this study was to determine whether differences existed in student examination scores between nursing distance learning courses with and without points aligned to assignments. The theoretical framework was Knowles's theory of andragogy, which highlights adults' motivation and self-direction to succeed. The quantitative causal comparative study included a convenience sample of 164 students to compare archival …

Professional Development Of Head Start Teachers In Emotional And Instructional Support, Marilyn Mcleod Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the southwest region of Tennessee, a local Head Start program classroom assessment scoring system's (CLASS) scores fell in the lowest 10% among national Head Start programs in emotional and instructional support. Since 2012, the Office of Head Start has released reports showing that the average Head Start program has low performance CLASS emotional and instructional support scores. The purpose of this exploratory case study was to investigate the professional development of local Head Start teachers with low CLASS scores in emotional and instructional support. Knowles's adult learning theory of andragogy was the overall conceptual framework and the concentrated theory …

Understanding The Relationships Among Students' Goal Orientations, Self-Efficacy, Anxiety, And Accelerated Academic Success In The Redesign Of Developmental Mathematics, Kelly Ann Hogan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The low success rates of increasing numbers of underprepared students taking developmental mathematics classes 'often minority and economically disadvantaged' are challenging community colleges across the United States. These students, who must start in the lowest levels of precollege mathematics courses, are unlikely to pass the first course and earn a credential. Using a mastery goal orientation theoretical framework, a quantitative, survey research design was used to ascertain any correlations between students' goal orientations, self-efficacy, test anxiety, and success in a new model of learning. Survey data were used to answer 3 research questions: (a) the relationship between success and students' …

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 …

The Impact Of Self-Efficacy On Retention In Technical Colleges, Percy W. Reed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Vocational and career training institutes focus their energy and resources on student support services, increasing student retention as it relates to minority populations. Despite these efforts, a specific vocational and career institute in the southeast United States reports a 50% retention rate of students who are enrolled. This case study explored students' descriptions of how self-efficacy supported their perseverance while attending the vocational and career training institute. The conceptual framework included Bandura's notions of self-efficacy and Tinto's integration model. Purposeful sampling strategies were used to interview 10 successfully-retained students enrolled in their 4th term or beyond at the vocational and …

Relationship Between Internships And Employment Competencies Of Degreed Professionals Who Completed A College Internship, Shawn Barnwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An estimated 1.5 million underemployed or unemployed college graduates have one or more college degrees, and many have high loan debt. Policy makers, students, and institutions of higher education are all concerned with the question of how prepared students are to enter the workforce upon graduation, yet little is known about whether internships are a strategy to improve career preparedness and gainful employment after graduation. Guided by Dewey and Kolb's experiential learning theory, the purpose of this nonexperimental study was to evaluate the impact of internships on career preparation from the perspective of graduates, specifically to evaluate whether graduates perceive …

Mentor Perspectives On Effective Mentoring For Beginning Elementary School Teachers, Betsy Holley Gross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The attrition of beginning teachers is an ongoing problem for public schools as it impacts campus moral, results in economic losses, and maintains the number of newly-hired teachers. Although induction programs for beginning teachers have been found effective in reducing novice teacher attrition, funding for many induction programs have been eliminated due to budget constraints, leaving local school systems with limited support of the mentors and no consistency as to expectations or outcomes. Compounding this problem is that little research has examined what is most successful and supportive for mentors to be able to function most effectively. Guided by Knowles' …

Instructor's Employment-Level, Instructor-Efficacy, And Knowledge Of Effective Classroom Strategies For Emotional Disorders, Andrea Karen Haglin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Community college instructors are responsible for creating learning opportunities for all students, including adult students affected by emotional disorders (ED). Concerns in the literature have grown over how invested part-time instructors are in their teaching; however, limited data were available regarding instructor knowledge of ED, instructor-efficacy, and the impact of employment status. The purpose of this study was to address the gap in the literature and analyze relationships between instructor knowledge of ED strategies (as assessed by Teaching Students with Emotional Behavior Disorders scale) and instructors' efficacy beliefs (as assessed by the Ohio State Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale). It also evaluated …

A Quantitative Examination Of The Relationship Between Cultural Competence And Patient Satisfaction Scores, Kelley Ann Lovati

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As the U.S. population continues to diversify, hospitals need to understand and care for patients of diverse backgrounds and provide quality service for positive patient satisfaction scores. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative retrospective survey design was to determine what relationship exists between cultural competence initiatives (CCI) and patient satisfaction scores as reported by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Care Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey in U.S. hospitals. The theoretical framework for this study was based upon CCI and patient satisfaction through the lens of service quality. The research questions were created to understand the relationship between CCI and …

Middle School Teachers' Experiences With Teaching Self-Regulation Skills To Adolescents With Disabilities, Jessica Traylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research shows that adolescents with disabilities often lack self-regulated learning skills. Current research further indicates that explicit teaching of self-regulation skills is beneficial to adolescents with disabilities. The site of this study was a local middle school in rural Georgia that did not assess whether or not teachers were explicitly teaching self-regulation skills to adolescents with disabilities. It was unknown, therefore, whether adolescents with disabilities were learning self-regulation skills in school and whether teachers faced problems in teaching these skills. The study sought to explore this gap in knowledge and practice. Zimmerman's self-regulated learning theory and Bandura's self-efficacy theory served …