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Teacher And Parent Perception Of A Middle School After School Tutoring Program, Latisha Monique Jones-Russell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University

College of Education

This is to certify that the doctoral study by

Latisha Jones-Russell

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. Mary Lou Morton, Committee Chairperson, Education Faculty

Dr. Antoinette Myers, Committee Member, Education Faculty

Dr. Marcia Griffiths, University Reviewer, Education Faculty

Chief Academic Officer and Provost

Sue Subocz, Ph.D.

Walden University

2022Abstract The problem in the 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) afterschool program was that 40% of the students enrolled performed below the proficiency level …

Quality Of Life In Young Adults With Dyslexia, Nathan Kirkegaard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has emphasized cognitive differences and emotional and behavioral dysfunctionality related to dyslexia. However, there has been limited emphasis on quality-of-life (QOL) experiences on adults with dyslexia within educational, work, family, and social environments. The purpose of this narrative study was to explore the lived experiences of adults with dyslexia to better understand QOL experiences. The integrative quality-of-life (IQOL) theory was used to address QOL from a subjective, existential, and objective perspective to define what QOL means more completely. The narrative approach was used to explore chain-of-event themes throughout a participant’s told story to examine QOL experiences. Seven participants were …

High School Completion Categories And Post-High School Plans As Predictors Of Ged Certificate Attainment In A Virginia Alternative Education Program, Joseph Knight

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractA state-wide Individual Student Alternative Education Plan (ISAEP) seeks to assist high school (HS) students at risk of not graduating in completing HS credentials. The problem was that there was no formal state-wide process for monitoring the program to understand its impact. The purpose of this quantitative exploratory study was to determine whether the graduation variables that were published by the state could be used to predict ISAEP GED attainment. The Theory of Action proposed by McPartland and Jordan guided two main research questions to see if ISAEP GED attainment could be predicted by categories of HS completion, and if …

Transition Of Expert Clinical Nurse To Novice Nursing Professional Development Practitioner, Lisa Marie Langdale

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nursing professional development (NPD) is an evolving nursing specialty role that combines expertise in clinical nursing with ongoing education in acute care settings. A novice NPD practitioner may not understand the complexities, demands, and stressors that accompany a work role transition. This qualitative case study used thematic analysis and revealed four themes associated with the successful work role transition of an expert clinical nurse to the novice NPD practitioner. The conceptual framework guiding this study was Nicholson’s work role transitions theory. The first research question sought to determine the professional experiences of expert clinical nurses as they transition into the …

Barriers To Technology Integration Perceived By Kindergarten Through Second-Grade Teachers, Jessica Levine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A problem exists in southeastern United States where technology integration is limited in classrooms. Although researchers have found benefits for integrating technology, it was unknown why teachers were not integrating technology into instruction. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of teachers of kindergarten through second-grade students about the barriers for integrating technology into instruction and the support needed to effectively integrate technology. There have been studies about the barriers to technology integration experienced by teachers; however, it was uncertain what these barriers were for kindergarten through second-grade teachers. Bandura’s self-efficacy theory was the conceptual …

Middle School Teacher Perceptions On Implementation Of The Math Workshop Model, Donna Mack

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mathematics achievement levels in the middle school grades have reportedly been below proficiency for students in the United States. The math workshop model has been identified as a possible approach to increase student achievement in mathematics. The purpose of this generic qualitative study, guided by Mezirow’s transformative learning theory, focused on understanding middle school teacher perceptions of the implementation of the math workshop model. The five research questions addressed middle school teacher perceptions of the implementation and influence of the math workshop and how it had transformed their understanding of teaching mathematics. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with nine …

Novice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Liminality In Building Self-Efficacy Through Technology During Covid-19 Closures, Ashley Jane Mcintyre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic created a social-educational problem in understanding how novice teachers developed self-efficacy through technology amidst distance learning. Exploring the social-educational problem of novice teachers’ liminality and construction of self-efficacy during coronavirus-related school closures is an emerging issue that justifies further research. A gap in research and understanding currently exists regarding novice teachers’ establishment of self-efficacy and liminal experience as first-year professionals during COVID-19-related school closures. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how novice teachers developed self-efficacy through technology amidst the liminal first-time experiences of distance learning. To explore this topic, three concepts were used: the …

Early Childhood Teachers’ Perspectives Of Job-Related Stressors And Decisions To Remain In Or Leave The Profession, Michelle Mertic

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early childhood teachers are leaving the profession at high rates, citing job-related stress as the reason for their departure. These vacancies have a detrimental effect on the children enrolled in these programs and their future school readiness. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore early childhood teachers’ perspectives of job-related stressors and how those stressors impact their decisions to remain in or leave the teaching profession. The conceptual framework used in the study was the coping-competence-context theory of teacher stress. The research questions addressed early childhood teachers’ perspectives of job-related stressors and how those stressors impacted teachers’ decisions …

An Educational Program To Enhance Knowledge And Communication For Nursing Staff Who Care For Dementia Patients, Behnaz Mohammadi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractDementia is a progressive chronic disease that requires skilled nursing care. Staff at a skilled nursing facility were not using best practices to prevent and manage the psychological and behavioral symptoms of dementia. The purpose of this DNP project was to implement a dementia care education to address this gap in knowledge. The question for the evidence-based educational project was whether the program increased knowledge, promoted positive attitudes, and increased confidence in dementia care staff. A 5-hour workshop was presented in person, twice in two weeks. The person-centered care model served as a framework for the project. Nursing staff (N …

Human Service Professionals’ Perceived Ability To Support Title I Schools During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Michael Dewayne Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human service professional practitioners (HSPPs) who work in Title I schools help students overcome challenges including absenteeism and behavioral problems and serve as liaisons between the school, family, and student. The pivot to online education during the COVID-19 school shutdowns meant that HSPP services also pivoted. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to understand how HSPPs perceived their ability to serve Title I students during the pandemic through the lens of Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 HSPPs who delivered services to Title I students before and during the pandemic. Participants reported their service delivery …

Life Experiences Of Head Start Teachers In A Midwestern Region Pursuing Higher Education, Jeanette O. Keyes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe 2007 Head Start Reauthorization Act mandated that all Head Start teachers have at least an associate degree and 50% of teachers within each Head Start program should have a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education. The problem addressed in this study was that Head Start teachers from a Midwestern region encountered barriers as they pursued higher education to meet mandated requirements to continue employment. The purpose of this study was to explore the life experiences, barriers, coping strategies and views of support needed by Head Start teachers who were completing their degrees. Tinto’s academic and social integration model and …

Nurses’ Role In Reducing Mental Health Stigma In Health Care, Angel Vivian Mbome

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many patients with mental illness around the world face mental health-related stigma. Compared to other health care workers, nurses express the highest level of stigmatizing attitudes toward mentally ill patients. The purpose of this project was to change staff nurses’ attitudes in a long-term care facility by educating them on mental health stigma. The practice-focused question guiding this study was whether educating staff nurses on mental health stigma changed nurses’ attitudes and behavioral intentions towards people with mental illness. This project was guided by the constructivist theory of learning. Seventeen staff members voluntarily participated in a 30-minute nursing staff education …

Retention Of African American Male Teachers In Elementary And Middle Schools, Marla West

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe representation of African American male teachers in elementary urban schools has decreased. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate administrators’ and African American male teachers’ perceptions of how administrators are challenged to support the retention of African American male teachers in elementary and middle schools in the focus urban school district. Social, cognitive, and transformational leadership theories were used as a framework to guide the study. Research questions addressed how administrators perceive the ways they support the retention of African American male teachers and how African American male teachers perceive that support. Purposeful sampling was used …

Kindergarten Teachers' Perspectives On School Readiness In Children Who Attended Military Installation Childcare Centers, Juliana Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited literature exists on the effectiveness of prekindergarten programs located on military installations in the United States. The children who attend these programs may not receive school readiness preparation equivalent to that received by their peers who attend community-based prekindergarten programs, which follow different guidelines. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the kindergarten readiness of children who attended preschool on military installations as described by teachers in community-based kindergarten classrooms. Pianta's work on school readiness formed the conceptual framework of this basic qualitative study. The research question addressed how kindergarten teachers describe school readiness in children …

Enhancing Engagement And Qualitative Output Of Technical Projects Through Competing Team Assignments, Immanuel Edinbarough, Jaime Taha-Tijerina, Aditya Akundi

Informatics and Engineering Systems Faculty Publications

This paper discusses the benefits of engaging engineering student teams through competition in technical development projects. The University of XXX is a minority serving institution situated in the developing region of the XXX state, where recently, there has been a great expansion of advanced manufacturing industries, including innovative aerospace companies. These industries look for engineering and technology students who are creative thinkers and capable of addressing complex engineering problems. The best of student output often comes out with a friendly competition. Hence, two student teams were assigned with the same sponsored project to come out with innovative solutions. The project …

Left Behind: Intersectional Stigma Experiences Of African American College Women With Adhd, Angela Lynnette Anderson-Elahi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American college women with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can experience intersectional stigmas based on race, gender, and learning disability. Intersectional stigmas affect African American college women in self-esteem, social acceptance, and academic progress. The scholarly community has not published literature regarding intersectional stigma experienced by African American college women with ADHD. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of African American college women who had encountered intersectional stigma based on race, gender, and ADHD. Goffman’s social stigma theory and Crenshaw’s intersectional stigma theory served as the theoretical and conceptual frameworks to explore how African …

High School Principals Supporting The Academic Achievement Of Students With Disabilities, Toni Brooks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, legislators have created policies to hold school personnel accountable for the academic success of all students. However, many students with disabilities working toward a high school diploma have not demonstrated progress on local or national standardized assessments. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the ways that high school principals in a Mid-Atlantic school district provided leadership practices to support the academic achievement of students with disabilities. Burns and Bass’s transformational leadership theory informed this study. Data were collected via semistructured interviews with eight high school principals and a review of archival test …

High School Teacher Self-Efficacy In Using Blended Learning And Tpack, Sharmain Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Blended learning helps to improve teaching and learning in high school classrooms; however, there is minimal understanding of how teacher self-efficacy influences their use of blended learning in their teaching. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to generate a more in-depth understanding of how high school teachers within a rural school district perceive their self-efficacy to influence their implementation of blended learning and how they apply the TPACK model to guide their pedagogy. Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and Koehler and Mishra’s TPACK framework served as the conceptual framework for this study. Research questions addressed how high school teachers perceive …

Using Integrated Staff Education To Increase Medication Adherence In A Mentally Ill Population, Tiffany Dawn Burke-Lott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Failure to adhere to medication regimens is a serious problem that affects both the patient and the health care system. Psychiatric patients have the lowest rates of adherence, as low as 24%. The evidence shows that nonadherence to medication is a global challenge in the field of mental illness and is linked with a poor prognosis. Patients who are nonadherent to medications experience exacerbations of their mental illness, which can lead to rehospitalization, poor psychosocial outcomes, relapse of symptoms, reduced effectiveness of subsequent treatment, wastage of limited health care resources, increased substance abuse, poor quality of life, and increased risk …

Psychological Capital And The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership And Employee Well-Being, Bianca Cardenas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It is not known whether authentic leadership predicts employee well-being, and whether psychological capital moderates the relationship between authentic leadership and employee well-being. The purpose of this correlational study was to determine the extent that authentic leadership predicted employee well-being and whether psychological capital had a moderating effect on the relationship between authentic leadership and employee well-being. The two theoretical frameworks that supported this study included the authentic leadership theory and social exchange theory. The research design consisted of a quantitative, correlational study using multiple and hierarchical regression analysis. The two research questions that guided this study examined whether perceived …

High School Teachers’ Concerns With The Use Of Multiple Mobile Devices For Instruction, Orin Carpenter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Smartphones, laptops, and tablets are mobile devices that are now considered essential tools for high school educators. The problem many teachers face is figuring out how to manage multiple mobile devices in the classroom at the same time. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the barriers, problems, and challenges teachers experience while using these devices in the classroom. The concerns-based adoption model provided the framework to analyze the informational, personal, management, and consequence stages of concern through in-depth interviews with 10 Catholic high school teachers in California. The results of thematic analysis showed that although teachers …

Single Parent And Caregiver Perspectives On The Effects Of Caregiver Stress And Iep Meeting Eligibility, Kevin Mark Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem examined in this phenomenological study is how single African American parents and caregivers perceive the impact of caregiver stress on communications, trust, and intent to negotiate with school personnel after participation in their child’s annual IEP eligibility determination meeting. This research is important because parents’ and caregivers’ perceptions of their IEP meeting engagement may identify and reduce impediments to the formation of successful alliances with school personnel. Attribution and self-determination theories were used to analyze, interpret, and codify the experiences of study participants. Purposive sampling was used to select 18 single, African American parents and caregivers for participation. …

Financial Aid Knowledge And Resources Among First-Generation College Students, Carmelitia J. Coleman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractFirst-generation, freshmen students struggle to complete the financial aid process at a 4-year private university in Louisiana, impacting their financial and academic well-being. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore first-generation, freshmen student perceptions of how they construct knowledge about the financial aid process and resources needed to help them complete the process. The conceptual framework of the study was comprised of Piaget’s theory of constructivism, which is grounded in the idea of learners constructing their own knowledge based on experience. The first research question addressed how first-generation, freshmen students constructed knowledge about the financial aid process. …

Attainment Of Superintendent Roles For African American Women In Rural U.S. School Districts, Likisha Tamese Coleman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women are underrepresented in the attainment of superintendent roles from a racial and gendered standpoint. African American females hold only 1% of superintendent positions in a field in which 27% of superintendents are women and 8.6% of superintendents are African American. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe the barriers and supports experienced by African American women in their attainment of superintendent roles in rural U.S. school districts. Black feminist thought and intersectionality provided the conceptual frameworks for this qualitative study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with eight African American female superintendents from rural …

Elementary Principal Leadership Practices To Enhance Academic Achievement Of English Language Learners, Toi Okema Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

English Language Learners (ELLs) struggle in many schools in the United States. Instructional leaders and their communities need greater understanding of the leadership practices of principals that can enhance the achievement of ELLs. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to examine the leadership practices that elementary principals used to increase the achievement of ELLs in their schools. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was culturally responsive school leadership. The two research questions were designed to explore the leadership practices employed by principals to increase the achievement of the ELL population at their schools. Eight elementary principals …

General Education Elementary Teacher Competencies And Training In Teaching Children With Autism In The U.S. Virgin Islands, Merle Merinda Elizabeth Durand

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing. The overall problem in this study focused on showing how a lack of teacher training in ASD-specific courses could result in a lack of competencies in meeting the educational needs of children with autism in an inclusive setting. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative cross-sectional study was to determine if a difference exists in four teaching competencies among general education elementary teachers teaching children with autism in the general education classroom in the U.S. Virgin Islands based training. The theoretical framework was grounded in Medley’s teaching competence theory …

Elementary School Teachers' Perspectives Of Instructional Strategies To Enhance Reading For African American Male Students, Nakita Annette Foreman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some state mandated tests showed that many African American male students are not proficient readers. Teachers need to understand how to implement instructional strategies that will help enhance African American male students to read proficiently. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore elementary school teachers’ perspectives of instructional strategies to enhance reading for African American male students in second through fifth grades. The conceptual framework for this study consisted of Ladson-Billing’s culturally responsive teaching and the theory of social constructivism. The focus of the research questions explored elementary school teachers’ perspectives of instructional strategies they use to …

First Year Teachers’ Perspectives Of Their Self-Efficacy To Teach Writing In Elementary, Angelica Felicia Givler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractWith the introduction of Common Core State Standards in 2009, there has been an increase in the expectations for writing instruction in the United States. Writing instruction standards are now part of language arts and other content areas, but many teachers feel unprepared to teach writing. There is limited research on teachers’ perspectives of their abilities to teach writing upon completion of a teacher preparation program. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine teachers’ perspectives of their ability to teach writing in elementary school and identify coursework they deem useful for enhancing their abilities to teach writing. …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Roles And Challenges With Inclusion, Nini Asheki Greenidge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMany schools have employed inclusion practices as an instructional framework, meaning general and special educators are expected to coteach students with disabilities in the general education classroom. The research problem at the local study district was that inclusion as an instructional framework challenged the roles of general and special education coteachers as well as the students they were intended to benefit. The conceptual framework for this project study was the social constructivist theory. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to gain an understanding about inclusion as an instructional framework. The research questions addressed how the experiences of the …

A Study Of Racialized Identity Among Single, White Mothers Of Biracial Children, Shonjala Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A limited amount of research addresses the challenges single, White, birth mothers of Black-White biracial children have experienced with racialized identity within their kinships and social networks. In this transcendental, descriptive, phenomenological study, the lived experiences of eight single, White, birth mothers of Black-White biracial children were investigated to address that research gap. The conceptual framework was Helms’s Black and White racial identity theory. After thematic analysis of semistructured interview data, five themes emerged to describe the experiences of the single, White, birth mothers of Black-White biracial children: (a) the mother’s insight, (b) racism, (c) attitude about a Black partner, …