Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

How Do Social Care Managers In Disability Services Experience Regulation And Inspection?, Deirdre Connolly

Dissertations

Regulation is one of the ways in which the State seeks to ensure that health and social care services are safe for those that are using them. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is the regulatory body in Ireland charged by the State to assure the public that these services are safe. This study set out to understand how social care managers, in the role of person in charge (PIC) of residential services for adults with disabilities, experience HIQA’s regulatory process and to explore how these experiences impact on social care managers, and on service improvement more generally.

An Exploration Of Residential Care Managers Understanding Of The Professional Registration Of Social Care Workers And Its Implications For Their Role As Managers, Lorraine O’ Brien

Dissertations

The change that is referred to in this study is the professional registration of social care workers in the social care sector. The projected target date for the commencement of professional registration of social care workers is 2022 (CORU Presentation, 2019). This study explored CORU and residential care managers understanding of the implementation plan and their views of the implications professional registration will have on manager’s roles and responsibilities. Managers who play a key role in this change process need to be supported therefore residential care manager’s voices were at the heart of this study.

Exploring The Leadership Experiences Of Male Military Spouses: An Exploratory Qualitative Inquiry, Christina L. Parsons

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore the leadership experiences of male military spouses who serve as primary caregivers in the home. The primary objective of this research was to illuminate the voices of male military spouses from the various branches of military service to share their lived experiences and with specific regard to their leadership qualities. The goal of this research is to allow male military spouses to use their own words to describe their leadership experiences and to understand the context of that leadership inside the military culture. Pleck’s Gender Role Strain was used as the …

The Third Space: The Meeting Of Jew And Christian In The Act Of Remembering, Restoring, And Reconciling - A Case Study Of The Matzevah Foundation, Steven D. Reece

Dissertations

Problem

Due to long-standing religious, racial, and cultural tensions, a complex and challenging relationship exists between Jews and Christians. The resulting breach isolates and separates these two faith groups from each other. Consequently, they struggle to interact and engage in meaningful dialogue, which could repair the breach and lead to forgiveness and reconciliation. Dialogue bridges the gap between Jew and Christian allowing them to meet in the third space—the liminal space of the Jewish cemetery in Poland. Jews and Christians may deal with the evil of the past through what researchers term as "loving acts."

Method

This study was conducted …

The Contribution Of P. G. Wodehouse To The Field Of Gastronomy Through His Character, The French Chef, Anatole, Elizabeth Wilson

Dissertations

In her paper ‘A Cultural Field in the Making: Gastronomy in 19th-Century France’, Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson argues that the field of gastronomy came into existence in the middle of the nineteenth century in France. This field of gastronomy was constructed from two elements, the significance that gastronomy, defined at the time as a structured set of culinary practices, had attained in France by the nineteenth century, but also, the contribution of writers of culinary discourse who wrote about this gastronomy. These writers came from different disciplines and included the realist fiction writer Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850), whose work Ferguson describes …

Factors Influencing Whether Firms Engage In Apprenticeship, Christopher L. Harrington

Dissertations

This study is focused on current and future workforce needs and the use of apprenticeship to bridge those needs from the perspective of business leaders. The author seeks to expand research, looking at the factors influencing whether business leaders engage in apprenticeship or not. Top leaders and influencers of businesses with and without apprenticeship programs from 19 industry sectors throughout North Carolina completed an online cross-sectional survey. The results support that there is an association between worker availability, approach to skill mastery, perception of apprenticeship, and connection with the workforce development ecosystem and having or not having an apprenticeship program. …

Human Resource Management And Innovation: Perceptions Of Hr Leaders, Jeremiah Nelson

Dissertations

Creativity and innovation are essential for organizations to identify, create and exploit their competitive advantages to succeed in an increasingly complex and dynamic business environment (Ceylan, 2013; De Tienne & Mallette, 2012; Sharifirad & Ataei, 2012). Human capital is an important source of competitive advantage, but little is known about how human resource (HR) managers, as the functional owners of this resource, perceive their influence of innovation. The roles of HR professionals have evolved. Where they were once strictly administrative, they now function as business partners supporting strategy and offering leadership. These changes can create situations of role ambiguity and …

Personality Characteristics And Job Satisfaction Of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists In North Carolina, Paul Barton Moore

Dissertations

Organizational leadership, at any level, strives to increase performance and efficiency, among other outcomes. One way to accomplish this is by increasing follower job satisfaction. Literature indicates that there are intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence job satisfaction. These factors, however, have not been explicitly studied for the profession of nutrition and dietetics for the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of personality characteristics and job satisfaction of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists in North Carolina. Personality characteristics were defined by the Big 5 Inventory personality test, while job satisfaction and its components were …

Academic Libraries And Toxic Leadership, Alma C. Ortega

Dissertations

Toxic leadership has yet to be officially recognized as an area of inquiry in the field of library and information studies. Indeed, the literature on academic libraries is only now beginning to address the topic. None of this should be surprising because leadership, in general, continues to be an under-discussed topic in the library and information studies literature.

The topic of leadership, of course, is the central theoretical construct of the leadership studies field, and, in this field, toxic leadership has been systematically studied and discussed. This literature reveals the negative consequences of having a toxic leader as the head …

“The Zero To Three Years Are So Important” An Exploration Of The Needs Of Young Children In Ecec Settings From A Policy And Practice Perspective., Rosemary Brien

Dissertations

A strong body of evidence demonstrates that young children under the age of three are experiencing a critical period in their development which impacts long term mental and physical health. Responsive, secure and positive relationships between young children and their caregivers is integral to healthy social and emotional development.The principle aim of this study is to explore how the needs of children under the age of three are perceived and addressed in Irish early childhood education and care settings from a practice and policy perspective.A qualitative research approach was adopted utilising semi-structured interviews with managers of full day care settings …

The Relationship Between Combat Experience, Veteran Pathology And The Pathology Of Their Intimate Partners: What Factors Predict The Pathology Of Veterans And Their Intimate Partners, Edwin A. Brennan

Dissertations

Problem Statement

Military members and their family members who are part of the Global War on Terrorism have experienced deployments and war for over sixteen years and with the resulting toll on both the veteran and their intimate partner. As a result, higher levels of pathology, such as PTSD, Anxiety, and Depression have been experienced by this population. While research has studied the effect of combat on military members, very little research has addressed the effects on family members. Further, no research that has been found by this researcher, has addressed the concept of resonating of pathology between the combat …

A Correlational Study To Examine The Relationships Between The Workplace Big Five Personality Profile And The Leading Managers 360 Assessment Of Senior And Mid-Level Managers, Maurice A. Ferrell

Dissertations

Much has been said about personality and leadership. Leadership was initially attributed to leaders only having certain traits and attributes (Nock, 1940). In the early 20th century, leadership traits were studied to determine what made certain people great leaders. The Great Man Theory of Leadership, which was introduced during this time period, suggested that leaders were born and not made. It was these unique physical traits and attributes that were credited with making great leaders. Herbert Spencer, a noted philosopher, sociologist, biologist and political theorist of the Victorian era, countered that the Great Man Theory was childish, primitive and unscientific. …

Sources And Atmospheric Oxidation Of Sulfur Dioxide And Formaldehyde Based On Wintertime Aircraft Observations Over The Eastern United States, Jaime R. Green

Dissertations

Plume intercepts from flights on the NSF-C-130 during the Wintertime Investigation of Transport, Emission and Reactivity (WINTER) campaign were used to estimate (1) the oxidation rates of Sulfur Dioxide (SO₂) under wintertime conditions and the factors that determine SO₂ removal; and (2) to examine the oxidation, lifetime and source apportionment of formaldehyde (HCHO). Observations suggest that OH governs the rate SO₂ oxidation in the eastern United States during winter. The range of mean oxidation rates during the day from power plants were 0.22–0.71%/hr, producing SO₂ lifetimes of 13–43 days, if SO₂ consumption is assumed …

An Exploration Of The Role Of Mentoring On The Leadership Skills Of African American Senior Leaders In A Corporate Setting, Regina A. Stephens

Dissertations

This study explored the lived mentoring experiences of African American senior leaders who report directly to Vice Presidents or Presidents in a corporate setting, and how those mentoring experiences played a role in their leadership skills. African Americans having the guidance to appropriately navigate an organization to acquire those positions continue to be perplexing. Mentoring could be one essential step to help African Americans to prepare to lead in a corporate setting. Mentoring is a growth and development technique that has been in existence for quite some time and has helped many to understand how developmental relationships have proven its …

Variations In Individualistic And Collectivistic Cultural Orientation And The Protective Factors That Contribute To Resilience: Comparisons From Jamaica, Rwanda, And The United States, Stacey Nicely

Dissertations

Problem

Despite the advancement in resilience research, and although mental health professionals are encouraged to become culturally competent, it is still unclear how I/C cultural orientation influence various protective factors that contribute to resilience. Individualists emphasize independence and autonomy while collectivists emphasize interdependence and in-group consensus (Hofstede, 1991; Markus & Kitayama, 1991). Therefore, it is expected that the protective factors that promote resilience will also operate differently for individualists as compared to collectivists (Triandis, 1995). Yet, mental health practitioners have very little information available to them to guide their intervention efforts with individualists and collectivists. When practitioners work with individuals …

The Influence Of Pornography Consumption, Religiosity, And Family Sexual Communication On Emerging Adults' Engagement In Hookup Culture In The United States, Angie Powels Horner

Dissertations

Purpose

The primary purpose of the current research was to understand the influence of considerable social-cultural factors, including pornography consumption, religiosity, and family sexual communication, on the sexual values and behaviors of the emerging adult population. Particularly, how pornography consumption, religiosity, and family sexual communication influence emerging adult engagement in hookup culture was examined.

Method

Participants completed several surveys, which measured participants’ pornography consumption, personal religiosity, family sexual communication, and engagement in hookup culture. A path analysis model was used to analyze the relationship between the proposed variables.

Results

The path analysis model indicated that the initial model was a …

The Social And Contextual Mechanisms Of Children's Learning In Museums, Lindsay R. Maldonado

Dissertations

This study explored the associations between immersive exhibit design, mother-child engagement, conversational interactions, and children's learning. Participants were 41 mothers and their 6-8-year-old children (Mage=7.15, SD=.79). A within-subjects, mixed methods approach was utilized, including naturalistic observations, interview data, and surveys. Mother-child dyads were video and audio-recorded as they visited four different exhibits: two low immersion exhibits and two high immersion exhibits. Interview data was collected from children immediately following the visit to assess learning. Survey data was collected from mothers to assess education, environmental predispositions, and science-related career. In high immersion exhibits, mothers and children spent more time and asked …

Prevalence And Potential Buffers Of Intergenerational Trauma In African American And Latinx Parent-Child Dyads, Kandace Thomas

Dissertations

Buffering intergenerational trauma (IGT) is of great interest to researchers, policy makers and interventionists working to reduce the experience of trauma across generations within the family. IGT has been well studied among families who experienced the Holocaust and there is emerging IGT literature describing the impact of historical events and societal-based adverse experiences across generations. This study expanded upon the IGT literature by exploring and confirming the existence of IGT in a sample of primarily low-income African American and Latinx parents and their 6-year-old children; exploring pre-existing strengths and qualities in parents, such as Contemplative Self-Care (CSC) and Parent Self-Efficacy …

Merger And Acquisition Integration: Exploring Uncertainty From The Perspective Of The Middle Manager, Joseph J. Pazmany

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore middle managers’ perceptions about how organizations managed job-related, structural, and strategic uncertainty during a merger and acquisition (M&A) integration process. Furthermore, this research investigated what strategies middle managers perceived effective and ineffective for managing uncertainty and recommendations for managing uncertainty during future integrations.

Methodology. This qualitative study utilized a phenomenological research design that collected data through open-ended interviews. Fifteen middle managers participated in the study and were asked 12 questions that explored their perceptions about managing uncertainty during an M&A integration.

Findings. Overall, participants perceived strategic uncertainty …

Mechanism For Leadership Development And Effectiveness: The Relationship Between Followership, Leadership, And Psychological Capital, Saurabh Gupta

Dissertations

Research supports the strategic role of a leader in improving individual and organizational performance (Day et al., 2009; Kaiser & Curphy, 2013). Developing leadership and enhancing leadership effectiveness remains at the forefront of organizational strategic plans (Day et al., 2009; Kaiser & Curphy, 2013). However, a majority of leadership development efforts fail in their purpose, which causes a leadership crisis in many organizations (Fernández-Aráoz, Roscoe, & Aramaki, 2017; Gurdjian, Halbeisen, & Lane, 2014; Kaiser & Curphy, 2013; Madanchian, Hussein, Noordin, & Taherdoost, 2017; Pfeffer, 2015; Wakefield, Abbatiello, Agarwal, Pastakia, & van Berkel, 2016). Neglecting the role of followership and using …

A New Keynesian, Neo-Institutional Synthesis: Connecting And Explaining Under-Evaluated Risks In Consumption, Trade, And Finance, Todd Barry

Dissertations

The overall research questions addressed in this dissertation are twofold. First, what are the largest, under-evaluated (or unorthodox) factors that cause growth volatility in both the short and long terms? Second, how can one best determine how much risk is being taken across both of these periods, and how can states increase and/or diversify their risks? The principle hypotheses are that finicky consumerism and structural economic changes, undiversified trade, and under-financed investment contribute significantly to growth volatility. Above all, risk taking actions and policies in countries cause economies to fluctuate. Further, the dissertation suggests that the short-term risk characteristics of …

Diffusion, Adoption, And Network Constraint: Can Understanding Personal Networks Of Afghan Women Improve The Adoption 0f Agricultural Innovations, Clair Wilcox

Dissertations

A plethora of case studies conducted in myriad locations find that factors influencing the adoption of agricultural innovation are different, emphasizing the need for locality specific understanding (Waddingon 2014). The diffusion of agricultural innovations may be influenced by the structure of the social system in which that diffusion is taking place. This study investigates the social structure of rural Afghan women, in an effort to determine how they interact and exchange information, and how the personal network structure, and the nature of the women’s interaction influences adoption of innovations. With the objective of framing rural development programs targeting women in …

Refugee Resettlement And Perceptions Of Insecurity: A Comparative Study Of The United States And Canada, Erik Amundson

Dissertations

In the United States and Canada, refugee resettlement has been the subject of extensive scrutiny and political debate, particularly since the November 2015 terrorist attacks carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) against targets in Paris. While public opinion polls have shown increasingly negative attitudes toward refugees, existing survey questionnaires only provide a limited understanding of what shapes these views. As such, this study focuses on two important factors that influence attitude formation toward refugees, pre-existing levels of knowledge and contact with minority groups. Using a comparative case study approach, this research examines how refugee resettlement …

Social Capital In Indian Country: The Effects Of Bridging And Bonding On Job Acquisition, Stephanie Davison

Dissertations

Native Americans living in Indian Country continue to experience poverty due, in part, to a lack of sufficient employment opportunities. Indian reservations, often situated in rural areas, can be difficult to access and complicated land and political issues can make it difficult to attract outside investors. However, as is the case for most people, Native Americans living on or near their respective reservation communities do not necessarily want to leave home to find work. This study examined the social networks of a sample of Native Americans from two tribes in Montana. A social network analysis was conducted to understand how …

Tribal Governance In The United States: Adaptation And Change, Michelle Watts

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to the body of knowledge on indigenous governance, specifically that of Native Americans and Alaska Natives. This project examined how differing circumstances of Native Nations influence how Native Nations leaders perceive their ability to govern and their relationships with non-indigenous entities. It sought a greater understanding of the cultural adaptations of Native Nations, and how these adaptations influence governance and relationships with state and federal government entities. To gather information, surveys were sent out to all leaders of Native Nations in the United States, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) …

Tired Consultation To Improve And Maintain Teachers’ Behavior Specific Praise, Mariangely Melendez Galan-Torres

Dissertations

Many teachers are ill prepared in behavior management and literature has demonstrated the relationship between poor classroom management and academic outcomes. Common strategies to address teachers’ skill deficits in classroom management include didactic training and school-based consultation. Literature suggests that traditional didactic training can immediately increase knowledge acquisition, and school-based consultation is used to respond to ongoing academic and behavioral outcomes. However, both of these methods commonly fail to result in implementation fidelity and long-term maintenance of skill utilization. Research in the education field has demonstrated large to very large effect sizes for systems such as Response to Intervention (RtI) …

Looking Inward: Higher Education Public Relations And Internal Communication, Kelly A. Campbell

Dissertations

There has been a decline in public good will toward institutions of higher education for nearly four decades. Resultantly, the public, media, and politicians call for greater transparency. It would be beneficial for institutions of higher education to utilize strategic means to communicate their stories, successes and brand directly to various publics. A critical, albeit often an overlooked public, are the employees of the university. They can serve as ambassadors for the university interacting with outside publics. In this capacity, not only do employees need to know information about their organization to function well at their positions, they also need …

Exploring Temperament In Beluga Whale Calves (Delphinapterus Leucas), Beri Brown

Dissertations

Studies of personality and temperament in humans span many disciplines, although animal research is still relatively undeveloped. Research investigating stable individual differences in marine mammals has been limited, and to date there have not been any studies with beluga whales. As an ongoing longitudinal study, seven beluga calves, housed at SeaWorld San Antonio, were videotaped throughout their first two years of life. Four videos were selected from archived video recordings for each calf from the following nine phases: newborn phase (month 1), Q1 (month 2-3), Q2 (month 4-6), Q3 (month 7-9), Q4 (month 10-12), Q5 (month 13-15), Q6 (month 16-18), …

Becoming Malala: A Discourse Analysis Of Western And Middle Eastern Print And Broadcast Coverage Of Malala Yousafzai From 2012-2017, Tamar Meguerditchian Gregorian

Dissertations

Deutsch Wells’ Kyle McKinnon called her the “most famous teenager in the world” (McKinnon, 2013). Her name is Malala Yousafzai, and at the age of 14 she stood up to the Taliban for threatening her right to an education and was shot in the head. In less than a decade, she became one of the youngest and most influential activists, known to the world simply as Malala. As a Middle Easterner, Muslim and “media darling,” Malala is no doubt an interesting activist to study.

This discourse analysis examined the media coverage of Malala in Western and Pakistani media from 2012-2017; …

Structural Model Of Child Routines And Self-Regulation In Relation To Parenting And Externalizing Behavior Problems In Young Children, Lovina R. Bater

Dissertations

The relationship between parenting practices and externalizing behavior problems in preschool children is well established; however, the mechanisms that explain this relationship are less understood. It is suggested that the structure and predictability created by child routines allow children the opportunity to become aware of and learn to regulate their behaviors accordingly, yet only a couple of studies have examined this relationship. Therefore, this study examined competing models (i.e., direct, indirect, and serial mediation models) to help determine which model captures the relationship between the variables of interest. It was hypothesized that each model would have good model fit but …