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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Service Members’ Perspectives On Veteran Homelessness In Maryland And Virginia, Olasunkanmi G. Amosu Jan 2021

Service Members’ Perspectives On Veteran Homelessness In Maryland And Virginia, Olasunkanmi G. Amosu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Homelessness among military veterans (HAMV) is a protracted problem. In November 2009, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pledged to end the issue, but almost 12 years later, HAMV persists despite various solutions proposed. In January 2020, 37,252 veterans were reported as experiencing homelessness in the United States. The creation of previous solutions did not include the perspectives of service members. The purpose of this study was to bridge this gap in knowledge by discovering the views of service members on why veteran colleagues experience homelessness. The theoretical framework for this study was Allport’s trait theory. A qualitative case study …


The Obligation Of Law Enforcement Agencies To The Mental Health Of Their Officers, Michael Ballard Jan 2021

The Obligation Of Law Enforcement Agencies To The Mental Health Of Their Officers, Michael Ballard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The extent of law enforcement agencies’ responsibility to address their officers’ mental health needs is unclear, despite the availability of resources and suggested guidelines. This research applied the theory of planned behavior to police officers’ willingness to seek mental health assistance from their agencies, examining the responses of 104 law enforcement officers in Utah and Idaho from four agencies. The results of this quantitative study provide evidence that law enforcement agencies have a responsibility to the mental health of their officers. Officers in general recognized the value of mental health services for others; however, they were not likely to seek …


Policy Expectations And Care-Provider Perceptions For Hospital Emergency Preparedness, Kathleen Joy Hirsch-Lanute Jan 2021

Policy Expectations And Care-Provider Perceptions For Hospital Emergency Preparedness, Kathleen Joy Hirsch-Lanute

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMaintaining preparedness for a disaster is a patient and provider safety issue that is often not a priority for hospital planning; however, the inability to implement and evaluate disaster/emergency preparedness programs may render hospitals and the overall healthcare system fragile and dysfunctional amidst such crises. Priorities such as emergency-department overcrowding and lack of funding emerge daily and contribute to the inability of hospitals to respond appropriately to unexpected events. This study was conducted with the aim to assess the correlation between disaster/emergency preparedness and related problems, policy, and politics. A cross-sectional survey design was used to determine whether problems, policy, …


Street-Level Bureaucracy And Perceptions Of Juvenile Prostitution, Leshian J. Lockwood Jan 2021

Street-Level Bureaucracy And Perceptions Of Juvenile Prostitution, Leshian J. Lockwood

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Juveniles in the United States continue to be arrested for prostitution even though the U.S. Federal law recognizes them as victims of sex trafficking. The purpose of this cross-sectional, quantitative study was to explore what factors law enforcement officers consider when encountering a juvenile involved in prostitution that influences their judgment on whether the juvenile is a victim of sex trafficking or a juvenile delinquent. Each of the 50 U.S. states has laws that address juvenile sex trafficking. The research questions for this study centered around the Trafficking Victim Protection Act (TVPA) and factors that influence officers' use of discretion …


Community-Based Organizations' Engagement In Social Innovations To Promote Sustainable Urban Development, Yael Racov Drory Jan 2021

Community-Based Organizations' Engagement In Social Innovations To Promote Sustainable Urban Development, Yael Racov Drory

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Institutional void often fuels efforts by social entrepreneurs to fill gaps through social innovations (SIs). Furthermore, governments promote SIs because they tend to advance sustainable solutions and social change. In a town in Israel, after years of intense social activism, during governance by a Convened Committee (CC) established by the central government, community-based-organizations (CBOs) are no longer engaged in innovative activism. Fewer solutions to institutional void could deteriorate or generate social problems. A gap in the literature exists regarding Israeli CBOs' engagement in sustainable urban development (SUD) SIs during CC governance. The purpose of this research was to uncover the …


Social Exclusion And Community Severance In Impoverished Neighborhoods, Melissa Kerry Stickel Jan 2021

Social Exclusion And Community Severance In Impoverished Neighborhoods, Melissa Kerry Stickel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Transportation infrastructure, such as highways and interstates, creates a barrier that can physically limit access to those living in adjacent neighborhoods, a phenomenon known as community severance. In addition to creating a physical disconnect, these infrastructures can leave residents feeling socially isolated and excluded from the rest of the community. This qualitative single-case study focused on social exclusion and community severance and problems arising from the U.S. transportation network, addressing the development of the interstate system and its possible impacts on communities. The exclusionary effects of transportation-related severance were well supported in the literature. However, most of research had been …


Understanding The Influence Of Social Integration On The Formerly Homeless, Donna L. Wickes Jan 2021

Understanding The Influence Of Social Integration On The Formerly Homeless, Donna L. Wickes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As the number of homeless people in the United States continues to grow, it is apparent that the current strategies are not meeting expectations and need to be reevaluated. Studies by industry experts highlighted the need to address the impact of social integration on long-term housing sustainability. The purpose of the qualitative study was to understand from the perspective of housed, formerly, homeless individuals, how socially focused interventions could influence their sense of community and increase their social integration. Durkheim’s social theory and McMillan and Chavis’ psychological sense of community (PSOC) framework were used to guide the qualitative, phenomenological approach …


Perspectives Of Key Court Personnel On The Prosecution Of Domestic Violence Cases, Crystal M. Schoeder Jan 2021

Perspectives Of Key Court Personnel On The Prosecution Of Domestic Violence Cases, Crystal M. Schoeder

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Domestic violence (DV) continues to be a public health and criminal justice problem. Several criminal justice system changes have been made to combat DV, such as mandatory arrest policies, no-drop prosecution policies, and specialized DV courts. Perspectives on these policies, DV, and the criminal justice system have been obtained from the victims, police officers, and victim advocates. However, perspectives from those within the criminal justice court system are missing. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to obtain the perspectives of key court personnel in small rural communities regarding the prosecution of DV cases. Narrative policy framework was used …


Experiences Of Public-Private Partnership Concession Uncertainties In The Federal Capital Territory Administration Of Nigeria, Chigbo Rowland Chikelu Jan 2021

Experiences Of Public-Private Partnership Concession Uncertainties In The Federal Capital Territory Administration Of Nigeria, Chigbo Rowland Chikelu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Structuring successful public-private partnership (P3) concession contracts is a problem for both the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) of Nigeria and private concessionaires that partner with the government to finance the delivery of public goods in the territory. Researchers have estimated the percentage of P3 concession failures in Nigeria to be between 50% and 60%. The purpose of this study is to explore concessionaires’ lived experiences involving P3 concession uncertainties, opportunities, and barriers while they partner with the FCTA of Nigeria to deliver public goods. The key research question examined the meaning of P3 concession uncertainty to concessionaires with the …


Exploring The Employability Of Ex-Offenders: Employer Perspectives, Carolyn Diane Smith Jan 2021

Exploring The Employability Of Ex-Offenders: Employer Perspectives, Carolyn Diane Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Due to an increase in the number of convictions for minor crimes in Tennessee, a larger number of people are reentering society with the ex-offender label; there is a general lack of awareness among employers regarding their role in enhancing employability of ex-offenders with minor offenses, which limits employment opportunities for this population. Three main theories that explain the integration of ex-offenders into society underpinned this study: avoidance theory, social control theory, and labelling theory. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to explore the perceptions and practices of 10 human resource managers of middle-to-large companies in Tennessee related …


Operation Enduring Freedom And Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans In The Veterans Health Administration, Exekiel Montoya Aranez Jan 2021

Operation Enduring Freedom And Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans In The Veterans Health Administration, Exekiel Montoya Aranez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Veterans’ Health Administration (VHA) has faced critical issues regarding the deaths of war veterans, the result of which stakeholders raised questions about the quality of health care given within the VHA. Through patient-centered care standards of health care, the VHA worked diligently to end such horrific events that more than 300,000 veterans may have died while waiting for health care service. This study examined five core concepts of the health care system and whether VHA has utilized its five core concepts of patient-centered care to deliver proper health care to war veterans. This study used qualitative research in the …


An Analysis Of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Adoption For Household Cooking In Nigeria, Saheed Olanrewaju Lasisi Jan 2021

An Analysis Of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Adoption For Household Cooking In Nigeria, Saheed Olanrewaju Lasisi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Nigerian government established a domestic liquefied petroleum gas penetration program (DLPGPP) to support Nigerian households that still use traditional fuels, which are inefficient and hazardous for users while polluting and degrading the environment. Little is known about the relationships that exist among liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) accessibility, LPG affordability, and LPG adoption to guide DLPGPP implementation. Narrowing this gap was the purpose of this study using the general framework of consumer theory. The study's research questions addressed the effects of LPG affordability and LPG accessibility on LPG adoption for cooking in Nigeria’s households. A cross-sectional, correlational survey was employed …


Challenges To Successful Health Care Transition Among Hiv Positive Youth With Perinatal Acquisition, Tyler Andrew Termeer Jan 2021

Challenges To Successful Health Care Transition Among Hiv Positive Youth With Perinatal Acquisition, Tyler Andrew Termeer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

To ensure stability in the continuum of health care for HIV-positive youth with perinatal acquisition, there is a need for a successful transition from pediatric to adult primary care. However, there are a growing number of perinatally infected HIV-positive young persons remaining in pediatric care beyond the age of 21. Using Mohr’s program theory and a phenomenological approach, the lived experiences of Ohio HIV clinicians were examined to determine why many perinatally infected HIV-positive youths are remaining in pediatric care beyond the age of 21. Audio recorded video interviews via SKYPE were conducted with 12 participants, transcribed, underwent thematic analysis, …


Twitter And Millennial Participation In Voting During Nigeria's 2015 Presidential Elections, Deborah Zoaka Jan 2021

Twitter And Millennial Participation In Voting During Nigeria's 2015 Presidential Elections, Deborah Zoaka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMillennial participation in voting has been low since democratic governance was restored in Nigeria in 1999, after 26 years of military rule, constituting a grave threat to democratic consolidation and electoral legitimacy. Little is known about how Nigerian millennials were mobilized to participate in the 2015 presidential elections using Twitter as a major tool. Research questions focused on how Twitter as a social media platform define participation of millennials in promoting voter turnout in Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election. The study was sited within the theoretical framework of democratic participant theory and the uses and gratifications theory. A qualitative phenomenological research …


African American Fathers’ Experiences Of Alienation From Their Children Due To Texas Family Code, Fatima Tremale Thomas-Moody Jan 2021

African American Fathers’ Experiences Of Alienation From Their Children Due To Texas Family Code, Fatima Tremale Thomas-Moody

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Throughout the years, Texas Family Code: Title 5. The Parent-Child Relationship and the Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship has the coined termed best interest of the child. In fact, it has created an unintentional indoctrination to parental alienation therefore, leaving little to no access for courts to rectify and resolve the parent-child relationship. Arguably, researchers have suggested that the legal system engages in gender ideologies that contributes to parental alienation. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of African American noncustodial fathers’ interaction and how Texas family code possession order impacts the father-child relationship. Social construction …


A Narrative Policy Framework And Feminist Critical Policy Analysis Of The Welfare Reform Acts, And The Higher Education Of Single Welfare Mothers, Evelyn Jean Mangin Jan 2021

A Narrative Policy Framework And Feminist Critical Policy Analysis Of The Welfare Reform Acts, And The Higher Education Of Single Welfare Mothers, Evelyn Jean Mangin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractScholars approached poverty through welfare reform by focusing on reductions in caseloads, timing out of benefits, and who was and not deserving of a four-year college degree. There is limited research regarding the power of narratives during the policy process and their influences on the language in welfare public laws. This qualitative study addressed the gap in the literature and policy analysis research by comparing and analyzing the welfare narratives and language used by policymakers and political actors from four presidential administrations: Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump, between 1996-2018. This study employed the narrative policy framework (NPF), a theory …


Changing Policing: The Impact Of Body-Worn Cameras On Law Enforcement Officers, Michelle Theresa Allen Jan 2021

Changing Policing: The Impact Of Body-Worn Cameras On Law Enforcement Officers, Michelle Theresa Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research problem that this study addressed was how police officers perceive policing has been impacted by the implementation of body-worn cameras. The research was purposed to allow police officers to articulate how law enforcement has been altered due to the implementation of the devices. This qualitative study was guided by Lipsky’s street-level bureaucratic theory in which police officers have the autonomy to use discretion when enforcing the law. The methodology used was a qualitative research approach to retrieve data of 34 participants from four different police departments who responded to 10 open-ended survey questions on the SurveyMonkey website. The …


Kingstonian Parents’ Perspectives On Discipline Using Corporal Punishment, Donnette Patrice Green Jan 2021

Kingstonian Parents’ Perspectives On Discipline Using Corporal Punishment, Donnette Patrice Green

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a thin line between discipline, corporal punishment and excessive corporal punishment which is reflected in the differences in disciplinary tactics used in various world cultures. In this regard, international law, such as the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 1959 and local law such as Jamaica’s Child Care and Protection Act of 2004, serve to set the parameters of propriety in dealing with discipline as well as the excesses, which constitute corporal punishment. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenology study was to explore parents’ perspectives on using corporal punishment as a form of discipline …


Race, Class, And Socioeconomic And Sentencing Laws In Opioid Cases, Phaedra Denise Jackson Jan 2021

Race, Class, And Socioeconomic And Sentencing Laws In Opioid Cases, Phaedra Denise Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe purpose of the study was to explore social constructs and bureaucratic decisions to assess their effects on sentencing laws based on race, class, and socioeconomic status (SES). The research question guiding the study whether there was a relationship between race, class, SES, and arrests among opioid users. A cross-sectional correlational design using secondary data from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 2010-2018 surveys of 265,442 participants and FBI Uniform Crime Reports were assessed to understand the bureaucracy of the opioid epidemic. Lipsky’s street-level bureaucracy theory was used to examine the historical, political, and racial structures within the judicial …


Racial Capitalism And The African American Experience Entering The Cannabis Industry, Ayoka Medlock-Nurse Jan 2021

Racial Capitalism And The African American Experience Entering The Cannabis Industry, Ayoka Medlock-Nurse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The cannabis industry in the United States is a competitive 16.9-billion-dollar industry built on private ownership, access to resources, operation for profit, and racism. However, under current cannabis policies, African American entrepreneurs are not benefiting from ownership and employment within the cannabis industry. Though some policies claim that the current medicinal and adult recreation laws will rectify racial disparities in arrest and ownership regarding cannabis sales, thus far, there are no sufficient increases to ownership, employment, or effective equity programs in place that accurately address racial disparities and the public policy barriers that keep African Americans excluded from the cannabis …


Evaluating Compliance With The Produce Safety Rule And Managing Mycotoxins, Yvette May Molajo Jan 2021

Evaluating Compliance With The Produce Safety Rule And Managing Mycotoxins, Yvette May Molajo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Foodborne diseases are the cause of many illnesses that occur from foods that contain mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are produced from fungi and are environmental and carcinogenic agents that contaminate agricultural foods during preharvest and postharvest conditions. While researchers have conducted many studies on mycotoxin occurrence and production, there is a significant gap in the current literature regarding which environmental factors could put farmers’ ability to remain in compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule at risk. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate which environmental factors could put farmers’ ability to remain in compliance with …


Exploring Citizen Security In The Nigeria Federated State: Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency In Perspective, Adesoji Olaitan Ogunsanya Jan 2021

Exploring Citizen Security In The Nigeria Federated State: Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency In Perspective, Adesoji Olaitan Ogunsanya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe research problem of this study was centered on the state of insecurity in Lagos State and the intervention of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency. Evidence from previous studies supported the use of community policing, police reform, training of security personnel, and collaboration amongst security agencies as measures to address issues of insecurity in Lagos State. The purpose of this qualitative research was to examine the impact of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Agency on the security challenges of the state and generate additional discourse. Institutional theory was used as the theoretical foundation for this research with a purposive sampling …


Medical Brain Drain And Its Effect On The Nigerian Healthcare Sector, Oluwakemi Osigbesan Jan 2021

Medical Brain Drain And Its Effect On The Nigerian Healthcare Sector, Oluwakemi Osigbesan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nigeria suffers from a huge brain drain issue across different sectors, particularly in the healthcare sector. The WHO assessed that there is a current shortage of 2.8 million physicians in the world A heuristic phenomenological method was used in this study to explore the lived experiences of 12 Nigerian healthcare practitioners that migrated to the United States. The push-pull theory served as the theoretical framework that grounded this study. The central research questions for this study focused primarily on the reasons healthcare practitioners are leaving Nigeria and what the impact of those decisions have on the Nigerian healthcare sector. Qualitative …


The Relationship Between External Influences And State Education Policy Processes, Jessica Chrystal Jan 2021

The Relationship Between External Influences And State Education Policy Processes, Jessica Chrystal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Political agendas and political attention often change based on media attention and business influence, ultimately impacting policies. Elementary and secondary education policies have evolved to improve academic rigor and increase global competitiveness. Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were established based on state-level elementary and secondary education student needs. The purpose of this quantitative content analysis was to explore how external factors influenced state-level policy actors during the formulation and implementation of one state’s CCSS. All policies follow the policy process, which often includes various actors influencing various phases. Agenda-setting and political embeddedness are two critical components in the policy process …


Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards In Washington, Wade W. Gough Jan 2021

Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards In Washington, Wade W. Gough

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The federal government created the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program in 2007 to keep terrorists from weaponizing hazardous chemicals. The CFATS program did this by targeting high-risk chemical facilities and adding additional regulations, but this has added an additional burden on the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) that could negatively impact their capacity to prepare and collaborate to prevent chemical disasters. The present study was conducted to evaluate the CFATS program from the perspective of LEPCs to fill an existing gap in the literature. The study was conducted using the theoretical frameworks of contingency theory of organizations by Donaldson, …


Collaborative Governance In Public Education Through Democratic Management Of Polarities, Michele Greene Jan 2021

Collaborative Governance In Public Education Through Democratic Management Of Polarities, Michele Greene

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a democratic society the use of inter- and intraorganizational collaboration as a pragmatic approach to addressing social issues germane to sustaining that democracy is a challenge, especially in the realm of public education reform. The Common Core State Standards Initiative, an attempt at collaboration to reform public schools initially adopted by more than three fourths of U.S. states, created an ongoing response that included proponents and opposers. The opposition in Pennsylvania led to the State reneging on its original commitment to the Common Core State Standards created by the initiative. Research revealed a gap regarding the ability of the …


Citizens' Perspectives On Accountability Of Nongovernmental Organizations Providing Drinking Water In Northern Ghana, Abdul-Nashiru Mohammed Jan 2021

Citizens' Perspectives On Accountability Of Nongovernmental Organizations Providing Drinking Water In Northern Ghana, Abdul-Nashiru Mohammed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAccountability is an important concept in public administration and across multiple sectors. NGOs work towards achieving their social purpose and yet, they are perceived to be accountable only to their donors but not to citizens. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore perspectives of citizens in three districts: Bongo, Wa, and Sagnarigu in Northern Ghana on how NGOs demonstrate accountability in fulfilling their commitments in drinking water provision. It specifically investigated the lived experiences of citizens: local government authorities, traditional authorities, and individual citizens from the districts. Research literature emphasized upward accountability resulting in a gap observed …


Factors Inhibiting Implementation Of A Comprehensive Disaster Management Framework In Trinidad And Tobago, Julie Urslin Samaru Jan 2021

Factors Inhibiting Implementation Of A Comprehensive Disaster Management Framework In Trinidad And Tobago, Julie Urslin Samaru

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIdentifying and exploring the factors inhibiting implementation of a comprehensive disaster management framework to guide the operations of disaster management is a public policy imperative for the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Despite the increased frequency and severity of natural and human-made disasters during the past decade, challenges continue with ensuring effective levels of preparedness for responding agencies in Trinidad and Tobago. The current study explored the lived experiences of first responding agencies that operate without a comprehensive disaster management framework. Two theoretical frameworks served as the foundation for this study: the advocacy coalition framework and the multiple streams framework, …


Post-Conflict Mental Health Policy And Substance Use Among Liberian Adults, Ekua Amonoo-Lartson Jan 2021

Post-Conflict Mental Health Policy And Substance Use Among Liberian Adults, Ekua Amonoo-Lartson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe objective of post-conflict countries after an extended period of war and trauma is to maintain peace and stability. However, the physical and psychological effects of substance use to cope with the devastation of war remains long after the crisis has ended. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine substance use among Liberian working-age adults, including their substance use habits, experiences with substance use, and access to mental health rehabilitative treatment. The access to medical care theoretical framework was used to guide the study. Data were collected from face-to-face semistructured interviews with 15 individuals regarding their experiences …


University Students’ Low Participation Of The Emergency Text Alert Systems, Charyl Marie Ramsey Jan 2021

University Students’ Low Participation Of The Emergency Text Alert Systems, Charyl Marie Ramsey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Text alert systems can help save lives by alerting individuals to dangers in the area, allowing them to react appropriately to the threat. For example, text alerts can give an individual the time to either run, hide, or fight during an active shooter incident. Conversely, when an individual does not receive an alert, they cannot respond to a threat and may be vulnerable to potential risk. Because no research had been completed on why individuals choose not to enroll in text alert programs, this qualitative study explored why students did not enroll in the text alert programs at their higher …