Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Impact Of Family Dynamics And Treatment Times For Adhd Children, Margaret Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a serious mental health condition that affects many of children. Studies show that 42-77% of children with ADHD may not be receiving treatment. Factors such as parent ethnicity, race, preference for treatment, socioeconomics, and child gender have been studied but do not account for the high numbers of untreated children. Differences between parents has been shown to effect ADHD treatment, the potential effects of family dynamics, children living in single or dual parent families, on ADHD treatment has not been studied. This secondary analysis finds there is a relationship between family dynamics, with the …

Self-Efficacy Of College Students With A Learning Disability During Freshman Year, Nicole Renee Adams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe current study sought to understand the phenomena of educational programming and academic self-efficacy. The conceptual framework for this study was based on social cognitive theories of academic self-efficacy and motivation. This qualitative study used interpretive phenomenological analysis to gain a broader understanding of experiences of academic self-efficacy and motivation in college students diagnosed with a specific learning disability. Ten participants were recruited with snowball sampling and semi-structured interviews were conducted to guide this research study. Results of this research support additional analysis as necessary to close the gaps presented in the college transition and campus life of students with …

Structured Training Programs For Direct Support Professionals On Behavior Intervention Support Plans, Melody Lane Barnes-Meisenhelder

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Direct support professionals work with developmentally disabled individuals and are responsible for implementing behavior intervention support plans (BISPs). Little is known about the efficacy of supplemental BISP training in these professionals. The purpose of this quantitative experimental study was to investigate the efficacy of BISP training to improve knowledge and applied understanding of BISPs in direct support professionals. Social validation, treatment fidelity, and change theories served as the foundations of the study. Seventy-three newly hired direct support professionals were randomized into an experimental group with a 2-day workshop training or a standard training group. BISP knowledge was assessed before and …

Parental Stress Coping And Middle-School Students’ Grades And Behavioral Conduct, Stephanie Buckner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAccording to Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, factors such as parental stress influence family functioning and affect children’s adaptive development. This quantitative study was conducted to better understand the association of parental stress coping skills with two dependent measures: the grades and behavioral conduct of middle-school students. Sixty-six parent/guardians completed the Coping Skills Assessment 2nd Revision (COSA R2), an assessment of parental stress coping skills and a brief questionnaire to collect data on their middle-school-aged children’s grades and conduct, along with demographic variables of race/ethnicity, age, family income level, number of children in the household, and partner status. No significant difference …

The Pre-School Teacher Experience Of Social Skills For Early Education Success, Cheryl Dorsey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Pre-school is foundational to future academic success, and social skills have been recognized as a critical component of that foundation. How pre-school teachers facilitate social skills development is an area requiring further study. The purpose of this research was to describe the experience of social skills development from the perspective of early educators. Attachment and social learning theories were used as theoretical frameworks to explore how early education teachers describe the social skills for early education success in young children and how early education teachers facilitate the development of important social skills. This study used a generic, qualitative design …

Emotional Support Dogs’ Effects On Anxiety, Depression, And Somatization In Elementary Students, Truman Arthur James Spring

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Within the last few decades, there has been an ever-increasing clinical role for trained emotional support dogs (ESD) and their trained therapists in hospitals, courtrooms, and schools. More recently, within the last 5 years, there has been a prevalent trend toward introducing ESDs into schools, which has created an ongoing controversy about the legitimacy of this practice due to the lack of objective data and research on the topic. In this study, archival data analysis was conducted using data from 68 students with elevated scores for anxiety, depression, or somatization, 34 of which were in the treatment group and the …

Striving For Homeostasis: Balancing The Inclusion Of Students With An Emotional/Behavioral Disorder, Rob Mcgarva

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social justice advocates have championed inclusive education, leading to its adoption in many jurisdictions. Despite policy changes designed to support learners with disabilities and research on inclusive education, students with an emotional/behavioral disorder (EBD) experience significantly poorer outcomes than their peers. Teachers often describe including this group of students as impossible and attempts to achieve inclusion often result in extreme stress. Research has identified proven inclusion strategies, but there are often problems with implementation in real-world settings. There is a research gap concerning how teachers understand and select interventions. Classic grounded theory methodology was used to identify the primary concern …

Challenges, Practices, And Preferences Of Postsecondary Accessibility Service Providers In Alberta When Implementing Accommodations For Invisible Disabilities, Tara-Jean M. Wenc

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the last few decades have seen an improvement in postsecondary opportunities for students with invisible disabilities in Alberta, service providers at postsecondary institutions continue to struggle to ensure they provide reasonable accommodations in a timely manner. Research questions explored the current practices and challenges of postsecondary accessibility services providers in Alberta, Canada, and their preferences for verification documentation for students requesting accommodations for invisible disabilities. The conceptual framework was based upon the medical and social models of disability, as well as the emerging justice theory of disability. Data were collected via semistructured interviews with 13 participants. A constant comparative …

Faculty Experiences Of Social Media Implementation In Online Classrooms, Ashley Lynn George

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social media has become an integral part of the education process, with educators incorporating social media platforms both actively and passively within the learning environment. Yet, the implementation and usefulness of social media in the online learning environment as an educational assistance tool have not been adequately investigated. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how the incorporation of social media into the online learning environment is experienced by university faculty and if their experiences of use or required changes in pedagogy for implementation are affecting their ability or desire to implement the new technology. Individual virtual interviews …

Training And Experience As Predictors Of Principals’ Efficacy For Inclusive Education Implementation, Courtney Lynch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Federal inclusion law requires that school administrators provide an equitable and legally compliant inclusive education for all students. Previous research has shown that successful program delivery is not possible without efficacious school leadership. Prior studies have also revealed that principals’ self-efficacy judgments are directly influenced by contextual and personal factors. Limited research-based inquiries have explored which factors contribute to administrator confidence as it relates to successfully implementing inclusive educational programs in particular. Grounded in social cognitive theory, the purpose of this nonexperimental, survey-based, quantitative study was to assess the extent to which facets of elementary school principals’ educational background, experience, …

Factors Predicting Counselor Education And Supervision Doctoral Student Career Choices, Lisa Corbin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the increased need for counselor educators, less than half of graduates of counselor education and supervision (CES) programs enter into faculty positions after graduation. There is also a significant lack of diversity among counselor educators. Some researchers found that the quality of a mentoring relationship influences the mentee’s self-efficacy and career choice. The purpose of this quantitative survey research study was to explore the perceived quality of the participant’s mentoring relationship as measured by the Mentorship in Clinical Training Scale (MiCTS) and whether that score predicted the participant’s career choice or a change in career choice, investigate whether students’ …

Leadership Behavior On Burnout Among African-American Licensed Professional Counselors, Chinedu Augustus Akubudike

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe impact of leadership behavior on burnout among mental health workers has been an area of study among scholars since 2004. For example, poor leadership behavior has been found to impact burnout among licensed professional counselors (LPCs), and leadership strategy has been found to be essential in addressing a clinician's burnout. However, existing literature has indicated that some U.S. behavioral health organizations lack leadership qualities that would facilitate a decrease in burnout among mental health providers. Therefore, I examined the issues associated with the leadership of XYZB behavioral health clinic in northeastern Washington, DC, and its approaches for remediating burnout …

Hiring Manager Perceptions Of The Emotional Intelligence Skills Of Urban Community College Graduates, Janice Moore English

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractEmotional intelligence (EI) skills are an important factor in the successful entry in the labor market of the fresh graduates of urban community colleges. Even though previous studies provided substantial evidence to the importance of these skills, these studies also recognized a lack of preparedness for the newly community college graduates and add to the voices of local business communities who manifest concern in this regard. The purpose of this basic qualitative research project was to explore local hiring manager perceptions of the EI skills of community college graduates they have hired for knowledge work roles. Goleman’s theory of EI …

College Students’ Perceptions Regarding High School Influences On Academic Buoyancy, Jeremy Travis Irwin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed by this study is the lack of student input in the development of resources to support academic buoyancy, leading to a gap in educational practices. Academic buoyancy is the ability to successfully deal with academic setbacks and challenges that are typical of the ordinary course of school life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of recent high school students regarding the common academic setbacks and challenges they experienced in high school and how high schools could support students experiencing these challenges. Research questions examined participants’ perspective of the common academic setbacks and challenges …