Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Clinical Counseling Supervisors’ Perspectives Of Gatekeeping During Prelicense Supervision, Marquita R. Garrett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThis interpretive phenomenology qualitative study explored the clinical counseling supervisors’ perceptions of gatekeeping during the supervision of postgraduate prelicense counselor trainees, specifically around problems of professional competence (PPC). This study aimed to address a gap in research surrounding gatekeeping relative to the specific needs of postgraduate prelicense counselor trainees. Exploring the gaps in gatekeeping, specifically around PPC regarding ethics and multiculturalism in clinical supervision, might increase the necessity for professionalism and recommendations for continuity across state lines. Data were collected from nine participants through Zoom interviews and analyzed using an interpretive phenomenological approach. Selection criteria included clinical counseling supervisors with …

How Supervisors Describe The Development Of Competence In Trainee School Counselors, Suen Yan Leung

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSchool counselors serve an important role in providing frontline counseling services to students in local school districts. Professional associations and educational institutions emphasize the importance of professional competence. However, research on professional competence is fragmented, outdated, and unintegrated. This qualitative study explored the development of competence in trainee school counselors during supervision, from the supervisors’ perspectives. Using the conceptual frameworks of self-efficacy and professional identity development, 16 experienced supervisors were interviewed and asked to describe the development of competence in trainee school counselors and how they instructed the development of competence. Thorne’s interpretive description method was combined with a reality-testing …

Effect Of Managerial Conduct On Retention And Job Satisfaction In Criminal Justice Public-Sector Organizations, Alexis Makayla Mceady

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Managers who lack support and training can exhibit conduct that leads to low rates of employee retention and job satisfaction. It is common in the United States for employees working government public service jobs to earn low wages. Managerial conduct impacts day-to-day operations for these low-wage positions. The purpose of this quantitative, nonprobability, correlational study was to examine whether there was a statistically significant relationship between managerial conduct, employee retention, and job satisfaction. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, it was hypothesized that employees with bad managers were less likely to be retained and more likely to have low job satisfaction. …

California School Psychologists’ Advocacy Efforts Related To Contractual Caseloads, Tess A. Melendrez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the evolving role of school psychologists, policies have failed to address the high student-to-school psychologist ratios. The purpose of this study was to determine the predictability of contractual caseload advocacy among California school psychologists and their use of resources to engage in policy-oriented learning strategies. A quantitative research design was used, and data were collected from school psychologists in California (N = 138) who completed an online questionnaire. The theoretical foundation was Sabatier and Jenkins-Smith’s advocacy coalition framework. Ordinal logistic regression indicated that school psychologists’ location and job were not statistically significant predictive factors for advocacy for contractual caseloads. …

Adaptive And Maladaptive Coping As Mediators Of The Relationship Between Impostor Phenomenon And Help Seeking Intention, Victor Mosconi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The modern workplace and public media have reported on the influence of the impostor phenomenon (IP) on leadership mental health and workplace effectiveness. The choice of coping strategy may influence leaders’ intentions to seek psychological help. Guided by the impostor cycle model, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the extent to which adaptive and maladaptive coping mediates the relationship between IP and help-seeking intention in a convenience sample of 162 participants in leadership positions. The Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale assessed strength of IP, the Brief COPE measure assessed adaptive and maladaptive coping, and the Beliefs About Psychological …

Faculty-Student And Student-Student Connections Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic, Fatma Ouled Salem

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic expedited the shift toward distance education by forcing institutions to adapt to the limitations of social distancing mandates. This resulted in a general sense of disconnection and isolation, compounding the other adverse effects of the pandemic. Since faculty-student and student-student connections are consistently identified as best practices in distance counselor education, the aim of this descriptive phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of counselor educators during the COVID-19 pandemic relating to faculty-student and student-student connections. A phenomenological framework was used to suspend presuppositions of the phenomenon and to describe the lived experiences of participants. In-depth …

Evacuation Emergency Management During Hurricane Katrina: A Decision-Making Analysis, Kimberli Roessing-Anderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emergency management policy is useful when it involves the stakeholders it serves in the decision-making process. The death toll for Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was almost 2,000 people. Many of the dead and injured lived in low-income communities. There were significant challenges with the evacuation of residents of the Ninth Ward of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Like many public policies, emergency management has evolved over time. Periodically, a catalyst event, such as Hurricane Katrina, shapes public opinion and eventually public policy and its administration. Punctuated equilibrium theory was used to examine the decision-making process of Ninth Ward residents to …

The Impact Of Social Media On Organ Donation, Miguel Enrique Sewer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The organ-donor shortage remains a pressing issue facing the transplant community. There is a significant gap between supply and demand, which continues to broaden. This general qualitative study aimed to provide a road map to define the role of social media and its interrelationship with increasing organ donation. The study utilizes the potential of a communication framework to increase outreach and education, serving as an alternative to increasing organ donors’ participation. The conceptual underpinnings for this study are the Social Representations Theory, the Organ Donation Willingness Model, and the Theory of Planned Behavior. The data was collected using an …

Behavioral Health Leadership Strategies To Increase Telehealth Engagement, Ramona Singletary-Robertson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One of the challenges brought on by the recent COVID-19 pandemic has been the promotion and use of telehealth services. While recent data from Medicare has depicted an increase in this new service delivery modality (over 4,000%), there has been a stark disparity in the use of telehealth services in lower socioeconomic demographics, such as rural and underrepresented communities, and among Medicare recipients. Equitable, consistent, and optimal service expansion of the telehealth modality requires therapists and leaders of behavioral health organizations to develop and deploy creative tactics to remedy this disparity. In this case study, leaders of Miss Emma's Behavioral …

Informal Caregivers’ Experiences Of Caring For Older Adults Diagnosed With Urinary Tract Infections, Novelett M. Stennett-James

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Informal caregivers’ experiences of caring for older adults diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI) is a prevalent issue that affects adults as they age. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to understand informal caregivers’ experiences observing and reporting to doctors observable changes of behavior in older adults that were later linked to unconventional symptoms of potential UTIs. Attribution theory was used as the theoretical framework for this study. This qualitative study addressed the research question of informal caregivers’ experiences observing and reporting to doctors observed changes in older adults associated with unconventional UTI symptoms. Data were collected …

How Public Health Expenditure Affect Health Outcomes In Cameroon, Gilbert Njinju Ayimaleh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Most African governments, and Cameroon in particular, have identified the reduction of infant mortality and life expectancy in Africa as a critical priority. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals set a target objective of reducing infant mortality by 60% from 1990 to 2015 in less-developed countries. Good health contributes significantly to the attainment of sustainable development and health outcomes. Despite Cameroon’s progress in achieving health-related Millennium Development Goals regarding reducing infant mortality and increasing life expectancy, the country is still worse in respect to health outcomes compared to other Sub-Saharan Countries like Nigeria and Ghana thus more need to be …

Veterans’ Experience With Social Acceptance After Beginning Civilian Employment, Dr. Mike Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractWhen an individual feels excluded from a group that they seek to be a part of, they experience negative physiological and psychological outcomes. The innate human need to be socially accepted is identified and described in elements of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and McClelland’s human motivation theory. Social acceptance has also been shown to play an integral role in areas of communication, organizational commitment, performance, and team cohesiveness. However, it is not known if social acceptance directly impacts a veteran’s ability and desire to maintain civilian employment after transitioning from active-duty service. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study …

Incorporating Mind-Body Therapies In Behavioral Health To Improve Patient Outcomes, Silvia Stark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMental health disorders are a global epidemic that continue to drain society of money, resources, and overall human life expectancy. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to analyze how a behavioral health organization that provides mind body therapies, such as yoga and meditation, in conjunction with clinical interventions to treat mental health disorders contributed to providing quality care and better patient outcomes. Currently, the behavioral health organization included mind body therapies within a clinical session and their goal was to separate yoga and meditation from a clinical session as reimbursable and evidence-based treatment for individuals with mental health …

Moral Injury Themes Involving Criminal Recklessness Among Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder, Sandra Starch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Moral injury (MI) can emerge following transgressive acts against one’s deeply held moral beliefs. Its symptomology involves individual psychological, spiritual, behavioral, and social spheres. It has primarily been studied within the military and in a few select civilian populations. This descriptive phenomenological study involved exploring MI themes among adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD) who had engaged in criminally reckless acts. Data collected from semi-structured interviews with eight participants were coded and analyzed, leading to six major themes revealing the symptomology of MI. Responses from study participants supported Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance via their descriptions of alcohol abuse cycles …

Strategies To Reduce Turnover Among Black Home Healthcare Aides, Diane Allen Tate

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMany individuals prefer to remain in their homes as they age instead of entering a long-term care facility. As the proportion of older Americans rapidly grows, the demand for delivery of nonmedical services by home healthcare aides (HHAs) is expected to increase. However, the national and local supply of HHAs is insufficient and must be rectified to meet a projected increase of older Americans by 2050. This research study involved exploring this problem for one small home healthcare organization in the Maryland suburbs outside of Washington, DC with an HHA workforce that was comprised predominantly of Black/African American and African …

Parents’ Perceptions Of Hardships Associated With Transitioning Their Child With Disabilities From Early Intervention To The Local Education Agency, Chelsea Theria Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children with disabilities require services that are covered under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to be successful in school. Early intervention, which is made available to all who qualify, provides services with a team that works directly with the family. However, when the child turns three years of age, the family is transitioned to their local education agency (LEA). The level of support at this point lessens as the school takes over services for the child. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of parents with children with disabilities during the transition from early intervention …

An Evaluation Of A Community-Based Children’S Bereavement Group Using A Resilience Model, Ada Terry Denone Terry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The death of a loved one can be an extremely painful process that can have detrimental consequences on the emotional well-being of individuals if they don’t receive grief intervention support. When it specifically comes to the emotional eudaemonia of children and teens experiencing the death of a loved one, research is limited on empirical-based bereavement intervention support to enhance their coping skills. Utilizing the theoretical framework of resilience theory, the purpose of this quantitative secondary research study was to evaluate the Sutter Sacramento Children’s Bereavement Art Group (CBAG) ten- week intervention for children and teens ages 5-12. The first question …

Parenting Skills Of African American Young Mothers Who Transitioned From Foster Care, Tamesha Yvonne Townsend-Simmons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prior research indicated there is an ongoing social issue in the United States for young single mothers with foster care experiences and their children. This group of women face poor economic and parenting outcomes without assistance from government resources in the form of effective parenting programs. Yet programming lags and there are ongoing assumptions about young mothers' in foster care parenting skills and abilities. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to better understand the development of parenting skills among a selected group of African American adult young mothers who transitioned from foster care to independence and motherhood between …

Understanding African American Mothers’ Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Autism-Related Services For Their Autistic Children In Rural Communities, Brandi J. Treadway

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study aimed to address the gap in the literature related to understanding African American mothers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the available services provided to their children diagnosed with autism living in rural communities. The theoretical framework used for this study is the racial formation theory as a lens for completing this study. The research question explored African American mothers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of autism-related services provided to their children with autism in rural communities. The research design chosen for this study is a generic qualitative design using semi-structured interviews for data collection from 10 African American mothers …

A Sociotechnical Systems View Of Computer Self-Efficacy And Usability Determinants Of Technical Readiness, Stefani L. Tucker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The specific research problem was that it is unknown whether computer self-efficacy and usability determine technical readiness in hourly and exempt information technology support employees in the United States. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between computer self-efficacy and technical readiness, usability and technical readiness, and computer self-efficacy, usability, and technical readiness in hourly and exempt information technology support employees in the United States. Sociotechnical system theory suggests that every transaction has a human and technical aspect; thus, the theoretical framework. The convenience sample included 136 information technology support employees aged 18-70. The regression results …

Parent Perspectives On How The Covid-19 Pandemic Affected Symptoms Of Autism Spectrum Disorder In Their Children, Desiree Marie Vanderlick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism is a disorder that is characterized by struggles with socialization anddevelopmental delays that often involve much guidance and support. The purpose of this study was to explain the experience of parents as they attempted to manage behaviors related to symptoms of autism during the worldwide quarantine prompted by COVID-19. This study aimed to close the gap in literature and explore to see if there were any concerns that could be addressed by future studies. The study was framed around Bowen’s theory, which addresses emotions within a family unit, and the interdependence theory, which addresses how humans thrive to be …

Knowledge Management Implementation In U.S. Army Headquarters: A Case Study, David Marvin Van Laar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This case study examined the U.S. Army’s implementation of knowledge management (KM) as an integrating process within its command and control system. The research problem explored was the U.S. Army’s attempts to measure knowledge transfer using the KM Maturity Model (KM3) and KM Assessment Tool (KMAT). The purpose was to determine levels of KM maturity and knowledge barriers that affected decision-making. The conceptual approach used Nonaka and Takeuchi’s process theory for the knowledge-based firm, combined with Argote and Hora’s framework of knowledge transfer as it applied to Moore’s concept of public value. The central research questions explored the levels of …

The Student’S Perspective Of Therapeutic Day Treatment, Krystal Vaughan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has continued to be diagnosed in school-aged children at a high rate. Students with this diagnosis often display negative behaviors and poor academic performance, leading to the need for school-based interventions. Although the use of school-based interventions has shown to be moderately effective, the need to identify the student’s perspective is warranted. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to explore the effectiveness of therapeutic day treatment from the student’s perspective. While parents and teachers have found therapeutic day treatment useful, research to date from the student’s perspective is lacking. Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive …

Generational Cohort Membership And Career And Organizational Commitment Among Law Enforcement Officers, Erinn Elizabeth Vranches

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Career and organizational commitment are topics of interest in multiple fields, including law enforcement. With the exodus and transition of generational cohorts, there is a need to understand generational differences to address the recruitment, training, and retention of officers. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between generational cohort membership, career commitment, and organizational commitment among law enforcement officers. Two theories were used for the foundation of this study: Manheim’s theory of generations and Super’s developmental self-concept theory. The study method was quantitative and the design, correlational. A survey containing demographic questions and items from the Occupational …

Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence In Liberia, Nathaniel Benjamin Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The phenomenon of sexual violence against women in Liberia is a disturbing problem. Despite the significant number of individuals who have faced sexual assault in this country, little is known about the roots and long-term implications of this phenomenon within the context of Liberia, as well as the instruments that could be effective in remedying its effects. This study was conducted to understand how conflict-related sexual violence affects women in Liberia and suggest ways to help address it. The research questions addressed the effect of war-related sexual violence against women in Liberia and the strategies that are necessary to remedy …

Exploring Social Workers And Self-Care, Justyna Wawrzonek

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

First responder social workers are exposed to a stressful work environment, which puts them at risk for burnout. Burnout increases turnover rates, which negatively impacts both social workers and the clients they serve. The use of self-care practices mitigates the harmful effects of burnout. Because first responder social workers in southern California have an average turnover rate of 6 to 12 months after hire, this study explored southern California first responder social workers’ experiences with self-care practices. A basic qualitative design using semistructured interviews was applied through the purposeful sampling of eight first responder social workers. The study was grounded …

Issues Of Inmates Not Receiving Mental Health Treatment: A Prison-Based Counselor Perspective, Ashley Celestine Westmoreland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mental illnesses in correctional facilities have been an issue for decades and have increased over time. According to recent studies, correctional facilities have become known as mental health institutions without access to treatment. It is unclear why correctional facilities have limited resources, but research indicates that offenders are not receiving the appropriate treatment. This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to explore how five prison-based counselors perceive the quality and quantity of mental health services provided to inmates. The data were analyzed and coded using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The current study’s findings further added to the base of knowledge that …

Exposure Of Ems Personnel To Violence In Urban Cities Of The Midwest, Alyssa Wheeler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emergency medical service (EMS) personnel experience both physical and verbal assaults towards them by patients, family members, and/or bystanders at the incident scenes. The mostly quantitative literature is limited in recognizing how this violence may affect the way that EMS personnel complete their jobs. Through in-depth, semistructured interviews with nine EMS personnel from the Midwest, this phenomenological study was used to understand EMS personnel’s lived experiences and perceptions of violence towards them by patients or bystanders at the response scene. How this violence towards EMS personnel affected the way they approach incident scenes and interact with patients and/or bystanders at …

A Phenomenological Study Of Executive Coaching For African American Leaders, Barrhonda White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American leaders face inequalities in executive leadership development support such as executive coaching. This phenomenological qualitative study explored the lived experiences of African American leaders that worked with a leadership coach. The intention of the study was to gain insight into factors that led African American leaders to seek assistance from a leadership coach, preferences regarding leadership coach demographics, and goals from coaching. The theoretical foundation for this research was Self-Discrepancy Theory. The study utilized two research questions related to a) the lived experiences of African American leaders that work with, or have worked with, an executive coach, and …

Workplace Satisfaction On Inclusion And Turnover Intentions Of Minority Women In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics, Tameka Whitten

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Women of color are diminishing from the STEM workforce in spite of organizational efforts to increase diverse representation. A diverse workforce is a key competitive advantage for many STEM innovations, making this a topic of interest amongst workplace scholars. Researchers have pointed to relative contributors, such as barriers to inclusion and social identity threats for minority women in STEM. However, scholars have not yet uncovered the effect of global satisfaction on inclusion and turnover intentions for minority women within these workplaces. The purpose of this study was to evaluate organizational inclusion differences by sex and minority status, review organizational inclusion …