Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Middle School Teachers’ Experiences Implementing The Workshop Model In Their Classroom, Patience Ndidi Onyegwara

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Due to the increasing diversity in U.S. schools, there is a need for differentiated and individualized educational models for these learners to be successful in the future. However, little is known about innovative educational models allowing differentiation and individualized education. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand the experiences and perceptions of middle school teachers implementing the innovative Workshop Model (WSM) of teaching and learning. The conceptual framework for this study included the diffusion of innovation, sociocultural, and andragogical theories, and the principles of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). The participants were 10 middle school teachers …

The Politics Of Decentralizing Criminal Justice Systems In Postconflict Societies: Insights From Liberia (2011-2017), Samuel Opoku-Agyakwa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

After the end of Liberia’s brutal 14 year civil war, the process of rebuilding Liberia has focused on a number of interventions including reforming the criminal justice system. In the current study, institutional, policy, legal reform, and infrastructure development were the approaches used to decentralize Liberia’s Criminal Justice System. Thirty experts were interviewed, and their responses coded using NVivo 12.0. Seven themes and 25 subthemes emerged from the data. It was that found that a top down internationally led approach with minimal involvement of local communities and the neglect of the traditional justice system characterized the decentralization process. Results also …

Special Operations Forces Culture And Implications For Interagency Collaboration, Bradley Rhinelander

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Horn of Africa exemplifies maritime instability due to regional climate, environmental, economic, food, and security issues. Future global challenges require collaborative approaches between U.S. government and military organizations to span organizational boundaries and leverage the strengths and insights of diverse organizations. The purpose of this research was to examine organizational culture and identity, as manifested in organizational literature, to identify opportunities and challenges to interagency networks and collaboration in the realm of confronting wicked problems around the globe. The research questions focus on the cultural and normative elements of organizational identity as manifest in the context of organizational literature. …

After-School Enrichment Programs And Secondary Education Achievement Among African American Males, Willis Roger Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this single case study, at one high school in the Midwest region of United States, was to examine after-school enrichment programs and their connections to improving academic achievement for African American (AA) male students. The central question of what factors in structured after-school enrichment programs (ASEPs) contribute to academic achievement for AA males was studied using social learning theory and punctuated equilibrium as the theoretical guide. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews and surveys administered to 10 administrators, 10 parents, and 10 teachers who met the criteria for inclusion in the study. Data collection also included classroom …

Individual Experiences Of Criminogenic Youth Participating In Outpatient Treatment, Seth Allen Garcia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Outpatient treatment programs for low-level criminogenic youth have been shown to positively impact behavioral trends and recidivism rates. By providing juvenile offenders the opportunity to remain in the community while receiving clinical interventions to address their maladaptive behaviors, outpatient therapy enables participating youth to identify their negative decision patterns. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the individual experience of low-level criminogenic youth who successfully completed outpatient treatment. Bandura’s self-efficacy theory was used to frame the study, and audio recordings were collected during semistructured interviews with 8 participants. Subsequently, the recordings were transcribed and the data were coded …

Examining The Criminogenic Effect Of Imprisonment On Drug Offender Recidivism, Tiffany Jean Vedder

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies have found criminogenic consequences of imprisonment when testing the deterrence hypothesis, yet few studies were found that examined the magnitude of post release criminal offenses among the drug offender population. The specific deterrence and criminogenic effects of imprisonment were the theoretical frameworks that guided this study of Harris County, Texas, to determine if incarceration predicted serious reoffending among low-level drug offenders. A Journal of Science and Law (Scilaw) archival dataset based on Harris County court records was used to build the sample. Chi-squared test of association and logistic regression statistics were used to analyze a sample of first-time drug …

Battered Women's Help-Seeking In The Rural Southwestern United States, Celina Gerese Bryant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many victims of domestic violence who seek help are never able to break the cycle of abuse. Many studies address the stages and types of domestic violence, but few focus on successful recovery from abuse. The purpose of this study was to fill the gap in the literature concerning battered women's help-seeking processes in rural southwestern United States. The specific focus was on how victims and survivors of intimate partner violence seek help for domestic violence issues and whether their help-seeking processes determine successful recovery from domestic violence situations. This study was a qualitative case study based on symbolic interactionism …

Child Welfare Workers' Perceptions Of The Effective Black Parenting Program, Kharmynn M. Bullock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The child welfare system (CWS) serves around half a million families each year in America. Of those, in Texas, hundreds of thousands of African American families represent the greatest percentages of families in the CWS when compared with their respective numbers in the general population. In 2013, African American children made up about 13.9% of the overall population of children in the United States; however, these children represented close to 26% (or 101,938) African American children in the system with CWS. Child Protective Services (CPS) has various programs and services, including parent education referrals to social services agencies that carry …

Impacting Nonprofit Financial Sustainability And Mission, Jarhal Duncan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nonprofits in the United States have been struggling to maintain financial sustainability and create new pathways to accomplish its mission. The research problem was that there was limited research on leadership strategies for nonprofits to facilitate the balance of achieving the organizational mission and financial sustainability. The purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of how current leaders of niche-based nonprofit organizations use strategies to impact financial sustainability and maintain the mission of the nonprofit organization. Building on this understanding can help address this issue. Theoretical frameworks such as Resource Dependence Theory and General Systems Theory help develop …

The Lived Experiences Of Rural Clinical Social Workers In North Carolina, Sarah Horne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Rural clinical social workers face unique challenges when providing services to members of rural communities. To face these challenges and deliver culturally competent services, clinical social workers in rural communities must be specifically prepared for rural clinical social work. This study addressed issues of preparedness for rural clinical social work centered around rural clinical social work supervision in the context of the systems theory. The phenomenological design allowed for the exploration of the lived experiences of rural clinical social workers. Study participants who volunteered for study after being contacted via information provided to the North Carolina Social Work Board were …

Effects Of Government Regulations And Reimbursement Policies On Home Health Administration In Illinois., Sally Nwafor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recent changes in government regulations and reimbursement policies threaten the financial viability and the ability of home health agencies to provide the necessary services. There is a gap in knowledge about the effect of the changes in healthcare policies on the administration of home health businesses in Illinois. The purpose of this study was to bridge the knowledge gap by investigating the effect of the regulatory and policy changes on home health administration in Illinois. The research question focused on the challenges that home health administrators face due to the changes in government regulation and reimbursement policies, and the strategies …

Age Differences In Effect Of Collaboration Of Care Activities On Student Behaviors, Ronda Lynn Stevens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over 18 million children in the US have mental health problems and 70% receive the care in the education sector. The Collaboration of Care (CoC) approach is widely used to address these needs. However, the body of knowledge to date does not focus on relationships between the use of a CoC in a school environment nor examines school-based outcomes. This study examined a specific CoC, called the Collaboration of Services for Youth (COSY), to see if there was a positive association between participation in COSY and changes in attendance, behavior, and academic performance among 52 public-school students, ages 5-16, and …

Undercover Law Enforcement Operatives’ Perceptions Of Post Critical Incident Mental Health Services, David B. Spinella

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Undercover officers experience unique job-related stressors due to the covert nature and sometimes long duration of their tasks. Undercover officers adopt false identities that involve taking on a personality and lifestyle that the officer might find personally objectionable. If this identity is ever compromised, they and family members are in great danger. Officers are faced with the daily possibility of encountering abrupt and unforeseen traumatic events, such as gang retaliation, terrorism, and other events rarely experienced by civilians. Such events that exceed the range of normal experience are critical incidents, and they may be so overwhelming that they are beyond …

How Teachers And Counselors Collaborate Formally And Informally To Improve The Precollege Curriculum, Amanda Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers and counselors in a large suburban district in the Southeastern United States strive to collaborate to equip students with key skills needed to succeed in their first year of college. The problem is that little was known about the collaborative challenges teachers and counselors faced as they implemented the precollege curriculum in secondary schools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine how teachers and counselors collaborate formally and informally to improve the precollege curriculum as recommended by the guidelines of the American School Counselor Association and adopted by the local district. Knowles’s theory of andragogy provided …

Quantitative Analysis Of Public Perceptions Of Female Sex Offenders, Michael Buckley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public perception may have formed a consensus belief regarding sex offending. Males have considerably outweighed females with offenses, which may have created a bias against males. This study was a quantitative examination and review of the public's perceptions of female sex offenders (FSOs) as it related to their crimes and differences in sentencing when compared to male sex offenders (MSOs). There may be many reasons why females sexually offend, but there is a lack of understanding of these reasons and how FSOs are viewed by the public and the sentencing by the judicial system. The theoretical framework for the study …

Resources Needed By Transitional Participants For Independent Living, Odell Jonathan Cole

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A lack of resources for youth making the transition from foster care into independent living is a significant issue in the United States. However, this lack of resources may be overcome through successful career pathway programs. The purpose of this case study was to explore which career pathway strategies are useful for an organization attempting to help young people make a transition into independence. During the developmental planning stage of the program, plans were put in place for a program to help young people find guidance in a career field as they learn to live on their own and become …

Impact Of Perception Of Supervisors’ Knowledge-Sharing Behaviors On Newcomers’ Information-Seeking Behaviors, Melissa Denton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

During their first year, new employees rely on their supervisors to share knowledge that will help them adjust to their new jobs. The purpose of this quantitative, correlation study was to examine the relationship between newcomers’ perceptions of supervisors’ knowledge-sharing and the information-seeking tactics of (a) direct inquiry, (b) indirect inquiry, (c) third-party inquiry, (d) testing limits, and (e) observing. The theoretical foundation used in this study was social exchange theory. The independent variable was measured using items from the Attitude Towards Knowledge Sharing Scale developed by Bock and Kim, and the dependent variables were measured using Miller’s Information-Seeking Strategies …

The Lived Experience Of Monogamy Among Gay Men In Monogamous Relationships, Kellie L. Barton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research on male gay relationships spans more than 50 years, and the focus of most of this research has been on understanding the development processes, consequences, and risk factors of nonmonogamous relationships. Few researchers have explored the nature and meaning of monogamy in the male gay community. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore the lived experience of monogamy to give voice to other expressions of gay male relationships and potentially add to the literature surrounding clinical implications of treatment. The framework for developing the research emerged from the construct of the monogamy gap, derived from theories of …

Role Of Social Workers In Psychiatric Patient-Centered Care With U.S. Veterans, Alesia Michelle Noce-Owen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social workers play an important role in the implementation of patient-centered care (PCC) within an interdisciplinary treatment team in an inpatient psychiatric unit. The PCC approach can become overwhelming and stressful for interdisciplinary team members because the definition of PCC varies across disciplines. The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to explore social workers’ perceptions of their role within an interdisciplinary team, including barriers to social work inclusion and PCC. Ecological systems theory provided the framework for the study. Interview data were collected from 2 focus groups containing a total of 10 purposively selected social workers. A grounded …

Community-Based Counselors’ Experiences Counseling Female Adjudicated Youth: A Basic Qualitative Study, Ericka Pinckney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Licensed professional counselors (LPCs) have encountered difficulties engaging at-risk youth in meaningful treatment. Youth who faced great stress such as abuse, neglect, truancy, family problems, homelessness, and traumatic events have presented with challenging behaviors. Literature suggested adjudicated youth engaged in relational and physical aggression; these behaviors increased the risk for out-of-home placement. Research on community based LPCs’ professional experiences in working with adjudicated female youth is scarce. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore community-based counselors' experiences treating female adjudicated youth. Professional counselors' techniques and strategies were explored. The relational-cultural theory provided the conceptual lens through which …

Information Security Ambassadors’ Perceptions Of Peer-Led Motivation In Phishing Detection, Kingkane Malmquist

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Phishing rates are increasing yearly and continue to compromise data integrity. The need to guard business information is vital for organizations to meet their business objectives and legal obligations. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore security ambassadors’ perceptions of motivating their peers to adopt safe internet behaviors in a large medical campus in Minnesota. Hackman and Oldham’s job characteristic motivation theory was used to frame the study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 20 security ambassadors. Data coding and analysis yielded 7 themes: rewarding, value, personal interest, limited information security knowledge, increased interest, communication, and topics …

An Exploration Of The Criminal Thinking Processes In Criminal Offenders, Mark V. Lemieux

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study sought to learn about Criminal Thinking patterns of thought in former criminal offenders. The discovery of this information is important to several fields in the formulation of treatment programs toward the elimination of criminal behavior. This research is based on the theory formulated by Yochelson and Samenow, and expanded on by Walters, that holds that Criminal Thinking patterns develop along a continuum and can lead to criminal behavior in some. Specifically, this study sought to learn whether criminal offenders were aware of their Criminal Thinking patterns and if that awareness impacted their criminal behavior. This qualitative phenomenological study …

Social Grants Transfer Program: The Role Of Policy Actors In Policy Implementation, David Quist

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The scholarly literature lacks the knowledge to support the view that policy actor activities in policy streams were not limited to the 3 initial stages of the policy cycle. Finding evidence through a study to either back or refute this view among scholars was important to explain how policy implementation effort works to yield results. Thus, the purpose of this general qualitative and policy implementation research was to generate additional knowledge about the role of policy actors in policy implementation. The 5-stream framework theoretical lens for this study suggested that the policymaking process involved 5 streams with active policy actors …

Epidemiology And Criminology: Managing Youth Firearm Homicide Violence In Urban Areas, Joseph Anthony Mcmillan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Violence is considered a public health problem in the United States, yet little is known about the benefit of using a combined epidemiology and criminology (EpiCrim) approach to focus on urban youth gun violence. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to determine in what ways Akers and Lanier's EpiCrim approach in tandem with Benet's polarities of democracy approach is explanatory of gun homicides by youth in U.S. urban areas and if the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System adequately addresses gun abatement measures. Data were collected through semi structured interviews of 16 criminal justice practitioners and medical professionals with …

The Impact Of Perceived Stress, Happiness, And Religiosity On Political Orientation, Bryant Daniels

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increasing stress levels over the past 30 years have reached an all-time high, which has also correlated with an increase in medical insurance costs due to the adverse effects on life expectancy, obesity rates, and non-communicable disease deaths. An additional social problem affecting the U.S. is a 20-year increase in political dichotomy. Research has shown a distinction between liberals and conservatives on a variety of characteristics ranging from sleep patterns, disgust, personality, and even cleanliness. This current study used two other characteristics that correlate with both stress and political orientation, and they are happiness and religiosity. The purpose of this …

Meeting The Needs Of College Students With Learning Disabilities, Rita Garrett Foster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although more students with learning disabilities (LDs) are attending postsecondary institutions, faculty lacks the necessary training to educate students with LDs. A need exists to ensure that their college experiences include resources or support services to help students meet their academic requirements. Without support services, students may encounter poor outcomes in postsecondary education. This bounded, qualitative case study was designed to explore perspectives and experiences of students with LDs related to student services and accommodations at a postsecondary institution. Knowles's theory of andragogy formed the study's conceptual framework. A purposeful sample of 6 students, who were medically diagnosed as having …

Developing Teacher Leaders Through Professional Development Offered In A District Teacher Forum, Suzanne T. Koty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher attrition is an ongoing problem in education, and the lack of leadership opportunities contribute to that problem. Teachers who serve in leadership roles are more likely to remain in the profession and positively impact students and the profession as a whole. However, there is little qualitative research to address how teachers develop the needed leadership skills to take on additional leadership roles. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experiences of participants in a District Teacher Forum. The District Teacher Forum is a cohort of teachers identified as Campus Teachers of the Year led by the …

Qualities That Promote Male Friendship, Troy Alan Akins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The psychological, physical, and social circumstances surrounding the relationship between friends can be detrimental, especially in males. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the qualities that can be used to promote friendship among adult men ages 30 to 35 in the Northeastern Wyoming area. The theoretical framework for the study was Miller’s relational cultural theory. Data were collected from 11 semistructured interviews with men ages 30 to 35. Data were transcribed and analyzed to identify themes. Participants reported that they rely on acts of justice and fairness as well as established understanding to have clarity in friendship, …

Classifying Unsolved Murders As Serial Crimes, Rajub Bhowmik

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Serial murders have a destabilizing and traumatizing effect on society, making it beneficial for law enforcement to classify certain homicides as serial murders, which would help link cases together and solve all of them. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine which evaluative strategies homicide investigators use to classify unsolved homicides as the work of serial murderers or non-serial homicides. Semistructured interviews were conducted with a population of 10 police professionals. Data were analyzed using NVivo 12 software. Thirteen themes emerged: (a) similar and unusual modus operandi, (b) motive and relation, (c) time period, (d) physical evidences, …

Workplace Incivility Of Female Managers On Self-Confidence, Self-Awareness, And Self-Esteem Of Female Workers, Dwan L. Bryant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace incivility has been a focus of scholars since 1999 and a rising phenomenon among women within various organizations. Women represent more than half of the workforce in the United States, indicating that it is very likely that a woman will have a woman manager and/or employee at some time during her work experience. Researchers have demonstrated that women workers are very likely to experience workplace incivility during their work life more than men. Researchers have not yet established how workplace incivility impacts the female workers self-confidence, self-esteem and self-awareness when perpetrated by their female manager. The purpose of this …