Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year

Articles 4921 - 4950 of 5913

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Social Change Initiatives For African-American And Latino Males In Los Angeles County, Kay Ramsey Jan 2017

Social Change Initiatives For African-American And Latino Males In Los Angeles County, Kay Ramsey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the 21st Century, many Americans continue to fight battles for men of color who are at the forefront of criminal injustice, unemployment, and low matriculation. With great dominion and urgency, our Nation must ensure all men, regardless of the adversity can succeed and build legacies in their families, communities, and the economy. In this action research study, an ecological system theory was used to analyze the stakeholders who have implemented the following public polices under the Obama Administration: 21st Century Policing, My Brother's Keeper, and Race to the Top. This research answers the question how stakeholders are able to …

Go to article

Relationships Between Sales Management Control, Salesperson Role, And Salesperson Performance, Michelle Vazzana Jan 2017

Relationships Between Sales Management Control, Salesperson Role, And Salesperson Performance, Michelle Vazzana

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organization theory proposes that managers exert control over the behavior of salespeople and the outcomes salespeople are expected to deliver. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study was to examine the relationships between activity control, capability control, and outcome control and salesperson performance, as well as the moderating effects of product complexity, task complexity, and number of accounts on the control-performance relationships for business-to-business sales personnel. The framework for the study was based in the concept of organizational control. Data analysis included hierarchical regression of a convenience sample of 374 survey responses from salespeople to analyze the direct and moderating …

Go to article

Hopeful Thinking: Conceptualizing A Future Beyond Domestic Abuse, Henri Zombil Jan 2017

Hopeful Thinking: Conceptualizing A Future Beyond Domestic Abuse, Henri Zombil

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Domestic violence is a continuing public health problem. Immigrant women facing domestic violence have additional challenges in dealing with domestic violence and accessing services. Hopeful thinking has been identified as a strategy for intervening and surviving beyond domestic violence. The purpose of this multiple descriptive case study was to explore hopeful thinking in Haitian immigrant women domestic abuse survivors' (HIDAS) conceptualizations of the future beyond domestic abuse. The framework for the study was resilience theory, which emphasizes the individual's ability to bounce back from stressful situations. This framework was used to investigate how HIDAS in the United States experience hopeful …

Go to article

An Exploration Of Efforts To Combat Human Trafficking In A Small Community, Shirley Konneh Jan 2017

An Exploration Of Efforts To Combat Human Trafficking In A Small Community, Shirley Konneh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human trafficking is a global crime that violates the rights of people by holding them in captivity and coercing them into sexual slavery or strenuous labor. It has become a growing phenomenon on Cape Cod, Massachusetts with no signs of stopping. Using John Kingdon's work on multiple policy streams as the primary theoretical foundation, the purpose of this case study was to identify the perceived barriers to implementing existing Massachusetts's policies targeting human trafficking on Cape Cod as experienced by social service providers and law enforcement. Data were collected from 6 participants through e-mail interview. These data were inductively coded …

Go to article

Effect Of The National Accelerated Agricultural Inputs Access Subsidy Program On Fertilizer Usage And Food Production In Kakamega County, Western Kenya, Abednego Kiwia Mavuthu Jan 2017

Effect Of The National Accelerated Agricultural Inputs Access Subsidy Program On Fertilizer Usage And Food Production In Kakamega County, Western Kenya, Abednego Kiwia Mavuthu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite 25 years of concerted efforts by African governments to adopt consistent policies for increasing food production, hunger and poverty are still prevalent in the continent. Using Bernanke's conceptualization of the credit channel theory of monetary policy, the purpose of this correlational study was to investigate whether a subsidy program, the National Accelerated Agricultural Inputs Access Program (NAAIAP), affected the rates of fertilizer usage and food production in Kakamega County, Western Kenya. Purposive stratified sampling was used to select 114 participants consisting of 72 farmers in each of the 2 groups: NAAIAP beneficiaries and nonbeneficiaries. Participants completed a survey on …

Go to article

Perceived Leadership Style, Gender, And Job Satisfaction In County Jail Correctional Officers, Melissa Minardo Jan 2017

Perceived Leadership Style, Gender, And Job Satisfaction In County Jail Correctional Officers, Melissa Minardo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a considerable amount of research demonstrating important gender differences in job satisfaction and perceived leadership style. These critical relationships have not been sufficiently explored in correctional institutions, particularly as more women are entering corrections officer positions, and low job satisfaction can lead to risky and sometimes life-threatening consequences. The purpose of this ex post facto study was to investigate the relationship between correctional officers' job satisfaction and their perception of transformational leadership style in their supervisor and to explore how the interaction between leadership style and gender affects job satisfaction. The theoretical framework of transformational leadership was used …

Go to article

Action Research Toward Improved Treatment Services For Substance-Abusing Veterans In Central Texas, Sharla Nicole Peterson Jan 2017

Action Research Toward Improved Treatment Services For Substance-Abusing Veterans In Central Texas, Sharla Nicole Peterson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Military-based social workers working with veterans with substance use disorders face many challenges to providing effective treatment services. Understanding environmental, organizational, and client-based factors that affect the provision of substance abuse treatment to veterans is critical for clinical social work practitioners working with this unique client population. As a clinical social work practice problem, this project explored the challenges of providing effective substance abuse treatment services for veterans, specifically those living in central Texas. The purpose of this project was to improve the clinical acumen and practice of social workers working with veterans with substance use disorders. The research question …

Go to article

The Effects Of The Foreclosure Crisis On The Black And Hispanic Population In Lee County, Florida, Stenia K. Reid-Hall Jan 2017

The Effects Of The Foreclosure Crisis On The Black And Hispanic Population In Lee County, Florida, Stenia K. Reid-Hall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The housing foreclosure crisis of 2007-2010 in the United States disproportionately affected persons of color. Some states, such as Florida, were heavily impacted by property value losses, yet there has been little research since about the experience of losing a home and recovering from that loss from the perspective of the homeowner. Using Carlson's conceptualization of resiliency theory, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to assess the impact of housing foreclosure and the experience of recovery from foreclosure on Black and Hispanic people in Lee County, Florida. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 15 people in Lee County …

Go to article

Stress Management Training, Gender, Level Of Stress, And Coping In Police Officers, Samantha Leigh Fields Salain Jan 2017

Stress Management Training, Gender, Level Of Stress, And Coping In Police Officers, Samantha Leigh Fields Salain

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stress has lasting and sometimes fatal effects on the law enforcement community, which can compromise the well-being of police officers. To date, there is little research on factors that influence the level of stress in police officers. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to investigate the relationship of gender, used coping mechanisms, and levels of organizational and operational stress among police officers who have and have not received stress management training. Bandura's social learning theory and Lazarus and Folkman's theory of cognitive appraisal provided the theoretical foundation. Cross-sectional survey data from a convenience sample of 134 male and …

Go to article

Working Memory Difficulties And Eligibility For K-12 Special Education, Corrie L. Wilson Jan 2017

Working Memory Difficulties And Eligibility For K-12 Special Education, Corrie L. Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Working memory (WM) has long been associated with deficiencies in reading. Approximately 35% of students in the United States who receive special education services do so under the category of specific learning disability (SLD). The study's theoretical underpinning was Baddeley's model of WM; previous research revealed a significant literature gap regarding how WM difficulties affect eligibility for special education under the category of SLD in reading. In this quasi-experimental study, a purposive sample was taken from archival data of two groups of K-12 students who had been referred for special education eligibility evaluation: The two groups were students evaluated for …

Go to article

Qualitative Examination Of Strategies To Overcome Resistance To Change In Lean Manufacturing, Elizabeth Burmester Jan 2017

Qualitative Examination Of Strategies To Overcome Resistance To Change In Lean Manufacturing, Elizabeth Burmester

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 80% of lean manufacturing program initiatives are abandoned in the first year of implementation. Only 2% of organizations that embark on the lean journey complete it with the results and the sustainability they expected. There is a gap in past research regarding, the leadership strategies organizations can use to overcome resistance to change during lean manufacturing program implementations. The problem in this study was that leaders have limited information to overcome resistance to change when implementing these programs. The purpose of this study was to explore how leaders within manufacturing organizations may overcome resistance to change through leadership strategy. …

Go to article

Trust In Union Leaders And Decline In Union Membership, Seth Ellery Francois Jan 2017

Trust In Union Leaders And Decline In Union Membership, Seth Ellery Francois

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As of 2015, public opinion of the ethical and honesty standards of labor union leaders was low, with 36% of the public reporting a low or very low rating, and only 18% reporting high or very high ratings. Grounded in leadership behavioral theory, the purpose of this correlation study was to examine the relationship between union members' perceptions of union leadership consideration, union members' perceptions of leadership initiation of structure, and union members' perceptions of leadership trust. Forty-four union members completed a brief demographic survey, the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire XII, and the Trust and Employee Satisfaction Survey. The results …

Go to article

Employee Perceptions Of Merit Pay And Its Influence On Work Performance, Michael John Mcknight, Sr. Jan 2017

Employee Perceptions Of Merit Pay And Its Influence On Work Performance, Michael John Mcknight, Sr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The work performance of employees remains a vital factor both in an organization's viability as well as in the prosperity of its employees. Merit pay can influence employee performance and is one of the most frequently used monetary reward incentives for motivating employees to achieve a higher level of performance. The problem is the limited knowledge on how state employees in a southern state perceive merit pay and how those perceptions may influence employee work performance. Using a conceptual framework built from elements of various motivational theories including Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Herzberg's 2 factor theory, the purpose of …

Go to article

Social Networking Sites And Online Infidelity, Amber Nicole Adams Jan 2017

Social Networking Sites And Online Infidelity, Amber Nicole Adams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Biological factors, attachment styles, socioeconomic status, and religion are among some of the variables researched as casual factors of infidelity. However, limited research is available for infidelity originating online. This study aimed to investigate causal factors for engaging in online infidelity via social networking site use. A cognitive behavioral perspective guided the research. Review of literature on offline infidelity, online behavior, and Davis' work on generalized problematic internet use identified the variables relationship satisfaction, impulsivity, permissive sexual values, and the intensity of social networking site use for exploration. Research questions addressed any contribution these four variables may have to engaging …

Go to article

Beliefs, Costs, And Policies Influencing African American Men's Decisions On Psa Screening, Mary Frances Carter Jan 2017

Beliefs, Costs, And Policies Influencing African American Men's Decisions On Psa Screening, Mary Frances Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the growing concerns about routine prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening in men, little is known about the societal and economic impact of screening among the African American population. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore beliefs among African American men about PSA screening, funding for screening, and the role of the United States Preventive Service Task Force in addressing the problem. Guided by rational choice theory, data collection consisted of completion of a health beliefs survey, face-to-face interviews, field notes taken during interview, and interview audio recording. The population for the study included African American men residing …

Go to article

Community-Oriented Policing And Crime Rates And Crime Clearance Rates In North Carolina, Elizabeth Wrenn Johnson Jan 2017

Community-Oriented Policing And Crime Rates And Crime Clearance Rates In North Carolina, Elizabeth Wrenn Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While community-oriented policing was touted as a new paradigm in American policing, little data reflects its success in reducing crime and/or increasing crime clearance rates. Researchers have failed to definitively describe community policing as a successful style of policing, leaving much more research to be done on its effectiveness as a crime reduction method. Using Trojanowicz's seminal conceptualization of community-oriented policing as the foundation, the purpose of this correlational study was to determine whether there are statistically significant associations between community-oriented policing, crime rates, and crime clearance rates for the 9 municipalities of Carteret County, North Carolina. Data for community-oriented …

Go to article

Impact Of Social Support Networks On Level Of Stress And Self-Esteem Among Canadian Immigrants, Jackie Williamson Jan 2017

Impact Of Social Support Networks On Level Of Stress And Self-Esteem Among Canadian Immigrants, Jackie Williamson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Immigration may be an effective survival strategy for individuals from countries involved in war or political unrest.However, the immigration process may exacerbate a number of physical and psychological health symptoms. There are limited data on the health status of new Canadian immigrants, and some social support networks are not formally connected to settlement programs.The purpose of this cross-sectional quantitative study was to assess the level of stress and self-esteem of 400 recent and older immigrants in Canada, and to investigate the impact of social support networks on the mental well-being of recent immigrants.Cultural care and general adaptation theory provided the …

Go to article

Rumination And Self-Medication Among Women With Posttraumatic Stress And Alcohol Use Disorders, Deeann Dawn Lizarraga Jan 2017

Rumination And Self-Medication Among Women With Posttraumatic Stress And Alcohol Use Disorders, Deeann Dawn Lizarraga

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often develop alcohol use disorders (AUD) resulting from the use of alcohol to self-medicate from negative affect. Research supports the relationship between comorbid PTSD and AUD, and studies with women additionally identify the role of rumination, or excessive thinking about distress and its causes, as a precipitating aspect leading to self-medication. Female-based data is sparse, however, regarding specific thought patterns and factors which trigger the need to self-medicate with alcohol. Numerous researchers have studied the relationship between stress, anxiety, and alcohol use, although, there exists a need for qualitative studies providing thick, rich information. …

Go to article

Internal Controls Possessed By Small Business Owners, Stephanie Weiss Jan 2017

Internal Controls Possessed By Small Business Owners, Stephanie Weiss

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

On average, a small business could lose $150,000 a year due to employee fraud schemes. For most of the small businesses affected by employee fraud schemes, the average $150,000 loss could be detrimental to the small business, causing the business to close. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the internal controls small business owners apply to detect and prevent fraud from occurring in the business. The population for the study consisted of 3 small business owners located in Hartsville, South Carolina who implemented effective internal fraud controls in their business. The conceptual framework guiding the study …

Go to article

Psychotherapists' Experiences Utilizing The New Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Diagnostic Criteria In Dsm-5, Linda Jacobus Jan 2017

Psychotherapists' Experiences Utilizing The New Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Diagnostic Criteria In Dsm-5, Linda Jacobus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The fifth and most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), has presented revised diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The impact of the new diagnostic criteria upon the day-to-day experiences of mental health professionals, including diagnosis, treatment, and insurance billing has remained unclear. Using the adaptive information processing model as a theoretical framework, this multiple case study explored how licensed clinicians experienced utilization of the revised diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Fifteen mental health practitioners who had experience in the treatment of clients presenting PTSD symptoms were interviewed. Data from participant interviews were analyzed …

Go to article

Airline Pilots In Recovery From Alcoholism: A Quantitative Study Of Cognitive Change, Heather Christina Hamilton Jan 2016

Airline Pilots In Recovery From Alcoholism: A Quantitative Study Of Cognitive Change, Heather Christina Hamilton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In order to perform their duties, airline pilots must have no clinical diagnosis of mental illness or any substance use disorder. However, provisions have been in place since the 1970s that provide for a return to work for airline pilots with alcohol problems. To date, over 5,000 airline pilots have undergone rehabilitation for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and successfully returned to work. An important gap in the literature remains with regard to what extent improvements in cognitive performance may be experienced by airline pilots who complete treatment and to what extent age influences the amount of change. This study examined …

Go to article

The Relationship Between Juvenile Sex Offender Registration And Depression In Adulthood, Sharon E. Denniston Jan 2016

The Relationship Between Juvenile Sex Offender Registration And Depression In Adulthood, Sharon E. Denniston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Accounts of sexual abuse appear daily in the media. Rightfully, this issue demands attention. Juveniles may be victims; they may also be offenders who are subject to sex offender registration and notification (SORN) policies. Growing research finds that SORN policies fail to achieve intended public policy outcomes. Little is known, however, about the unintended consequences of SORN for juvenile offenders. This study contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of these policies on this population. Merton's concept of manifest and latent functions of purposive social action and an alternate non-criminogenic form of Lemert's secondary deviance proposition provided the …

Go to article

Examining Maternal Psychological Recollections Of Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Christine Desiree Shoop Jan 2016

Examining Maternal Psychological Recollections Of Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Christine Desiree Shoop

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mothers of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and despair stemming from the challenges of raising offspring with behavioral, communicative, and socioemotional impairments. Researchers have shown that children diagnosed with ASDs exhibit symptoms within the first year of life (early-onset), while some exhibit normal development until the second year (regressive-onset), and some exhibit normal development until the second year but display abnormalities in the first year (mixed-onset). Despite the wealth of research on ASDs, there are few examinations of ASD symptom onset groups and the impact of those onset groups on parental psychological …

Go to article

Cognitive Processes And Memory Differences In Recall And Recognition In Adults, Laura Elaine Fitzgerald Jan 2016

Cognitive Processes And Memory Differences In Recall And Recognition In Adults, Laura Elaine Fitzgerald

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Eyewitness testimony is critical in both criminal court and civil court, so determining the most reliable method to gain information from witnesses is imperative. Past research in this area has focused on false memory, assisted recall, stress, and event perception. A gap exists in the current literature regarding the best method to gain the most accuracy in recall. The purpose of this study was to evaluate free recall, cued recall, and recognition, in an attempt to examine the accuracy of eyewitness memory. The study utilized a quantitative design to assess the accuracy of eyewitness memory as measured by results on …

Go to article

Perceptions Of Leader Emotional Intelligence And Subordinate Turnover Intentions In Substance Abuse Treatment Centers, Suzanne L. Jafferian Jan 2016

Perceptions Of Leader Emotional Intelligence And Subordinate Turnover Intentions In Substance Abuse Treatment Centers, Suzanne L. Jafferian

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Substance abuse is a persistent social problem contributing to family disruption; domestic abuse; school failure; and financial costs relating to criminal prosecution, incarceration, treatment, and lost productivity and wages. Substance abuse is amenable to treatment, including psychotherapy. A client-therapist relationship is broken if the therapist leaves the organization; therefore, employee retention is especially important in treatment centers. Employee retention has been studied, but how it is affected by supervisees' perceptions of their managers' emotional intelligence has been a neglected area. The purpose of this nonexperimental, correlational study was to determine the relationship between employee turnover intention and perceived emotional intelligence …

Go to article

The Conceptual Framework Of Leadership In A Public Private Partnership, Mary Ellen Ludden Jan 2016

The Conceptual Framework Of Leadership In A Public Private Partnership, Mary Ellen Ludden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Partnerships between public and for profit organizations are increasing in frequency and scope due to scarce economic resources to support and deliver social programs. However, little is known about the characteristics of a successful partnership versus the characteristics of a failed partnership. The purpose of the study was to explore the leadership characteristics that were exhibited by the management team of a public-private partnership (PPP) that suffered a significant failure at the onset of the partnership, but recovered successfully over a period of time. The research question explored which leadership characteristics existed within the public and for-profit leadership teams that …

Go to article

Examining Paraprofessionals' Use Of Video Self-Modeling In Teaching Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Derrainnya Raquel Fuentes Jan 2016

Examining Paraprofessionals' Use Of Video Self-Modeling In Teaching Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Derrainnya Raquel Fuentes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cases has surged in the U.S. educational system since the mid-2000s. At the same, paraprofessionals who work with these students are not being given adequate training, especially in how to implement applied behavior analytic services. To address paraprofessional's inadequate training, new behavioral treatments have surfaced, including Video Self-Modeling (VSM). VSM is an effective intervention tool derived heavily from Bandura's social learning theory. VSM uses edited video clips in which paraprofessionals view him or herself correctly performing target skills. This study used a single-subject, modified multiple baseline design to evaluate whether VSM could improve …

Go to article

Relationship Between Autonomous Motivation And Ego-Depletion, Mark A. Heilman Jan 2016

Relationship Between Autonomous Motivation And Ego-Depletion, Mark A. Heilman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research has shown that exerting self-control on a demanding task can impair performance on a subsequent demanding self-control task. This phenomenon is known as ego-depletion; however, its underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Notable gaps in the literature exist regarding whether participants’ motivation levels can attenuate the depletion effect, and whether trait self-control is related. Drawing from the process model of depletion and the self-determination theory, the goal of the study was to examine whether motivational incentives in the form of autonomy can impact performance on tasks in an ego-depleted state, and the potential relationship of trait self-control. Amazon …

Go to article

16pf® Traits As Predictors Of Emergency Medical Service Worker Tenure, Beverly J. Paschal Jan 2016

16pf® Traits As Predictors Of Emergency Medical Service Worker Tenure, Beverly J. Paschal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States is experiencing a severe shortage of Emergency Medical Service (EMS) paramedics. The job outlook for paramedics (EMT-P) for the years 2012-2022 is predicted to increase by 23%-33%, which is much faster than the 4% average increase of other first-response professions. The average tenure of paramedics is less than 4 years. There is a significant gap in the literature concerning paramedic personality traits and tenure. The primary objective of the current study is to provide empirical data on the personality traits possessed by long-term paramedics (5+ years), and compare them to those with shorter tenure (< 5 years). Using Allport's Trait Theory, I predicted that personality would affect paramedic longevity. The 6 personality traits tested were warmth, reasoning, emotional stability, liveliness, social boldness and openness to change. A socio-demographic questionnaire, determined the length of their EMS career, while the 16PF® Assessment, tested their personality traits. Using t tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and a set of regression analyses, data were examined to determine if length of career and personality traits predicted paramedic tenure. The research sample consisted of long term paramedics and former paramedics. The results showed that of the 6 personality traits, only warmth was a significant predictor of paramedic tenure. A logistic regression showed for every additional point in warmth, the odds of leaving EMS prior to 5 years increased by a factor of 2.77. This study provides support for positive social change by helping EMS to learn how to increase recruitment and tenure. It also helps by advising EMS agencies to attend to the mental and emotional health of their paramedics by being aware of the level of their warmth personality trait.

Go to article

Gender-Specific Programming And Quality Improvement Ratings Of Florida Residential Delinquency Programs For Girls, Katrina Smith Jan 2016

Gender-Specific Programming And Quality Improvement Ratings Of Florida Residential Delinquency Programs For Girls, Katrina Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Female delinquency and adult female incarceration rates increased from the 1980s until the early 2000s. Many of these women and girls have been victimized, and their unresolved victimization issues may have led them to criminal behavior which may not be adequately addressed in the juvenile and criminal justice systems. The theoretical framework for this study consisted of 3 developmental theories (pathways, trauma, and addiction theories) that facilitated an understanding of the impact of victimization and criminality in these women and girls' lives. Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice implemented changes to address the victimization issue in the 10 female gender-specific programs …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last