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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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Articles 1681 - 1692 of 1692

Full-Text Articles in Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration

Making Sense Of Exit Exam Policies: A Phenomenological Study Of English Language Development Teachers, Scott N. Forrest Jan 2010

Making Sense Of Exit Exam Policies: A Phenomenological Study Of English Language Development Teachers, Scott N. Forrest

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a lack of understanding regarding how sensemaking could be incorporated into a professional development program to improve teacher quality and student achievement. The lived experiences of high school English language development teachers as they interpret English language development and one state's high school exit exam instructional policies were explored in this phenomenological study. The conceptual framework that supported this study is based on the theory of sensemaking, the processes by which educators interpret and implement policies. The participants were English language development teachers of English learners who have not yet passed the exit exam. Data were collected through …


Improving Academic Achievement Of Students With Problematic Attendance By Implementing A Multisystemic School-Based Model, James Edward Kay Jan 2010

Improving Academic Achievement Of Students With Problematic Attendance By Implementing A Multisystemic School-Based Model, James Edward Kay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study addressed the problem of poor attendance adversely affecting grades and learning. Current school policies do not address problematic attendance for all school-aged children, perpetuating trends of academic failure. The research objective was to determine if unexcused absences had a greater negative impact on a high-stakes test compared to excused absences and then develop a manual of best attendance policies to better serve all school-aged children. This study sampled 10,403 students in a southern United States county. Bivariate regression and ANOVA analyses examined the scores students earned on their first attempt at the Social Studies Georgia High School Graduation …


The Impact Of The Mckinney-Vento Program On The End-Of-Grade Test Scores Of Homeless Grade 6 Students, George Hendricks Jan 2010

The Impact Of The Mckinney-Vento Program On The End-Of-Grade Test Scores Of Homeless Grade 6 Students, George Hendricks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Congressional concern about homeless students resulted in the McKinney-Vento Act (MCKV) in 2001, which provides funds to local educational agencies (LEAs). MCKV is almost a decade old, yet no evaluations of its academic effectiveness have been reported. Using a systems theory framework, this study answered research questions (RQs) involving whether normally housed students in Grade 6 scored higher than homeless students in Grade 6 in reading (RQ 1) and math (RQ 2) on end-of-grade (EOG) test scores and whether homeless students in Grade 6 from LEAs that received MCKV funding scored better in reading (RQ 3) and math (RQ 4) …


The Effect Of Initial Entry Training On The Moral And Character Development Of Military Police Soldiers, Kenneth R. Williams Jan 2010

The Effect Of Initial Entry Training On The Moral And Character Development Of Military Police Soldiers, Kenneth R. Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. Army conducts extensive training on its core values beginning with initial entry training (IET), commonly referred to as basic training, in order to shape soldiers' behavior and decision making in combat and noncombat situations. This mixed methods study addressed the problem of limited empirical research on the effects of U.S. Army IET on soldiers' moral and character development. The purpose was to explore the effects of Military Police (MP) IET on soldiers in training through a mixed methods quantitative and qualitative model. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Rest's four component model (FCM) of moral …


Exploring A Supplemental Educational Service Math Program: The Math Achievement Of Economically Disadvantaged Students And Teacher Professional Development, Vilma Caban-Vazquez Jan 2010

Exploring A Supplemental Educational Service Math Program: The Math Achievement Of Economically Disadvantaged Students And Teacher Professional Development, Vilma Caban-Vazquez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The No Child Left Behind education act mandates that school districts develop supplemental educational service programs for students not demonstrating mathematical proficiency on state standardized math assessments. Yet there is limited understanding of issues related to supplemental educational service math programs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate a local after school math program to offer insight on the low math achievement for economically disadvantaged students involved in the program. Constructivist theories of math reform and education for economically disadvantaged students and English language learners guided this study of 10 teachers and 15 of their students in a …


Identifying The Relationship Between Network Governance And Community Action Program Participation, Angelique M. Goliday Jan 2010

Identifying The Relationship Between Network Governance And Community Action Program Participation, Angelique M. Goliday

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The relevant literature consistently suggests that understanding citizen participation in community action programs is needed to maximize network governance efforts. Yet, there is no empirical evidence demonstrating a relationship between levels of network governance (NG) and citizen participation rates. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which levels of NG is correlated with levels of citizen participation in community action agency (CAA) programs, and whether variations in NG or variations over time in average income level is more strongly related to participation. The research was guided by the integrative model of democracy, which emphasizes citizen participation …


A Case Study Of Relative Satisfaction With Justice In State Courts: Perceptions Of Access And Fairness Among Hispanics/Latinos And Whites, Christopher George Bleuenstein Jan 2010

A Case Study Of Relative Satisfaction With Justice In State Courts: Perceptions Of Access And Fairness Among Hispanics/Latinos And Whites, Christopher George Bleuenstein

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous studies have neglected to focus on the generalized affective satisfaction (diffuse support) to state level courts among Hispanics/Latinos. A western US county was selected for this case study to test a racial and ethnic theory of procedural justice in a region with a large Hispanic/Latino population. Differential experience theory was used as a theoretical foundation and posits that people determine their level of satisfaction with the courts based on their own actual experience with the courts. The main research question was whether Hispanics/Latinos have a different level of satisfaction with their access to, and fairness in, the court when …


Toward A Grounded Theory On The Management Of Orphanages In South Africa And Zimbabwe, Anna Siyavora Jan 2010

Toward A Grounded Theory On The Management Of Orphanages In South Africa And Zimbabwe, Anna Siyavora

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of orphaned children in many parts of Africa is increasing as their parents die from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The research problem addressed in this qualitative study was lack of understanding by others about how the managers of orphanages in 2 African countries -- South Africa and Zimbabwe - were responding to the emotional and social needs of these orphans. The purpose of this study was to develop an orphanage management theory or model that could replicate the African kinship environment in the orphanages under study. Nurturing leadership theory provided the conceptual …


The Effect Of Mental Models On Creating Organizational Alignment Around A Change Vision, William A. Brantley Jan 2009

The Effect Of Mental Models On Creating Organizational Alignment Around A Change Vision, William A. Brantley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The communication of an organizational change vision is a key to the success of organizational transformation. Theorists have prescribed models of how to make change vision communication successful but these models have no empirical data to support them. The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of change agents in communicating a change vision that compels employees to accept a perception of reality (mental model) that aligned with the change agents' vision. A case study of the merger of two metropolitan agencies was conducted to examine the relationship between the communication of a change vision and its effect …


Air Force Users' Perceptions Of The Value Of Information Technology-Enabled Enterprise Business Systems, Kathleen Thome-Diorio Jan 2009

Air Force Users' Perceptions Of The Value Of Information Technology-Enabled Enterprise Business Systems, Kathleen Thome-Diorio

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Based on the Government Performance and Results Act, the United States Air Force is transforming its business through e-government, the adoption of information technology enabled enterprise business systems. The problem this research addressed was the lack of theory on implementation success of enterprise business systems, especially when users perceive that organizational mission and the value of the systems differ from the enterprise vision and goals. The purpose of the study was to conceptualize the acceptance of enterprise business systems by internal users. The research was based on theories about the influence and interaction of drivers of technology adoption and user …


The Lived Experience Of Hiv-Positive Tanzanian Orphans, Carol A. Parker Jan 2009

The Lived Experience Of Hiv-Positive Tanzanian Orphans, Carol A. Parker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this investigation was to generate a context- specific model of the lived experience of HIV positive Tanzanian orphans. With the advent of anti-retroviral drugs, Sub-Saharan African populations with high burdens of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) face annually accumulating increases in the number of HIV positive children, and ultimately adults. Perinatally infected, these children often become orphans while still young. Extended interviews were performed with a purposive sample of 12 HIV infected orphaned children between 9 and 12 years of age. Half of the research participants lived in an orphanage and half were children living with guardians in …


Parental Payment Abuse Within The Supplemental Security Income Program, Darlean Taylor-King Jan 2008

Parental Payment Abuse Within The Supplemental Security Income Program, Darlean Taylor-King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Management of Social Security Administration (SSA) has been challenged by the phenomena of overpayments with its Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. Oversight authorities of SSA had expressed concerns about the overpayment abuse caused by parents as representative payees for disabled minor children. It was important to address this problem because the amount of overpayments prior to 1998 had caused integrity issues for management of SSA and increased federal debt from SSI claimants. The purpose of this study was to examine how management of SSA and the SSI program had responded to the concerns of the oversight authorities. Theoretical foundations for …