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Full-Text Articles in Sociology

Multiple Roles As Predictors Of Subjective Well-Being In African American Women, Sha-Rhonda Michea Green-Davis Jan 2017

Multiple Roles As Predictors Of Subjective Well-Being In African American Women, Sha-Rhonda Michea Green-Davis

2017 Program & Posters

Through multiple regression analysis of the NSAL archival data, this study examined how the subjective well-being (SWB) of African American women ages 18-44 (n = 1,877) can be predicted by their age, years of education, household income, number of children, and marital, parental, and employment statuses.


Crafting A System Of Profound Knowledge Management In Long Term Care, Charlotte Johnston Jan 2017

Crafting A System Of Profound Knowledge Management In Long Term Care, Charlotte Johnston

2017 Program & Posters

Healthcare industries face regulatory and funding challenges to improve quality and close knowing-to doing gaps in healthcare. The study presents a substantive conceptual theory for crafting knowledge management (KM) in long-term-care (LTC); and extends Deming’s theory of profound knowledge from an organizational to the individual level of action and decision making.


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 …


Staffing Standards And Care Outcomes In For-Profit And Not-For-Profit Religious-Based Nursing Homes, Ara Omobola Omotowa Jan 2017

Staffing Standards And Care Outcomes In For-Profit And Not-For-Profit Religious-Based Nursing Homes, Ara Omobola Omotowa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Vulnerable older adults residing in nursing homes continue to experience poor care outcomes due to nurse staffing levels that are below the levels required for maintaining their well-being. Studies have shown that patient care outcomes in nursing homes are related to nurse staffing standards/levels, which are affected by profit maximization on adherence to registered nurses and licensed nurse staffing standards. The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine if there was a relationship between adherence to staffing standards and care outcomes in for-profit (FP) and not-for-profit religious-based (NFPRB) nursing homes using the profit maximization theory. Research questions focused on …


Women's Quest To Occupy Executive Positions In Corporate America, Erica Charles-Lynch Jan 2017

Women's Quest To Occupy Executive Positions In Corporate America, Erica Charles-Lynch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Women comprise 50.8% of the United States population and 47% of the workforce, and over the past few decades, many women have been promoted to midmanagement positions in Fortune 500 and other major corporations, but few run companies at the executive levels. The research problem addressed the underrepresentation of women in top leadership positions in the executive suite. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of women in upper level management in large corporations on rising to the C-suite. A basic qualitative naturalistic inquiry was used employing interviews in collecting and analyzing the data. The targeted population …


Mobile Collaborative Learning For Female Baby Boomer Students In Canadian Higher Education, Holly Cp Chun Jan 2017

Mobile Collaborative Learning For Female Baby Boomer Students In Canadian Higher Education, Holly Cp Chun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Female baby boomer students (born 1946-1964) need to augment their skills in mobile collaborative learning because current knowledge of technologies is essential for making informed decisions. The purpose of this study was to determine the need to promote technologies based on the experiences of female baby boomer students. Andragogy and constructivism provided the conceptual framework for this research. The research questions were devised to investigate female boomer students' collaborative experiences using smart devices and barriers to their adoption of technology. This phenomenological study included 8 participants from a Canadian university recruited through purposeful sampling. Per the Modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method, data …


Exploring The Merging Of Two Divergent Behavioral Support Systems In Juvenile Justice, Linda Susan Spaulding Jan 2017

Exploring The Merging Of Two Divergent Behavioral Support Systems In Juvenile Justice, Linda Susan Spaulding

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2016, over 47,000 youths in the state of Florida were served by the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) probation services. While on probation, these youths were exposed to 2 different, and potentially conflicting disciplinary management systems. Youth are under the authority of juvenile probation officers (JPOs), who are bound to a consequence-based management approach. This approach is guided by negative reinforcement. The youths are simultaneously engaged with staff from diversion programs, many of which are strengths-based and guided by positive reinforcement. According to the ecosystemic complexity theory of conflict, exposure to incongruent systems can have negative effects such as …


Understanding How The Army's Informal Leader Bonds Formal Leadership And The Complex Environment, Keith Laurence White Jan 2017

Understanding How The Army's Informal Leader Bonds Formal Leadership And The Complex Environment, Keith Laurence White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bullying and toxic leadership in the U. S. Army disrupt bonding processes between leaders and subordinates, which may jeopardize military operations, threaten resiliency initiatives, inhibit leader development, and stifle innovation. Little research, however, has looked at the role of informal leaders who operate outside the formal power structure in military environments. Using social exchange theory as the foundation, the purpose of this case study was to explore the activities of informal leaders who mediated the normal and disrupted leadership bonding processes in an Illinois Army National Guard Infantry Brigade. The research questions explored the informal leaders' influence and behaviors to …


Static-99, Mnsost-R, And Pcl-R In Predicting Recidivism Among Texas' Sexual Violent Predators, Diana Jefferson Jefferson Jan 2017

Static-99, Mnsost-R, And Pcl-R In Predicting Recidivism Among Texas' Sexual Violent Predators, Diana Jefferson Jefferson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recidivism within the sexually violent predator (SVP) population has gained worldwide attention because of the lack of protection offered to the victims that may lead to loss of life. Behavioral theory suggests that accuracy of predictive behaviors based on empirical judgement is more reliable than that based on clinical judgement. The purpose of this research was to see whether three actuarial assessment tools, Static-99, PCL-R, and MnSOST-R, could predict recidivism and whether the combination of the three-increased predictive value in the Texas SVP population. As yet, the literature provides no evidence. The Texas Open Record System provided assessment scores and …


The Effect Of Risk Factors On Recidivism Among Juveniles From The Perspectives Of Juvenile Justice Professionals, Diana R. Clarke Jan 2017

The Effect Of Risk Factors On Recidivism Among Juveniles From The Perspectives Of Juvenile Justice Professionals, Diana R. Clarke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Within the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice system, juvenile delinquency referrals have decreased, yet at the same time, juvenile recidivism rates continue to challenge policy makers. Using Hirschi's social learning theory as the foundation, the purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of juvenile justice professionals about their experiences with youthful offenders in order to determine the causes of juvenile recidivism. Data came from in-depth interviews with 9 participants including state attorneys, judges, and mental health counselors from within the central region of the state of Florida. Data were analyzed and coded using Colaizzi's method. Two …


Law Enforcement Fitness Policies In Relation To Job Injuries And Absenteeism, Marlana Lynn Hancock Jan 2017

Law Enforcement Fitness Policies In Relation To Job Injuries And Absenteeism, Marlana Lynn Hancock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

After employment, job-related fitness requirements vary for law enforcement agencies within North Carolina. Police academies mandate specific job-related fitness requirements for recruits as a condition of graduation. Once employed, little is known about why some law enforcement agencies in North Carolina have physical fitness policies and others do not, particularly when injury rates and healthcare costs continue to rise. To better understand this inconsistency, the current study used a mixed methods approach to examine 6 midsized law enforcement agencies in North Carolina with varying fitness policies. The policy of each agency, along with OSHA work-related injuries and absenteeism reports, were …


The Policing Strategy Of Racial Profiling And Its Impact On African Americans, Derrick Paul Jones Jan 2017

The Policing Strategy Of Racial Profiling And Its Impact On African Americans, Derrick Paul Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prior literature on racial profiling indicates that African Americans have been mistreated, harassed, and discriminated against by law enforcement because of this controversial policing strategy. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to bridge the gap in knowledge by analyzing the impact of racial profiling on African American adults and discover whether it contributed to unintentional violence in racial and ethnic minority communities. The theoretical framework for this research study was critical race theory. The research question for this study was: How does racial profiling impact African Americans' perception of the police? This phenomenological research study used purposeful sampling …


Police And Citizens' Perceptions Of Community Policing In Richmond, Virginia, Denita R. Square-Smith Jan 2017

Police And Citizens' Perceptions Of Community Policing In Richmond, Virginia, Denita R. Square-Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Community policing is an initiative that requires public cooperation and participation to be successful. Little is known, however, about police and citizens' perceptions of community policing and its impact on Richmond, Virginia neighborhoods. Using policy feedback theory as a lens, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and gain a better understanding of RPD's and Richmond citizens' perceptions of community-oriented policing strategies in Richmond neighborhoods. Research questions focused on how officers and citizens perceive the impact of community policing strategies and the specific strategies they viewed as most successful in building public trust. Data were collected from a …


Law Enforcement Officer Knowledge Of Mental Illness, Nashira Funn Jan 2017

Law Enforcement Officer Knowledge Of Mental Illness, Nashira Funn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Media and activist groups have recently exposed the problem of negative interactions between law enforcement officers and civilians. Many of these civilians have a mental illness. Various researchers attribute these negative interactions to insufficient officer knowledge of mental illness due to a lack of training, education, and personal experiences. Very little research addresses how insufficient knowledge of mental illness may influence interactions. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and analyze self reported law enforcement knowledge using Malcolm Knowles' conceptualization of adult learning theory and andragogy as the theoretical framework. This framework bases self-directed learning/training on a needs …


Teacher And Student Variables Affecting Special Education Evaluation And Referral, Lorenzo Adrian Woodson Jan 2017

Teacher And Student Variables Affecting Special Education Evaluation And Referral, Lorenzo Adrian Woodson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Past research has revealed that African American/Black boys are referred for special education evaluation at disproportionately higher rates than boys of other racial/ethnic groups. This correlational study used survey methodology to examine whether student and teacher demographic variables predicted how likely a teacher would refer boy students for special education evaluation. The following questions guided this research: 1) To what degree does student race/ethnicity, teacher gender, teacher race/ethnicity, and teacher attitude toward inclusion predict how likely a teacher would refer boys' to special education after controlling for teacher's years of experience in general and special education? 2) What are the …


Examining The Predictors Of Mental Health Outcomes Among Undergraduate Postsecondary Students In Canada, Brooke Linden, Rozzet Jurdi-Hage Jan 2017

Examining The Predictors Of Mental Health Outcomes Among Undergraduate Postsecondary Students In Canada, Brooke Linden, Rozzet Jurdi-Hage

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Symptoms consistent with mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression are dominant in both prevalence and in severity among North American post-secondary student populations over the past several years. This study examines undergraduate students’ self-reported symptoms consistent with two common mental illnesses in a Canadian context, and sheds light on several predictors of students’ mental health outcomes, including perceived contextual stressors, coping strategies, and perceived barriers to help seeking. Data for this investigation were obtained through the completion of self-administered questionnaires from a sample of 209 undergraduate students attending a public western Canadian university during the fall semester of 2014. …


Recidivism Rates Among Juveniles With Mental Illness, Kia Chevon Russell Jan 2017

Recidivism Rates Among Juveniles With Mental Illness, Kia Chevon Russell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Treating mental illness is imperative to help reduce criminal justice involvement within the juvenile population. Receiving mental health care will help decrease the likelihood for youth to reoffend, ultimately reducing recidivism rates. Past studies showed there are risk factors associated with juveniles and recidivism; however, very few studies have examined what factors are prevalent after services have been received. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that increase the risk of recidivism among juveniles who have received psychiatric stabilization in Harris County, Texas. Risk factors that were assessed included age, gender, ethnicity, and criminal offense. The psychodynamic perspective …


Multifamily Subsidized Housing Seniors' Awareness Of Aging And Disability Resource Center Services, Katrina Polk Jan 2017

Multifamily Subsidized Housing Seniors' Awareness Of Aging And Disability Resource Center Services, Katrina Polk

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over 75% of adults 60 years of age or older who live in Washington, D.C. are unaware of access to Aging and Disability Resource Centers' (ADRC) community-based services. Approximately 25% of these individuals are low-income and reside in multifamily subsidized housing. With a theoretical basis in Penchansky and Thomas' construct of access, this phenomenological study explored whether increased awareness of access to ADRC service delivery may potentially better meet the needs of this socioeconomically marginalized population. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 20 senior citizens in Washington, D.C. who received some programmatic assistance, such as housing or meal delivery, …


Hopelessness Depression As A Predictive Risk Factor For Recidivism And Survival Time Among Juvenile Offenders, Todd Milton Mcginnis Jan 2017

Hopelessness Depression As A Predictive Risk Factor For Recidivism And Survival Time Among Juvenile Offenders, Todd Milton Mcginnis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, there is a high incidence of recidivism among juvenile offenders with mental health disorders. This is a critical social issue facing the public and the Department of Juvenile Justice Administration today. However, research is not clear on the role of psychological factors in recidivism frequency and survival time. The purpose of this study was to examine whether hopelessness depression, as measured by suicidal-ideation, depression-anxiety, anger-irritation, and alcohol-drug use, and offense type, were predictors of recidivism frequency and survival time when controlling for age, gender, and race. The total sample consisted of archival data from 404 juvenile …


Chronically Homeless Transgender Women Obtaining Social Services From Outreach Workers, Larry Jack Cameron Jan 2017

Chronically Homeless Transgender Women Obtaining Social Services From Outreach Workers, Larry Jack Cameron

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, homelessness is often connected to traumatic events such as domestic violence, job loss, or post incarceration experiences, frequently resulting in substance use disorders, medical issues, and related mental illnesses. Although researchers have considered how homelessness and social service interventions affect sexual and gender minority youth, they have not adequately studied the causes and effects of homelessness among transgender women. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to bridge this gap in knowledge by exploring the experiences of chronically homeless transgender women. The research question focused on the lived experiences of chronically homeless transgender women who …


Effects Of The Walters Criminal Lifestyle Program On Offenders' Criminal Thinking Styles, Alessandre Singher Singher Jan 2017

Effects Of The Walters Criminal Lifestyle Program On Offenders' Criminal Thinking Styles, Alessandre Singher Singher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have documented the high prevalence of crime in society and the need for programs to assist in the reduction of crime. Social cognitive and criminal lifestyle theories were the two major theoretical frameworks applied to this study due to their focus on the influence of cognitive change on behavioral modifications. A lifestyle approach in such programs reshapes criminal thoughts and transforms criminal behaviors. The efficacy of a lifestyle program in a community correctional facility outside of federal prison walls, modified to run 3 months with parolees and probationers, lacks evidenced research. Using a 2x3 between groups factorial ANCOVA, archival …


Crime Reduction Strategies Of Florida Sheriff's Offices Related To Residential Burglaries, Jack Armstrong Jan 2017

Crime Reduction Strategies Of Florida Sheriff's Offices Related To Residential Burglaries, Jack Armstrong

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Florida, the law enforcement response to burglaries is estimated to cost $1.3 billion, yet little is understood about whether specific types of enforcement and investigation strategies have an impact on reducing the incidence of burglary. Using Cohen and Felson's concept of guardianship as part of routine activities theory as the foundation, the purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to examine whether any or all crime reduction strategies (community policing, intelligence led policing, Compare Statistics policing, traditional policing, hot spot policing, and evidence based policing) when combined with urbanity, household income, the sworn officers per 1000 population are statistically …


Happiness Index Methodology, Laura Musikanski, Scott Cloutier, Erica Bejarano, Davi Briggs, Julia Colbert, Gracie Strasser, Steven Russell Jan 2017

Happiness Index Methodology, Laura Musikanski, Scott Cloutier, Erica Bejarano, Davi Briggs, Julia Colbert, Gracie Strasser, Steven Russell

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

The Happiness Index is a comprehensive survey instrument that assesses happiness, well-being, and aspects of sustainability and resilience. The Happiness Alliance developed the Happiness Index to provide a survey instrument to community organizers, researchers, and others seeking to use a subjective well-being index and data. It is the only instrument of its kind freely available worldwide and translated into over ten languages. This instrument can be used to measure satisfaction with life and the conditions of life. It can also be used to define income inequality, trust in government, sense of community and other aspects of well-being within specific demographics …


Social Change Through Entrepreneurship: Utilizing Portable Sawmill Based Small Businesses To Promote Community Development, Crystal Lupo Jan 2017

Social Change Through Entrepreneurship: Utilizing Portable Sawmill Based Small Businesses To Promote Community Development, Crystal Lupo

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

Reduced demand for wood and wood products resulting from the economic crisis in the first decade of the 2000s severely impacted the forest industry throughout the world, causing large forest-based organizations to close (CBC News, 2008; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2009; Pepke, 2009). The result was a dramatic increase in unemployment and worker displacement among forest product workers between 2011 and 2013 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014). Forested rural communities often depended on the large-scale forest industry for their livelihood, and as a result, decreased reliance on large-scale industry became increasingly important (Lupo, 2015). This article …


Supporting Secondary Teachers Of Low Socioeconomic Status Students In Language Arts, Stephanie Lynn Tootle Jan 2017

Supporting Secondary Teachers Of Low Socioeconomic Status Students In Language Arts, Stephanie Lynn Tootle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An achievement gap exists between students of low socioeconomic status (SES) and their peers, particularly in language arts despite intervention and legislation aimed at closing the gap. As a result, annual yearly progress is affected for schools that have a large population of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The purpose of this study was to determine what secondary language arts teachers in a school district know about supporting students from low socioeconomic backgrounds in instruction. Research questions were designed to explore teachers' knowledge about supporting the socio-emotional and academic needs of students from low SES backgrounds and to identify the …


Happiness In Communities: How Neighborhoods, Cities And States Use Subjective Well-Being Metrics, Laura Musikanski, Carl Polley, Scott Cloutier, Erica Berejnoi, Julia Colbert Jan 2017

Happiness In Communities: How Neighborhoods, Cities And States Use Subjective Well-Being Metrics, Laura Musikanski, Carl Polley, Scott Cloutier, Erica Berejnoi, Julia Colbert

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

This essay, the fourth and last of a series published by the Journal of Social Change, is intended as a tool for community organizers, local policy makers, researchers, students and others to incorporate subjective well-being indicators into their measurements and management of happiness and well-being in their communities, for policy purposes, for research and for other purposes. It provides case studies of community-based efforts in five different regions (São Paulo, Brazil; Bristol, United Kingdom; Melbourne, Australia; Creston, British Columbia, Canada; and Vermont, United States) that either developed their own subjective well-being index or used the Happiness Alliance’s survey instrument …


Classical Music As An Instrument To Foster Leadership Skills For Social Change: The Case Of Venezuela’S El Sistema, Marco Aponte Moreno, Lance Lattig Jan 2017

Classical Music As An Instrument To Foster Leadership Skills For Social Change: The Case Of Venezuela’S El Sistema, Marco Aponte Moreno, Lance Lattig

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

El Sistema, the Venezuelan system of youth orchestras, is a program aimed at teaching and performing classical music through the development of a free network of symphony orchestras and choruses nationwide. Since its creation in 1975 by its founder José Antonio Abreu, El Sistema has given thousands of Venezuelan children, who often come from unprivileged socioeconomic backgrounds, the opportunity to receive free classical music education while promoting their personal, intellectual, spiritual, social, and professional development. The purpose of this article is to analyze El Sistema’s potential to foster leadership skills for social change. After providing an overview of …


Quality Improvement Initiative To Reduce Fall Risk In The Snf, Ramona C. Lancaster Jan 2017

Quality Improvement Initiative To Reduce Fall Risk In The Snf, Ramona C. Lancaster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Residents who fall in SNF either sustain significant decline to quality of life or die from their injuries. The average fall costs about $34,000 per incident. On average, 19.8% of residents fall at least once per month. The purpose of this project was to assess, identify, and advance nursing practice to decrease falls by evaluating current facility standard of practice, fall policy, procedures, and protocol. The objective was to create actions that would close the communication gap between clinicians and residents. This project encourages clinicians to intertwine resident feedback and strategies into the plan of care to help reduce fall …


Predictors Of Job Satisfaction Among County Jail Correctional Officers, Richara Simmons Jan 2017

Predictors Of Job Satisfaction Among County Jail Correctional Officers, Richara Simmons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job satisfaction among jail correctional officers is important because it ensures the continuity of officers who can promote and maintain a safe environment inside the jail for all staff and inmates. Most job satisfaction studies on correctional officers, however, are focused on prison officers and not county jail officers. The purpose of this correlational study was to test and extend Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene theory by exploring job satisfaction and motivation among jail correctional officers in Miami-Dade Florida. Survey data were collected from 149 correctional officers using Specter's (1994) Job Satisfaction Survey. Data were analyzed through correlational and multiple regression analyses. Findings …


Policing The Mentally Ill In Coronado, Ca, Jennifer Susan Ayres Jan 2017

Policing The Mentally Ill In Coronado, Ca, Jennifer Susan Ayres

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The growing number of individuals suffering from mental illnesses and their inability to access intervention methods has adverse effects on the criminal justice system. These impairments increase the likelihood that police officers will have negative attitudes about persons with mental illnesses. This study sought to understand whether police officers' empathy, education, experience outside of work as well as on the job, and officers' training in the field of mental health all related to police officers' attitudes relating to persons with mental illness. The purpose of this study was to expand the body of knowledge and determine how factors such as …