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  Evaluation of National Institute of Learning Development (NILD) and Discovery Educational Therapy Program

  Prince Christopher Frimpong

  This qualitative study evaluated the NILD and Discovery Therapy Educational Program at one Christian school, for effectiveness and academic progress of students with learning disabilities (LD) who receive the therapy. This study leads to positive social change as leaders of Christian schools and parents see the need and provide interventional programs for LD students.

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  Stress: The Development and Influence on Self-Identity

  Earl Grey

  Using a grounded theory methodology and constantcomparative analysis, the investigator sought to develop an empirical understanding of the experience of stress and its influence on identity development. The 23 participants, who did not meet criteria for a DSM-IV-TR diagnoses, received 10 - 60 minutes sessions of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing treatment (EMDR). EMDR treatment targets stressful memories and elicits recall of thoughts, imagery, emotions, and physical body sensations related to the stressful experience. The data from video recorded sessions provided holistic information regarding each participant’s experience and recall of stressful events. The results yielded thematic developmental patterns of thoughts, emotional experiences, and physical body sensations. These thematic patterns provide improved understanding of the influence of stress on holistic identity development. The findings have implications to manage stress, compassion fatigue, burnout, and anxiety.

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  Effect of Aerobic Activities on Promoting Healthy Fitness Standards of Freshman Students

  Monica N. Hudson

  Obesity is one of the greatest threats to child and adult health in the United States. Adolescents are engaging in sedentary behaviors, and their body fat composition is directly affected by a lack of exercise. Direct instruction was used as the framework to compare the results.

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  Understanding Violent Adolescent Males: Implications for Post Release Recidivism

  Michael O. Johnston Ph.D.

  Simple assault is common among mid-adolescent males in Iowa and throughout the United States. The barriers and supports that exist for mid-adolescents when choosing nonviolence is well-documented in past research. Little is known about the choice of nonviolence for mid-adolescent males who have been labeled delinquent by juvenile courts.

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  Employees’ Perceptions of Supervisor Communication and Job Stress in the Work Environment

  Ee’a Jones

  Employees experience supervisor communication problems potentially resulting in job stress in the work environment. Person environment fit theory was the framework for the study with six questions used to flesh out participants’ real life experiences. Findings indicated participants’ stress levels were affected but not fit in the work environment.

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  The Influence of Problem-Based Learning on Drawing Ability

  John Krenik

  Learning skill in visual arts has been positively associated with problem-based-learning (PBL). Although researchers theorize that PBL engages students to increase learning, many visual arts instructors continue to use skill-based learning (SBL) in their classrooms.

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  Second-Parent Adoption: North Carolina Same-Sex Couples and Foster Care Adoptions

  Mark Maxwell

  A qualitative phenomenological study about the experiences of same-sex couples with children adopted from foster care in a southeastern U.S. state. Interview data from 8 couples were coded and analyzed. Emerging themes included legal, social, and financial struggles and the couple􀀂s trailblazing experiences to become their children􀀂s legal parents. Implications for positive social change included informing same-sex parents, policy makers and social workers about the families􀀂 experiences and needs.

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  Organizational Climate and the Theory of Human Caring in Hospitals

  Vivienne C. Meanger

  Patient care in hospitals has become perfunctory, task focused, and void of a personalized human connection, which has become an area of concern among scholars since the 1970s. This experimental, post-test only, control-group study with a purposive patient and clinical staff sample explored the relationship between human caring and patient satisfaction; and the role of leadership in transforming the organizational culture in an long term acute care hospital (LTACH) setting implanting the Magnet initiatives.

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  The Fatigue Experience of African American Women with Breast Cancer

  Phyllis D. Morgan Dr.

  Little is known about fatigue related to breast cancer among African American women. This qualitative study explored the fatigue experience of 10 African American women with breast cancer. The study was conducted in the southeastern United States. African American women provided vivid accounts of cancer related fatigue. The women discussed how they worked together with their physicians to manage fatigue related to breast cancer treatment. Strategies used by women included pharmacologic (i.e., vitamins and supplements) and non-pharmacologic (i.e., prayer and exercise) interventions. This information can be used to assist breast health advocates to understand how to support African American women with breast cancer using culturally appropriate strategies.

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  The Positive Deviance Phenomenon of Leading Successful Strategic Change

  Gail Johnson Morris

  The focus of this phenomenological study was to explore how the positive deviance phenomenon and strategies manifest through the lived experience of successful Canadian financial services strategic change leaders. The 4 leadership dimensions culminate in the Leading Successful Strategic Change: The 4 Factor Formula.

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  Cybersecurity Strategy in Developing Nations: A Jamaica Case Study

  Kevin Patrick Newmeyer

  Developing nations have been slow to develop and implement cybersecurity strategies despite a growing threat to governance and public security. This qualitative case study examined how the government and private sector in Jamaica viewed the state of cybersecurity in the country, and how the country was developing policy to respond to cyber threats.

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  Testing the Waters: Are Health Education Specialists Willing to Conduct Rapid HIV Testing?

  Angela W. Prehn, Jacquie Fraser, and Anthony J. Santella

  Approximately 1 in 5 people with HIV are not aware of their infection; access to testing is an important part of public health. In a national study, Health Education Specialists with high HIV knowledge and favorable attitudes towards persons with HIV/AIDS were more willing to be trained to conduct rapid HIV testing (RHT)

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  Implementing Student Information Systems in High Schools: An Embedded Single Case Study

  Tamyra Rhodes-O’Neill

  This study explores perceptions and alignment of a student information system implementation in 2 urban public high schools with Roger’s theory of diffusion. Stakeholders included principals, deans, teachers, counselors, clerical personnel, and parents. Findings aligned with Roger’s stages of organizational change and stakeholders noted issues that helped and hindered implementation.

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  Employee Engagement in an Animal Research Facility

  Joni L. Scott

  Disengaged employees can compromise organizational growth. In this qualitative, single-case study, participants discussed their perceptions leading to engagement or disengagement while working at the facility. The characterization of the negative organizational and social effects of employee disengagement may lead to improvements in employee satisfaction, business growth, integrity, and animal welfare.

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  Counseling Canadian Aboriginal Peoples: Alliance, Outcome, and Counselor Training Level

  Sidney Shaw

  This study evaluated predictors of outcome in counseling with Canadian Aboriginal peoples. The therapeutic alliance and counselor training level were predictor variables analyzed in relationship to client outcome. The client’s rating of the alliance was correlated with outcome and counselor training level was not significantly correlated with outcome.

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  Reliability/Validity of the Self-Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (SSMIS)

  Amy Sickel, Jason D. Seacat Ph.D., and Nina A. Nabors Ph.D.

  Most individuals diagnosed with mental illness are mild-moderate in severity. Research on the Self- Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (SSMIS) has traditionally focused on stigma associated with severely mentally ill individuals using clinical samples, leaving the psychometric properties of the SSMIS questionable when used with less severely ill individuals. Data from a non-clinical sample of 423 adults indicates the SSMIS scales are reliable. Correlations between the SSMIS scales and mental health scales provide convergent validity for the SSMIS. Findings suggest the SSMIS scales are reliable and valid when used within this population and suggest future directions for mental health stigma (MHS) model building in non-clinical populations.

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  Domestic Violence Prevention in Gauteng, South Africa

  Christina Spoons and Mark Gordon

  A review of literature revealed a gap in research on effective ways to promote domestic violence prevention strategies in the region on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa, where unofficial settlements are being built near established communities and contributing to the problem. This case study used purposeful sampling of eight key informants in a prevention program designed to both implement strategies to prevent domestic violence and assist those who have experienced violent acts.

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  Pedagogy: The Online Dissertation

  Lee Stadtlander and Lynde Paule

  This preliminary study examines dissertation mentoring practices reported by 80 Walden faculty. Comments related to orienting students to instructor expectations and the dissertation process, motivating students, and expectations of frequency of student drafts are reported. Findings indicate that there are currently few consistencies in the pedagogical practices of mentors.

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  The Online Faculty Work Environment: An Exploratory Study

  Lee Stadtlander, Amy Sickel, and Martha Giles

  There is a considerable literature on college faculty working at in-person institutions and their work. However, there is little research on the online faculty home work environment. The present study, consisting of 236 survey respondents from 38 online institutions, examines how online faculty structure their home work environment.

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  Influence of Online and Classroom Multi-modal Instruction on Academic Achievement

  Valerie L. Trollinger and John W. Flohr

  The purpose of the study was to investigate the extent to which online and multi-modal classroom instruction influences academic achievement of undergraduate students. Instruction was enhanced with online multimodal materials used in the face-to-face classroom presentations and for online assignments. The current study investigates not only longitudinal effectiveness in aural and visual skills learning but also possible connections among increased aural and visual skills and academic achievement measured by overall GPA.

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  Effects of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports on Teacher Self-Efficacy and Teaching Anxiety

  Jill Van Parys Couet

  Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS), for improving behavior and achievement is well established. The impact PBIS has on teaching anxiety and self-efficacy levels is unknown. Research indicates that both attributes affect students’ performance. This study examined how the implementation of PBIS affects teachers’ levels of teaching anxiety and self-efficacy.

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  Coding Analysis Tool for Asynchronous Online Classroom Discussion

  Lisa Weltzer-Ward

  This project developed a coding tool for characterization of online, asynchronous classroom discussion. The tool is designed to be efficiently and reliably employed by researchers to analyze discussion. Consistent application will also facilitate comparison and meta-analysis of studies. Such analysis and comparison supports refinement of educational best-practices in this medium.

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  The Human-Animal Bond and Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress

  Melissa White

  This study explored the lived experiences of Operational Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) service members with combatrelated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms who had a companion animal postdeployment. Twelve OEF and OIF veterans participated in semi-structured interviews analyzed using Moustakas’ phenomenological approach. Four themes emerged: (a) rich descriptions of deployment events, (b) the experiences of returning from a deployment, (c) participants’ perceptions on their pets’ influence on posttraumatic stress symptoms, and (d) other comments and opinions related to participants’ experiences. These findings illuminate the experience of combat-related posttraumatic stress and the importance of animals in the therapeutic process and may aid development of alternative treatment options.

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  A Q-Methodology Study Evaluating the Emergence of Complex Adaptive Systems in Organizations

  Scott Willette

  The purpose of this study was to explore whether conditions within military organizations create a level of adaptive tension that leads to self-organization and the emergence of complex adaptive systems (CAS). The study’s findings suggest that there is a considerable amount of tension between the requirements and acquisition systems.

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  Big Five Personality Traits and Proenvironmental Attitudes and Behaviors

  Tara Rae Wuertz

  The big five is the most widely used model of individual personality trait differences. This quantitative research study is being completed to discern if the big five personality traits of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism are correlated with pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors