DTheses (Athabasca University)
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TERMS OF REFERENCE: CANADIAN ARMED FORCES AND COMMERCIAL LOGISTICS CONTRACTING RESPONSIVENESS MODEL
Get PDFEffective and efficient contracting of commercially available goods and logistics services is a key capability during both theatre activation (initial deployment of forces) and force sustainment (stabilized resupply of deployed forces). This dissertation explores logistics contracting capability and responsiveness gaps within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Although the CAF endeavours to remain technologically commensurate with allied militaries and military alliances (e.g. NATO), its ability to integrate and evolve multi-enterprise contracting solutions commensurate to that of industry remains largely unexplored.
CAF operations range from disaster response and peacekeeping to war operations. Given the CAF’s mandate within current socio-economic and environmental conditions, logistics contracting responsiveness and integration is increasingly critical. Employing primary and secondary sources, the purpose of this study is to derive Terms of Reference (TOR) required to develop the Department of National Defence (DND) Project Initiation Phase of a CAF Commercial Contracting Responsiveness Model (CRM) project.
The literature review is resource-based view (RBV) oriented where the military logistics context is gauged against factors that can yield sustained competitive advantages. The theoretical framework follows from Choo and Johnson’s (2004) Organizational Knowing Cycle. Vaismoradi et al.’s (2013) approach to theme development in qualitative content analysis is adapted to illicit, organize and understand primary source data.
The TOR Module definition set is the result of identifying operational contracting responsiveness gaps, focus group analysis of theme-derived Courses of Action (COAs), and the identification of constraints associated with the CRM’s impact on organizational change.2021-0
Clinical Instruction in Mental Health Nursing: Students' Perceptions of Best Practices
Get PDFNegative clinical educational experiences for student nurses are predictors of negative attitudes and perceptions towards mental health. In clinical education, instructors take on this important role often with little to no formal training. This qualitative descriptive inquiry was grounded in a constructivist conceptual framework, with the aim of exploring what students perceived as best practices for mental health clinical instructors. Data from semi-structured interviews was collected from 10 Canadian baccalaureate of nursing (BN) students. Through thematic analysis of the data, three themes emerged. First, students valued feeling prepared at the beginning of the clinical placement. Second, students felt empowered when instructors encouraged self-direction. Third, students appreciated positive role modeling by their instructors. Suggestions for clinical teaching strategies are made to mitigate student stress, increase confidence, and address the influence of mental health stigma on learning. The research contributes to the conceptualization of best practices for clinical instruction.2021-0
Why did we collaborate? A narrative inquiry into MOOC Collaborations
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to better understand the experiences of working together in a distributed educational researcher workgroup. Using narrative inquiry this research explored the experiences of four educational researchers who were learner-participants in specific connectivist MOOCs on the topic of Rhizomatic Learning conducted in 2014 and 2015. These educational researchers, during this time, also banded together to form workgroups in which they researched different aspects of the MOOC experience. Prior research suggests that such self-organizing working groups are to be expected in (connectivist) MOOC environments; however, the last decade of MOOC research has yet to examine this strand of MOOC participant behaviors. My research project returns to those original connectivist MOOC roots. A better understanding of why the individuals in the MOOCs formed workgroups and worked together on self-initiated projects when the MOOCs did not require them to, provides a variety of insights into experiences that were treasured by the participants and that were transformative in nature. This research adds to the literature on connectivist MOOCs and participant behaviors in Rhizomatic MOOCs. It also provides insights to traditional online course designers and instructors on how they might promote collaboration amongst learners, and how to encourage learners to form workgroups that meet their learning needs. The results of this research study suggest that while there are numerous factors that contribute to learner-learner collaboration, the spark that ignited the collaborative endeavors came from the environment, varying participant interests, and personal curiosities. An inquiry space that was conducive to such collaboration provided participants with easy entry and exit points and included tools that facilitated group workflows. Once groups started to form, a sense of being together with others socially, as well as an enjoyment of learning, were what fueled interest in continuing to be part of such collaboratives. The existence of “catalysts” helped in maintaining momentum so that teams reached natural punctuation points (i.e., deliverables, research papers) to their collaborations. Once participants were at a collaboration punctuation point, they could choose to reform into different group configurations, examining other curiosities of mutual interest, or adjourning and moving onto something different.2021-0
Finding the Gatekeeper: Chasing a Distant Dream Education for Internationally Educated Nurses
Get PDFThe globalization of nurse migration is an international phenomenon. However, there is a lack of research regarding available education and support for internationally educated nurses during their transitions into Canadian practice settings. Internationally educated nurses must be able to demonstrate the entrance-level competencies in nursing in Canada. They must also meet the provincial or territory regulatory bodies' guidelines for licensure, and this includes a process of credential assessment, competence, and competency assessment. This assessment process for most internationally educated nurses will result in the need for some additional education. In BC, the educational resources available to support IENs are minimal. Accessing these educational resources is both problematic and pedagogically challenging. In this study, using a constructivist grounded theory methodology, internationally educated nurses in British Columbia, Canada, identify formal, informal, and online and distributed learning supports used to support their transition, how these resources are accessed, and what hidden barriers exist that impede ongoing assistance.2021-0
BARRIERS TO FACULTY ADOPTION OF PLAGIARISM DETECTION SOFTWARE AT A CANADIAN UNIVERSITY
Get PDFCurrent literature reveals that university students plagiarize, but many instructors do not use plagiarism detection software (PDS). A mixed methods case (MMCSR) study design explored barriers to the use of PDS reported by faculty at a Canadian university. While there are policies and procedures regarding plagiarism, an anonymous online survey with in-depth interviews reported that lack of training and resources; policy procedures that dissuade reporting; and legal and ethical concerns regarding student privacy, copyright, and intellectual ownership, are barriers. Plagiarism examples include errors in attribution, ghostwriting, use of paper mills and course aggregators. Faculty often ignored or issued minimal or no penalties or approached plagiarism as teaching or learning opportunities. Negative experiences included lack of compensation for additional time required for documentation and meetings, student appeals, and finding that reports are dismissed. While the university provides PDS for faculty, barriers to PDS use and student plagiarism, remain.2021-0
PARENT-CHILD MUTUALITY AND RELATIONSHIP-BASED PARENTING: EVALUATING CIRCLE OF SECURITY® PARENTING™ PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS
Get PDFThe Circle of Security® Parenting™ (COSP™) program is a relationship-based intervention that targets attachment security and caregiver internal working models. Effectiveness and efficacy research utilizing observational measurement of parent-child interaction remains limited in the Circle of Security® literature and no studies have examined changes in dyadic mutuality as a construct of interest. The aims of this thesis work, a pilot study, were to evaluate the efficacy of COSP™ by examining changes in dyadic mutuality and parent positivity/negativity using a validated observational measurement tool (PARCHISY) in 16 parent-child dyads. A quasi-experimental repeated measures design was employed to investigate changes in observed parent-child interaction before and after the 8-week COSP™ intervention and across two tasks, structured play and clean-up. Findings revealed theoretically predicted positive changes in dyadic mutuality and parent positivity and no significant change in parent negativity. These results support the utility of PARCHISY in the assessment of attachment-focused parenting interventions.2021-0
HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS’ UNDERSTANDING OF THE LAW: IMPACT ON ADVANCE CARE PLANNING PROCESSES
Get PDFHealth care providers and legal professionals have advocated and supported people
through the advance care planning processes for more than a century. These professions
have approached advance care planning differently, from within their scope, discipline,
and experiences. Neither group fully appreciates the impact their differing standards and
practices have on patients and families and the health care they receive. The legal
profession focuses on completing advance directive documents and advocates for
patients' rights through the courts. Health care providers focus on shared decision making
at the time decisions are required. This research, the first of its kind in Canada, will
demonstrate the complications that arise for health care providers in the application of
advance care planning processes when there are gaps in knowledge and understanding of
health law. This study will explore practical suggestions to improve practice.
Keywords: Clinical Competence, Jurisprudence, Advance Care Planning,
Advance Directives2021-0
Chiming in: Social presence in an international multi-site blended learning course
No full textThis mixed methods action research study investigates one international multi-site blended learning class comprised of refugee and non-refugee learners. The interventionary action of this study used WhatsApp mobile instant messaging (MIM) to increase and sustain online course discussions, for which no part of the final grade was assigned to online participation. The MIM messages were coded for indicators of the Community of Inquiry social presence, and then analyzed for correlation to final grade. For this population of learners living in Canada, Thailand, and Kenya, affective social presence is a negative predictor of final grade and cohesive social presence is a positive predictor. More specifically, learners achieving grades of 85% or higher expressed less self-disclosure and more group references and phatic messages as a percentage of the total messages sent expressing social presence than other learners.
The study uses arts-based first-person reflections to explore the experiences of the researcher in conducting this action research and openly releasing its source data. Writing, mathematics, and visual arts are the three primary modes of documenting, analyzing, and reporting the findings of this study. An innovative presentation of data emerges as mathematically sound. This study shares the successful steps in obtaining ethical approval to preserve data for unlimited secondary use. Obtaining participant consent for their data to be used for unlimited secondary use may have potentially positive ethical consequences for conducting further research involving refugees living in fragile contexts.2021-0
A Framework to Develop Competency Profiles Using Online Collaboration
Get PDFNorth American businesses and corporations invest heavily in the ongoing training of employees. Unfortunately, that investment rarely yields expected returns. One reason for this shortfall is that organizations frequently develop and implement training with only a superficial grasp of the skills employees need to perform their jobs. The absence of rigorous competency analysis in corporate training environments typically results in reduced training effectiveness and minimal return on effort and investment.
This research was based on an overarching research question: How can a competency analysis profile be conducted online, in a way that is cost-effective in both human and financial resources, and provides results of comparable rigour and quality as a competency profile developed face-to-face? The tool created as part of this research is called an OCAN, an acronym for Online Competency ANalysis.
Two OCANs were completed over the course of the project. While they took longer than initially planned, each OCAN chart fell within the parameters expected of face-to-face DACUMs, and was achieved at a quarter of the cost. The lessons learned from this research indicate that that the efficiency of the OCAN process can be substantially increased, leading to a form of workplace competency analysis that is effective, relatively inexpensive, and fast. It is hoped that the availability of such a tool will increase its use in workplace training, and lead to better training outcomes.2021-0
THE ANTECEDENTS OF TRUST BETWEEN A TECHNOLOGY SERVICE PROVIDER AND ITS STAKEHOLDERS
Get PDFThere is an intense focus in business today on digital transformation, with technology departments as a key enabler. In a large organization, a trusting relationship between business stakeholders and their technology department is critical to enable the delivery of their strategic imperatives. This doctoral dissertation details the findings of a quantitative research study conducted at Loblaw Companies Limited in the fall of 2020 to understand trustworthiness and fairness as key antecedents of a trusting relationship between the organization’s technology department (Loblaw Technology) and its business stakeholders. The study sets out to determine how closely that level of trust is connected to the level of satisfaction the stakeholders have in the outcomes Loblaw Technology delivers. The level of trust in Loblaw Technology from the perspective of its business stakeholders is a key measure of the value that the Loblaw Technology department produces for the organization, because trust facilitates the exchange relationships between Loblaw Technology and its business stakeholders and results in their satisfaction with outcomes delivered. This quantitative study examined the category-based trust relationship between individuals (business stakeholders) and a service department that supports them (Loblaw Technology) and explored the antecedents that affect trust as the Loblaw Technology department makes decisions and provides services to their business stakeholders. These antecedents include the three antecedents of trustworthiness: ability, benevolence, integrity, and the four elements of organizational justice and fairness experienced by the business stakeholders, i.e., distributive, procedural, interpersonal and informational justice. The most important positive antecedents of trust were found to be ability, integrity, and distributive justice, although issues with discriminant validity weaken the results of this study. Higher levels of trust are required for high levels of satisfaction, with satisfaction being a key indicator of the value that Loblaw Technology delivers to the organization. Understanding the strength of the relationships between the antecedents of trust enables the leadership of Loblaw Technology to build programs focused on the most important antecedents, which will foster improved trust with their business stakeholders, thus increasing the satisfaction in the delivery of key strategic technology enablers, increasing the value realized through Loblaw’s investments in technology.2021-1