DTheses (Athabasca University)
Not a member yet
487 research outputs found
Sort by
Unmet Dental Needs Among Children and Barriers to Seeking Care
Get PDFDental caries continues to be the most chronic childhood disease, and it is experienced most by the socioeconomically disadvantaged. This study aims to add to the limited body of knowledge on children’s oral health in Nova Scotia; to investigate if disparities in access to oral care for children persist despite the current initiatives; and to The Health Impact Pyramid informed the study of the impact of various oral health initiatives. This research study utilized a quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design. The questionnaire based on Aday and Andersen’s Framework for the Access to Care was completed by caregivers at the IWK Health Centre. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests. This study supports the current evidence that the socioeconomically disadvantaged are more susceptible to oral diseases. Future public policy and programming to reduce the inequalities in the oral health status of vulnerable populations should be guided by The Health Impact Pyramid. Utilizing midlevel oral health care and allied health care providers in alternate practice settings should be considered.2017-0
Solution-focused brief therapy from the client's perspective: A descriptive phenomenological analysis
Get PDFThe primary purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) from the client’s perspective. The secondary purpose was to inform counsellors about how the model can be used more effectively. Semi-structured interviews with five clients were conducted in order to explore: (a) the lived experience; (b) meaning attributed to, and (c) the lived effect of SFBT on clients’ lives. Data were collected and analyzed using the descriptive phenomenological method. A general structure, including five key themes describing clients’ common experiences with the model, was established. The themes and their constituents (i.e., subthemes) were elaborated upon, providing an in-depth understanding of how clients experience and are affected by SFBT, with clear indications for how the model can be used and taught more effectively. Evidence in support of SFBT was also established, as was theory about how and why the model works.2017-0
Barriers When Implementing mLearning and Digital Literacy in Urban K-8 Classrooms
Get PDFThis mixed methods study researched the barriers perceived by teachers in k-8 schools in an urban school district when implementing mLearning and digital literacy through the use of ICT devices in the classroom. With 41 elementary schools in the division, 4 were chosen using the convenience sampling principle with a total of 80 teaching staff members. 25 teachers chose to participate, which was a 31% participation rate. This study concluded that implementation of ICT devices and the accompanying training was not made available for teachers in a timely manner. The division has supplied ICT devices for classroom use but failed to fully implement strong pedagogical values and practices among the staff. The devices that have been made available are not enough for classrooms to use on a regular basis with teachers feeling that the current outcome of digital literacy and fluency cannot be met.2017-0
The net effect: the impact of entrepreneurial alliances networks on new venture performance
Get PDFThe economic impact of successful new venture performance is undeniable; however, most empirical research examining the factors driving the successful growth of entrepreneurial businesses has focused on established firms with existing capital resources and market presence. Using the Kauffman Firm Survey data (the largest-ever longitudinal study of new ventures), this study analyzes a sample of 1757 U.S.-based new ventures (all founded in 2004), over a seven-year period and provides important insights into the interrelationships between the background of the entrepreneur, start-up team size, and the nature and intensity of alliance networks on financial performance (revenue and profits). This study illustrates the wide variation in new venture performance and the disproportionate economic importance of a relatively small number of high-performance businesses. While entrepreneurial background showed some impact on performance, the results were not conclusive; however, the importance of initial team size (number of founders) was shown to be an important driver of growth and long-term business profitability. Although the success of high-performance ventures was not shown to be mediated by industry type or location, there appears to be a positive “net effect” that exists when companies form alliances that provide them with access to important resources that are often inherently lacking in early stage businesses. This study demonstrates an inverse U-shaped relationship between the number of alliances formed and financial performance, suggesting that entrepreneurs need to focus on forming a selective number of high-quality alliances that will have strategic value for the enterprise.2017-0
CREDIT UNION MERGERS:PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACTS AND ORGANIZATIONAL TRUST
Get PDFEconomies and efficiencies of scale serve as drivers of Canadian Credit Union mergers. The critical success factors of merger initiatives are largely driven by the internal human resources of each entity; however, this critical component of the process is often neglected or apportioned an inappropriate degree of consideration. As a result, employees are frequently not fully engaged or supportive because the tenets of their psychological contracts are not always met and their perceptions of organizational justice and organizational communication are not positive. This potentially impacts the level of organizational trust that results in either merger success or failure, especially in relation to employee impact and employee engagement. In order for Credit Union mergers to succeed, employees must be positioned to buy in to the change process to the point where they embrace and champion merger and its benefits. The purpose of this research study was to examine those factors that influence employees’ perceptions regarding Credit Union merger processes, specifically relating to the importance of their engagement and support. As both successful and less than successful or marginally successful mergers are being examined, it is suggested that the successful firm has good engagement and support. More specifically, the impact of organizational trust was studied in relation to employees’ trust in senior leadership and senior leaderships’ perceived perception of trust in subordinate employees. These significant factors, studied from the perspective of antecedents, dimensions and outcomes of organizational trust, lent support to a proposed foundation to examine their impact on employee engagement and merger success. Deficiencies in these areas were identified and recommendations made to address them. It was proposed that timeliness of employee integration be considered critical in developing the appropriate support framework required for Credit Union merger success, recognizing that financial and logistical considerations invariably dictate decision processes.2016-0
Experiences of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in Undergraduate and Graduate Students in Distance Education
No full textThis exploratory case study investigates the experiences of university distance education (DE) students with hearing loss. Nine individuals responded to an online questionnaire designed to obtain information about demographic characteristics, education level, hearing loss, and experience with academic accommodation and support services. Six respondents completed the questionnaire, and three participated in semi-structured interviews in which they described their experiences in DE, and their perceptions of accessibility issues, particularly related to instructional design. Results showed that, despite their physical limitations and any accessibility barriers, participants were able to navigate DE courses and support themselves with limited, if any, institutional assistance. Students who did not seek accommodation did not consider it necessary or did not think to ask for it. To continually promote universal accessibility, course designers should consistently ensure that all audio-video content is captioned, and that all assignments with an audio or video component have a grade tied to accessibility.April, 201
THE EFFECTS OF INDIVIDUAL INSTITUTIONAL LEGITIMACY JUDGEMENTS AND EMPLOYEE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING ON THE ORGANIZATIONAL OUTCOMES SICKNESS ABSENCE AND PRESENTEEISM
Get PDFThe processes of institutionalization and legitimization have predominantly been studied at the socio-political macro level. At the micro level, individual institutional legitimacy judgements (IILJ) have been theorized to study employee’s perceptions and judgements of institutional changes and to have important psychosocial consequences for both individuals and organizations (Bitektine, 2011; Tost, 2011). The purpose of this study is to learn the relationships and effects among the concepts of individual institutional legitimacy judgements, employee psychological wellbeing (PWB), and the organizational outcomes sickness absence and presenteeism. The context of the study is a Post-Secondary Educational Institution (PSEI) in BC, Canada. A quantitative correlational design was conducted and data analysis was completed using statistical exploratory factor analysis (EFA), multiple regression, and Spearman’s Rho coefficient analysis. The IILJ scale (IILJS) was used to study the impact of individual institutional legitimacy judgements on the organizational outcomes sickness absence (SA) and presenteeism. PWB, as an important dimension of wellbeing and theorized to be a predictor of organizational outcomes (Page & Vella-Brodrick, 2009), was introduced to study its effect on the outcomes SA and presenteeism. Multiple regression was conducted on two models. One model studied the relationship between the two predictor variables- IILJs and employee PWB- and the two outcome variables. A second model studied the moderating effect of employee PWB on the relationship between IILJs and employee SA and presenteeism. The regression results showed a significant negative relationship with presenteeism. The interaction effect of IILJ and PWB did not contribute much to the variance in the presenteeism value from model 1. The results for SA were not significant. No instrument currently exists to study IILJ and one contribution of this study is to present a scale with established content validity and internal construct validity to measure this concept. The results of the EFA on the IILJS showed high correlations to the subscale factors: relational, instrumental, and moral. Using oblimin rotation the internal construct validity for the IILJS was parsimonious. The reliability statistics for the IILJS were good (Field, 2009). The IILJS shows promise as a valid and reliable instrument to measure the effects of organizational and institutional changes at the micro level. The results of this study can be used to establish external construct validity of the IILJS and learn how employees’ institutional legitimacy judgements relate to other organizational outcomes within different or similar contexts.2016-0
Revitalizing Roles: The Inclusion of Indigenous Elders in Contemporary Judicial Contexts
Get PDFThe emergent over-representation of Indigenous persons incarcerated within the Canadian criminal justice system highlights the ineffectiveness of Western methods of justice in addressing offending behaviour. Indigenous justice practices diverge dramatically from retributory measures, reflecting an Indigenous worldview fundamentally based in the relationship with and connectedness to all things. Elders are integral to these processes, maintaining a vital link of cultural identity, as well as offering support and guidance through the transmission of traditional teachings and experience. The goal of this study is to delve deeply into understanding the current role of Elders in contemporary justice practices with Indigenous offenders, in a collaborative and relationship based manner that honours the sacredness that defines Indigenous research.October 201
Investigating the Effects of Navigation Cues in a Tag Cloud
Get PDFTag clouds as a social networking software allow users to describe a specific resource or another user using metadata, and simultaneously gain an insight into summarized descriptions provided by the online community. By employing visual cues in a tag cloud, users match the power of those external associations with the internal knowledge, and can follow a multitude of navigational paths to a desired resource or topic of interest. This study analyzed the factors contributing to forming of such paths, focusing on visual aspects and user acceptance. The analysis of hundred studies partially revealed the combinations of visual cues having the highest impact on users when selecting a tag, along with the additional factors relevant to successful implementation of tag clouds. These findings, embedded in the proposed development method aspire to provide guidance with design efforts, realized through a tag cloud user interface software simulation.2016-0
Understanding Oncology Nurses Grief: A Qualitative Metasynthesis
Get PDFProfessionals, such as nurses, that provide care may experience a negative impact on both their personal and professional lives due to grief. Grief is the emotional response of a person who has invested emotionally in someone or something and then loses that person or thing. Variations in intensity and duration of grief may occur as oncology nurses care for patients for extended periods of time, sometimes from diagnosis to death. The experience of this extended relationship makes oncology nurses particularly susceptible. This study seeks to examine oncology nurses’ grief through a qualitative meta-analysis. The many terms associated with the concept of nurses’ grief were analyzed with the goal of obtaining a more comprehensive understanding of these terms as well as presentation of what was found to be the most suitable concept and a supporting definition.2016-0