Strategies for Developing Interpersonal Communication Skills for Business Students by Sharon A. Pope M.B.A., Cleveland State University, 1995 M.S.H.P/A., University of Cincinnati, 1983 B.Ed., University of Toledo, 1981 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University December 2015 Research has shown that interpersonal communication skills (ICS) are important for employment success, particularly if they are learned by students during college. A private university in Ohio identified the need to enhance students' ICS; however, the university's faculty lacked strategies to teach those required skills. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate perceptions of key administrative staff (KAS), faculty, and alumni about the implementation of ICS instruction to foster students' work-ready skills. Guided by the social skill component of Goleman's emotional intelligence theory and related research, this study examined key applications of ICS including communication, collaboration, conflict management, and cross cultural awareness. Three KAS with extensive knowledge of university practices were purposefully sampled to take part in a focus group addressing current and recommended ICS instructional strategies. Network sampling, informed by the KAS, identified 23 faculty members who completed an open-ended online questionnaire and 4 alumni who participated in semi-structured interviews targeting their perceptions of ICS in the classroom. In addition to these sources of data, the researcher's reflective journal was analyzed to examine implementation and perceptions of current and alternate ICS instructional strategies. Data were transcribed, reviewed, then coded inductively without a prior list of codes resulting themes of presenting, self-branding, group/team work, networking, global awareness, and diversity. These findings were used to create a faculty professional development series on effective ICS instruction that can be used to promote positive social change for the university, students, and community by preparing graduates ready for success in the workforce.

Instructional leadership is an important aspect of student achievement and the overall success of schools. Principals, as instructional leaders, need continual reflection on their competency. Job-embedded professional development (JEPD) for teachers is implemented and monitored by instructional leaders. The purpose of this case study was to examine the perceived instructional leadership development of two principals at two schools where JEPD was used. Weber's model of instructional leadership guided the research questions on how the implementation of JEPD affected the principals' instructional leadership growth and development. Data collection occurred through interviews, observations during principal-led JEPD sessions, and document review after which information was coded, and themes were identified resulting in thick, rich descriptions of the experiences of principals. The findings of this study suggested that participants' growth in leadership development was unfocused and unmeasured. The study supports positive social change by providing professional development to promote and measure instructional leadership development of principals as they implement a system of JEPD for the teachers of their respective schools. Principals, teachers, and ultimately students will benefit from focused leadership development.

Ethics and compliance training of sales managers in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry showed little evidence that eLearning interventions developed to address employees' (a) awareness of unethical sales practices, (b) ability to judge a selling practice as unethical, and (c) intentions to speak up about unethical sales practices have had the desired effects. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of an entertainment-education video to an eLearning course, to improve ethical issue awareness, ethical judgment, and speaking-up behaviors in the pharmaceutical sales profession. Social cognitive theory and the extended elaboration likelihood model provided a theoretical framework for studying the effects of entertainment-education. The primary research question was, if entertainment-education programs can be used as an effective methodology to improve ethical decision-making and increase intentions to speak up, compared to a narrative-style eLearning course. In this quantitative study, 64 sales professionals from a U.S.-based pharmaceutical company were randomly assigned to either an entertainment-education video or an eLearning group to compare the effects of intervention format on ethical issue awareness, ethical judgment, and intentions to speak up, measured using two ethical scenarios and surveys. Although both treatments had a significant effect on behavioral intentions to speak up, there was only a moderate difference between the two groups t(62) = 2.20, p = .032 when participants observed a patient safety issue. Results from this study may impact social change by providing compliance managers with evidence to evaluate the use of entertainment-education strategies to increase sales representatives' intentions to speak-up when they observe behaviors that may put patient safety at risk.

Creating meaningful and effective professional development (PD) programs for K-12 teachers is an ongoing challenge. The problem is exacerbated when PD models are implemented without fully aligning PD resources and plans with the training needs of teachers and the organization. The guiding question sought to understand the experiences of teachers at an online charter school about the implementation of PD as a means for improving student outcomes. The purpose of the study was to find ways to enhance PD in order to improve student outcomes at the school. The conceptual framework for this study is interwoven through the constructs of student-centered learning, adult learning theory, transformational learning, self-directed learning, and emotional intelligence (EI). A qualitative case study was used in an appreciative inquiry approach that included a document review, written response survey, a positive assessment of EI skills, and focus group interview with 5 teacher participants. The EI data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to create an average EI profile for the group, and qualitative data were analyzed using inductive and comparative techniques. The results indicated that the teachers desired more focused PD that aligns to organizational goals, is collaborative, and includes support from leadership. Results informed the design of a workshop for school administrators focused on designing a PD implementation plan. This study promotes positive social change by increasing understanding of teachers' professional learning experiences and proposes a research-derived PD planning and implementation cycle in order to increase student achievement at the school.

Research shows that adolescents with disabilities often lack self-regulated learning skills. Current research further indicates that explicit teaching of self-regulation skills is beneficial to adolescents with disabilities. The site of this study was a local middle school in rural Georgia that did not assess whether or not teachers were explicitly teaching self-regulation skills to adolescents with disabilities. It was unknown, therefore, whether adolescents with disabilities were learning self-regulation skills in school and whether teachers faced problems in teaching these skills. The study sought to explore this gap in knowledge and practice. Zimmerman's self-regulated learning theory and Bandura's self-efficacy theory served as the conceptual frameworks for this study. The research questions addressed middle school teachers' experiences with and perceptions of teaching self-regulation skills to adolescents with disabilities. Purposeful sampling was used to select 8 teachers, including general and special education teachers, who were currently teaching students with disabilities to participate in semistructured individual interviews. Additionally, lesson plans were reviewed to determine the use of planning for self-regulation interventions. Data were grouped into categories using coding and thematically analyzed. The findings indicated that teachers had experience teaching some aspects of self-regulation; however, they reported needing more information about the specific needs of their students with disabilities, ways to fit self-regulation skill instruction into the existing curriculum, and strategies to help their students build self-efficacy and motivation. With an increased focus on self-regulation skills, teachers may see an increase in the academic skills and motivation of students with disabilities.

Currently, C Hospital lacks a standardized nursing informatics competency program to validate nurses' skills and knowledge in using electronic medical records (EMRs). At the study locale, the organization is about to embark on the implementation of a new, more comprehensive EMR system. All departments will be required to use the new EMR, unlike the current policy that allows some areas to still document on paper. The Institute of Medicine, National League of Nursing, and American Association of Colleges of Nursing support and recommend that information technology be an essential core competency for nurses. Evidence of the need for nursing informatic competencies was found through a literature search using CINHAL, Proquest Nursing, Medline, and Pubmed search lines. Concepts searched were competencies, nursing informatics, health information technology, electronic health record, information technology literacy, nursing education, information technology training, and curriculum. The Staggers Nursing Computer Experience Questionnaire was distributed to 300 nurses practicing within the hospital setting to obtain baseline data on current nursing computer knowledge and skill level. This validated tool was created by Nancy Staggers in 1994 and used in other process improvement efforts similar to this one. The assumption was that nursing competency levels with computers were varied through the hospital. The data obtained from the questionnaire, through Zoho Survey tool, confirmed this assumption and were used to help create the education, support, and competency plan for the future. Data was analyzed through the built-in reports and interactive charts that the Zoho survey tool provides. The new EMR and all the new processes that come with it will be the framework of nursing care. Having competent nurses in the use of the EMR will optimize the quality of patient care delivered.

In spite of a 2009 memorandum from senior Air Force leaders calling for civilian employees to participate in nonresident Professional Military Education (PME) courses, employees' PME completion rates have remained low. This qualitative study investigated the perceptions of nonresident PME held by 12 employees at an installation with a nonresident PME completion rate of less than 3% in 2013. The theories of reasoned action and planned behavior guided the 5 main questions that asked participants to describe their familiarity with nonresident PME course content, availability, and structure; as well as their perceptions of organizational support for PME course participation, their capacity to complete PME courses, the role of nonresident PME in their leadership development, and the importance of PME completion for attaining their career goals. The data were manually coded and organized according to the emergent themes and subthemes. None of the participants identified any external barriers to nonresident PME completion, but factors such as supervisor support, prior participation in enlisted PME, personal interest in PME course content, and inconsistent hiring practices influenced participants' perceptions of nonresident PME for their professional development and career progression. The findings and prior research suggest the Air Force should educate PME eligible civilians regarding the benefits of nonresident PME, conduct focus groups to discover employees' specific learning needs, and assist supervisors in establishing effective mentoring relationships. These actions have the potential to enhance employee motivation, to align employee development with organizational goals and objectives, and to increase supervisor-subordinate collaboration.

High nursing student attrition has been a pervasive problem in the nursing program at the research site of this study. The purpose of this project study was to investigate the relationship between attrition and nursing student characteristics, including age, gender, ethnicity, English as Second Language (ESL) background, licensed practical nurse (LPN) licensure, grade point average (GPA), the number of preadmission college credits, and the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) scores. This correlational study of archival data was guided by Jeffreys's nursing undergraduate retention and success model and included a convenience sample of 240 students admitted to the program between the Spring 2011 and Fall 2013 semesters. Point biserial and phi coefficient statistical analyses indicated that significant relationships existed between attrition and ethnicity, GPA, TEAS scores, college credits, and LPN status. There were no significant relationships between attrition and age, gender, and ESL background. Student characteristics correlated with higher attrition included ethnic minority background, more college credits, lower TEAS composite and math scores, lower GPA scores, and not having LPN licensure. These research results were the basis for policy recommendations for changes to the admission process within the nursing program and for early identification of students at risk for attrition, with the goal of providing early supportive measures. The overall goal of the policy recommendations was to decrease attrition at the local research site, which may help foster positive social change by promoting the educational and professional progress of nursing students. Nursing student attrition can negatively affect a nursing program's finances and reputation. For students, attrition represents lost time, lost finances, and a limited possibility for achieving socioeconomic progress.

A federal Call to Action was mandated to reform community colleges across the nation, challenging college officials to enhance instructional methodology on college campuses towards increasing student completion rates. In addressing this mandate, college officials at the upstate NY community college identified a need for professional development that would increase student learning and enhance the instructional methodologies of facilitating faculty through improved alignment. Accordingly, this study investigated the alignment of faculty instructional effectiveness with the institution's core mission. The purpose of this study was to examine faculty perceptions of the instructional methodologies used to facilitate student learning. Informed by Knowles's theory of andragogy, the research questions examined instructional strategies and existing professional development of the faculty members to explore the problem of faculty alignment. The study employed a qualitative intrinsic case study design, with a purposeful sample of 6 part-time and 2 full-time faculty participants. The data were collected and analyzed through the use of a semi structured Likert-type survey and open-ended interview questions. Utilizing an open coding format, data revealed a lack of computer-based instructional strategies and a need for implementation of technological professional learning opportunities at the college. Faculty expressed desire for professional learning. These findings may inform college officials as to the importance of a professional development growth plan policy, and may contribute to positive social change by increasing student completion rates at the college level.

Many administrators and faculty within higher education institutions have grappled with identifying and employing effective strategies to facilitate student success and persistence. The current study focuses on assessing nontraditional students' self-efficacy beliefs and their perception of the orientation program at a 2-year continuing education program in a Caribbean nation. The study is important as the findings have the potential to increase nontraditional students' persistence and learning. Bandura's social cognitive theory and the theory of self-efficacy served as the theoretical frameworks of this sequential mixed-methods design study. The quantitative research questions examined the reported self-efficacy levels of 77 participants and nonparticipants in the orientation program. The qualitative research questions focused on 10 nontraditional students' perceptions of how the orientation program they participated in impacted their ability to complete and succeed in their course of study. A survey that combined 2 preestablished instruments was used in the quantitative phase and follow-up face-to-face interviews for the qualitative phase of the study. A ttest analysis showed no statistically significant difference between the self-efficacy of participants and nonparticipants in the focal orientation program. A pattern coding of the interviews revealed 5themes from the qualitative phase, ranging from nontraditional students' challenges to self-efficacy and persistence in the program. A policy recommendation in the form of a white paper was used to convey the findings of this study to the major stakeholders at the target institution. The recommendations from the study may contribute to positive social change as they can improve nontraditional students' performance, increase completion rates at the institution, and positively impact economic growth of the wider community.