The growing population of the United States is linked to the increasing migration of individuals from other countries. With migration comes the development of cross-cultural and interracial romantic relationships, many leading to marriages. This qualitative grounded theory study sought to understand how a migrant partner's adjustment process, acculturation, contributes to cross-cultural marriages. The main research question and purpose of this study was to investigate the role of acculturation in marital satisfaction among mixed Caucasian and Asian American heterosexual couples. This study utilized multiple data sources and a purposive sampling of 11 mixed Asian and Caucasian heterosexual married couples, with one partner who identified themselves as being Caucasian and U.S. born, and the other as Asian American and an immigrant to the United States. Data were coded and analyzed to identify themes and patterns that emerged from the participants' experiences. The study revealed the following emergent themes representing the couples' common acculturative stressors: (a) challenges related to English language proficiency, (b) communication styles differences, (c) cultural learning, and (d) difficulties due to the lack of social support. The findings of this study provide marriage and family counselors with important data related to how married couples experience acculturation as well as the unique stressors associated with a migrating partner's process. Implications for positive social change include information related to the development of interventions to address common acculturative stressors identified during this study, as well as data to support clinicians and clients when identifying appropriate coping strategies.

Programs that include skills to help girls successfully navigate the difficulties of preadolescence have been shown to be beneficial. One such youth development program in the southeastern part of the United States began in 2014 but has had no formal evaluation completed. The purpose of this qualitative study was to conduct a utilization-focused process evaluation, asking questions that addressed the perceptions of a school leader (n = 1) and volunteers of the program (n = 8). Their input was solicited concerning successful implementation strategies used, and recommendations for adaptations, recruitment, and volunteer training. Semistructured interviews were conducted using predetermined open-ended, questions. Open coding was used to discover the most common themes. After analyzing the data using VERBI's Software, MAXQDA, the identified themes were (a) successful elements of the program, (b) elements of the program that were not working, (c) suggestions for adaptations to improve the outcomes for participants, and (d) essential points to consider when recruiting new volunteers. Study participants reported that many of the girls participating in the program made positive changes in their behavior, exhibited improved self-esteem, and expanded their support system. Key findings will be discussed with the program administrators to assist them in recruiting and training new volunteers and to suggest administrative adjustments. Positive social change will be facilitated by offering ideas to the administrators that may result in expansion of the program, allowing more girls in the community to participate and experience positive results.

As enrollment in U.S. community colleges increased, both the percentage of students successfully completing courses and the percentage of students persisting to their second year decreased. This study focused on the problem of low student course success and persistence rates at a community college. The purpose of the study was to determine whether students who demonstrated engagement behavior by visiting a Center for Academic Success (CAS) either passed more courses, persisted more often, or both, than students who did not visit a CAS. Tinto's engagement theory was the theoretical framework as it postulated that students who interacted with school support services were more successful in college than students who did not. The study was a quantitative comparative design using archival data to evaluate if there were differences between students who visited a CAS and students who did not visit a CAS in terms of course success rates (percentage of courses passed) as well as persistence (continued enrollment) from Spring 2014 to Spring 2015. Group comparisons by independent samples t tests resulted in significantly higher course success (p = .027) among students who visited a CAS (n = 2,059) compared to students who did not visit a CAS (n = 33,414). There were no significant differences in the annual persistence rates between groups of students. The results guided the development of a training program for college employees to entice students to visit the CAS while the college leadership discusses other opportunities to increase persistence. The project may support social change by helping more students pass their courses, therefore benefitting the students, the college, and the community.

New graduate nurses (NGNs) at bedside are faced with numerous challenges, which prompt them to leave jobs in their first year. The transition from being a student to competent nurse requires a NGN to have the necessary skills and experience. Subsequently, hospitals continue to face shortages of staff because of high turnover and low retention levels. Nonetheless, evidence from reviewed literature has indicated that the use of residency programs can increase NGNs' stay at bedside, improve retention, reduce costs of operations, and return employees' turnover. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to identify the likelihood of NGNs remaining at bedside after participating in a 52 week NGN residency program in the critical care units at Palmetto Health hospital. When a hospital recruits and retains NGNs at the bedside, the quality of life among patients is improved. Benner's theory of novice to expert was utilized to understand professional growth of nurses. Data were collected from the human resource department of the 18 nurses who initially participated in the residency program to compare retention rates before and after its implementation. The project initiative was based on a quantitative non-experimental comparison design. Based on the evidence from the human resource department, there was a 14% improvement in nurse retention 3 months after the implementation of the NGN residency program. A statewide adoption of NGN residency programs was recommended to help improve retention and enhance NGNs' professional improvement and quality of care. The implementation of NGN residency program also demonstrated implications for social change through increasing retention, building nurse competency, and enhancing quality of care delivered.

Counselors and counselor educators must serve clients regardless of culture, race, disability, sexual orientation, and age. Counselor educators have attempted to stay abreast of new methods to enhance counselor competencies to adequately counsel lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clients. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the extent of the relationship between self-perceived clinical preparedness of working with LGBT clients and self-perceived attitudinal awareness towards LGBT clients as moderated by levels of religious commitment of licensed professional counselor (LPC) using a feminist and multicultural theory framework. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) quantitative analysis software program was used to generate descriptive statistics such as frequencies, means, modes, correlations, and regression models for each research variable. According to study results, there was a statistically significant relationship between the criterion variable self-perceived clinical preparedness of working with LGBT clients, the predictor variable self-perceived attitudinal awareness towards LGBT clients, and the moderator religious commitment (F (2, 123) = 4.76, p < .05). The study findings promote insight for counselors to understand how their religious commitment moderates the relationship between clinical preparedness and attitudinal awareness when working with LGBT clients.

The purpose of this study was to identify some of the variables which may be factors in the decision of Kentucky public school superintendents to develop adult education programs in their school district. A mail questionnaire was developed and submitted to ail of Kentucky's 189 public school superintendents. Two groups of superintendents were compared; the experimental group was comprised of ninety-three superintendents who elected to implement adult education programs; while the control group consisted of ninety-six superintendents who did not implement adult education programs. Returns were received from eighty-five of the superintendents in the experimental group and seventy-three of the superintendents in the control group. An 84 percent questionnaire return was achieved for this study. Eleven null hypotheses were tested to determine differences between the experimental and control groups in regard to the following variables: (I) educational attainment level, experiences as an educator and age, (2) type of community served by the superintendent, and (3) superintendents' perceptions about adult education programs. Four of the eleven hypotheses were rejected at the .05 level of confidence. The statistical techniques employed in the data analysis included the t-test and chi-square. The t-test was utilized to test for differences between the means for variables; while chi-square was used to test for differences between the distribution for variables. For those variables related to the superintendents' professional preparation and experience, the findings indicated that: (I) superintendents who participate in adult education programs possess a significantly higher educational attainment level (Master's Degree plus 30 credits and beyond) than non-participating superintendents; (2) superintendents who decide to have adult education programs have significantly fewer years of experience as a principal than superintendents without programs; (3) there were significantly more program participating superintendents with assistant secondary principal and other types of prior leadership experiences than non-participating superintendents; and (4) the superintendents' type of prior teaching experience and age appeared not to be significant factors in their decision to have programs. The findings indicated that the type of community served by the superintendent does not seem to be a factor in his decision to implement adult education programs. For those variables related to the superintendents' perceptions, the results of this study indicated that: (I) the superintendents' perceptions regarding adult education programs in general, the Revised Adult Education Act of 1966, and the Adult Education Unit's operation of adult education programs were not significant factors in their decision to develop adult education programs; and (2) the superintendents' perceptions of the need for adult education programs seemed to be significant factors in their decision to implement programs. Although the superintendents' solicited comments and recommendations about to be significant factors adult education programs, adult education did not appear in their decision to develop most of the superintendents in both groups that responded: (1) felt that adult education programs (ABE/GED) have been successful and are important to adults, and (2) expressed a need for adult education programs to be implemented, expanded and made more comprehensive.

A rural K-12 district in the Midwest evidenced a rise in the Latino population from 2002 to 2013, yet parental participation amongst Latino parents at the junior high was low. Low parental involvement has been linked to lowered self-efficacy, which impacts student learning. Although there is a plethora of research on the positive aspects of parental involvement, there is little research on Latino parent involvement in small rural communities. Within this instrumental case study, Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's model of parent involvement was used to explore Latino parents' perceptions of their roles and responsibilities of communication strategies within the junior high and of available resources related to parental role construction and self-efficacy. Ten Latino parents with children in Grades 7 and 8 were individually interviewed. Document analysis of school documents and researcher notes were used to bolster the trustworthiness of interpretations. Typological analysis was incorporated to look at transcribed and coded notes where 4 main findings emerged: lack of communication, helping the adolescent child, understanding school structure/governance, and learning the English language. A curriculum design plan was developed in 3 areas supporting parent self-efficacy and role construction: understanding adolescents, understanding school structure/governance, and English as a second language (ESL) approach. This study may promote social change within a rural community because the implemented curriculum design plan established Latino parental engagement by incorporating a series of workshops in Spanish and an ESL format to meet the 4 categories which help to meet state and federal education guidelines within the area of parent and family engagement.

Academic advising is associated with increased student retention and academic success. However, advising at an urban graduate school of education in Tennessee has been criticized for limited advisor availability, poor communication, and lack of advising knowledge. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain a deeper understanding of the reasons for student satisfaction or dissatisfaction and to identify techniques to improve academic advising. This study was guided by the conceptual frameworks of Kelly's personal construct theory and Daloz's psycho-developmental perspective. The research question addressed the perceived role of academic advisors that graduate students associated with academic success. The data were collected using 4 focus groups. Group 1 consisted of 10 graduate students; group 2 included 5 professors; group 3 was comprised of 2 advisors; group 4 consisted of 3 administrators. A thematic analysis was performed on the data, and member checking was used to improve data quality. Findings revealed that students were satisfied with the positive attitude of advisors, but were dissatisfied with advisors' relational skills and knowledge of college programs. Findings also revealed that students, professors, and administrators were dissatisfied with advisor's limited availability and lack of training. Based on these research findings, a 3-day professional development workshop for advisors was developed. The workshop included training about techniques to improve advisor communication skills and knowledge of effective advising practices. Implementation of this professional development workshop could bring about positive social change by improving the effectiveness of the advising program and the quality of graduates.

Ongoing professional development is an integral part of a child welfare agency's strategy toward the provision of services to children and families involved with a child welfare intervention. Electronic learning (E-Learning) is popular as a fiscally responsible and flexible way to deliver such trainings. There is a gap in the research addressing the problem of how child welfare professionals are motivated to engage in the E-learning process. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of child welfare professionals regarding their motivation to use an agency provided E-learning program. Eight child welfare professionals employed by a Midwestern private child welfare agency participated in semi-structured interviews, which were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. A pattern matching logic model was used to extrapolate relevant themes. The themes from this study were that work environment, irrelevance of content, and emotional aspects of child welfare work were barriers to engaging in E-learning during a work day. The implications for positive social change are that using E-learning as a delivery system for training in child welfare needs to be combined with a concerted effort to develop programs that first consider the work environment of the child welfare professional and the relevance of content. Providing more effective training is expected to result in better trained workers, which leads to more effective child welfare interventions. More effective child welfare interventions are needed to resolve the current crisis within the field of child welfare, which protects one of society's most vulnerable populations.

Poor completion rates in the radiation therapy associate's degree program offered through a community college did not meet the standards set by the college and damaged the program's reputation. The relationship between admission criteria and program completion was not known. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any relationships between the admission criteria (GPA in prerequisite courses, interview scores, writing sample scores, and preadmission testing scores) and students' completion of a radiation therapy associate's degree program. This correlational study used 2 stages of Tinto's retention theory: (a) recruitment and admission to college and (b) pre-entry assessment and placement. Retrospective data, collected from an accredited radiation therapy program offering a 2-year degree, provided a sample size of 70 anonymous student records. The point biserial coefficient was used to analyze the data. The results yielded a significant, moderate, positive relationship between the interview score and student completion. No other significant relationships were found. The professional development program that was derived from the study sought to teach program directors about interview skills and tactics. The ability to identify at-risk students in the admission process is expected to contribute to social change by improving completion rates; improving satisfaction among students, faculty, employers; and ultimately improving the quality of patient care.