Dissertations

Hypothesis and Research Question: The research hypothesis is “Organizational Factors influencing the implementation of the Pediatric Annual Physical Therapy Visit (PAPTV) vary by practice setting, geographic location, and experience implementing the PAPTV.” The related research question is “How do organizational factors influencing the implementation of the PAPTV vary by geographic location, practice setting, and therapists experience with the PAPTV? Problem and Purpose of Research: While health promotion and wellness (HPW) initiatives are widely accepted as beneficial to both the patient and the healthcare system, the rollout of new initiatives is often challenging. The PAPTV has been a significant HPW initiative supported by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and the Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapists (APPT). Despite the support of professional organizations, utilization of the PAPTV is limited. Organizational change strategies to enhance PAPTV utilization must target the specific organizational and clinical environments where the PAPTV will be utilized. To identify effective organizational change strategies, one must first understand the distribution of variation within the profession. This dissertation explores the variation in organizational factors impacting the implementation of the PAPTV in physical therapists who are Board Certified Pediatric Specialists through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists (ABPTS). Variation in organizational factors is explored through different practice settings, geographic locations, and experience implementing the PAPTV. Research Methodology and Summary of Procedures: A quantitative survey explored Pediatric Certified Specialists perceptions of organizational factors impacting the PAPTV from each of Bolman and Deal's four frames (Structural, Political, Human Resources, and Symbolic). Descriptive statistics explained trends in geographic regions, practice settings, and therapist experience with the PAPTV. Parametric (ANOVA), non-parametric (Kruskal-Wallis test), and Multiple regression analysis were used to analyze survey results to determine significant findings. Results and Conclusions: Variation was found within three of Bolman and Deal's four frames. The symbolic frame and human resources frame vary by the therapist's frequency of completing a PAPTV in one quarter. The political frame varies by region, specifically the Southeast and Pacific regions. The human resource frame was consistent across practice settings, geographic location, and experience implementing the PAPTV. These findings support the need for further research into the barriers of organizational change toward greater HPW within pediatric PT. Recommendations for Further Study Future research into organizational barriers toward greater HPW in pediatric physical therapy should be founded on various aspects of organizational strategy and change scholarship and utilize diverse investigative tools and methodologies. In quantitative research, utilizing the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument and Competing Values Frame may shed light on cultural considerations impacting the change process. Including qualitative methodologies, such as ethnography, in research may help produce profound and comprehensive insight into organizational barriers toward HPW. Ongoing investigation utilizing organizational change and strategy scholarship, tools, and methodologies is needed to understand better organizational barriers towards greater HPW in pediatric physical therapy.

Higher education institutions significantly rely on part-time faculty members to meet course demands. The growth of part-time faculty has grown over 250% since the 1970s. Part-time faculty are now seen as the majority over tenured and tenure-track faculty. Due to the changes in higher education and the crucial role online part-time faculty play in higher education institutions, online bachelor-level program deans must learn to support and engage these faculty members more effectively. The leadership problem identified for this study is that online bachelor-level program deans are being challenged to deliver the support needed to online part-time faculty members to ensure their engagement and inclusion in an online learning setting and the organization as a whole (Weber et al., 2022; Thacker, 2020; Hoyt et al., 2008). This phenomenological qualitative study aims to discover leaders’ strategies that program deans of online undergraduate programs utilize to increase engagement and inclusion among online part-time faculty at Baptist/Southern Baptist-affiliated, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). From the interviews and data analysis of the current study seven themes to support the research questions were developed: sense of belonging, authentic leader/follower relationship, autonomy and empowerment, consistent communication and support, recognition, passion for teaching, leadership strategies representative of institutional culture. These seven themes contributed to the study's major findings surrounding three components: intrinsic motivations, positive and supportive leader/follower relationships, and institutional culture, which seem to impact online part-time faculty members’ overall engagement and inclusion in their roles, leading to their overall sense of belonging within their organization. The implications of practice from the findings of the current study to engage and include online part-time faculty included (1) for the institution and senior leadership to offer more opportunities for online part-time faculty to participate and integrate with the institutional community, (2) for updated policies, procedures, and faculty models, and (3) streamline institutional-level communication directed toward part-time faculty to increase clarity and a sense of belonging. The implications of leadership from the findings of the current study to engage and include online part-time faculty included (1) improving leader education on effective leadership styles with online part-time faculty, (2) Increasing leader awareness of the needs and desires of online part-time faculty.