Browsing by Author "Lynham, Susan A., committee member"

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Open Access
Development of a process model with dementia specific strategies to optimize quality of life for long term care residents
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Hoesly, Beth, author; Wood, Wendy, advisor; Eakman, Aaron, committee member; Lynham, Susan A., committee member
With a thorough review of 156 studies encapsulated in a special issue of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy (AJOT) on occupational therapy services for people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) (Padilla, 2011), there was no commonly shared rationale or approach for occupational therapists working with this population. This study's purpose was to further the Lived Environment Life Quality (LELQ) Model and complement it with the creation of a process model by engaging in a theory building process. To do so, the study sought to understand how expert occupational therapists' conceptualizations of their work align with the three occupational therapy process domains of assessment, intervention, and outcomes. Several key themes that emerged from this qualitative research process include functioning of the facility, being an occupational therapy detective and problem solver, education, prevention, occupational engagement, occupational performance, and personal factors. Results also indicated that the expert occupational therapists' conceptualizations aligned with concepts embedded in the LELQ Model as well as with the three occupational therapy process domains. The themes and the alignment with the LELQ Model facilitated the development of the process model. Overall, findings suggested that there is a shared rationale for the occupational therapy process in long term care (LTC) facilities when working with persons with dementia. Furthermore, these findings guide the clinical reasoning of occupational therapists as they plan the specific actions or approaches that they take from initiation through termination of services. However, further research is needed in order to confirm, revise, and implement the process model in practice.
Open Access
Employee commitment to the organization: a comparative quantitative exploration of employees based on role and primary work location at multi-campus community colleges
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) McKeever, Matthew Timothy, author; Gloeckner, Gene W., advisor; Anderson, Sharon K., committee member; Greene, David, committee member; Lynham, Susan A., committee member
This comparative quantitative study explored differences in and predictors of adjunct instructors, administrators, and faculty's affective, continuance, and normative commitment to multi-campus community colleges. Extraneous independent factors included time worked at the college, highest level of education, and age. Attribute independent factors included employee type, and primary work location. Two main constructs that acted as the dependent factors in the research questions were Meyer and Allen's (1991) Three Component Model of Employees Commitment to the Organization and the employees' perception of college leaders' practices of collaboration, communication and empowerment. Research question one explored the relationship between college employment factors (employee type and primary work location) and the employees' commitment to the organization. Factorial ANOVA findings determined there were no significant interaction between the effects of employees' primary work location and employee type on the employees' affective, continuance or normative commitment to the organization. Main effects were found to be significant across adjunct instructors and administrator employee types with administrators' affective commitment to the organization being higher. Research question two explored the relationship between college employment factors (employee type and primary work location) and the employees' perception of college leader's practices of collaboration, communication, and empowerment. Factorial ANOVA findings determined there were no significant interactions or main effects between primary work location and employee type on the employees' perception of college leaders' collaboration, communication or empowerment. Research question three attempted to understand if college employment factors (employee type and primary work location) and employees' perception of college leaders' practices (collaboration, communication and empowerment) were predictors additive to demographic factors (age, time worked at the college, and highest level of education) of employees' commitment to the organization. Multiple linear regression was computed for each of the three components of commitment considering college employment factors and perception of college leaders' practices. (A) Employees' perception of college leaders' practices (β = .69), adjunct instructor employee type (β = -.19), and age (β = .13) contributed significantly to the employees' affective commitment to the organization; (B) The group of factors did not significantly contribute to the employees' continuance commitment to the organization (C) Employees' perception of college leaders' practices (β = .49), and time worked at college (β = .16) contributed significantly to the employees' normative commitment to the organization. Significant findings included differences in the employees' affective commitment to the organization between adjunct instructors and administrator employee types; and the employees' perception of leaders' practices of collaboration, communication, and empowerment were the strongest predictors of employees' affective and normative commitment to the organization.
Open Access
Functional competence and emotional well-being for long term care residents with dementia: confirming a conceptual practice model through action research
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Metcalfe, Amy, author; Wood, Wendy, advisor; Eakman, Aaron, committee member; Lynham, Susan A., committee member
Long term care facilities often lack support for residents' quality of life. The Lived Environment and Life Quality Model (LELQ) is an empirically derived conceptual model on the effects of the lived environment on three quality of life indicators: daily time use, functional competence and emotional well-being, for long term care residents' with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. This study's purpose was to further the LELQ Model by engaging in a theory building process. To do so, the study sought to understand how expert occupational therapists' conceptualizations of their work align with the LELQ concepts: functional competence and emotional well-being. Six expert practitioners engaged in two individual interviews, and three focus groups. Through qualitative data analysis, we found that in general, expert practitioners' conceptualizations aligned and confirmed the LELQ Model domains functional competence and emotional well-being, and the connections they have to other concepts described in the model. In addition to confirmation, the participants elaborated on aspects of the model and identified potential gaps for implementation of the model in practice. Several ideas were highlighted as a result of this study including: the importance of the social environment support for use of retained capacities and emotional well-being, the addition of optimal health and personhood to the model and reimbursement as a barrier to application of the model in practice. The LELQ Model has been shown to be relevant and useful for practitioners however, further research is needed in order to revise and implement the LELQ Model in practice.
Open Access
Is it worth it? - a phenomenological analysis of the willingness to take interpersonal risk
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2025) Novak, A. Boyd, author; Chermack, Thomas, advisor; Lynham, Susan A., committee member; Maynard, Travis, committee member; Thomas, Cliff, committee member
Developing and implementing new technologies are essential parts of our economic system. Organizations aim to improve career information technology (IT) project success and reduce costs. Late-stage career professionals are valuable assets for organizations to leverage in delivering these projects and capabilities to consumers. Yet, how do organizations get the most from these employees? This study explored the lived experiences of late-stage career (IT) professionals as they navigated interpersonal risk in group settings. Grounded in psychological safety, psychological availability, and resources, the research employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to provide deeper insights into these experiences than prior quantitative studies. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with ten participants. The experiences were analyzed to identify Personal Experiential Themes (PETs), consolidated into seven Group Experiential Themes (GETs): identity, reflections, norms, dilemma, control, boundaries, and resources. The findings indicate that participants approached risky situations with a strong sense of self-identity, shaped by their past experiences and the influence of established norms. When faced with dilemmas, participants aimed for control through organized processes but often encountered difficulties concerning personal boundaries, necessitating careful resource management and decisions about risk engagement. Additionally, the study highlighted two critical resources, reputation and net wealth, which impacted participants' willingness to engage in risky situations. Reputation emerged as a vital social asset related to career longevity, while net wealth indicated future economic security and life expectations. The findings introduce a resource framework to identify the most operative resources for the individuals involved in the study, which may aid future research and HRD practitioners in better understanding and prioritizing interventions and their development. This research enhances our understanding of how people navigate interpersonal risks, offering insights that can improve employee and leadership development programs, organizational structures, and workplace culture. It provides practical recommendations to create environments that support psychological safety and ensure resource availability, boosting performance, retention, and organizational success. The study concludes with recommendations for future research and reflections on the research journey.
Open Access
Occupational therapy and time use of people with dementia in long term care facilities: confirming a conceptual practice model
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Lampe, Jenna L., author; Wood, Wendy, advisor; Eakman, Aaron, committee member; Lynham, Susan A., committee member
This study aimed to further develop a dementia-specific, occupational therapy conceptual model, the Lived Environment Life Quality (LELQ) Model, by asking: how do expert occupational therapists understand and promote positive time use patterns of residents with dementia in long term care facilities? Although occupational therapists are well-situated to promote such patterns for residents with dementia, time use has not been a focus of practice. Using an action research approach, six occupational therapists were chosen through selective sampling of extreme cases. Data were collected via twelve 90-minute interviews and six focus groups. Data analysis included coding, peer review, matrix and thematic analysis, and reflexive journaling. Overall, participants confirmed time use as represented by the LELQ Model as valid. While time use patterns were implicit in their practices, they viewed every moment as a possible moment of engagement and residents as if wearing a quilt with colorful squares symbolizing potential for meaningful daily time use. Participants also recognized that workers in dementia care can sometimes view residents with dementia through a pessimistic lens akin to a gray and stifling quilt, one symbolizing lack of potential for positive time use and leading to staff alienation and negative spiraling of residents' quality of life. Conclusions are that the LELQ Model is a valid conceptual practice model tool for promoting a focus on time use patterns as a vital quality of life indicator. Further, focusing on occupational engagement across the day can be seen as the core of occupational therapy philosophy, a means to avoid occupational deprivation, and a moral obligation of occupational therapists.
Open Access
The dementia-specific lived environment and life quality model: environmental interventions and roles of expert practitioners
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Alvord, Christina L., author; Wood, Wendy, advisor; Eackman, Aaron, committee member; Lynham, Susan A., committee member
Individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related neurodegenerative dementias (ADRD) are particularly vulnerable to their environments due to diminished abilities to correctly process, organize, and integrate sensory information, leading to potential behavioral problems and functional deficits (Cohen-Mansfield, 2004; Kitwood, 1997). For individuals living in long-term care facilities, qualities of the physical and social environment can have an immediate and compounding effect on the quality of life of residents. Yet, to date there is little research on current best occupational therapy practices related to environmental interventions for people with ADRD living in long-term care. A proposed model of practice unique to occupational therapy called the Lived Environment Life Quality Model provides an appropriate theoretical framework in which to identify and examine processes of physical and social environmental interventions. This research study employed an action research methodology to identify physical and social environmental interventions employed by six expert occupational therapy practitioners, framed within the context of confirming and disconfirming the Lived Environment Life Quality Model. The results showed an overall confirmation of the model. Physical and social environmental interventions identified represent a vast and complex list that infiltrated all aspects of care, with the practitioner operating as a powerful change agent capable of dictating, influencing, and operating as part of the environmental intervention itself. Ultimately, it is important for occupational therapists to serve as ambassadors of care, and step into the foreground of enacting large-scale systems change within all aspects of the physical and social environment of the long-term care facility to elevate quality of life for residents with ADRD.
Open Access
The lived experiences of cisgender openly gay Latino males as mid-level administrators in higher education in the southwest region of the United States
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Valdez, Robert A., author; Kuk, Linda, advisor; Lynham, Susan A., committee member; Aragon, Antonette, committee member; DeMirjyn, Maricela, committee member
The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to explore the stories and experiences of openly gay Latino males who serve as mid-level administrators in higher education. This study focused on narrative stories of personal and historical context of the participants' intersecting identities that have implications for their daily interactions in an institutional environment. This study is significant in four ways. First, In the United States, gay Latinos have been subject to social oppression, invisibility, and misrepresentation throughout history. This lack of recognition and support stifles gay Latinos the ability to develop a sense of belonging. Narrative inquiry was used to increase awareness of the lived experiences of gay Latinos as administrators in higher education and gives them an opportunity to share their experiences. The key findings from the participants' narratives were the influences of family expectations, support systems, fear of discrimination or homophobia, and lack of representation in higher education. The struggles and achievements from these stories are valuable and can raise visibility for more inclusive leadership practices, mentorship, and equitable policies in higher education.
Open Access
The role of chief executive officer
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Glick, Margaret B., author; Chermack, Thomas J., advisor; Gloeckner, Gene W., committee member; Lynham, Susan A., committee member; Bond, Jennifer K., committee member
The purpose of this study was to address the gap between what is reported in the literature and what is known in current practice on the role of CEO. Research on the role of CEO is conflicting and outdated, and the theory deduced by Mintzberg in the 1970s has not been continually refined and updated, a necessary process for maintaining the usefulness of a theory (Lynham, 2002). A major goal of this research was to use the insights provided by CEOs to improve our general understanding of the major roles played by CEOs and how they generally allocate their time in various critical functions. CEOs are known for being a difficult population to research, yet this study has shown they are not inaccessible. This research was also intended to serve those responsible for identifying CEO candidates, recruiting CEOs, coaching CEOs, sustaining an organization's leadership system, and developing performance matrices for Boards of Directors who are ultimately responsible for making sure the CEO is effective and efficient. To investigate the role of CEO a survey instrument was developed based on 31 roles identified in the literature. The survey was sent to CEOs selected from a purchased database by e-mail. The study focused on three research questions with the purpose of understanding the role of CEO, how CEOs allocate their time to roles, and what new roles are identified by CEOs. Eight research hypotheses were tested to understand the impact of gender, company ownership status, age, years in current job, years as CEO, and company size, on the roles agreed with and time allocations. There were a number of statistically significant findings with small effect sizes. The most significant differences were among company sizes, defined by number of employees. Because the survey instrument was developed specifically for this study it does not have a consistent or lengthy track record of valid and reliable survey scores, however, results from a factor analysis reveal high initial scores and a good basis for further instrument refinement and development. This study had implications for CEO role theory. The results provide evidence for adjusting Mintzberg's prior theorizing about the role of CEO, and in this study, many of the roles Mintzberg found were strongly supported, yet some were not. The roles of other researchers and new roles suggested by study participants add depth to Mintzberg's work and serve to update his theory for modern times. The impact of industry on the role of CEO may provide help to CEOs who change industries during their careers. Finally, this study provides implications for practice by providing benchmark data for working CEOs about what their role is and how other CEOs allocate their time to these roles.
Open Access
Undergraduate college student's attitudes toward Native Americans and their Native studies course experiences: a critical mixed methods study
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Brantmeier, Noorjehan Kelsey, author; Jennings, Louise B., advisor; Gloeckner, Gene W., advisor; Lynham, Susan A., committee member; Vernon, Irene, committee member
This mixed method study seeks to understand the attitudes of predominately White or Euro-American students enrolled in a Native studies course as measured by the Political and Racial Attitudes Toward Native Americans (PRATNA) Scale and the Color-blind Racial Attitudes Scale (COBRAS). Quantitatively, the study seeks to understand attitudes toward Native Americans as measured by a newly adapted attitudinal scale and qualitatively the study seeks to understand student's experiences of taking a Native studies course and what they learn or unlearn through the process. The use of mixed research methods provides a more complex and nuanced understanding of student's attitudes and experiences in the course. Epistemologically, the study is grounded in a complementary fusion of critical/transformative/Indigenous paradigms which seeks to "express and illuminate some of the vexing issues" of our times, "transform systems of oppression" and serve the needs of Indigenous communities (Merriam, 1991; Mertens, 2010; Hart 2010). The study is also informed by Tribal Critical Race Theory (an offshoot of Critical Race Theory) and provides a valuable framework for understanding the role Native studies courses play in deconstructing dominant narratives regarding the lives, histories, and experiences of Native people. Currently, there is not an available measure that accounts for Native American's liminal status as both political and racial beings. Additionally, there are few studies that research predominately White student's attitudes toward Native Americans and their perceptions from an Indigenous perspective based on a review of the literature. The findings from the mixed method study suggest that quantitatively, there were statistically significant differences between undergraduate college student's pre and post-PRATNA scores (p =.001), between students who have taken Native studies courses in the past and those who have not (p =.028), and between students who have taken past cultural diversity courses and those who have not (p =0.47). The qualitative findings suggest that three overarching themes can be constructed around the experience and process of taking Native American studies courses: 1) Learning and Unlearning: Past, Present, and Future; 2) Awareness, Emotion, and Moving Toward Action; and 3) Locus of Change. Students seem to move through the themes as a continuum, or do not, based on personal and educational factors. The appropriateness of mixed methods was discussed to explicate the ways both quantitative and qualitative data strengthened this study, and allowed for nuances to be seen that would be neglected by the use of one method alone. Lastly, the emergent finding of students' experiences participating in distance focus groups was explored to understand the benefits and drawbacks of the method.
Open Access
Using concept mapping as a tool for program theory development
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Orsi, Rebecca, author; Cobb, R. Brian, advisor; Hoeting, Jennifer A., committee member; Lynham, Susan A., committee member; Speer, Paul W., committee member
concept mappingThe purpose of this methodological study is to explore how well a process called (Trochim, 1989) can articulate the theory which underlies a social program. Articulation of a program's theory is a key step in completing a sound theory based evaluation (Weiss, 1997a). In this study, concept mapping is used to articulate the outcomes domain of a program theory, using Chen's (1990) six domains for program theory as an organizing framework. A grassroots community organization in Denver, Colorado, provides context for the study. With reference to Dubin's (1978) distinctions for theoretical units as a guide, the results of concept mapping are analyzed to determine whether they are useful in building a program theory. Results are also are evaluated to determine whether they present a comprehensive, parsimonious (Whetten, 1989) and valid representation of outcomes from the community organizing intervention. Methodological and statistical considerations for using concept mapping are mentioned. The study concludes that concept mapping is a promising tool for theory articulation. Study limitations and opportunities for future research are also discussed.