Digital Commons Network^™

A Qualitative Descriptive Study Of Therapists And Their Work With Socially Isolated Female Victims Of Sexual Violence Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic, Iris Lazette Saldivar

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to assess the experiences of therapists and the descriptions of their navigation processes while working with female victims of sexual violence who were socially isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic in the state of Texas. The theory that guided this study was the theoretical framework of loneliness, social isolation, and associated health outcomes. The research study focuses on two research questions that sought to examine the experiences and navigation of virtual treatment of therapists who provided counseling during the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to March 2022. This study sought to find a …

Evangelicals As Zionists And Peacemakers In Arab And Israeli Peacemaking Through Track Ii Diplomacy, Johnnie Moore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study contributes to the literature at the intersection of religion and foreign policy by focusing on one of the modern era's most protracted and relevant foreign policy issues (the conflict between Israelis and Arabs), the influence of one of America’s most powerful religious constituencies (evangelicals), and one of the most widely used tools of non- governmental diplomacy (Track II diplomacy). It provides original research related to the relevancy of Track II diplomacy by evangelicals, specifically pro-Israel or “Zionist” evangelicals, in Israeli and Arab peacemaking. The study analyzes three relevant case studies to answer the research question: “How are …

Meals For All: An Examination Of The Effects Of Free School Meals On Middle Class Households, Ryan Elizabeth Comerford

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Universal meal programs were created to mitigate childhood food insecurity in low-income communities. It is well known that poverty and food insecurity go hand-in-hand and are often the basis for much academic research within the realm of childhood food insecurity. This study investigates the impact of universal meal programs on food insecurity from a different perspective, that of the middle class. As an under-researched area, the hope is to draw attention to the needs of communities that are often forgotten and may not qualify for social programs, in an effort to reform existing federal policy regarding Universal Meal programs. Utilizing …

Preserving Faith Amidst Disruption: The Impact Of Obama And Biden’S Woke Foreign Policy On Christian Values In Africa And Its Effect On American Democracy Promotion, Christophe Mwungura

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

In May 2023, Uganda enacted a law criminalizing homosexuality. The Ugandan parliament and President Yoweri Museveni defended the enactment of this law, arguing that homosexuality directly violates Ugandan cultural norms and Biblical doctrines. In response to this legislative action, the United States immediately condemned the law and threatened to withdraw the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), along with other forms of assistance and investments. Despite this, many Ugandans, supported by their leaders, publicly expressed their willingness to accept the aid suspension rather than repeal the law. This article will examine the promotion of LGBTQ rights in Africa, …

City On A Hill: A Reflection On Christian Ethic And Human Morality, Mayce Combs

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

In John Winthrop’s sermon A Model of Christian Charity (1630), he spoke to his congregation of the mission God had called them to. With the creation of a new blended nation, the only way to be exceptional was to reflect the gospel in policy, action, and foremost thought. Philosophers from ancient times to today acknowledge that an individual is made up of the soul and their body. From the soul, comes thought, reason, empathy, and a connection to a divine being who deciphers what is morally unjust. The body is a sinful, self-seeking vessel that does not have the ability …

Conflict In The Congo: A Critical Assessment Of Section 1502 Of The Dodd-Frank Act, Rodney Ford

Senior Honors Theses

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the poorest and most troubled nations in the world. With a convoluted and often tragic history, a significant cause of economic underdevelopment and political instability in the Congo has been the illicit expropriation of the country’s vast reserves of high-value minerals. In the early 2010s, Congress attempted to address the “conflict minerals” dilemma through the enactment of Section 1502 of the Dodd Frank Act. The conflict minerals rule aimed to break the supposed link between the illegal exploitation of minerals and the perpetuation of violence. Drawing upon books, journal articles, research …

Employee Engagement In Public Sector Organizations, Rhonda Isler Dent

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Public Administrators recognize Employee Engagement (EE) as a significant component in fostering effective work environments in public sector organizations. EE is a recently established concept on Public Administration's agenda and the mantra for today's workplace, leading organizations to recognize the vested interest in measuring, observing, and increasing employee performance. Evidence suggests EE is vital to an organization's thriving in a competitive global market. The research study evaluated and measured the influences that affect EE in public-sector organizations. A quantitative method using the quasi-experimental design was used to answer the research question and address the corresponding hypotheses. The researcher used the …

Making Sense Of Ethnocentrism: Intelligence Analysis & National Cultural Dimensions, Travis J. Benson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Varying internal and external stimulants naturally oscillate the creation of objective intelligence analysis; however, the most egregious offender to accuracy and completeness is the natural human mental process. No element of intelligence analysis is more formidable than the cognitive process that houses specific deviations, known as biases, as it yields inaccuracies and alters what is believed to be a rational response to a complex analytical problem. The phenomenon of ethnocentrism is consistently identified as an analytical limitation of intelligence professionals, derived from cognitive bias. Ultimately, ethnocentrism manifests an analyst’s perception of information directly through the lens of culturally dependent heuristics …

Mass Incarceration In America: Where's The Church?, Michael J. Wing

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Due to mass incarceration, correctional facilities in America are dealing with unprecedented levels of overcrowding, staff shortages, violence, suicide, and widespread mental illness among inmates. Budget cuts and the corresponding loss of vocational, educational, and treatment programs have exacerbated such problems. Mass incarceration and its deleterious consequences are challenging the very soul of America, and the church has largely stood by and watched this tragic situation unfold over the last fifty years. This research project has explored some of the barriers that have precluded churches from taking a more intentional, active, and impactful role in doing something about the national …

Sex And Violence: An Exploratory Study Of Changes In Male And Female Violent Offenders' Choices Of Weapon And Victim Over Time, Lindsey Hutton Nagle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Violent offenses are part of the history of humankind, and as such, both male and female violent offenders have perpetrated these acts, often with gender differences between male and female offenders present. As more women leave the home and enter the workplace, the gap in gender roles has narrowed, so it follows that this narrowing may also be reflected in the actions of violent offenders. Although there are various explanations for the narrowing of the gender gap in crime, understanding the differences between male and female offenders can help inform gender-based interventions. To address this idea, the type of weapon …

The Perspectives Of Ghanaian Political Leaders And Citizens Concerning The Development And Implementation Of The Ghana Vision 2020 Development Plan, Kwame Aduhene-Kwarteng

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative research case study is to collect, investigate, and assess Ghanaian citizens’ and political leaders’ perspectives and viewpoints regarding the success or failure of Ghana Vision 2020 and the challenges facing developing nations. The study used a descriptive approach to examine Ghana’s Vision 2020 and the country’s development challenges using a descriptive methodology and primary and secondary sources. The 105 participants for the study included 65 males and 40 females living in Ghana. The theoretical framework of this study are modernization, globalization, and dependency theories. To that end, the study set out to investigate the question: …

Facebook Usage By Small-Town Governments: A Multi-Case Study In Southwestern Virginia, Adam Luke Tolbert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this mixed methods multi-case study is to analyze (1) how small-town governments are using the Facebook social media platform to serve residents; (2) the results that are experienced by the small-town governments and residents in the town’s use of Facebook; and (3) the factors that influence the small-town governments to use Facebook to serve residents. The setting for the study is three small-town governments (Abingdon, Lebanon, and Marion) located in Southwestern Virginia. The theoretical framework guiding this study is the T3 Framework for Innovation by Dr. Sonny Magana. This theoretical framework, originally created to assess the use …

A Descriptive, Multi-Site Case Study To Discover The Inclusion Of Disability Competencies In Undergraduate Public Health Program Curricula In California-Based Public Universities, Jacqueline Suzanne Siukola Tompkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Nearly one in four adults and one in six children in the United States (U.S.) have a disability. Despite the evidence documenting health differences, public health professionals receive inconsistent or little-to-no disability education in graduate public health curricula. Undergraduate public health (UGPH) programs have an expanding role in building the future public health workforce, including the U.S. governmental public health workforce. However, the inclusion of disability-related content within UGPH program curricula is currently unknown. The purpose of this multi-site case study was to conduct preliminary research to describe how disability-related curricula are or can be included in UGPH program curricula …

Recidivism Among Rehabilitated Offenders With Mental Illness: A Quantitative Study, Robert Olando Walker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Offenders with severe mental illness (SMI) found a place within the criminal justice system (CJS) with its most crucial objectives including the reduction of recidivism among discharged offenders and their safe reintegration into a free community as rehabilitated offenders. Beyond the monetary costs of recidivism, the continued potential for criminality among offenders with mental illness (OMI) added enormous costs to all law-abiding citizens and their respective communities. However, no study was found in the literature that attempted to investigate the relationship between recidivism and the successful rehabilitation of patients with mental illness. Those found involved offenders without mental illness and …

The Relationship Between Leadership Transparency And Accountability On Public Rural Basic Education In Amenfi Central District, Western Region Of Ghana, Emmanuel Osei-Kissi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation assessed the relationship between leadership, accountability, and transparency in basic public rural schools in the Amenfi Central district of Ghana. Over the past decade, leadership, transparency, and accountability measures have addressed developmental failures in the educational sector. However, most of these studies are done in isolation. The problem is that studying the concepts (leadership, accountability, and transparency) in an isolated manner does not provide a holistic examination of the effect of these concepts in the educational sector, especially in basic rural schools. The dissertation sought answers to whether the leadership style, accountability, and transparency techniques affect school management …

Vested Interest And Preparedness Policy: Increasing Preparedness Behaviors Among American Individuals And Families, Nicholas Evan Winters

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Natural disasters take place throughout the United States many times annually, from localized storms to hurricanes or earthquakes affecting many states. The federal government develops and implements preparedness policies, which are then translated into state, county, and municipality preparedness policies. Individual and family preparedness is a component of these preparedness policies; however, existing federal preparedness policies fail to prompt American individuals and families to prepare for natural disasters. The purpose of this study is to understand how the failures of the current preparedness policies contribute to the lack of individual and family preparedness and the political, social, and psychological factors …

A Quantitative Study Exploring The Perceptions Of Body-Worn Camera Use In The Texas Department Of Juvenile Justice, David Dean Stender

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Social justice issues led to the implementation of body-worn cameras (BWC) in police departments throughout the United States. This widespread implementation provided research results to assist other police agencies in considering implementation; however, no similar criminal justice solution for adult and juvenile corrections has been implemented with the same level of practicality. BWCs have the potential to protect inmates according to the Prison Rape Elimination Act’s (PREA) requirements and represent the most critical social justice issue in corrections: advocating civil rights. The former Texas Youth Commission (TYC) was re-branded as the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) due to a history …

Creating A New Sports Division The Importance Of Protecting Women’S Sports While Encouraging Sportsmanlike Competition, Taylor Nilson

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Creating a new sports division: The importance of protecting women’s sports while encouraging sportsmanlike competition

The foundation of sports is to encourage respectful and fair competition between two or more individuals. For those who choose to participate, they are pursuing the happiness they find in competition, others have found their livelihood in sports, and most find liberty in their carefree activities.

Given the recent rise in the popularity of the transgender community, it is natural for members that want to compete in sports, specifically women’s sports. However, with that there are also those who would abuse this popularity to support …

Law Enforcement Cardiovascular Health: A Qualitative Study On Law Enforcement Officers' Risk Awareness And The Targeted Mitigation Of Cardiovascular Disease, Gretchen Sue Harvey Lapp

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Cardiovascular disease-related deaths and injuries are prevalent among law enforcement officers (Han et al., 2017; Keeler et al., 2021), with attribution pointing to the strong associations between the inherent stressors of police work directly impacting the psychological and physical health of police officers (Santa Maria et al., 2018; Violanti et al., 2017). As such, several researchers have studied the associations between police officers' perceptions of stress and the presence of cardiovascular disease risk factors. However, there is a current gap in the literature on information examining the relationship between law enforcement officers' cardiovascular disease risk perceptions and their utilized health …

Tanf Work Policy Influences On Family Behaviors And Child Development, Robert William Sturgill Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There has been a lack of research on how work participation policies have impacted child development through their influences on family decisions. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the perspectives of families toward TANF work participation policies, discover how those policies have influenced family behaviors, and analyze how those policy-behavior phenomena have impacted child development. First, the literature review showed that families with chronic welfare dependency had negative impacts on child development. The research showed that when TANF work participation policies were unenforced or income limits were too low, some recipients worked less and persisted in …

Exploring Public Perceptions Of The Recovery Response As A Result Of Hurricane Michael’S Landfall, David Lovett

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Hurricanes remain among the most frequent and costliest natural disasters to impact the United States both in terms of loss of property and life (Rudden, 2022; NOAA, 2021a; NOAA, 2022a, 2022b, 2022c). Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria brought renewed attention to the subject of disaster recovery as they collectively cost the nation over $373 billion dollars in damage and over 3,200 lives lost in the 2017 hurricane season (NOAA, 2022a, 2022b; Reguero et al., 2018; USNHC, 2018). Property and lives are at most risk during the first 72 hours following a major hurricane (Col, 2007; Kohn et al., 2012; Dourandish, …

Incarcerated Mothers And Their Children's Caregivers: How Their Relationship Impacts The Mother-Child Relationship, Jodi Simmons Ford

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Mass incarceration has impacted much of the population in the United States over the last several decades. One of the most significantly impacted groups is women. Over half of incarcerated women are mothers. Mothers are typically the primary caregiver of their children at the time of their incarceration, and most want to maintain a relationship and have contact with their children throughout their incarceration. However, the children’s caregiver controls their relationship and contact with their incarcerated mother. The primary purpose of this research was to examine how the incarcerated mother’s relationship with her children’s caregiver impacts her relationship with her …

Compassion, Respect And Governance: How Legislative Gender Quotas Influence Physical Integrity Rights, Daniel Partin

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

This paper addresses the substantive political outcomes of legislative gender quotas and considers the influence of gender quota rules upon the governmental respect for physical integrity rights that are observed within states.

Victim To Abuser, Elizabeth Wilson

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

This paper evaluates the ideology that children who are abused and molested may one day become the abuser.

Modern-Day Child Sacrifice: The Horrific Penance Demanded By The God Of Convenience, Gracelyn Hedrick

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Law Enforcement Training On The Ability Of Officers To Recognize Human Trafficking Situations In West Tennessee, Marie Angelena Garrett

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

No one knows the true extent of human trafficking in America today, yet law enforcement officers may encounter victims during routine assignments. There exists a growing body of research associated with law enforcement officers and human trafficking. However, few researchers have explored the connection between human trafficking training and officers’ ability to recognize human trafficking situations. Grounded in schema theory, this quantitative study surveys law enforcement officers in West Tennessee. Survey questions assess officers’ awareness of human trafficking generalities, their ability to recognize possible locations of human trafficking, and training related to human trafficking. Questions then describe potential human trafficking …

Tactical Mistakes: Women's Role In Terrorism, Laura Daniel

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

Since the 1970s, the word "terrorism" has become a well-known term. Almost two decades after 9/11, it has become a part of everyday vocabulary and, at times, dominates the news cycle. However, the faces we see associated with terrorism are mainly men. When talking of a training camp or a video claiming responsibility for terrorist attacks, women are not a part of the majority. However, women do play a significant role in terrorism. This article evaluates the history of women in terrorism and their positions in terror organizations, as well as the tactical mistake of overlooking women's role in global …

Status Quota: The Representational Efficacy Of Legislative Gender Quotas Upon Public Policy, Daniel Partin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Legislative gender quota policies are political rules which are designed and implemented with the goal of increasing the representational presence and influence of women in government. Fundamentally, representation operates along two separate dimensions and can be considered as either descriptive or substantive. Descriptive representation is the numerical proportion of a group within a deliberative assembly while substantive representation concerns the ability of a group to shape influence policy outcomes in accordance with their preferences. Past research into legislative gender quotas has been prolific but has also been largely focused upon the tendency of quotas to shape the descriptive dimension of …

The Efficacy Of Emergency Management Certification Training In Georgia Through The Lived Experiences Of Local Emergency Managers, Jack Robby Westbrook

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenology qualitative inquiry was to understand the efficacy of the Basic Georgia Certified Emergency Manager Program curriculum on preparing local emergency managers in each of Georgia’s eight geographical regions for their role. Emergency managers are professionals tasked with helping communities and organizations to anticipate all hazards and undertake measures to deal with disasters (McEntire 200 7). Demands placed on local emergency managers have increased significantly since the turn of the century. Between 2002 and 2020, the number and frequency of disasters have dramatically increased, and Georgia's social and economic demographics have undergone significant changes, presenting …

The Impact Of Out-Of-Home Placements On Juvenile Delinquency And The Protective Factors That Neutralize Offending, Kenneth James Kilian

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The negative effects of adverse childhood experiences have been widely examined; however, there has been limited research exploring the association between out-of-home placements and juvenile delinquency. Evidence suggests that positive bonding and associations mitigate maladaptive behaviors, yet it remains unclear if certain protective factors have an equally mediating effect on offending. The current study expanded on the existing criminological literature of juvenile offending by applying general strain theory and developmental taxonomy as the frameworks for the association between childhood traumas, protective factors, and juvenile offending. Data were drawn from the Pathways to Desistance Study using foster care, residential treatment centers, …