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A Historical-Contextual Analysis Of The Final-Generation Theology Of M. L. Andreasen, Paul M. Evans

Dissertations

Topic

This study analyzes the teaching of the early twentieth-century Seventh-day Adventist writer M. L. Andreasen regarding a final-generation perfection that vindicates God in the great controversy between good and evil, comparing Andreasen’s views with related concepts in the writings of previous Adventist writers.

Purpose

The study has the limited objective of attempting to trace possible antecedents for Andreasen’s final-generation theology in the writings of other Adventists, in order to determine the degree of uniqueness or variance in Andreasen’s views. By means of this historical-contextual analysis, relationships are clarified between Andreasen’s views and those of other prominent Adventist writers, such …

Relación Entre El Liderazgo Transformacional, Liderazgo Transaccional Y Liderazgo Laissez Faire Con La Satisfacción, Efectividad Y Esfuerzo Extra De Los Docentes De La Upeu Periodo 2009, Jorge Platon Maquera Sosa

Dissertations

Problem

A sustainable organization needs significant changes in strategies related to the development of human resources. Therefore, it is vital to know the leadership style of the academic administrators of a university, and how they influence in the satisfaction, effectiveness, and extra effort of faculty.

Purpose of the Study

This study explored the correlation between transformation, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles with the satisfaction, effectiveness, and extra effort of faculty at Universidad Peruana Union, in 2009.

Method

The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), Edition 5, adapted by Vega and Zabala, was the instrument used. Some items were modified in their wording. …

Grades In Prerequisite Courses As Predictors Of Success In A Nursing Program, Elaine Zeilke Foster

Dissertations

Problem: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecast that by 2016 more than one million new and replacement nurses will be needed to fill jobs in the health care field . In order to meet the medical needs of a changing society, schools of nursing must continue to educate and graduate significant numbers of nurses. This may be done by increasing the success rates of those who are admitted in nursing programs. Success rate is thought to be related to admission criteria used to admit students which, in turn, may reduce attrition rate, which is between 20 to 40% in …

Relación De Las Variables Del Clima Organizacional Y La Satisfacción Laboral En La Clínica Good Hope, Lima, Perú, En Al Año 2009, Freddy Robles Lirio

Dissertations

Problem

This study explores the relationship between leader practices, peer collaboration, acknowledgment towards the leader, employee development, work environment, and identification with the company’s objectives with employee satisfaction at the Good Hope Clinic, during 2009.

Methodology

An adaptation of Merck, Sharp, & Dohme’s questionnaire was used to measure organizational climate. The instrument measures six dimensions of organizational climate: leader practices, peer collaboration, acknowledgment towards the leader, employee development, work environment, and identification with the company’s objectives. Employee satisfaction was measured with a short scale. The population consisted of 467 employees from the Good Hope Clinic. The employees were gathered to …

Cosmic Conflict As A Hermeneutical Framework For Mission Theology In The Old Testament, Cristian Dumitrescu

Dissertations

This research aims to rediscover mission as taught by the Old Testament and to show how that mission is consistent with God's loving and just character as reflected in the whole Bible. Toward this end, the research surveys assumptions that influence Old Testament mission theology and evaluates ways in which current theologies of mission and theological currents relate to the unity and continuity of the Bible. With this background, the study then proposes a comprehensive theological framework that preserves the unity of God's character and his mission.

Chapter 1 shows how the traditional understanding of centrifugal and centripetal mission is …

A Comparative Analysis Of The Kingdom Of God In The Writings Of George Eldon Ladd And Ellen G. White, Changyoung Lee

Dissertations

Abstract. Since Seventh-day Adventist eschatology is often perceived as seriously deviating from other Evangelical eschatological views, it would be desirable and fitting to discover whether significant agreement or disagreement exists between Evangelical eschatological views in regard to the Kingdom of God. The purpose of this study was to make an analytical comparison of the concept of the Kingdom of God in the writings of two representative Evangelical voices, George Eldon Ladd, a well-known Baptist theologian, and Ellen G. White, a significant Adventist writer, in order to understand the similarities and differences that exist between the concepts of the Kingdom of …

Students' Perceptions Of Integration Of Faith And Learning And Intentional Teaching Strategies At A Christian University, Terry Anne Lawrence

Dissertations

Purpose

This study examined Christian graduate students’ perceptions of integration of faith and learning (IFL) in an instructional context where intentional integrative strategies were used to enable IFL for students.

Method

This study used a case study design that relied primarily on qualitative sources. The case investigated included 28 graduate education students in a summer “institute” at a Christian university. The instructors and most students were of the same denomination that the university is affiliated with. Most students were experienced teachers and expressed strong personal faith. The instructors support institutional goals for faith- learning integration. Descriptive statistics from a survey …

Principles Of Church-State Relationships In The Writings Of Ellen G. White, Marcio D. Costa

Dissertations

The Topic

Since the beginnings of Seventh-day Adventism there have been real or perceived tensions between two contrasting perspectives of church-state relationships: (1) the “eschatological view” that a union of church and state will lead to persecution in the times preceding the second coming of Christ, and (2) the “temporal view” that in order to accomplish its mission in the present, the church needs to work in an independent, but non-conflictual relationship with the state as far as it can do so without violating its primary allegiance to God.

The Purpose

In order to discover Ellen G. White’s position on …

Haima In Hebrews, Hermann V. Kuma

Dissertations

Problem. The focus of the dissertation is the significance of the term αἷμα (“blood”) in the Epistle to the Hebrews and how the author of Hebrews uses the term to formulate the argument and message of the Epistle. The dissertation traces the scholarly blood debate involving blood as life or death which began in the last decade of the nineteenth century and eventually fizzled out in the mid-1950s. Recognition of the ambivalence of blood, symbolizing both life and death, is necessary to understand the message of Hebrews.

Method. The dissertation provides a discussion of the concept of blood in the …

Theology Of Blindness In The Hebrew Scriptures, Ray Mcallister

Dissertations

Problem: A number of passages in the Hebrew Scriptures discuss blindness. Scholars have studied them individually, but not with a view to developing a theology of blindness. The purpose of the present dissertation, then, is to analyze theological implications of blindness in the Hebrew Scriptures systematically.

Methodology: This dissertation systematically analyzes blindness in the Hebrew Scriptures against their ancient Near Eastern background. The study looks at cultic implications, causation, social justice, healing, and social and religious meanings of blindness. Both physical and metaphorical aspects of blindness are examined. First, blindness in the ancient Near East is considered, with emphasis on …

The Origin, Development, And History Of The Norwegian Seventh-Day Adventist Church From The 1840s To 1889, Bjorgvin Martin Hjelvik Snorrason

Dissertations

This dissertation reconstructs chronologically the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Norway from the Haugian Pietist revival in the early 1800s to the establishment of the first Seventh-day Adventist Conference in Norway in 1887.

The present study has been based as far as possible on primary sources such as protocols, letters, legal documents, and articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers from the nineteenth century. A contextual-comparative approach was employed to evaluate the objectivity of a given source. Secondary sources have also been consulted for interpretation and as corroborating evidence, especially when no primary sources were available.

The study concludes …

A Comparison Of Computer-Based Training And Traditional Classroom Training For The Sad Corporation Job Placement Team, Janice Brown Adams

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this research study was to compare the effectiveness of computer-based training with traditional classroom training; both instructional delivery methods utilized the traditional classroom curriculum as a means of delivery for an on-the-job company-sponsored program. The JAW-SAD Human Resource Center (HRC) is a training facility for the SAD Corporation, a major international manufacturing company. The HRC is responsible for conducting continuous training and certification of SAD employees. Historically, training has been provided through conference workshops with a traditional classroom training format. The motivation and importance for this study was influenced by an administrative requirement to determine the …

Cosmological Beliefs About Origins Related To Science Achievement Among Junior High-School Students In South Bend, Indiana, J. David Van Dyke

Dissertations

Problem. American high-school students score lower in science achievement tests than their peers in other developed nations. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) ranked the scientific achievement of American high-school students as ―very low‖ in comparison to high-school students in other industrialized nations—only 29th out of 57 developed countries. Research has indicated that achievement declines as U.S. students progress to higher grades and take on more rigorous science courses. A variety of factors have been documented that may account for U.S. students‘ lower science achievement rankings. These include socioeconomic status, race, and gender. One area only marginally …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Community Connectedness And Congregational Spiritual Vitality, Rhonda Louise Whitney

Dissertations

Problem. Discussion over how to achieve church growth has been prominent over the first decade of this century and the last half of the 1900s as membership growth in mainline Christian denominations faltered to flat or negative growth. Membership growth in the Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists over the past 10 years has also flattened. Church leaders have responded by putting increased resources and emphasis on evangelism. At the same time, some megachurches that have developed multiple connections with their communities have seen spectacular growth.

Method. This study was conducted to determine if there is a relationship between levels …

Academy Students' And Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions Of The Use Of Electronic Technology In Their Personal Life And School Experiences In A Selected Union Conference, Alan R. Williams

Dissertations

Problem. The influx of N-Gen students into the classroom of teachers of earlier generations has created a digital generation gap. This gap has serious consequences for schools. For example, only half of the public school teachers who had computers or the Internet available in their schools use them for classroom instruction. However, today’s students are very technology savvy, feel strongly about the positive value of technology and rely upon technology as an essential and preferred component of every aspect of their lives. It appears that the slow speed at which technology is changing the classroom is providing challenges to educators …

Lifecode: An Examination Of The Shape, The Nature, And The Usage Of The Oikoscode, A Replicative Nonformal Learning Pattern Of Ethical Education For Leadership And Community Groups, Thom Wolf

Dissertations

Problem

The problem investigated in this study is how the oikoscode (Haustafeln), a pattern of ethical education replicated by earliest Christianity, can be developed into a theoretical model. The oikoscode is the lifestyle pattern, the lifecode of attitudinal framing and behavioral conduct that guided earliest Christianity, the generation of the first 25 years after the resurrection of Jesus.

Method

For this study in theory construction, Lynham‘s five-phased (conceptual development, operationalization, application, confirmation or disconfirmation, and continuous refinement and development) theory-building recursive system was used, delimited to only two of the five phases, conceptual development and operationalization. Data regarding the shape, …

Identifying Factors That Enhance Or Hinder The Utilization Of Strengths By Healthcare Managers, Gene C. Milton

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of strengths-use at Hackettstown Regional Medical Center (HRMC), and common factors and conditions that enhanced and hindered strengths-utilization among middle managers at HRMC, a 111-bed acute care facility in Hackettstown, New Jersey. The study identified factors and conditions that can be expanded and improved upon to promote strengths-use at HRMC in the future. The population for this explorative study was selected from approximately 200 full-time executives, managers, and staff at HRMC who took the StrengthsFinder Profile from January 2007 through June 2009. The vehicle used for data collection was 5 focus …

Media Literacy Education : A Case Study Of The New Mexico Media Literacy Project, Sam Nkana

Dissertations

Problem. England and Australia are the frontrunners in the establishment of media literacy education in schools, providing performance and content standards, norm-referenced tests, and pre-service university training for a specialty in media education. Canada is also in the advanced stage in the development of a media literacy curriculum. The United States, although a major producer of media, lags behind these countries in preparing its teachers and students to understand the media. Although national education standards and the curricular frameworks of all 50 states now contain one or more elements calling for some form of media literacy education, only a handful …

Mastery Of Sixth-Grade Mathematics Expectations As Measured By The Seventh-Grade Michigan Education Assessment Program From 2005 To 2007, Marian Prince

Dissertations

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to document sixth-grade mathematics mastery as measured by the seventh-grade Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) over a period of 3 years: 2005, 2006, and 2007. This study investigated whether mathematics performance in Michigan is related to ethnicity by analyzing student responses on the seventh-grade MEAP which evaluates students’ mastery of the Michigan sixth-grade mathematics expectations.

Method

Data from the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) containing the student scores of individual test items on the mathematics Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) for seventh-grade students in Michigan for 2005 to 2007 formed the basis for …

Evaluation Of The Formal And Informal Curricula Of The North American Division Evangelism Institute, Calvin Novaraj Joshua

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to conduct a formal program evaluation of the North American Division Evangelism Institute (NADEI). The goal of NADEI is to equip pastors and laity for ministry. It developed over 30 years, and has presented formal and informal educational programs during that time. This helped it emerge as an indispensable unit in the North American Division (NAD), Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary (SDATS), and Andrews University (AU). However, the programs of NADEI had not been evaluated.

Method. This study followed an Evaluative Case Study Design to evaluate the formal and informal programs of NADEI. Formal …

The Nursing Clinical Instructor's Rationale, Preparation, And Meaning For The Post-Clinical Conference, Joseph Michael Mucha

Dissertations

Purpose

Nursing education is a complex combination of classroom and clinical instruction. The clinical portion is usually divided into the pre-clinical conference, direct care, and the post-clinical conference. Many goals are listed in the literature as learning outcomes for the post-clinical conference. The purpose of this study was to describe the most important goals, meaning, rationale, and preparation for the post-clinical conference by clinical nursing instructors in associate degree and baccalaureate degree programs.

Method

This study used a survey design with an instrument developed to identify clinical nursing instructors’ meaning, rationale, and preparation for the post-clinical conference. Two open-ended questions …

Correlation Between The Leadership Practices Of Lead Ministers And The Workplace Spirituality Of Their Churches As Reported By Church Members, Richard A. Devost

Dissertations

Purpose. People seek for meaning in their work and lives. Researchers have recently conceptualized the experience of meaning at work under the construct workplace spirituality, which describes people's experience of both their work and their workplaces from a spiritual perspective. Recent research in organizations has found a relationship between the spirituality of the leaders and the workplace spirituality of the work units.

Christians often expect their churches to be spiritual workplaces where work will bring a sense of deep spiritual well-being and meaning. Pastors are spiritual leaders in their congregations. However, it is unclear if the practices associated with positive …

A Formal Mentoring Program And Its Relationship To Academic Success And Retention Rates Of First-Time Freshman College Students At Walla Walla University, Sallieann Brown Hoffer

Dissertations

Problem. For almost 160 years, researchers have studied freshman college students because attrition is heaviest during the first year. At Walla Walla University, statistics have shown that approximately 30% of each incoming freshman class will not return their sophomore year. The attrition rates represent an astounding loss of resources for the institution and in many cases a devastating loss of time, money, and self-worth for the students. Across the United States a concerted effort is being made to develop mentoring programs for undergraduate students, creating an environment where they could thrive socially and academically.

Method. In this study, an ex-post-facto …

Clergy Family Systems Training And How It Changes Clergy Leadership Attitudes And Practices, Michael J. Aufderhar

Dissertations

Problem. Clergy persons without an awareness of their family system patterns and reactivity often exercise their leadership in unhealthy ways that are damaging to their congregations. This study described changes in leadership attitudes and practices experienced by clergy participants in a Family Systems training program conducted by Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Method. This qualitative case study followed a narrative design. I collected data while participating in the program and 3 years later conducted semi-structured person-to-person interviews with all participants who were willing and available. The data also include drawings by each participant depicting their experience before and after the intervention. …

An Analysis Of Teacher Satisfaction In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church Schools In Zimbabwe, Silas Masuku

Dissertations

Problem. Various studies have been conducted internationally on teacher satisfaction in private and public schools. Similar studies have also been done in Seventh-day Adventist church schools around the world. The importance of teacher satisfaction is crucial for the stability of education institutions in shaping students for success in their communities. The purpose of this study was to analyze perceptions of the level of satisfaction on factors deemed important to teachers in Seventh-day Adventist church schools in Zimbabwe. This research study also considered the pattern of teacher turnover in the schools.

Methodology. A stratified random sample of 442 teachers from …

An Evaluation Of Health Behavior Change During A General Education Health Course, Lynn M. Merklin

Dissertations

Problem. There have been no studies as to the effectiveness of the one-credit general education health course at Andrews University, Fit for Life, in promoting the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors. Because behavior change is a process that occurs over time, any measurement of student health behaviors must be sensitive enough to detect the early stages of behavior change as well as the behaviors themselves.

Method. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which students enrolled in Fit for Life adopted the health behaviors promoted in the course, evidenced by progress through the stages …

Achievement Barriers Perceived And Overcome By Successful High-School Students Participating In Upward Bound Programs In Indiana, Alyssia Janet Parris-Coates

Dissertations

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine how academically successful Upward Bound students overcome the barriers to high-school graduation. While Upward Bound students come from disadvantaged backgrounds, similar to those of many students who fail to graduate from high school, 90% of them graduate.

Method

The research design for this study was Padilla‘s Student Success Model (SSM). Student Success Model (SSM) is a qualitative technique to portray successful student methods by capturing the perceived reality of the particular students being studied.

Results

In response to the first research question—What do students and staff perceive to be the barriers …