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The Relationship Between Treatment Programs And Recidivism With African American Delinquents Under The Age Of 14, Sonya D. Gray

Dissertations

Problem statement. African American youth are over-represented in the juvenile justice system, which fails to meet their needs. Research is necessary, therefore, to discover treatment alternatives that effectively address these delinquents' needs.

Methodology. This study examined the relationship between treatments and recidivism of 100 African American male delinquents under the age of 14. Recidivism was defined as any arrest, within a 3-year period, for either criminal or misdemeanor offenses, subsequent to the court's referral for the treatment programs named in the study. Only delinquents who were adjudicated for the first time in 1991 through 1994 were included in …

Power In Religious Organizations: A Study Of Principals' Perspectives As Seen In Three Religious High Schools In Michigan, Patrick L. Allen

Dissertations

Problem. Power is a phenomenon that is known to almost everyone, and is evident in any relationship that involves at least two individuals. Despite its inescapability, not many individuals are aware of its nature and characteristics and how it displays itself, especially in the organizational setting. This study focused on how power displays itself in religious organizations, and described particular activities that occur in the context of three religious schools in Michigan.

Method. To accomplish the purpose of the study the literature on power was reviewed to identify the existing theories. This documentary approach was combined with case studies to …

Variables That Discriminate Between Persisting And Nonpersisting, First-Year Undergraduate Students In An Open-Admissions, Multicampus, Commuter College System, Jeffrey David Hines

Dissertations

Problem. Most new undergraduate students begin college with the highest hope of finishing their educational programs. Unfortunately, a large number of students drop out prior to graduation. This is particularly true of nontraditional students who attend nonresidential commuter colleges. This study investigates the differences between nontraditional commuter students who persist through to completion, and those who do not.

Method. A total of 436 Davenport College students, 65 males and 371 females, was surveyed for this study. They were full or part-time, certificate, diploma, or degree-seeking students at one of five Davenport campuses: South Bend and Merrillville, Indiana; Grand Rapids, …

The Influence Of Social Integration, Religious Integration, And Religious-Social Regulation On Suicidal Behaviors Among Seventh-Day Adventist Youth, Elizabeth A. Hossler

Dissertations

Problem. Since Durkheim's classic 1897 study of differences in suicide rates between Catholics and Protestants in Europe, much research has focused on the relationship between religion and suicide. Pescosolido and Georgianna (1989) have suggested that Durkheim's Catholic/Protestant paradigm may not work well in the more heterogenous religious culture within the United States. This present study used Pescosolido and Georgianna's (1989) social network theory to examine the influence of social integration, religious integration, and religious-social regulation on attempted suicidal behavior in Seventh-day Adventist adolescents.

Method. The data used for this study came from the Valuegenesis (1989) survey conducted by the Search …

The Theology And The Function Of The Prayers In The Book Of Daniel, Paul Birch Petersen

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the theology and the function of the prayers in the Book of Daniel.

The introduction reviews the scholarly literature in regard to the prayers of the Old Testament in general and the prayers in the Book of Daniel in particular. Recent studies of prayers in the Old Testament have focused on their theological function in their final literary setting. They have also turned their attention to prayer as part of a process of communication, of a divine-human dialogue, and consequently this study is structured from the aspect of interpersonal relationships.

Chapter 1 deals with Daniel and his …

Eating-Disorder Patterns In The Minnesota Multiphasic Personaity Inventory, Karen Baer-Barkley

Dissertations

Problem. Early intervention is crucial for effective treatment of eating disorders. While there have recently been many assessment tools developed specifically for eating disorders, a screening tool is still needed. This study sought to identify, in an eating-disordered sample, the existence of a v-shaped pattern on scales 4-5-6 of the MMPI, a commonly used general measure of psychopathology.

Method. The sample consisted of 356 females who were being treated for eating disorders through the HOPE program between 1989 and 1996. Past research on the MMPI has produced equivocal results on identifying significant patterns on the clinical scales. Since prior research …

Educational Administrators And Computer Usage: Leadership Styles And Computer Attitudes In Small Secondary Schools In North America, Daniel Hong Lim

Dissertations

Problem. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between the computer attitudes of educational administrators and teachers, the leadership styles of educational administrators, and computer usage in secondary schools.

Method. The design of this study used the questionnaire survey to collect data investigating relationships between educational administrators' attitudes toward computers, their leadership styles, and computer use in schools. The sample of the study was derived from educational administrators and teachers from 58 Seventh-day Adventist senior academies (i.e., high schools) found in the United States and Canada. Two instruments were selected for this study. The Computer Attitude Scale …

Analysis Of University Personnel's Perception Of Institutional Factors Impacting Student Persistence/Retention, Jose Melendez

Dissertations

Problem

Universities are assessing which institutional efforts are most directly impacting student attrition. This study identified important institutional factors impacting student attrition/retention using university personnel. It also measured personnel perception of how satisfactorily addressed were institutional factors impacting student persistence.

Methods

A quantitative survey methodology was used, and a survey instrument was developed and validated in the study. Tinto’s 1987 model of Student Departure and the Melendez model o f Transaction Satisfaction toward Student Persistence were used to guide the development of the instalment. The Melendez model was formulated as a rival hypothesis and an alternative tool for the study …

Volunteers As Tutors And Trainers Of Tutors : A Qualitative Study, Mark B. Thogmartin

Dissertations

Problem. The Seventh-day Adventist church/North American Division initiated a Tutoring and Mentoring project in response to President Clinton’s America Reads literacy campaign. This study documents the efforts of the church and the first cohort of trainees as they sought to establish tutoring projects in their home locales.

Method. The author of this study was involved as a co-trainer and a participant-observer during the initial 1-week training session held at the North American Division Headquarters. This training was intended to equip the participants to become tutors of children and trainers of tutors in a primary-level tutoring project. During the …

The Laws Of Clean And Unclean Animals Of Leviticus 11: Their Nature, Theology, And Rationale (An Intertextual Study), Jiří Moskala

Dissertations

The present dissertation attempts to fill the gap in Pentateuchal studies on the Mosiac dietary laws concerning clean and unclean animals by investigating the nature, theology, and rationale of the food regulations.

My study is divided into four chapters. After an introduction (where the problem of the topic, methodology, limits, purpose, and justification of the study are presented) chapter 1 deals with the chronological development of the interpretation of the laws of clean and uncle food. Chapter 2 reviews relevant explanations of these laws topically, analyzes them, and briefly evaluated the different approaches to the Pentateuchal dietary laws. Chapter 3 …

Quality Of Fathering And Its Relationship With Family Background, Demographics, And Characteristics Of Present Family : A Study Of Seventh-Day Adventist Fathers And Fathers From A National Sample, Ruth Depaiva

Dissertations

Problem . Fathers have been assumed to play an important role in the socialization and education of their children. The need to understand the influence and the role of effective fathers becomes especially important in a generation which views fatherlessness as one of the most harmful demographic trends. The Seventh-day Adventist Church considers fatherhood vital for the normal functioning of the family. The present study investigated how selected variables from family background, demographics, and characteristics of present family are related to fathering as measured by self-report of fathering dimensions, practices, and satisfaction.

Method . Two groups of fathers participated in …

The Role Of The Holy Spirit In Biblical Interpretation: A Study In The Writings Of James I. Packer, Samuel Koranteng-Pipim

Dissertations

Evangelical scholars have forcefully articulated their views on the Holy Spirit's supernatural work in producing an inspired and authoritative Bible. Yet, comparatively little attention has been given to the Spirit's role in biblical interpretation. Two vital questions are prompted by this apparent indifference to the Spirit's work in interpretation: (1) Should the Evangelical doctrine of Scripture be rested on the deistic concept that the Holy Spirit, having inspired the Bible, departed and left the church alone to wrestle with the problems of interpretation? (2) If one admits that the Holy Spirit plays a part in the interpretative process, what is …

Theoretical Orientations To Reading And Reading Instructional Practices Of Selected Home-Education Parents In Southwest Michigan, Pollyanna Prosper Barnes

Dissertations

Problem. This research study sought to determine
(1) home educators' beliefs about reading,
(2) their reading instructional practices, and
(3) the consistency between parents' beliefs and practice.

Method. This study used multiple sources of data. Demographic information was collected from 78 active home educators in southwest Michigan. DeFord's (1985) Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile (TORP) determined parents' theoretical orientation to reading. Nine parents were interviewed and observed teaching reading. The Moss (1980) Classroom Analysis of Teachers' Theoretical Orientation (CATTOR) was used to record parents' instructional practices in reading. Documents utilized during instruction were analyzed and placed in one or more …

Experiences Assisting Or Hindering The Academic And Social Integration Of African American Students At Southwestern Michigan College, Naomi L. Ludman

Dissertations

Problem. Attrition rates of minority students in general and African American students in particular have remained high in postsecondary education, particularly at community colleges. To gain information that is most useful for implementing policies and actions that will increase the retention and achievement of minority students, Tinto has maintained that colleges should not rely solely on systems-wide research, but should study their own students.

Method. This case study used Tinto’s longitudinal model of institutional departure to investigate the experiences of six African American students at a rural community college in southwestern Michigan. Analysis of the data from a series of …

A Strategy For Guiding Pastors And Congregations Through A Church-Building Project In Bermuda Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Carlyle C. Simmons

Professional Dissertations DMin

Many times pastors in their ministry face the task of leading their congregations through a church-building project. Often with little to no formal preparation for such a task, pastors and congregations experience challenges and pressures not anticipated. Sometimes the magnitude and extent of these challenges and pressures produce an adverse effect on the morale and spiritual conditions of the pastor and congregation. Since the emphasis in the Adventist Church in Bermuda is on evangelism and mission, one can expect that there will be an ongoing need for church buildings. The development of this strategy for guiding the pastor and congregation …

"By Accident Or Design": A Seminar On Origins, John B. Kurlinski

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

Evolution is the only accepted theory taught in the public educational systems and by the scientific community in general. The results of the promotion of this theory have had a negative impact on the church and Scripture in general and is in direct conflict with the message of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. However, the scientific data used to support evolutionary theory are highly suspect. There are credible scientific data that call into question the long-held theory of evolution and in fact support the biblical account of the creation and the flood. The purpose of this project was to write …

Reaching The Unchurched: An Evaluation Of And Recommendations For Florida Hospital Seventh-Day Adventist Church's Downtown Community, Raymong Andrew Mcdonald

Professional Dissertations DMin

Task

The task of this project was to evaluate and make recommendations for the future of Downtown Community, the Florida Hospital Seventh-day Adventist Church’s contemporary, ongoing evangelistic ministry to reach the unchurched.

Method

After establishing the philosophical basis for the ministry, a careful review of the preparation for and initiation of Downtown Community was conducted. The effects of the ministry were ascertained by observations, focus groups, and surveys. In addition, comparisons were made with other area churches.

A number of unexpected effects from the ministry of Downtown Community were reviewed. This study is highly dependent on observations, testimonials, and opinions, …

Developing Seven Bible Studies Related To The Atonement, Consistent With A Cosmic-Conflict Paradigm Of Salvation History, Richard Duane Smith

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

A new view of the atonement threatened to divide some local congregations of Seventh-day Adventists. Referred to in this study as the "trust-healing model" of atonement, the new paradigm proposed by A. Graham Maxwell was developed from a wide reading of Scripture and claimed additional support from the "great controversy" motif in the writings of Ellen G. White. However, because it seemed to call in question certain aspects of the long-accepted substitutionary model of the atonement, the new paradigm became a point of conflict.

Method

This dissertation seeks to clarify the issues by comparing the trust-healing model of atonement …

Employability Skills In The Undergraduate Business Curriculum And Job Market Preparedness : Perceptions Of Faculty And Final-Year Students In Five Tertiary Institutions, Patrick Antonio Williams

Dissertations

Problem

For several decades educators, researchers, and employers have expressed concern about the quality of business graduates that are entering the workplace as entry-level professionals. The major concern of these stakeholders is that many students who are leaving tertiary institutions lack the necessary employability skills needed for career success. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate if undergraduate schools of business are adequately preparing their students for the workplace through the incorporation of employability skills throughout the curriculum. To achieve this purpose, the study measured the perceptions of both final-year undergraduate business students and their professors to determine …

Intentional Classroom Humor In Nursing : A Multiple Case Study, Joan Kay Ulloth

Dissertations

Problem. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived connections between the intentional use of humor in the nursing classroom and student learning in the cognitive and affective domains while seeking to understand student and teacher perceptions and responses to humor.

Method. This study used a case study approach and the end result is a multiple case study of three associate degree nursing instructors in the Midwest. The data collection methods included observations, interviews, and surveys. Data from the different sources were examined within and across cases for commonality or difference of experience. Connections were made between …

Relationships Among Expectations Of Reentry Problems Of International Students Living In On-Campus Apartments And Off-Campus Housing At Andrews University And Selected Student Characteristics, José R. Bourget-Tactuk

Dissertations

Problem. Andrews University has maintained a large international student population throughout the years, but no previous study exists that examines expectations of reentry problems among international students. Consequently, neither has there been data collected on important demographic variables influencing the sojourn experience of this group, nor does there exist information about relationships among demographic variables and specific reentry areas that shape the students' expectations about the return home.

Method. The Expectations of Problems Upon Return to the Home Country Among International Students at Andrews University survey instrument was developed. Descriptive statistics were used to discover demographic characteristics and frequency of …

Preparing Pastors To Train Laity For Church Growth In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Japan, Akeri Suzuki

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The annual number of baptisms in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in Japan has decreased from 426 in 1986 to 334 in 1995 despite increases in both the total membership and number of churches. During the same period of time, the number of pastors has declined from 118 in 1986 to 112 in 1995. Thus, the average annual baptisms per pastor has decreased from 3.61 in 1986 to 2.98 in 1995.

Method

Current literature was reviewed. This included books and articles on the principles, strategies, and programs which help pastors develop their abilities to equip the laity and to …

Teamnet Ministries: An Empowerment Paradigm For Every-Member Ministry In The Hamlet Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Amelia, Ohio, Loren L. Fenton

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The Hamlet Seventh-day Adventist Church, located near Amelia, Ohio, experienced a period of significant congregational decline during the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. Several contributing factors converged during this time frame to cause much discouragement and burn-out among the church members. Many left to join other congregations, or simply dropped out completely. Attendance dropped from the 120-150 range to an average of 35-40 at worship each Sabbath. By 1992 there was a serious leadership vacuum, coupled with a high level of mistrust, misunderstanding, and factional splintering permeating the church.

Method

In May 1992, I arrived as senior pastor for …

A Study Of The Internal Family Systems Model Applied To Remarried Couples Of Stepfamilies In Different Stages Of Adjustment, Susan Marie Carter

Dissertations

Problem. Stepfamilies are becoming the largest family type in the United States. This has significant implications for understanding the complications of remarriage and providing clinical interventions that support the adjustment process of stepfamilies. The Internal Family Systems Model, developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, asserts that an individual's personality is multiple naturally, and that there are interactions within the individual that have significant impact on their external systems. In applying the IFS model to the study of stepfamilies, this present study identifies the IFS maps of the partners of remarried couples active in stepfamily interaction and to determine how this IFS …

Integrated Thematic Instruction : A Descriptive Case Study Of Students' Attitudes Toward School And Learning, Ginger Heinrich O'Neal

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to describe the operational form of the innovation— Integrated Thematic Instruction within the context of its implementation. An embedded single case study design was used to carry out this gualitative study, with Integrated Thematic Instruction (ITI) as the unit of the case study. The questions that guided the study were: What does ITI look like when implemented by the teacher? What are the contextual elements of implementation of this program? What variations are found in the implementation of this innovation by different teachers? A review of related literature revealed the historical, philosophical, and theoretical …

Analysis And Evaluation Of Vladimir Lossky's Doctrine Of Theosis, Eugene Zaitsev

Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes and evaluates the doctrine of theosis as it is presented in the work of Vladimir Lossky, one of the leading contemporary spokesmen for Orthodox theology. Two main questions set up the purpose of the study: Is Lossky's soteriological position biblical, and is Lossky's understanding of theosis in agreement with the tradition he belongs to.

The method of study is historical-analytical. First, the development of the idea of theosis is traced in the Greek Fathers, in the Byzantine tradition (mainly Gregory Palamas), and in Lossky's immediate antecedents in the Russian religious tradition. This historical background identifies two major …

La Evangelización De La Clase Media Alta De Buenos Aires, Daniel Belvedere

Professional Dissertations DMin

The biblical instruction commands us to evangelize every person without discrimination. Nevertheless, the evangelization of the higher classes has not been highlighted enough. The purpose of this thesis was to prepare a manual that would enable pastors in Buenos Aires to accomplish this task. Throughout the Bible, different types of evangelistic methods to reach the higher social status people are described. The writings of Ellen G. White present health related evangelism, person-to-person and small group evangelism, and public efforts as effective methods to evangelize the higher classes. Very little has been written by Evangelical authors about evangelism of the higher …

The Three Parts Of Babylon : Teaching A Historicist Interpretation Of The Leopardlike, Lamblike And Scarlet Beasts (Rev 13 And 16:19 As Reflected In Rev 17) Based Upon The Douglas Waterhouse Construct, William C. Taggart

Dissertations

Problem. In the field of religious education, a need exists for a broad teaching strategy through which the biblical three parts of Babylon (Rev 16:19) and the visual imagery of apocalyptic Babylon (Rev 13 and 17) might be taught effectively within the historicist tradition. This study was designed to present a teaching strategy based upon the historicist apocalyptic three-part construct developed principally by Douglas Waterhouse.

The Theoretical Organizing Principle of Geographic Relationships. The concept that helped guide and bring together this study was the understanding that Rev 17 is based on personification which were well known in the …

A Longitudinal Study On The Essence Of Success Development As Seen By Caribbean Canadian Women In The Storied Landscape Of Their Lived Experience, Glenda-Mae Greene

Dissertations

Problem. Caribbean Canadians are often susceptible to negative stereotyping because of issues of social class and length of residence in Canada. This study describes how three Caribbean Canadian young women avoided stereotype vulnerability and journeyed to their definition of success. This narrative study focuses on themes which acted as catalysts for success in their lives. The data collection began with interviews conducted during their high school years and concluded with another set of interviews in the post-college years. The study records their stories as they strive to develop and achieve their idea of success in the non-school world.

Method. Through …

The Effects Of Perspective-Taking Training On Empathy Development In Adult Male Sex Offenders, Randall E. Haugen

Dissertations

Problem. Empathy training is considered a critical part of a sex offender program. Research has revealed that sex offenders are deficient in empathy, which may be a factor that contributes to their abusive behaviors. There is a surprising lack of research on empathy program outcomes, and there is a need to determine whether program formats are producing the desired outcomes. Research supports that sex offenders are deficient in perspective-taking, which is considered a critical part of the empathy process. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the inclusion of perspective-taking training in a traditional empathy-training module.

Method. …