Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A Predictive Model For Tck Identity Development: What Role Do Faith Development And Religious Motivation Play?, Amanda Rockinson-Szapkiw, Lorene R. Heuvelman-Hutchinson

Journal of Counseling and Psychology

This study examines the predictive association of 86 Third Culture Kids’ (TCK) faith development, religious commitment, and identity development statuses. TCKs’ low levels of faith development and religious motivation were associated with lower levels of identity statuses while TCKs’ achieved identity statuses were associated with high levels of faith development and religious motivation. The results of the direct logistical regression revealed that the full model containing the two predictor variables (intrinsic religious motivation and faith stage) significantly predicted identity achievement status. The model accounted for between 18.7% and 29.2% of the variance in identity status. It correctly classified 83.7% of …

What We Have Heard And Know, David Carscaddon, Laura Carscaddon

Journal of Counseling and Psychology

The following was the commencement address given at the May 12, 2018 afternoon graduation ceremony at Gardner-Webb University. Following a discussion on the essence of what a university is, the address focused on the purpose of obtaining a university education and its relationship to the university motto, Pro Deo et Humanitate.

Prayer: An Instrument For Assessment Of Spiritual And Psychological Concerns For Burundian Refugee Women In Maison Shalom Rwanda, Ornella Umubyeyi

Doctor of Ministry Projects

A qualitative research methodology was designed to analyze how prayer can be used as an instrument to reveal various spiritual and psychological issues Burundian women refugees face in Rwanda. Six Burundian refugee women were surveyed throughout the seven weeks of the research. Various modalities of prayer were used to assess different concerns that they might have had. Participants met in both one-on-ones and group sessions. Data gathered suggested that prayer was a crucial tool that allowed the participants to reveal their traumatic events and created a strong bond among participants. The collected data indicates that the practice of prayer became …

Imaging Spiritual Growth For The Iphone Generation: Taking College-Aged Young Adults On A Pilgrim's Journey In Dallas, Nc, Jonathan Pugh

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Today’s generation of college-aged young adults have proven to be the least-connected to the church in American history. Their immersion in technology absent of the traditional church setting has necessitated the strong need for church leaders to actively engage this generation in communities of deep relational discipleship. This project created a small-group setting geared particularly toward young adults to introduce them to the themes of spiritual journey found in John Bunyan’s classic work, The Pilgrim’s Progress. The small group proved to be a successful method that most churches can replicate to reach young people who might otherwise find themselves outside …

Storytelling As A Pastoral Care Intervention That Ministers Healing To Adult Parishioners Of St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church In Canton, Georgia Who Have Experienced Violence, Lemora Dobbs

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The goal of this project was to test whether storytelling could be used to facilitate healing in adult parishioners who had experienced violence. The project engaged congregants of St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Canton, Georgia in a series of five workshops that taught, modeled, and used storytelling as a pastoral care intervention. The personal stories of five research participants were recorded in individual sessions. Common themes within the individual stories shared were identified and discussed with the research group. The group brainstormed ideas about how the church could use storytelling to minister healing to violence victims. The outcome …

A Reintroduction Of Sabbath As A Biblical Practice For The Spiritual Formation Of Inman First Baptist Church Inman, South Carolina, Jeremiah Vance Childers

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Inman First Baptist Church received Sabbath as a biblical practice through a three-stage project. The project is adapted from James Brian Smith’s components for spiritual transformation. A control group received the first stage through narrative teaching in a Sabbath Study. An experimental group received the first stage, along with second (Sabbath practices) and third stages (Sabbath discussion). The thesis stated, “Members who received all three stages of the experiment would have a higher appreciation of Sabbath for Spiritual Formation.” The study measured appreciation of Sabbath through a Sabbath Survey. The evaluation of the quantitative and qualitative data indicated that the …

Implementing Critical Analysis In The Classroom To Negate Southern Stereotypes In Multi-Media, Julie Broyhill

MA in English Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to bring attention to the continued strong stereotypes against those who live in the southern region of the United States, especially those living in the deep south. Using literary examples from Southern authors Zora Neale Hurston (Their Eyes Were Watching God), Delores Philips (The Darkest Child), and Dorothy Allison (Bastard Out of Carolina), as well as cartoons, movies, and the news media, this thesis stresses the importance of educators teaching how to apply critical analysis to literary works and other forms of multi-media in order to negate preconceived notions of Southern people.

The Cost And Value Of Your Education, T. Perry Hildreth

Journal of Counseling and Psychology

This brief address explores the issue of the dominance of the economical way of valuing education over a more traditional idea of education as moral formation. An education in a Christian liberal arts university uniquely gives priority to the idea that education should shape the student's moral understanding and consequent actions. The address is an invitation to consider how one, professionally and personally, might serve members of a culture shaped largely by the idea that human meaning and purpose are reducible to economic value as merely producers and consumers.

The Art Of The Tweet: How To Change Political Rhetoric In 140 Characters Or Less, Alice Byrd

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Excerpt from Literature Review

The Internet age has seen a huge shift in the way that candidates communicate their political rhetoric, because there has been a huge shift in how voters consume that rhetoric. Twitter and Facebook are now some of the vehicles by which voters consume political rhetoric. Twitter and Facebook are home to lots of non-political content, but many members of the politically engaged community have flocked to both social networking sites to create politically engaged social networks. The emergence of social media as an important information source within the electorate has fundamentally changed not only the way …

Post Title Ix Representations Of Professional Female Athletes, Emily Shaw

MA in English Theses

Since the enactment of Title IX in 1972, female participation in athletics grows every year. Interestingly, media representations of professional female athletes have not always been indicative of this exciting and growing participation. This study explores the representations of professional female athletes and discusses implications and affordances of magazine and social media. In particular, the research analyzes five Sports Illustrated magazine covers and thirty Instagram posts to explore how female athletes have been presented on magazine covers and how they are representing themselves on social media. Using theories of gender, media, self-presentation, and visual rhetoric, this thesis analyzes how Sports …

Volume 50 (2018), C.V. Davis

The Broad River Review

The 2018 edition of The Broad River Review was edited by C. V. Davis. The publication contains fiction, non-fiction, art, poetry, and photography. The cover, "Blue Door," was photographed by Rollin Jewett. The winners of the J. Calvin Koontz Poetry Award, given annually for a portfolio of poetry to a senior English major, are Mallory Moore and Hannah Ray. The Broad River Review Editor's Prize in Poetry is chosen among all submissions from Gardner-Webb University students. The winners of the poetry award are Summer Byers for the poem titled "In the Name of Victory," and Aaron Hilton for the poem …

Increasing Ministry Participation Through Effective Recruitment And Retention, Lyndon F. Robinson

Education Dissertations and Projects

For many years churches have found it to be a great challenge to staff programs and ministries, and that challenge will become greater. There are many churches that face difficulties getting people to volunteer and stay engaged volunteering. This is a critical issue for churches to figure out. Volunteering is crucial to many ministries in the church. Most ministries would not be able to function without volunteers. Increasing Ministry Participation Through Effective Recruitment and Retention was a challenge The Park Church, as other religious organizations, were facing on a daily basis.

The Park Church (as known as The Park Ministries) …

Improving Ministerial Effectiveness In A Multi-Site Church, Randa M. Ross

Education Dissertations and Projects

In the modern church, it is not uncommon for churches to be comprised of congregations that worship at multiple locations offering several worship times and some even offering a virtual worship experience. In order to effectively manage Sunday worship along with other church activities, churches rely heavily on their congregants to volunteer in the various church ministries. The need for actively engaged volunteers is only amplified when the resources are spread across multiple campuses. The Park Church is one of those churches presented with the challenge of Improving Ministerial Effectiveness at a Multi-Site Church.

The Park Church desired to improve …

Transforming Organizational Climate After A Transitional Change In Leadership At The Unitarian Universalist Church Of Catawba Valley, Elizabeth Lee Braun

Education Dissertations and Projects

In the summer of 2016, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Catawba Valley saw the retirement of its long-time minister and the hiring of a quarter-time consulting minister. In the 3-5 years leading up to that, the church had been experiencing a drop in general attendance, a decrease in overall membership, minimally functioning committees, defunct committees, and low morale.

Applying Morgan’s (2006) metaphor of organizations as cultures, which shows “how organization ultimately rests in shared systems of meaning, hence the actions and interpretive schemes that create and re-create that meaning” (p. 138), and which allows organizations “another means of creating and …

The Divine Collaborative Effort: Agency As A Tool For Examining Power And Relationship In The Exodus Narrative, Harley Burgess

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Excerpt from Introduction

The character of Moses as seen within the Old Testament is perhaps the most dynamic and powerful character within the biblical text. Continually throughout the Exodus narrative, Moses faces opportunities for growth and development that lead him toward becoming the archetype for leadership. Moses’ journey is rife with choice. Though many would place Yahweh at the forefront of the narrative, it is truly Moses whom the audience witnesses generating change, making decisions, and even influencing the decisions of his God.

Tabletop Role-Playing Games, Narrative, And Individual Development, Benjamin Luke Flournoy

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Excerpt from Introduction

In 1982, Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons (BADD) was created. BADD was a group consisted of parents, teachers, and clergy who were worried about the spiritual and mental development of children, who they saw were at risk of being corrupted by a single game—Dungeons & Dragons. The group campaigned again and again, warning fellow parents about the detrimental effect that this game could have on a child’s life. They believed Dungeons & Dragons had a kind of power over its players—a power that could create meaning and even take children to their eternal doom. This …

Helping Clinical Pastoral Education Students Develop An Integrated Theology Of Judgment In A Hospital-Based, Cpe Program At Mary Washington Hospital, Fredericksburg, Virginia, Kevin S. Crowder

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Many Clinical Pastoral Education students are averse to judgment. Some do not want to be critiqued or critically engaged. Others believe that pastoral ministry should not include judgment, critique, or conflict whatsoever. This project was conceived to help both groups appreciate that judgment is integral to pastoral care. Between pre- and post-curriculum surveys where changes in students’ attitudes and understanding about judgment were assessed, students participated in judgment-related curriculum including readings, didactic seminars, verbatim presentations of clinical cases, and written assignments. There was some movement in student attitudes and understanding, but not necessarily as anticipated.

Cooperation, Not Competition: Utilizing A Shared Small-Group Discipleship Experience To Create Interchurch Partnerships Between First Baptist Church And First United Methodist Church In Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Thomas Paul Batson

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The future of ministry will involve many churches forming interchurch partnerships to share resources to maximize ministry effectiveness and stewardship of assets. A small group between members of First Baptist Church and First United Methodist Church in Elizabeth City, NC, was formed to explore biblical themes of partnership and discuss logistical issues and how they might be obstacles to partnerships. Surveys measured participants’ perceptions of their doctrinal knowledge, attitude toward partnership, and perceived difficulty in dealing with the logistics of partnership. Discussion, reflection, and interviews contributed to the interpretation of survey data. Results indicated that a shared small group experience …

Student And Teacher Perceptions Of Multiliterate Assignments Utilizing 21st Century Skills, Jessica Kennedy Miller

MA in English Theses

Today’s society requires students to be knowledgeable in both content and skill to be successful. In the secondary classroom it is important to fully prepare students for their futures in the post-secondary classroom or for their career, and through the implementation of Common Core State Standards, this focus has been emphasized in educational pedagogy. This thesis outlines a study and the implications of the perceptions of teachers and students on utilizing 21st century skills in the secondary English classroom through the implementation of multiliterate assignments. This thesis outlines reasons for the study, important terminology to ground the study, the methodology, …

The Storytellers’ Trauma: A Place To Call Home In Caribbean Literature, Ilari Pass

MA in English Theses

This thesis is an examination gathering of trauma, unhomeliness, and the use of non-traditional narrative structure in Caribbean literature. While literature helps the reader travel inside the skin of the character, the mystery of another human being, Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies, and Edwidge Danticat’s The Dew Breaker, also help readers to explore the complicated process of identity formation in each work through the lenses of the imperialism, colonialism, racism and sexism that the protagonists experience. A non-traditional narrative structure enables this process of healing from trauma and allows for a new …

The Effects Of Social Media As Low-Stakes Writing Tasks, Roxanne Loving

MA in English Theses

nspired by a recognition of high school students’ frequent disengagement during reading and their lack of comfort and confidence with finding ways to engage with texts, the purpose of this research was to examine the impact of social-media formatted low-stakes writing tasks in the high school English classroom. Drawing from research on writing instruction, reading engagement, literacy, and social media practices, the study utilized social media as a familiar writing format for high school students, bridging out-of-school literacy practices with classroom-based literacy practices. During the six-week study in a 10th-grade English course, student participants used Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook …

Fan Fiction In The English Language Arts Classroom, Kristen Finucan

MA in English Theses

Inspired by the observation of an obvious deficit in students’ comprehension of higher level literature, as well as an apparent weakness in both verbal and written critical analysis skills, this study explores the creation of collaborative fan fiction by students as they read the classic text, The Great Gatsby. Fueled by research in the areas of fan fiction, participatory culture, and cooperative learning, this inquiry took place over the course of six weeks in a high school English class comprised of 10th and 11th grade students. Throughout the study, the researcher examined student survey results, videos of students as they …

Transferring The Mantle: The Voice Of The Poet Prophet In The Works Of Elizabeth Barrett Browning And Emily Dickinson, Heidi Brown Hyde

MA in English Theses

Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Emily Dickinson are arguably two of the most recognized names in nineteenth-century poetry. One was famous in her lifetime, a pioneer of women’s poetics with a searing vision of what her world was, her place in it and how to live. The other was only recognized for her poetic genius after her death, and but for the love of her family and friends, her poetic voice would have never transformed the landscape of American literature. Although these two women were separated by culture and geography, they both had a shared Congregationalist heritage, a poetic gift and …