Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 15 of 15

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Role Of Culture In Coping: An Autoethnography-Lived Experience Of Navigating The Trauma Of Breast Cancer And Treatment, Amanda Yu Apr 2024

The Role Of Culture In Coping: An Autoethnography-Lived Experience Of Navigating The Trauma Of Breast Cancer And Treatment, Amanda Yu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Chinese American women have been part of the United States immigration history since the Gold Rush in 1852. They have experienced physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual challenges with minimal support. The premise of this study is that when facing the hardship of a breast cancer diagnosis, Chinese American women are resilient by adhering to their cultural beliefs and using effective coping styles to cope with their cancer. Based on previous studies, Chinese American women have been considered to have a lower risk of breast cancer and have a 30% lower death rate than non-Asian women. However, breast cancer incidents are …


Cultural Conflict For Veterans Transitioning To Civilian Life, Adam Francis Apr 2023

Cultural Conflict For Veterans Transitioning To Civilian Life, Adam Francis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

United States military veterans face many challenges while transitioning from the military to civilian life that require a new civilian perspective to navigate the differences between these experiences. Previous research is focused on psychosocial, behavioral, and psychological issues veterans face (Ainspan et al., 2018; Coulthard & Lee, 2022; Romaniuk et al., 2020). The military and the Veterans Administration (VA) have primarily focused on veterans achieving employment and education after leaving the military. Being in the military is highly stressful and requires working closely with others (Krishnakumar et al., 2019), and reflects a collectivist nature (Bongioanni, 2022; Verkamp, 2021). Civilian culture …


The Lived Experience Of Personnel Adversely Impacted By Toxic Leadership: A Phenomenological Study, Jeremy B. Piasecki Oct 2022

The Lived Experience Of Personnel Adversely Impacted By Toxic Leadership: A Phenomenological Study, Jeremy B. Piasecki

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the lived experience of personnel adversely impacted by toxic leadership. This topic is important to study because the harassment, bullying, and narcissistic behavior exhibited by toxic leaders and negative environments have severe adverse implications for personnel, such as reduced accomplishments, mental health, lack of trust, and overall wellbeing. In order to further understand the phenomenon, the following research questions guided the study: (a) What is the lived experience of personnel adversely impacted by toxic leadership? (b) How were the personnel impacted by the change in the culture and environment? (c) …


The Method Is The Message: Communicating For Individual Behavior Change Toward Disciple Multiplication, Jeffrey Keith Mcdaniel Oct 2022

The Method Is The Message: Communicating For Individual Behavior Change Toward Disciple Multiplication, Jeffrey Keith Mcdaniel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this ethnographically informed, comparative embedded case study was to understand the lack of disciple-making movements for congregations at three evangelical churches representing the East Coast, Midwest, and West Coast of the United States. The theories guiding this study were Latour’s actor–network theory and Bandura’s social cognitive theory as they provide a theoretical framework to understand the influence of culture on the creation of meaning followed by the influence of meaning on individual behavior. The primary research question that guided this study asked, How can a church organization communicate to increase disciple multiplication? To answer this question, a …


Culture-Building Through Online Communication: A Case Study On The Rabbit Room Nonprofit Organization, Kate Elizabeth Mead Oct 2022

Culture-Building Through Online Communication: A Case Study On The Rabbit Room Nonprofit Organization, Kate Elizabeth Mead

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Communication patterns and techniques have been changed by the continuous evolution of online technology. Research has found that online communities may unify through a myriad of communication techniques. To date, however, there is limited research over the online communication patterns of faith-based organizations, particularly faith-based nonprofits that operate separately from traditional religious bodies. The purpose of this case study was to develop a deeper understanding of how communication presents itself online and thus develops culture within a Christian nonprofit organization. This qualitative case study analyzed the Rabbit Room organization and its online artifacts from November 1, 2021 through April 30, …


Third Culture Kids' Repatriation And Planned Transition To College From A South Asian Country: A Qualitative Collective Case Study, Sandra Wiemann Blank Aug 2022

Third Culture Kids' Repatriation And Planned Transition To College From A South Asian Country: A Qualitative Collective Case Study, Sandra Wiemann Blank

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to understand the transition to college in the United States of third culture kids (TCKs) who have spent at least one year in South Asia during their upbringing (ages 6-18). Schlossberg’s adults in transition theory was employed to study planned transitions to college. This study attempted to answer the research questions: How do TCKs perceive the major events or benchmarks in their transition to college? How did expected and unexpected outcomes impact TCKs’ experience during their transition to college? What resources do TCKs typically access during their repatriation to college transition …


A Phenomenological Study Of Multi-Ethnic Churches That Have Effectively Managed Ethnocentric Biases And Cultivated Imago Dei-Centered Relationships, Shirley Ann Vazquez May 2022

A Phenomenological Study Of Multi-Ethnic Churches That Have Effectively Managed Ethnocentric Biases And Cultivated Imago Dei-Centered Relationships, Shirley Ann Vazquez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Much research has been conducted in recent years concerning implicit bias. Banaji and Greenwald (2016) tell readers that even good people can have some form and level of implicit bias, including implicit ethnic bias (Banaji & Greenwald, 2016). While ethnically based implicit bias has been studied in education and business, the effects of ethnically based implicit bias in churches have only recently come to the forefront. Christian pastors need a good understanding of these implicit biases and how these phenomena may have been, and may still be, operating in their local multi-ethnic church body, preventing them from becoming a successful …


The Culture Of Appalachian Coal Miners And Its Affect On Their Culture, Joanna Mary Ferrell May 2022

The Culture Of Appalachian Coal Miners And Its Affect On Their Culture, Joanna Mary Ferrell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to understand and describe the culture and history of the Appalachian coal mining community and how the culture is impacting their future if they face a mine closure. The theory guiding this study is the Cultural Identity Theory by Mary Jane Collier as it explains that the miners’ culture is influenced by those around them and can change based on their surroundings. There is also influence from mining history, which was explored in detail. Surveys, interviews, and observations were utilized to collect data as well as historic artifacts.


Distributed Leadership In West Virginia Higher Education, Jennie Lee Khun May 2022

Distributed Leadership In West Virginia Higher Education, Jennie Lee Khun

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how public higher education institutions in West Virginia can leverage distributed leadership to influence culture and improve student outcomes. The general problem to be addressed was the lack of distributed leadership in academic organizations creating disparate hierarchical groups resulting in the inability of academic institutions to successfully implement changes that improve student outcomes. The outcome of the research was to contribute to the body of knowledge and reduce the gaps in literature by expanding on the understanding how leaders fail to apply distributed leadership, behaviors that support or fail to …


Servant Leadership Impact On Organizational Performance, John W. Wesevich May 2022

Servant Leadership Impact On Organizational Performance, John W. Wesevich

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Leadership matters because individuals desire to improve their personal, social, and professional lives; corporations seek individuals with specific leadership qualities to improve organizational and financial performance and gain a competitive advantage; and universities provide programs in leadership studies. Leadership encompasses influence over others to accomplish a specific or common goal (Northouse, 2019). This qualitative research study focused on a contemporary leadership approach, servant leadership, and its influence on organizational performance. Researchers have acknowledged a positive relationship between servant leadership and organizational performance (Chiniara & Bentein, 2016; Saleem et al., 2020; A. Wong et al., 2018). This qualitative case study corroborates …


Emotional Disconnection Between Parents And Adolescents: Communication Obstacles Among Immigrant Chinese American Christian Families, Agnes Yinshan Man Apr 2022

Emotional Disconnection Between Parents And Adolescents: Communication Obstacles Among Immigrant Chinese American Christian Families, Agnes Yinshan Man

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand and describe the lived experiences of communication that lead to emotional connection issues between Chinese immigrant parents and their American-born adolescent children, particularly in families attending Chinese American Christian churches in Massachusetts. The theory guiding this study was social constructivism, which posits that family members may interpret and experience the same interactions differently from one another. The research questions of the study include: (1) How do first-generation Chinese American Christian parents and second-generation Chinese American Christian adolescent children experience their interaction with each other? (2) How do American-born Chinese Christian …


Keeping Culture: An Evaluation Of Organizational Culture In The Multisite Church, Michael John Grayston Nov 2021

Keeping Culture: An Evaluation Of Organizational Culture In The Multisite Church, Michael John Grayston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to explore the attendee perception of organizational culture, including the communication pathways, vision, and mission in the three common multisite church models: the local franchise model, the national franchise model, and the live teaching model. The study evaluated the attendee perception of the methods and strategies used by the multisite church to create and keep one unique culture in spite of their method, proximity, or demographics. The researcher attempted to evaluate these methods through a survey and face-to-face interviews with multisite church leaders from six different churches representing three different models. The …


Developing A Discipleship Program For Artists In Naples, Florida, William Sanford Barnett Apr 2021

Developing A Discipleship Program For Artists In Naples, Florida, William Sanford Barnett

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Naples, Florida, is home to many talented artists. Many hold to various worldviews that are different from a biblical one. Both secular and Christian artists are on a mission to transform the culture. This divide creates challenges for Storytellers Creative Arts’ mission to do evangelism through the arts. Artists, over centuries, have functioned in various roles within the church, marketplace, government, communications, entertainment, and education. The arts have always been one of the most powerful forces in transforming the world. God has instituted the church as His most redeeming force to transform culture. Rather than allowing the arts to be …


Evaluating Ethical Technology Leadership: Organizational Culture, Leader Behavior, And A Cyberspace Ethic Of Business, Mark Lee Pickel Oct 2020

Evaluating Ethical Technology Leadership: Organizational Culture, Leader Behavior, And A Cyberspace Ethic Of Business, Mark Lee Pickel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Evaluating ethical technology leadership at a financial services firm in North Carolina requires discovering interactions amongst organizational culture, leadership approaches, and ethical decision-making practices. This study provides insight into how the participating firm’s organizational culture creates a leadership climate accommodative of an applied cyberspace business ethic. A cyberspace business ethic provides guidance to technology leaders addressing ethical challenges arising from emergent digital technologies. The identification of four key influencers that support ethical decision-making and provide protection against reputational risk exposures create an understanding of the collective nature of core values, relational, reputational, and technological influences on ethical behaviors. Self-determination theory …


Conflict Style And Marital Satisfaction In Black Intercultural Couples, Tiffanie James Parker Dec 2019

Conflict Style And Marital Satisfaction In Black Intercultural Couples, Tiffanie James Parker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Current literature suggests that culture-specific relationships exist between conflict styles and marital satisfaction; however, researchers have only focused on marriages between non-Westerners and Westerners. Very little research exists on how these variables function uniquely in marriages involving African American and African Caribbean individuals. This quantitative study examined the relationship between conflict style and marital satisfaction with and between African Caribbean and African American couples living in the United States. The research focused on three questions: (1) Will cultural differences between spouses influence the relationship between conflict styles and marital satisfaction? (2) Will there be any observable differences in conflict styles …