Digital Commons Network^™

No. 20: Informal Cross-Border Traders And Food Trade During The Pandemic In Zimbabwe, Abel Chikanda

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The collapse of Zimbabwe’s economy in the 2000s resulted in the country relying largely on food imports from other countries, especially from South Africa. Informal cross-border traders have become crucial players in the country’s food economy, playing an important role in the importation of food as well as its retail across the country. Cross-border trading also provides employment opportunities to a large number of people in the country, especially women in an environment of depressed economic opportunities. The paper first uses data from a survey conducted by the Southern African Migration Program (SAMP) in 1997, 2007 and 2014 to document …

Introduction:Towards An Economic Anthropology Of Catholicism, In The Age Of Pope Francis, Samuel Weeks, George Bayuga

Journal of Global Catholicism

Introduction to Towards an Economic Anthropology of Catholicism, in the Age of Pope Francis.

Perceptions Of Financial Exploitation Among Older African American Women In The Black Church, Patricia Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Perceptions of Financial Exploitation Among Older African American Women in the Black Church by Patricia Jackson MS, Walden University, 2016 BA, Langston University, 1977 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Social and Behavioral Sciences, Family Studies and Intervention Walden University February 2024

I Am Gay And Catholic: An Analysis Of Identity Integration In Lgbtq+ Members Converting To Catholicism, Maria Julian

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This article examines the negotiation of sexual and religious identities among Catholic members of the LGBTQ+ community. I explore context-specific identity negotiation to determine how and why, in a time of “cultural warfare” within the Catholic Church surrounding the acceptance of LGBTQ+ participants, LGBTQ+ members choose to convert to Catholicism. Through semi-structured interviews conducted with members of the LGBTQ+ community, I identify and discuss several themes based on the identity integration process of these individuals: (1) Experiencing “The Call” (the initial interest in Catholicism), (2) Encountering the Religious “Other” (association with a welcoming and enduring Catholic LGBTQ+ Community), (3) Immersion …

การประเมินผลระบบอภิบาลระบบสุขภาพปฐมภูมิของโรงพยาบาลส่งเสริมสุขภาพตำบลที่ได้รับการถ่ายโอนไปสู่องค์การบริหารส่วนจังหวัด ปีงบประมาณ 2566, อุดม ทุมโฆสิต, จันทรานุช มหากาญจนะ, อลงกต สารกาล, สุพัฒน์จิตร ลาดบัวขาว, กรณ์ หุวะนันทน์

Journal of Social Sciences

การวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อประเมินผลการอภิบาลระบบสุขภาพปฐมภูมิของโรงพยาบาลส่งเสริมสุขภาพตำบลที่ได้รับการถ่ายโอนไปสู่องค์การบริหารส่วนจังหวัดในปีงบประมาณ 2566 ผลแห่งการทบทวนวรรณกรรมทำให้เกิดกรอบแนวคิดการวิจัยโดยการผสมผสานตัวแบบอภิบาลขององค์การอนามัยโลกกับตัวแบบระบบสุขภาพปฐมภูมิของไทยประกอบกัน ในด้านระเบียบวิธีวิจัย คณะวิจัยได้เลือกใช้วิธีวิจัยเชิงคุณภาพแบบสำรวจและอธิบายเรื่องราวที่เกิดขึ้น (Exploratory with Descriptive Case Study) ผลการวิจัยพบว่า การอภิบาลระบบสุขภาพปฐมภูมิของไทยยังอยู่ในฐานะเริ่มต้น กลไกต่าง ๆ ยังมีลักษณะเป็นเพียงรูปแบบมากกว่าแก่นแท้ที่เป็นสาระสำคัญ ซึ่งมีความจำเป็นต้องปรับปรุงให้ดีขึ้นทั้งในระดับพื้นที่ ระดับจังหวัด และระดับชาติ

Feminized Servanthood, Gendered Scapegoating, And The Disappearance Of Gen-X/Millennial Protestant Clergy Women, Lynn Horan

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In today’s mainline Protestant churches, young women clergy navigate a precarious leadership space. While women’s ordination is well-established in American Protestantism (Burnett, 2017), Gen-X/Millennial clergy women find themselves at the crosshairs of conflicting gender narratives and unsustainable expectations of what it means to be both a woman and an ordained pastoral leader. Through the use of feminist constructivist grounded theory methodology, this study explored the lived experiences of Gen-X/Millennial clergy women who have left active ministry or a specific pastoral position due to concerns over their own interpersonal boundaries and psychological safety. Through dimensional analysis of in-depth interviews with 20 …

Looking Into The “Dark Mirror”: Autoethnographic Reflections On The Impact Of Covid-19 And Change Fatigue On The Wellbeing Of Enabling Practitioners, Angela Jones, Susan Hopkins, Ana Larsen, Joanne Lisciandro, Anita Olds, Marguerite Westacott, Rebekah Sturniolo-Baker, Juliette Subramaniam

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The COVID-19 pandemic brought global disruptions to the way universities operate. Online learning abruptly took priority, as the physical campuses in Australian universities became deserted. Staff had to instantly adapt to major changes in work practices, whilst continuing to support students’ engagement and maintain quality teaching and learning. This article discusses how change fatigue during the pandemic impacted the wellbeing of staff working in the enabling education sector. As staff and student wellbeing is interdependent, gaining a better understanding of the influences on staff wellbeing in the post-pandemic era is worth exploring in the context of discussions around student wellbeing …

Faith's Role In Patients' Approaches To Healthcare Decisions, Maeve Chawk, Colin Fitzgerald, Andrew Ganninger, Grace Sorrentino, Justina Zolikoff

Content presented at the Roesch Social Sciences Symposium

This is a literature review focusing on faith’s role in breaking down financial and cultural barriers to healthcare.

Through our research and analysis, we have found that faith-based approaches to healthcare break down the barriers that deter people from seeking treatment. Although there are different types of barriers that communities face, they all prevent individuals from receiving the care they deserve. Through increased support from their faith community, individuals are more likely to seek out help without any reservation.

Review Of Catholic Peacebuilding And Mining: Integral Peace, Development, And Ecology, Selina Gallo-Cruz

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Bishops Of Peace, Daniel Philpott

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

“Maybe I’M Just Too Damaged”: Revisiting Clergy Reasons For Leaving The Profession, Wesley D. Cohoon, Jessica Smartt Gullion

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

Vocational ministry is a unique profession for several reasons, not the least of which is the needed “calling from God” for Evangelical ministers. After someone receives this call, they begin their formal seminary training, which usually includes a 90-credit-hour master’s degree. Despite the sense of divine calling, time, money, and commitment, the number of people who leave vocational ministry is alarming. In leaving the profession, ministers experience guilt and a sense of moral failing, in addition to the waste of time and money spent accruing the correct credentials in seminary. In this study, we conducted in-depth interviews of former ministers …

Homemaking In And With Migrant Churches As Communities Of Care, Ma. Adeinev M. Reyes-Espiritu

Theology Department Faculty Publications

Research on migration and religion reports the significance of religion to migrants, particularly those who self-identify as religious. In particular, migrant churches have served as a sanctuary, a venue for social networking, and a community supportive of migrants’ wellbeing, to name a few things. However, migrant churches are also criticized for the possibility of becoming instruments of control over migrants. Heeding Boccagni and Hondagneu-Sotelo’s invitation to use the “homemaking optic” to inquire into the experience of integration of migrants, this paper analyzes how migrant churches foster migrants’ becoming at home in the receiving societies using Philippine migrant communities as a …

Approaches Mainline Protestant Pastors Use To Work With Lgb People And Their Families: Implications For Family Therapists, Christi R. Mcgeorge, Katelyn O. Coburn

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

When a loved one comes out as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB), families often seek the assistance of a trusted professional. For many families that involves seeking the consultation of a religious leader. This queer theory informed qualitative study sought to explore how Christian pastors work with LGB individuals and their families. Additionally, this study explored how pastors’ approaches to working with LGB individuals and their families varied based on the degree to which families were accepting or rejecting of their LGB family members. Twenty-one mainline Protestant Christian pastors were interviewed. Thematic analysis identified three themes and a number of …

“Living In Trauma 24/7”: A Qualitative Exploration Of Factors Contributing To Secondary Traumatic Stress And Burnout Among Student Services Professionals Working With Marginalized Student Populations, Delia Sanchez, Portia A. Jackson Preston, Christine Vu, Lucia Alcala

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Higher education professionals are at risk of secondary traumatic stress (STS) as a result of supporting students experiencing trauma, while overwhelming workload, inadequate resources, and unclear role responsibilities may lead to burnout. This study explored contributing factors to STS and burnout and coping efforts among faculty, students, and staff working in a capacity in which they provide non-instructional support to programs or centers focusing on marginalized student populations. Participants (N=56) represented twenty-two U.S. regional universities, and were a subset of respondents to a larger mixed-methods study (n=559). Qualitative responses to three open-ended questions on challenges and coping efforts were analyzed …

The Coexistence Of Faith And Reason: Habermas’ Theoretical Framework Of The Post-Secular Society, Zainun Nur Hisyam Tahrus

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

The Post-Secular Society is a project put forward by Habermas as a critique of modern secularism. Habermas envisions this project as a via media—a mediating force between religious fundamentalism and excessive secularism. He argues that religious citizens can translate their religious discourses into a generally-accessible language that would enable them to discuss and communicate with their secular counterparts. This theory provides itself as an alternative to the Secularization Thesis, which had been the predominant framework for sociologists to study the relationship between the religious and the secular, or between faith and reason. This article attempts to outline sociological and philosophical …

Method And Interpretation: Gadamer And The Limits Of Methods In Qualitative Research, Jared C. Parker

Theses and Dissertations

Qualitative modes of research have been working their way into the mainstream of psychological research. Unfortunately, social psychology has largely resisted this trend, despite the particular utility of qualitative research for investigating social phenomena. Curiously, as qualitative research becomes more widely accepted in psychology, much of the discourse surrounding these approaches has revolved around the procedural dimensions of qualitative inquiry. Specifically, it has focused on developing, describing, and defending various codified approaches to qualitative data analysis. Recently, this methodological paradigm has come under some criticism, with scholars critiquing codified methods as leading to shallow, superficial, and formulaic research. Others have …

God’S Plan For Life: Training Drill Sergeants To Better Serve Their Neighbor By Developing Moral Character Utilizing The “Transformational Moral Leadership” Model, Matthew Christensen

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Instances of moral failure within the U.S. Army raises the question of whether an individual’s character may be developed and improved by utilizing a moral decision-making process. If so, is it possible to measure this improvement? From a Lutheran perspective, is it possible to improve moral character without appealing to the boundaries provided by God’s Word and a Christian community influencing the spiritual dimensions of one’s life.

This project set out to build upon an eighteen-hour Transformational Moral Leadership training model being utilized to strengthen the moral character of drill sergeants at Fort Benning, Georgia. The project allowed me as …

The Relationship Between Parenting Practices And Cyberbullying Perpetration: The Mediating Role Of Moral Beliefs, Jaeyong Choi, Seungmug (Zech) Lee, Layne Dittmann

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

Criminologists and psychologists have long recognized that parenting practices can affect childhood outcomes and the development of moral beliefs in children. Another body of literature provides evidence that morality is a key cause of antisocial behavior. Yet, a noticeable gap in this line of work has been testing the mediation effects of parenting practices on cyberbullying via moral beliefs. Using a sample of South Korean adolescents, we tested whether moral beliefs mediate the relationships between parenting practices and cyberbullying perpetration. Results show that parental supervision and excessive parenting can influence cyberbullying perpetration and that the impact of parenting practices is …

African-American Lay Pastoral Care Facilitators’ Perspectives On Dementia Caregiver Education And Training, Nik M. Lampe, Nidhi Desai, Tomeka Norton-Brown, Alexandra C. H. Nowakowski, Robert L. Glueckauf

The Qualitative Report

The African-American Alzheimer’s Caregiver Training and Support Project 2 (ACTS 2) is a faith-integrated, skills-training and support program for distressed African American family caregivers of persons living with dementia across Florida. Caregivers participate in a 12-week, telephone-based, skills-building and support program led by faith community workers (i.e., lay pastoral care facilitators) who provide volunteer services to their denominations. In this case study, we examined facilitators’ perspectives and recommendations for supplementary audiovisual and written training materials to optimize group process and goal-setting skills. Utilizing a qualitative approach, we explored facilitators’ needs, experiences in using current training materials, and recommendations for supplementary …

Using Transformational Preaching And Life-Skill Seminars To Promote Conversation And Dialogue On Abuse And Family Violence At Mount Olive Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Toronto, Jacqueline D. Peart

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Domestic violence is a hidden crime globally and it is a problem at the Mount Olive Seventh-day Adventist Church. Very often, the abusers and the abused are from the same family. Children who grow up in homes where physical and mental abuse is prevalent tend to become abusers or marry abusers. Members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are not immune and need emotional healing from abuse and family violence. However, Christian communities typically appear silent on the issues of abuse and family violence.

Method

An exploratory process was devised to research the benefits of transformational preaching and life-skill seminars …

“No Matter Where You’Re From, We’Re Glad You’Re Our Neighbor”: Enacting Justice Initiatives And Community Formation In Faith-Based Organizations, Jenna M. Smith

Senior Independent Study Theses

Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) in the United States offer a variety of services and influence social dynamics within their communities, specifically in northeast Ohio. Churches, service agencies, and ministries often pursue immigration advocacy initiatives and ground their work in religious doctrine, using frameworks such as ‘hospitality’ and ‘welcoming the stranger’ to motivate their own initiatives and connect with uninvolved or antagonistic populations. Due to current climates of political polarization and dehumanizing rhetoric in immigration dialogues, this study seeks to analyze the ways in which religious actors define and enact community and explore the contributions of the groups in which they serve. …

Perceptions Of Self-Efficacy & Support Among Secondary Early-Career Teachers And Their Principals During The Covid-19 Pandemic, James A. Martinez, Kelly Gomez Johnson, Frances E. Anderson, Frederick L. Uy

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

In response to challenges faced by middle and high school educators during the COVID-19 pandemic, a study was conducted in the Spring of 2021 involving 33 early-career mathematics teachers and eight supervising school principals in the State of California. These participants completed detailed surveys which provided demographic information, as well as perceptions of support, efficacy and job satisfaction. Findings show a variety of associations among teacher perceptions of support and their efficacy and job satisfaction in the face of challenging circumstances. As it related to principal support and recognition, principal participants expressed confidence in their ability to support teachers as …

Research Beyond The Ivory Tower: A Book Review Of Researching With: A Decolonizing Approach To Community-Based Action Research, Wesley D. Cohoon

The Qualitative Report

This is a book review of Researching With: A Decolonizing Approach to Community-Based Action Research by Jessica Smartt Gullion and Abigail Tilton. The authors are both university professors and Deans who respectively specialize in Sociology and Social Work. The book uses qualitative research as it seeks to merge academia with the professional world. Researching With teaches academics to come alongside their study participants and apply research in professional contexts. I offered a critical analysis of Researching With by identifying themes and concepts that will benefit both expert and beginner researchers. The book will help readers frame research questions and understand …

Former Seventh-Day Adventist Pastors: Qualitative Study Report, René Drumm, Petr Cincala

Human Subject Research Archive

Report on interviews with former Seventh-day Adventist pastors (2021)

I’M Every Woman: Advancing The Intersectional Leadership Of Black Women School Leaders As Anti-Racist Praxis, April L. Peters, Angel Miles Nash

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The rallying, clarion call to #SayHerName has prompted the United States to intentionally include the lives, voices, struggles, and contributions of Black women and countless others of her ilk who have suffered and strived in the midst of anti-Black racism. To advance a leadership framework that is rooted in the historicity of brilliance embodied in Black women’s educational leadership, and their proclivity for resisting oppression, we expand on intersectional leadership. We develop this expansion along three dimensions of research centering Black women’s leadership: the historical foundation of Black women’s leadership in schools and communities, the epistemological basis of Black women’s …

Womanists Leading White People In Intergroup Dialogue To End Anti-Black Racism: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Tawana Angela Davis

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Womanism is a term curated by Alice Walker (2004) that centers Black women’s lived experiences, past and present, encouraging Black women to no longer look to others for their liberation (Floyd-Thomas, 2006). Soul 2 Soul Sister’s Facing Racism program is facilitated by Womanist instructors, who work with groups of mostly white people to address anti-Black racism. This qualitative study explored the experiences of white participants who took part in this program, Facing Racism, which holds Womanism as its central guiding principle. Although pre- and post-surveys were routinely conducted over the years about participants’ experiences with Facing Racism, this study sought …

Applying The Present To The Past: The Experiences Of Five Civil Rights Rabbis In Context Of Contemporary Leadership Theory, Bradley G. Levenberg

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation examines the experiences of five civil rights-era rabbis (William Silverman, Randall Falk, Alfred Goodman, Irving Bloom, and Burton Padoll) to highlight their contributions, leadership approaches, struggles, and achievements with a particular emphasis on social justice. As each of the rabbis drew from their understanding of the richness of the Jewish textual canon, the study includes a survey of Biblical, Talmudic, and contemporary Jewish sources that laid the groundwork for their rabbinic activism and which compel rabbis today. The study dramatically highlights those texts as providing applicable strategies with regard to leading a congregation with a “prophetic” voice, knowing …

From Participants To Co-Researchers: Methodological Alterations To A Qualitative Case Study, Elizabeth M. Pope

The Qualitative Report

Researchers request a variety of levels of engagement from their participants in a research study. This can range from merely serving as a data generation opportunity to being actively involved in each stage of the project. The latter is a co-researcher. In this paper, I explore how nine participants in a qualitative case study became co-researchers by the study’s conclusion. The increase in their active participation required methodological alterations to the project while I conducted the study. This paper presents these alterations by examining: (1) my position as a researcher; (2) my relationship with the participants; (3) the trajectory of …

“Give Me Some Beautiful Holy Images That Are Colorful, Play Music, And Flash!” The Roma Pilgrimage To Csatka, Hungary, István Povedák

Journal of Global Catholicism

This study introduces the Csatka pilgrimage, which is one of the most significant festive events for Roma in Central and Eastern Europe. Csatka, a small and secluded village, became one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Roma since the mid-20th century. Tens of thousands of Roma, entire families from Hungary and the surrounding countries arrive to the feast on Nativity Day at the beginning of September. For them, however, the rite is not only about religious actions, but also about their powerful role in strengthening Roma ethnic identity. Through the analysis of the rite, we can gain a good …

Is There A Relationship Between The Number Of Female Students Who Were Cyberbullied And The Number Of Female Students Who Seriously Considered Attempting Suicide?, Wayne L. Davis

Lincoln Memorial University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

In the United States, cyberbullying has become a major public health concern. Indeed, many people who are victims of cyberbullying consider harming themselves. Because criminal justice practitioners are concerned with public safety, this is an area worthy of study. The general purpose of this study is to investigate whether there is a correlation between the percentage of female students who were electronically bullied and the percentage of female students who seriously considered suicide. Data were collected in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017 using a three-stage cluster sample design, which produced a nationally representative sample of students in grades 9–12 who …