Digital Commons Network^™

Does Leaving Faith Mean Leaving Family? Longitudinal Associations Between Religious Identification And Parent-Child Relationships Across Adolescence And Emerging Adulthood, Justin J. Hendricks, Sam A. Hardy, Emily M. Taylor, David C. Dollahite

Faculty Publications

The present study investigated the parent-child relational repercussions of converting to religion, switching, or de-converting from religion. Qualitative research indicates that these religious changes may negatively affect parent-child relationship quality, however, few quantitative studies investigate this issue. Subsequently, we utilized structural equation modeling to test if changes in religious identification during adolescence and emerging adulthood predicted worse parent-child relationship quality using three waves of the National Study of Youth and Religion (N = 2,352). We found that deconversion between Waves 1–2 significantly predicted poorer parent-child relationship quality at Wave 2 and father-child relationship quality at Wave 3. Further, deconversion between …

The Impact Of Chief Audit Executive Turnover In Taiwan, Kenneth L. Bills, Hua-Wei Huang, Yi-Hung Lin, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

This study adds to the emerging body of research showing the importance of internal audit to improve corporate governance and firm performance. Specifically, we test how the market reacts to the announcement of a turnover to the head of internal audit (i.e., the chief audit executive (CAE)). We find negative cumulative abnormal returns in the days surrounding the announcement of a CAE turnover and that the market holds a relatively negative perception of CAE turnover regardless of the reasons for the turnover event. We then study two reasons for why the market would react negatively to the CAE turnover and …

Demographic Change, Migration, And The African American Vowel System In Georgia, Jon Forrest, Margaret E. L. Renwick, Joseph A. Stanley, Lelia Glass

Faculty Publications

The theme of this volume is generational trends in language change, with an emphasis on the Baby Boomer to Gen X transition as an important period of time. Many studies have found sharp changes in vowel systems in communities after the Baby Boomer Generation on the East Coast (Thiel and Dinkin 2020) and in the Midwest (Nesbitt 2021). Though we know a great deal about the geographic consistency of the Baby Boomer to Gen X transition, in all of these cases, the focus has been on White speakers and regional varieties. Besides the general importance of including a breadth of …

A Corpus-Based Comparison Of Keywords And Themes From The Book Of Mormon And The Bible, Brett James Hashimoto, Joshua Cowley

Faculty Publications

The Book of Mormon has been studied for its thematic, literary, and theological content using almost exclusively qualitative methods (e.g., Turley, 2019; Morrill, 2017). However, scholars have conducted little analysis comparing it to the Bible, even though those who view it as scripture consider it directly comparable in purpose. (e.g., The Book of Mormon, 2015; McConkie, 1985). The present study applies quantitative linguistic analysis to statistically derive the distinctive language from the two volumes of scripture and identifies the key themes and language from the two books. To accomplish this, corpora of The King James Version of the Bible (66 …

Teaching Positive Psychology Lessons In An Intensive English Program, Carolee Rogers, Benjamin L. Mcmurry, Dan Dewey

Faculty Publications

This article investigates the effectiveness of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) in an intensive English program for non-matriculated university students. Interventions based on the PERMA model were implemented through weekly 65-minute lessons given during the first class of each week. These were followed by short daily activities during the rest of the week. Using positive psychology topics as the content, students concurrently engaged in language learning activities. Each participant was asked to complete a questionnaire at the end of the semester consisting of five open-ended questions relating to the PPIs, the lessons, the activities, the topics, and how they felt the …

Here-, There-, And Every Where-: Exploring The Role Of Pronominal Adverbs In Legal Language, David Chandler, Brett James Hashimoto

Faculty Publications

Many have claimed that pronominal adverbs, such as hereby, thereafter, and wherein, are a frequent, distinctive, and problematic in their use in legal language (Tiersma, 1999; Mellinkoff, 2004). The purpose of this study is to examine those claims empirically. In the present study, the prevalence of PAs in legal registers is compared to more general registers of contemporary American English to determine the extent to which these words are distinctly legal. The study will also explore why different types of PAs may be (in)frequent in specific legal registers to better understand their use. The frequency of PAs was extracted from …

Parent Motivations For Enrolling Their Young Children In Early Childhood Programs: An Application Of The Theory Of Planned Behaviour, Rachel A. Mcgovern, Camilla Hodge, Edward Ruddell

Faculty Publications

This study used the theory of planned behaviour to identify and determine the relative influence of factors influencing parents’ decisions to enrol their young children (3 to 5 years old) in early childhood programs at a specific museum venue. An eliciting questionnaire was distributed to museum members with at least one child 3–5 years old to elicit outcome expectancies, normative beliefs, and control beliefs, and these responses were developed into items for the main questionnaire. Regression and correlation analyses were conducted to determine factors associated with parents’ intention to enrol their children. Parents across socioeconomic and educational backgrounds indicated they …

Risk Perception, Cooperation, And Emotional Distress During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Exploring Adaptive Risk Perception, Haiping Liao, Rebecca L. Monk, James Gaskin, Jin-Liang Wang

Faculty Publications

During the COVID-19 pandemic, while risk perception may promote public cooperation with pandemic prevention, it may also increase emotional distress and thus endanger mental health. This study aimed to examine whether there is an adaptive risk perception pattern that fits both needs of pandemic control and mental health protection. Two waves of Chinese participants (N sample 1 = 1633, N sample 2 = 1899) completed the Scale of Pandemic Risk Perception, the Scale of Public Cooperation with Pandemic Prevention, the Epidemic Worry Scale, and the Positive and Negative Affective Schedule during Feb 3rd to 5th, and during Feb 18th to …

An Integrated Model For Information Adoption & Trust In Mobile Social Commerce, Fulya Acikgoz, Abdelsalam Busalim, James Gaskin, Shahla Asadi

Faculty Publications

Despite the growing importance of mobile social commerce (ms-commerce), little research has been conducted on the effects of informational and social factors on users’ post-adoption behavior. We, therefore, build on the understanding of mobile social commerce in the UK market and how it affects users’ post-adoption behaviors. Our theoretical model leverages the information adoption model, social support theory, and social influence theory. Data was gathered from 377 ms-commerce users from the UK and analyzed via Partial Least Squares (PLS-SEM). The research findings show that both informational and social factors have a positive impact on information adoption in ms-commerce apps. Furthermore, …

Technological Health: A New Perspective On Individual Well-Being In The Digital Era, Tanner Skousen, J. Andrew Lear

Faculty Publications

An individual’s well-being encompasses various facets, including physical, mental, and social health. This paper proposes that in a technology-dependent world, practitioners and researchers must adopt a “technological health” perspective. Through conceptual inquiry and extensive literature review, we propose the concept of technological health, drawing from related concepts. We present an initial framework that explicates technological health through the dimensions of access to technology, ability to use technology, and autonomy over technology. Practically, this new perspective refocuses our understanding of technological challenges and invites an ideology of diagnoses and treatments to comprehensively address individual-level concerns associated with personal technology use. Academically, …

Barriers To Higher Education Daca Recipients Face In The United States, Natalie Porter

Ballard Brief

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a policy that provides temporary relief from deportation to young undocumented immigrants, as well as social security cards and legal work authorization to qualifying individuals. Students with DACA encounter a variety of barriers to completing higher education due to the nature of the DACA policy. DACA places restrictions on access to federal resources and state resources, inhibiting access to financial aid opportunities. DACA does not provide lawful status to recipients—this breeds uncertainty about the future, preventing DACA students from scholastic planning. The uncertainty of the future is exacerbated by the fact that DACA …

Declared Guiltless Justification By Faith In The Latter-Day Saint Classroom, Stephan Taeger

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Religious educators can face unique challenges when teaching the doctrine of grace. Some students struggle with excessive guilt and do not think they are doing enough to live the gospel. Others think that grace somehow excuses their sins. Helping students better grasp the doctrine of justification by faith can help them feel peace with God while inspiring them to be more faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. This article uses the words of scripture, modern prophets, and trusted scholars to clarify this doctrine and discusses how understanding it removes guilt and inspires obedience to God’s commandments. The concluding section provides practical …

“An House Of Prayer For All People” A Guide To Christ’S Cleansing Of The Temple, Joe Cochran

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This article explores the contextual background of Christ’s cleansing of the temple as recorded in the four Gospels. An analysis of scriptural and historical evidence can help teachers and learners better understand what Christ cleansed and for whom his actions were undertaken. Discovering specific meaning and purpose behind the Savior’s words and actions in the temple helps establish this event as yet another witness of the loving, compassionate, and justice-seeking Savior we all know well.

Vital Gospel Nutrients, Dale G. Renlund

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Instead of sharing “spiritual Twinkies,” or shallow teachings, teachers can provide deep spiritual nourishment to students. Four spiritual principles, or “staples,” are essential to help students grow strong in faith: (1) nurturing students’ testimonies of Jesus Christ and the gospel, (2) fostering students’ personal relationships with teachers, (3) facilitating students’ confidence in addressing gospel questions, and (4) preparing students’ hearts to feel the Spirit.

Seminaries And Institutes Reach And Impact Update, Chad H. Webb

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This article highlights efforts of Seminaries and Institutes instructors to support youth and young adults worldwide. It addresses concerns about previously declining institute enrollments, sharing strategies implemented to mitigate and reverse the trend. Feedback from focus groups emphasized the need for relevance, belonging, accessibility, and deepened conversion to Jesus Christ. As a result, initiatives such as workshops, new classes, and online options have been implemented. Notably, institute enrollments have increased by 20 percent, and seminary enrollment has also grown, with the programs adding over 126,000 students in the last three years. It emphasized the need for continual innovation, grounded in …

Addressing The Crisis In Meaning And Identity Through Covenant Relationship, Jenet Jacob Erickson

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Our youth are experiencing a profound hunger for connection, evidenced by an epidemic of loneliness and increasing mental health challenges despite the seeming connectivity of a world swimming in social media. The deepest loneliness stems from disruption and disorder in family life, including ruptured or never formed family relationships. In answer to this relational fracturing, the gospel of Jesus Christ offers covenant belonging and connection. The revealed understanding of the nature of our covenant relationship with Jesus Christ and his work in enabling eternal bonds within the family and across the entire eternal family is at the heart of helping …

Full Issue

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Healing From Toxic Perfectionism, Debra Theobald Mcclendon

BYU Studies

Perfect is the enemy of good.” This phrase is derived from a French proverb, yet it is most often attributed to the famous French writer Voltaire. It observes that those striving for perfection are their own worst enemies.1 Indeed, perfectionism is overly demanding of those who struggle with it. With its irrational and impossible demands, perfectionism can cause anxiety, create high levels of distress that inhibit learning and performance, damage relationships, and diminish the quality of life for otherwise highly competent and dedicated individuals. Perfectionism can be the main problem that leads someone to seek therapeutic services from a mental …

Perfectionism’S Influence On Adolescent Mental Health, Mark D. Ogletree

BYU Studies

Years ago, I was sitting in my counseling practice with a sixteen-year- old young man. He was a great teenager with many positive qualities. However, on this particular summer day, he came in a somber mood. I asked him what was bothering him. He began to share some of his problems with me. In my opinion, none were out of the ordinary. Nevertheless, I could see his lips begin to quiver, and then he broke down in tears. When he could compose himself, he uttered, “I know that God hates me.” And with that declaration, I knew that we had …

The Pathophysiology Of The Death Of Jesus The Christ, C. Thomas Black

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Centuries-long speculation continues regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of the Savior. Over the past century, the Savior’s tribulations between the Last Supper and his death on the cross have been scrupulously examined from a medical viewpoint. In this article I review many of these studies and, using current medical acumen, propose additional inferences and explanations based on scriptural, medical, and historical accounts. The evidence suggests that at some point between Gethsemane and his last moments on the cross, the Lord’s body was pushed beyond the limit that a normal mortal could endure. The Lord did, however, endure and completed …

Full Issue

Inscape

No abstract provided.

Volume 9 Full Issue

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

No abstract provided.

The Nahom Convergence Reexamined: The Eastward Trail, Burial Of The Dead, And The Ancient Borders Of Nihm, Neal Rappleye

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

For decades, several Latter-day Saint scholars have maintained that there is a convergence between the location of Nahom in the Book of Mormon and the Nihm region of Yemen. To establish whether there really is such a convergence, I set out to reexamine where the narrative details of 1 Nephi 16:33–17:1 best fit within the Arabian Peninsula, independent of where the Nihm region or tribe is located. I then review the historical geography of the Nihm tribe, identifying its earliest known borders and academic interpretations of their location in antiquity. My investigation brings in data on ancient Yemen and Arabia …

Front Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

What Jesus Didn’T Do: The Discipled Pursuit Of Less, Greg Mckeown

BYU Studies

The soft, muted lighting reflected off wooden pews in a local church building, casting a glow on the faces of leaders gathered for a stake meeting. Among those on the stand was the young bishop of the Sixth-Seventh Ward in the Temple View Stake. Tall, with a commanding presence, he was known for his dedication, but tonight, he felt restless. He had promised to visit an older ward member in the hospital right after this stake meeting was over. As the meeting progressed, he felt a strong impression to leave the meeting and rush to the hospital. The feeling became …

Parental Influence On Adolescent Perfectionism, Jenet Erickson, Olivia Forsberg, Mckenna Schmidt

BYU Studies

I (primary author) will never forget a poignant moment in the mother’s lounge at church when our first child was about nine months old. Two other mothers with younger babies were in the lounge at the same time, and we talked as our babies nursed, then played. As I watched the two younger children crawl around, I became acutely aware that our daughter, who had not yet started to crawl, was clearly behind these other children. A panicky feeling overtook me as I wrestled with what it meant to me that these children appeared to be ahead of mine. I …

Appendix

BYU Studies

All unique analyses in the articles “Perfectionism Across Adolescence,” “Parental Influence on Adolescent Perfectionism,” “Perfectionism’s Influence on Adolescent Mental Health,” and “Religion and Perfectionism” were conducted by Justin Dyer. Details of the data collection and analysis are contained in this appendix. All code and detailed outputs are available from Justin Dyer upon request.

Immediate Repeated Reading Has Positive Effects On Reading Rate For English Language Learners: An Eye-Tracking Study, Jennifer Hemmert Hansen, Grant Eckstein, Troy L. Cox, Steven G. Luke, Krista Rich

Faculty Publications

Fluent and skillful reading in English requires efficient and automatic letter and word recognition. Dysfluent reading can affect motivation for reading in English language learners, thereby limiting access to a wealth of language input from written texts. Extensive research of repeated reading in first language (L1) settings has been shown to increase reading rate, while comparatively little research has been done on repeated reading in second language (L2) settings. The objective of this eye-tracking study was to accurately document early and late reading processes in an immediate repeated reading exercise to observe how repeated reading affects reading rate in adult …

Putting Students In Their Place. The Role Of Placement Testing In Language Programs, Troy L. Cox, Matthew P. Wilcox

Faculty Publications

A perennial issue that nearly all language programs face with the arrival of new students is: where is the best place for each student to begin their course of study within our curricular structure given their current language abilities? When students have no previous language learning experience, the decision seems easy: place them in the beginning- level class. But when students have prior experience, deciding where they belong becomes more complicated given the wide range in the quality and quantity of previous exposure and the level of ability attained. Programmatic exigencies and resources may constrain student placement even further.

In …

Intermittent Digital Fasting: The Mental Health Benefits Of A One-Hour Daily Social Media Hiatus, Austin Lahue, James Gaskin, Kennedy Daniel

Faculty Publications

In an era where social media ubiquity persists, concerns over its impact on mental health have escalated. This preliminary study investigates the effects of a one-hour daily social media hiatus on the mental wellbeing of 60 college students over two weeks. Unlike common interventions demanding prolonged abstinence, this research explores a more feasible, short-term avoidance approach. The experimental design, including treatment and control groups, illuminates the potential mental health benefits of brief, yet regular, digital disengagements. Preliminary results suggest that even minimal breaks from social media can yield significant improvements in users' mental health. Interestingly, these benefits come not from …