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Liberty University

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2019

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Relationship Of Transformational Leadership And Organizational Change During Enterprise Agile And Devops Initiatives In Financial Service Firms, Christopher J. Kuiper Dec 2019

Relationship Of Transformational Leadership And Organizational Change During Enterprise Agile And Devops Initiatives In Financial Service Firms, Christopher J. Kuiper

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The rate of organizations adopting Agile and DevOps methodologies has grown in recent years, with researchers observing the impact of leadership styles and methodology adoption, presenting challenges with sustaining and scaling change initiatives. Where organizations within the marketplace today reveal the significance of leadership in influencing change, while findings signal deficiencies with having leaders who are ready. The purpose of this quantitative correlational research examines the increased probability of failure organizations face when engaging in enterprise Agile and DevOps transformational change initiatives. Through investigating the relationship between transformational leadership behaviors, readiness for change, and organizational citizenship behavior exhibited by management …


And They Shall Be Men: An Original Anthology & Analysis Of The Modern Male Bildungsroman, Margaret Cox Dec 2019

And They Shall Be Men: An Original Anthology & Analysis Of The Modern Male Bildungsroman, Margaret Cox

Senior Honors Theses

The stories that boys have been told about what it means to be a man change throughout history. This study considers the postmodern effect of masculinities, female empowerment, as well as the canon of Western bildungsroman in an attempt to understand how the narratives have changed over the past 50 years. Additionally, an anthology of original fiction illustrates how universal stories persist within the changing social narratives.


Job Satisfaction Of Automotive Technicians: A Comparison Of Graduates From General Programs To Manufacturer-Sponsored Programs, Bobby Gene Rowe Dec 2019

Job Satisfaction Of Automotive Technicians: A Comparison Of Graduates From General Programs To Manufacturer-Sponsored Programs, Bobby Gene Rowe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this casual-comparative study was to compare the job satisfaction levels of graduates from postsecondary two-year automotive programs that included specialized manufacturer-sponsored training to those graduates of postsecondary two-year general automotive programs. The study used the results of surveys answered by graduates working in dealerships within a 50-mile radius of postsecondary schools that have four of more Mopar CAP, Honda PACT, GM ASEP, Ford Asset, or Toyota T-TEN programs. Job satisfaction was measured using Spector’s Job Satisfaction Survey and consisted of pay, fringe benefits, assigned job tasks, and total job satisfaction. An independent t-test measured the differences in …


Alzheimer's And Amyloid Beta: Amyloidogenicity And Tauopathy Via Dyshomeostatic Interactions Of Amyloid Beta, Jordan Tillinghast Dec 2019

Alzheimer's And Amyloid Beta: Amyloidogenicity And Tauopathy Via Dyshomeostatic Interactions Of Amyloid Beta, Jordan Tillinghast

Senior Honors Theses

This paper reviews functions of Amyloid-β (Aβ) in healthy individuals compared to the consequences of aberrant Aβ in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). As extraneuronal Aβ accumulation and plaque formation are characteristics of AD, it is reasonable to infer a pivotal role for Aβ in AD pathogenesis. Establishing progress of the disease as well as the mechanism of neurodegeneration from AD have proven difficult (Selkoe, 1994). This thesis provides evidence suggesting the pathogenesis of AD is due to dysfunctional neuronal processes involving Aβ’s synaptic malfunction, abnormal interaction with tau, and disruption of neuronal homeostasis. Significant evidence demonstrates that AD symptoms are partially …


The Challenges Facing Autonomous Vehicles And The Progress In Addressing Them, Garrett Johnson Dec 2019

The Challenges Facing Autonomous Vehicles And The Progress In Addressing Them, Garrett Johnson

Senior Honors Theses

Autonomous vehicles are an emerging technology that faces challenges, both technical and socioeconomic. This paper first addresses specific technical challenges, such as parsing visual data, communicating with other entities, and making decisions based on environmental knowledge. The technical challenges are to be addressed by the fields of image processing, Vehicle to Everything Communication (V2X), and decision-making systems. Non-technical challenges such as ethical decision making, social acceptance, and economic pushback are also discussed. Ethical decision making is discussed in the framework of deontology vs utilitarianism, while social acceptance of utilitarian autonomous vehicles is also investigated. Last, the likely economic impact is …


Design And Implementation Of A Single-Phase Ac-Dc Conversion System Including Multiple Outputs, Logan Johnson Dec 2019

Design And Implementation Of A Single-Phase Ac-Dc Conversion System Including Multiple Outputs, Logan Johnson

Senior Honors Theses

Power conversion between alternating and direct current is a common application of Electrical Engineering in daily life, and most modern technology relies heavily on regulating voltage and current flow. This paper discusses the theoretical underpinnings, design, and assembly of a custom power converter built to convert the standard US outlet power of 120VAC to a 18.5V DC source and a 5V DC source: the goal of this device is to create a charger that can power a laptop and USB port at the same time with a single wall plug. The paper discusses the theoretical background of such a device, …


Autism Spectrum Disorders And Positive Familial Effects, Genevieve Weaver Dec 2019

Autism Spectrum Disorders And Positive Familial Effects, Genevieve Weaver

Senior Honors Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have been found to significantly impact familial structures and outcomes in various studies. The majority of the impact, however, has been primarily negative; effects like increased stress, marital discontentment, and stigmatization are commonly expressed by families. In this study data from a questionnaire, interview, and picture presentations were analyzed and triangulated to identify the positive familial effects of having a child or sibling with ASD. Parents and siblings shared that having a child or sibling with ASD has bettered their life through learning to enjoy the identity of the individual with ASD, through personal growth, and …


Ohio Conservation Plan, Revised 2019, For The Plains Gartersnake, Thamnophis Radix, Norman Reichenbach Dec 2019

Ohio Conservation Plan, Revised 2019, For The Plains Gartersnake, Thamnophis Radix, Norman Reichenbach

Faculty Publications and Presentations

This plan outlines strategies and methods used in an ongoing study initiated in 1999 to restore a self- sustaining population of the Plains Gartersnake (Thamnophis radix) in Ohio. Restoring a self-sustaining population would require increases in the current population to where the ratios of T. radix to T. sirtalis are from 1:1 to 1:12.2 in multiple locations in Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area (KPWA). This range of ratios would be similar to what was seen between 1978-80 by Reichenbach and Dalrymple (1986) at one site in KPWA and then more recently (2002 to 2009) by Wynn and Reichenbach (2018) at two …


Superintendent Relations: Impact Of Leadership On Student Learning, Joetta S. Basile Dec 2019

Superintendent Relations: Impact Of Leadership On Student Learning, Joetta S. Basile

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Since the implementation of No Child Left Behind school systems across America have been searching for the answer to increasing student achievement. Researchers have found many methods of increasing achievement through leadership behaviors, however others have found that superintendents have a very small impact on achievement and proficiency. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between superintendent leadership behaviors and student proficiency rates in school districts in rural West Virginia. This quantitative, correlational study specifically sought to discover how accurately school proficiency rates could be predicted from a linear combination of superintendent instructional leadership behaviors. Fifty-five school …


Challenges Of Underserved Students In Disadvantaged Schools: Influence Of Training On School Counselors’ Self-Efficacy, Latonya Lovet Bunch Dec 2019

Challenges Of Underserved Students In Disadvantaged Schools: Influence Of Training On School Counselors’ Self-Efficacy, Latonya Lovet Bunch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A child’s social, mental, and emotional well-being is significant to his/her daily functioning and academic achievement. Socioeconomic impoverished students are often burdened by traumatic experiences and stressors from their homes, communities, and school environment that can exacerbate academic difficulties. Schools in low socio-economic status (SES) communities are frequently coupled with educational disadvantages. Consequently, the lack of expectations, resources, training, and qualified staff often characterizes schools in these communities. For these reasons, these challenges require additional development of school counselors’ capabilities. To serve all students, it is important for practicing school counselors to increase their awareness of the specific needs to …


Special Education Teachers’ Experiences Of Providing Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders Access To The General Education Curriculum: A Phenomenological Study, Hanna Leigh Kiser Dec 2019

Special Education Teachers’ Experiences Of Providing Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders Access To The General Education Curriculum: A Phenomenological Study, Hanna Leigh Kiser

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Given the need for research that emphasizes age and grade-appropriate content in authentic settings, the purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe special education teachers’ lived-experience of providing students with emotional and behavioral disorders access to the general education curriculum in a separate school setting. The research addressed the essential research question: What are teachers’ experiences of providing students with emotional and behavioral disorders access to the general education curriculum? Bandura’s social cognitive theory, concept of self-efficacy, and the associated achievement goal theory and guided the study and provided context for findings. All participants were teachers of students …


A Case Study Of Stakeholders’ Motivation To Invest In Classical Christian Education, Cory James Merante Dec 2019

A Case Study Of Stakeholders’ Motivation To Invest In Classical Christian Education, Cory James Merante

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to describe the motivation of parents, teachers, and school board members to invest their efforts in classical Christian education in a modern American K-12 school. The theory guiding this study is expectancy-value theory as it relates to the evaluative aspects of stakeholders’ beliefs about classical Christian education and their motives to become involved in it. Classical Christian education includes the concepts of the trivium, explicit instruction, the Socratic method, and basic skills mastery, as well as carrying on the traditions of the West; all steeped in a Christian worldview. Data came in …


Reducing Emergency Department Length-Of-Stay And Overcrowding Through Team Triage, Kirsten Gisela Sizemore Dec 2019

Reducing Emergency Department Length-Of-Stay And Overcrowding Through Team Triage, Kirsten Gisela Sizemore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is an internationally studied phenomenon linked to adverse patient outcomes, including death. Early medical screening exams (MSE) may prevent morbidity and mortality. Yet, EDs struggle to evaluate, treat, and discharge patients within recommended and nationally monitored benchmark times. This evidence-based scholarly project explored if stationing an advanced practice provider (APP) in triage would improve door-provider-times, length-of-stay (LOS), and the left without being seen (LWBS) rate at a medical center ED in the southeastern United States. A pre- and post-intervention design compared benchmark times after a provider triaged alongside the registered nurse (RN) during times of high …


Reading Scripture: Developing Intimacy With God, The Church, And Community, Tammy Janiece Jacko Dec 2019

Reading Scripture: Developing Intimacy With God, The Church, And Community, Tammy Janiece Jacko

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

By addressing the biblical literacy that results from not reading Scripture, and lack of discipline, Christians will experience spiritual growth, maturity, and a Christian worldview as a result of applying proper exegesis and hermeneutics of Scripture. The purpose of this Doctor of Ministry thesis project is to help Christians read the Bible by engaging in proper biblical interpretation. According to Fee and Stuart, “a text cannot mean what it could never have meant for its original readers/hearers. The interpretation of the biblical text is what the original writer had first spoken or written,” directly from God; therefore, developing the skills …


A Biblical Model To Encourage Associate Ministers To Serve Effectively With Enjoyment, Marcus L. Ellison Dec 2019

A Biblical Model To Encourage Associate Ministers To Serve Effectively With Enjoyment, Marcus L. Ellison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Associate Ministers play a vital role in the growth and development of healthy churches. Yet, too often, they grow impatient with their role and frustrated with their current assignment. This frustration often leads to dysfunction and a lack of spiritual development that ultimately hinders the growth of the church. So, what are the challenges that associate ministers face in serving in subordinate roles of leadership? As an Associate Minister for seven years, this researcher experienced this frustration while serving and waiting on God to open the next door of opportunity. The purpose of this project is to provide a biblical …


Uncommon Corps: A Transcendental Phenomenology Of The Academic Experiences Of Military-Connected High School Students Transitioning Between States, Norman Eugene Solomon Dec 2019

Uncommon Corps: A Transcendental Phenomenology Of The Academic Experiences Of Military-Connected High School Students Transitioning Between States, Norman Eugene Solomon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although nearly 1.1 million military-connected students attend public schools throughout the United States, few research studies have examined how transitions related to military mobility requirements affect this unique group of students from the perspective of the students. More often than not, researchers have examined phenomena related to military-connected students and their transitional experiences from the perspectives of parents, teachers, school administrators, or stakeholders other than the military-connected student. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to describe, from the perspective of the students, the academic experiences of military-connected high school students who transition to different states. Working closely with …


The Effect Of The 1:1 Initiative On School-Wide Performance Level Percentages In Secondary U.S. History, Samuel J. Kassinger Dec 2019

The Effect Of The 1:1 Initiative On School-Wide Performance Level Percentages In Secondary U.S. History, Samuel J. Kassinger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the 1:1 initiative on school-wide performance level percentages among secondary school students in the social sciences. The 1:1 initiative, where every student has a laptop, tablet, or portable electronic device, is a part of the 21st-century learning model. Twenty-first century learning is a model that teaches students to thrive in today’s society with critical thinking skills and digital literacy. The dependent variable of school-wide performance level percentages in social sciences was monitored using a longitudinal, descriptive design. The population sample for this study consisted of mostly Caucasian students in …


The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Surrender, And God Attachment And Its Impact On Depression And Anxiety, Shalana Marlene Palermo Dec 2019

The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Surrender, And God Attachment And Its Impact On Depression And Anxiety, Shalana Marlene Palermo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore how God attachment may impact surrender to God and how mindfulness relates to the relationship between surrender and God attachment. Additionally, this study explores how surrender, God attachment and mindfulness might work together to impact symptoms of depression and anxiety. This study comprised 82 participants from a large Christian university that was enrolled in the university’s online doctoral counseling program. Using a quantitative survey research design, participants completed the following self-report measures online: Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Surrender Scale, Attachment to God Inventory, and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21. Bivariate and multiple …


Teacher Retention, Teacher Attrition, And Teacher Personalities, Kathryn Nabors Metherell Dec 2019

Teacher Retention, Teacher Attrition, And Teacher Personalities, Kathryn Nabors Metherell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The teaching profession is currently suffering from the number of teachers who leave the classroom before retirement. Many corporations use personality testing to determine if an individual is suitable for a position and if they are likely to remain in that position for the duration of their career. A causal-comparative research design was used to determine if there was a difference in teachers who left the classroom before retirement, teachers who officially retired under normal circumstances, biological sex, and personality type. The Big Five Inventory-2 was used to determine the personality types of the participants. The participants were categorized into …


Is There A Need For Restoration Of Justice In Democratic India?, Abraham Sekhar Dec 2019

Is There A Need For Restoration Of Justice In Democratic India?, Abraham Sekhar

Masters Theses

Justice means giving all persons their due. Justice is the quality of being fair and reasonable. India has the largest democracy in the world. It has become noticed globally by most other countries, on the one hand, for its significant economic growth during the past two decades; and on the other hand, for its domestic unrest among people of different religions and castes. Under the rule of the present political party, India’s economic growth has experienced a sudden decline during the past three years. This drew my attention to find out the reasons for such a decline. A literature survey, …


A Qualitative Study On Urban Middle School Teachers' Perspective Of Social And Emotional Learning As Formed Through Personal And Occupational Experience, Joseph George Gerics Dec 2019

A Qualitative Study On Urban Middle School Teachers' Perspective Of Social And Emotional Learning As Formed Through Personal And Occupational Experience, Joseph George Gerics

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to describe the lived experience of social-emotional learning both personal and professional for twelve urban middle school teachers in northeast Ohio. Urban middle school teachers have typically been under-represented in the research around social-emotional learning and this study looks to give voice to this under-represented group. Through the research, this study gained information regarding urban middle school teachers’ personal and professional experiences with social and emotional learning and how this experience promotes or inhibits successful implementation of social-emotional learning within the classroom. The theories guiding this study are Emotional Intelligence which root …


A Correlational Study Of The Relationship Between Help-Seeking Behavior And Writing Self-Efficacy, Brian Douglas Aunkst Dec 2019

A Correlational Study Of The Relationship Between Help-Seeking Behavior And Writing Self-Efficacy, Brian Douglas Aunkst

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A writing center performs the academic support function of developing independent writers as revealed by students’ writing self-efficacy—their perceptions of themselves as writers. Despite the apparent link between students’ desire to seek assistance from the writing center and their writing self-efficacy, no quantitative study to date has examined this association for online graduate students. This quantitative, correlational study investigated that potential relationship. Participants were online graduate students at a large, regionally accredited, faith-based, non-profit, private university in the southeastern United States with a substantial online student population who received assistance from the online writing center (OWC) multiple times. Writing self-efficacy …


A Causal-Comparative Study Of Burnout Among Rural Elementary, Middle, And High School Teachers, Keisha N. Hamby Dec 2019

A Causal-Comparative Study Of Burnout Among Rural Elementary, Middle, And High School Teachers, Keisha N. Hamby

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a prevalent shortage of school teachers in the United States. Teacher burnout is a chronic issue that plagues school districts. Burnout is one of the primary causes of teachers leaving the profession altogether. The purpose of this study was to determine differences of burnout among elementary, middle, and high school teachers in a rural area. A gap in literature was addressed by comparing the burnout levels of teachers in a rural school district across all grade levels. The chosen research design for this study was a causal-comparative design. The independent variable was teachers’ grade across three levels (elementary, …


A Phenomenological Study: The Role Of The Middle School Counselor As Perceived By The Middle School Teacher, Lanekia S. Pruitt Dec 2019

A Phenomenological Study: The Role Of The Middle School Counselor As Perceived By The Middle School Teacher, Lanekia S. Pruitt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the role of the middle school counselor as perceived by ten middle school teachers in the Henry County School District. The theories guiding this study are the trait & factor theory and directive approach theory. Both theories were both created by the counseling philosopher, E.G. Williams. The trait & factory theory proposes a formal assessment of an individual and their job performance. This is synonymous to the study’s focus of the perception of the middle school counselors’ job performance. The direct approach theory identifies the process of identifying a problem, determining …


The Effects Of Hands-On Equations On Math Achievement Of Ninth Grade Students, Chauncey Andrice Scott Dec 2019

The Effects Of Hands-On Equations On Math Achievement Of Ninth Grade Students, Chauncey Andrice Scott

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Each year, ninth-grade students across the United States of America fail to meet the national standards in mathematics. Students struggle to grasp the concepts needed to produce correct answers to math problems. Ninth grade students with disabilities, especially in the southeastern region of the United States, consistently fail the math portion of the Georgia Milestones Test. As a response to this problem in Georgia, Hands-On Equations by Henry Borenson represents a possible solution for many students failing to meet the standard in ninth grade mathematics. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to examine the difference between the mathematics …


Increasing Asymptomatic Chlamydia Screening In The Ed, Mikyung Kim Dec 2019

Increasing Asymptomatic Chlamydia Screening In The Ed, Mikyung Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends chlamydia screening in young women and others who are at risk based on scientific evidence related to the effectiveness of screening to prevent chlamydial infection. Female patients may visit the emergency department (ED) with symptoms such as urethritis, abdominal pain, or vaginal spotting. For men, most complaints are urinary problems, discharge from the penis, and testicular pain. However, most infected patients are never symptomatic and have no abnormal physical findings. Therefore, the question that spurred this project was, “Why aren’t asymptomatic patients screened more often?” Furthermore, “Why are the CDC screening …


Project Management And Strategy Alignment In Academia, Kelly Atkins Dec 2019

Project Management And Strategy Alignment In Academia, Kelly Atkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study analyzed the understanding of project and strategy alignment in higher education institutions. Literature revealed many projects fail because projects are not aligned to strategy. There is an abundance of project management literature in many industries; however, literature on project management in academia is deficient. This qualitative case study sought to close the gap of understanding project management and strategy alignment in academia. The researcher conducted a review of literature and interviews in order to gain insight in the understanding of project and strategy alignment in two higher education institutions. Three themes were developed based on these interviews: alignment, …


Sustainable African American Marriages: Evaluating The Impact Of Closeness To God And Religiosity On Marital Satisfaction And Longevity, Kimberly Anissa Gregory Dec 2019

Sustainable African American Marriages: Evaluating The Impact Of Closeness To God And Religiosity On Marital Satisfaction And Longevity, Kimberly Anissa Gregory

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Religion and religious involvement extend beyond individual satisfaction to also include influencing marital and family relationships. In spite of the research supporting the perceived benefits of marriage, including overall emotional and physical health, decrease in stress, alcohol and drug use, and increase in lifespan, African Americans marriage rates are lower compared to White Americans. Consequently, African Americans have the highest divorce rate and the highest incidences of single-parent homes. Religiosity is often overlooked as an important component that contributes to satisfaction and enduring relationships. There is also a perceived relationship between closeness to God and romantic attachment that leads to …


Learning Strategies Of Secondary School Technology Education Teachers And Their Students, Michael Ray Craft Dec 2019

Learning Strategies Of Secondary School Technology Education Teachers And Their Students, Michael Ray Craft

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The United States has long been known as a nation of innovators and doers, supported by an educational system based on these concepts; however, our school systems have had problems producing students prepared to retain the United States as a global leader. Technology Education is an exception. Technology Education provides the opportunity to apply knowledge, theory, and concepts to real-world applications through the use of activities that encourage innovation and creativity. This study used a quantitative causal comparative design to investigate the learning strategies of secondary school Technology Education teachers and their students, distribution of learning strategies in the Technology …


Self-Compassion As A Moderator In The Relationship Between Shame-Proneness And State Shame For Adult Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Mary Catherine Guman Dec 2019

Self-Compassion As A Moderator In The Relationship Between Shame-Proneness And State Shame For Adult Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Mary Catherine Guman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Childhood sexual abuse is a prevalent problem that has significant implications for psychological wellness and personal health. Childhood sexual abuse is related to a variety of negative outcomes, including the presence of shame-proneness. Consequently, shame-proneness is significantly related to heightened feelings of shame in adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. One might assume that self-compassion will decrease state shame for shame-prone survivors of sexual abuse; however, this might only be true when the total score of the Self-Compassion Scale is utilized. When the subscales are examined separately, the negative subscales could exacerbate the presence of state shame in shame-prone survivors …