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Bullying Prevalence In Mississippi: A Comparison Of Urban And Rural Schools, Valarie Mccaskill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examines the prevalence of bullying in urban and rural schools in Mississippi. Students at eight middle schools completed the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire to identify bullies and bully victims. The results of the study showed that approximately 50% of students in both urban and rural schools were identified as being bullied once or more during the current school term. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of bullying at urban and rural schools based on students who attended the eight middle schools who participated in the study. However, there was a significant difference in the prevalence of bullying …

Putting Down Roots: A Tolkienian Conception Of Place, Kayla Snow

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the way in which J.R.R. Tolkien's develops and expresses his nuanced sense of place through his major literary works--namely, The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Tolkien's sense of place, as expressed through his fiction, encompasses both metaphysical and geographical relational structures that are operative at both the local and global levels. As Tolkien develops his sense of place in his fiction, he draws from the Distributist principles--largely informed by Catholic social policy of the late nineteenth century and popularized by G.K. Chesterton--to build the economy in Middle-earth. The resulting economy resists industrialization …

Voices Of Young Adults With Autism And Their Perspective On Life Choices After Secondary Education, Susan Galler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative research study was to explore how young adults who have an autism spectrum disorder perceive their life choices after secondary education. The focus participants in the sample were young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For the purpose of this research, ASD includes autism and Asperger's Disorder. Participants between the ages of 18 and 33 were located through purposive sampling in the states of Minnesota and Tennessee, as the author has previously worked in these states. Participants were asked five open ended focus questions during the span of two face to face interviews. Questions …

Women As Victims In Tennessee Williams' First Three Major Plays, Ruth Foley

Masters Theses

Although Tennessee Williams does not openly champion the rights of women in his plays, he presents strong cases against their social alienation in a harsh and brutal world governed by men. Williams' emotional leanings, sensitivity, and intuition enable him to see life through women's eyes. In The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Summer and Smoke, Williams astutely sounds the battle cry for women to fight against male oppression. He shows how Amanda Wingfield, Laura Wingfield, Blanche Dubois, Stella Kowalski, and Alma Winemiller are held hostage to the rules governing patriarchal society and become unhappy marginalized victims. The self-contained …

A Study Of The Musical Culture Of The Algonquin Indigenous Peoples Of North America, Corbin Clark

Senior Honors Theses

The study of the music of the indigenous peoples of North America has been a topic of research since the late nineteenth century. These studies have mainly focused on the American Indians that lived west of the Mississippi. The Native American groups that lived on the eastern border of North America, known as the Eastern Woodland American Indians, have received much less attention than these other groups. This project focuses on one of the groups associated with the Eastern Woodland tribes, the Algonquins. The purpose of this study is to research their musical culture by focusing on the musical instruments …

Travesty Of Trust: A Critical Look At Racial And Ethnic Discrimination In The Healthcare Setting, Thea A. Beaty

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to review the overarching purpose of healthcare, examine race-related disparities in minority patient outcomes within specific fields of medical practice, and discuss whether these disparities are the result of racial discrimination within the clinical setting, or are due at least partially to genetic and environmental factors, followed by an examination of how cross-cultural education for healthcare professionals can be improved to equip medical personnel with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills necessary to provide effective care to a culturally diverse patient populace. The benefits of recruiting a culturally and linguistically diverse team of healthcare providers …

The Application Of Second Language Acquisition Theory To New Testament Greek Pedagogy, Josiah P. Wegner

Senior Honors Theses

The effect of outdated NT Greek pedagogy has left many seminary students ill-equipped to properly exegete using the NT Greek language. Many seminary students graduate with a firm knowledge of syntactic rules, but they are still unable to read the NT text without having to constantly consult a Greek grammar and dictionary. Even though the current style of teaching has been used for many years, research in second language acquisition has exposed that the traditional translation method has many flaws. One of these researchers, Stephen Krashen, has identified that the key to language competence is not learning vocabulary and grammar …

Easy Effective Counseling: A Strategy For Busy Pastors, Benjamin Karner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Pastors are expected to counsel various people with various problems. However, in most circumstances, pastors have little time to prepare for counseling sessions and cannot be long-term therapists. Therefore, it is critical for the pastor to be able to quickly and effectively give substantial guidance to counselees. The purpose of this project is to develop and implement a pastoral counseling program with a decision management focus. A survey will be conducted with at least one hundred (100) pastors who engage in counseling as part of their regular ministry duties. This project will develop and communicate a practical counseling approach for …

Effects Of Using A Neuroeducational Intervention To Enhance Perseverance For Online Edd And Eds Students, Charles Cadle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Developing and maintaining a "completion mindset" is a necessary mental condition for online educational doctorate (EdD) and educational specialist (EdS) students to obtain their advanced degrees. The purpose of this research study was to examine the effect of a neuroeducational intervention on a volunteer convenience sample of EdD and EdS students enrolled in online research and analysis courses at a private central Virginia university to determine if the intervention would have a positive effect on the level of perseverance through the stages of practical inquiry when compared to a control group. The independent variable was a web-based instructional method consisting …

Harnessing Charisma For Leadership Training, Meagan Roper

Masters Theses

Effective leadership develops followers toward objectives that focus a group's energy to engage in its task and accomplish its goals. The following study sought to understand charismatic leadership and its role in creating transformational change. Through a mixed methods case study using surveys and interviews, this researcher sought to explain the essence of charismatic leadership. Within the organization this study investigated, this meant first establishing organizational vision for a family atmosphere and guiding members on the path to achieving that vision, generating motivation and dedication to the task goals. The researcher discovered practical communicative strategies for incorporating charismatic leadership in …

Kachin Sound Instruments Within The Context Of The Kachin Baptist Convention Of Northern Burma: History, Classification, And Uses, Walter Brath

Masters Theses

This organology identifies and describes the Kachin's sound instruments, classifies them according to the Hornbostel-Sachs' system, and considers evidence of an indigenous classification scheme. Very little research exists to date on the music of the Kachin peoples of Northern Burma. This paper cites the only known indigenous organology and is the first English language study to extrapolate evidence into an emergent classification system. This qualitative study is based on ethnographic interviews, the minimal literature available on the topic, and participant observation drawn from fieldwork conducted in the Kachin State of Northern Burma (modern day Myanmar) during the months of May …

Does God Have A Right To Judge? The Aztecs' False Worship Practices Result In God's Judgment In The Unlikely Form Of Hernán Cortés, Lisa Timmons

Masters Theses

This thesis covers religious aspects of the Aztec culture before and after the conquest of Hernán Cortés between 1519 and 1521. One aspect of this thesis details the Aztecs' history and rise to power, followed by their rapid demise at the hands of Spanish conquistadors, while the other examines the highly flawed but effective instrument used in the destruction of their sprawling Mesoamerican empire--a conquistador from Spain by the name of Hernán Cortés. At the root of this controversial topic is God's perfect justice in relation to this culture's blatant and repeated disregard for those created in His image--by all …

Phonological Adaptations Of English Loanwords In Turkish, Rachel Beel, Jennifer Felder

Other Undergraduate Scholarship

When trying to understand the phonological system of a language (the sounds used in speech), what are some of the ways to figure out the patterns of an unfamiliar language? The way that borrowed or loanwords (words taken from one language and used in another) are pronounced in a language reveals much about the language’s phonology. The phonological system of Turkish has accommodated for starkly different syllable structures when incorporating modern English words into this contrasting language.

A personal survey of Turkish syllable structure has revealed how native speakers of Turkish cope with the phonological features of borrowed English words …

Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Pathoneurological Basis Of Disease, Alex D. Hamilton

Senior Honors Theses

Fibromyalgia (also known as fibromyalgia syndrome, or FMS) is a condition which causes its victims to suffer a wide range of symptoms, most notably chronic musculoskeletal pain. Although the causes of fibromyalgia remain unknown, recent advances help elucidate the underlying pathophysiologies of this condition, and show that it is likely not a musculoskeletal condition, but rather a pathoneurological condition.

The Software Life Cycle Applied To The Development Of The Avnul Rpg Character Creation Program, James C. Rogers Iii

Senior Honors Theses

This project will endeavor to replicate the "cradle-to-grave" software engineering life cycle development process. This process takes a software project through many stages of existence, from requirements gathering to software design, coding, testing, and maintenance. In this thesis we apply this process to a character creation program, which will be constructed for a client to facilitate the design of his tabletop roleplaying game.

Over the course of developing this software, contact was maintained with the client, but difficulties were encountered in the form of shifting requirements as he refined and modified his as-yet unfinished game rules. Without regular communication, these …

Nuestra Voz: A Critical Ethnographic Study Of Latina School Leaders, Angelica Ramsey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The population of Latina/o students in public school across the United States is ever-increasing. This fast-growing population suffers from high dropout rates and academic underachievement. This epidemic of underachievement is alarming, as today's Latina/o student will be tomorrow's workforce. There is no time like the present to increase the number of Latina principals in high schools throughout the United States. The purpose of this critical ethnographic study was to understand the experiences of Latina principals in both established and burgeoning Latina/o communities in raising Latina/o achievement. Key findings included: (a) strong ethnic ties and identity, (b) similar stories of ascending …

Loving Your Neighbor: A Guide To Developing And Sustaining Community Service Projects, Rickey Houston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A current ministry concern is mobilizing and engaging the congregation in service projects throughout the immediate and surrounding communities to spread the love of Christ and build the kingdom of God. The purpose of this project is to examine and shed light on an approach or approaches to effectively transform service beyond the walls of the congregation to intentional, appropriate, and relevant service within the community. This subject matter has the potential of transforming congregations from a predominant notion of interaction with self to interaction with organizations and individuals who are part of the church's mission field. In addition, there …

The Rhetorical Canon Of Memory And The Assistive Use Of Mnemonics, Jonathan Bobby

Masters Theses

People often imagine at some point in their existence what it would be like to have a photographic memory. However, this mental aptitude is a misnomer, and extremely rare in humankind. What we possess from our Creator is a photographic mind. Our memory recall is based on the recognition of visual pictures that appear in our mind. The early communication theorists illustrated this recognition and described it in the fourth canon of rhetoric. Because of the advancements in information technology, memory no longer holds the significance it once did. Numerous academic texts refer to memory as the lost art of …

The Relationship Between Music Participation And Mathematics Achievement In Middle School Students, Joshua Boyd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A comparative analysis was used to study the results from a descriptive survey of selected middle school students in Grades 6, 7, and 8. Student responses to the survey tool was used to compare multiple variables of music participation and duration of various musical activities, such as singing and performing on instruments, to the mathematics results from Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (Georgia Department of Education, 2011. The results were analyzed with the use of the Pearson r correlation coefficient. The intensity of relationships was assessed with analysis of variance (ANOVA). A final t-test of means was conducted to compare the …

A Collective Case Study Of The Perceptions And Implementation Of Self Advocacy From Four Educators Of Students With Disabilities, Heather Heap

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study identified four educators' perceptions and their implementation of teaching advocacy to students with disabilities within a public secondary educational setting. Federal mandates, such as Public Law 94-142, requested educators including administrators, counselors, special educators, and general educators to help facilitate self advocacy skills in the public educational setting. Using observations, comprehensive interviews, and available documentation, this collective case study identified four educators' experiences (an administrator, a counselor, a special educator, and a general educator) in developing student self advocacy as it pertains to the educators' perceived role in working with students with disabilities. This study identified their …

A Study Of Eighth Grade Students' Self-Efficacy As It Relates To Achievement, Gender, And Socioeconomic Status, Casandra Alldred

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this correlational and causal comparative research design was to discover the existing relationships between students' self-efficacy and three other variables: (a) achievement, (b) gender, and (c) socioeconomic status. Approximately 257 eighth grade students participated in the study. The study was conducted in a non-diverse public school located in the northeastern mountains of Georgia. Over 55% of the students receive free/reduced price lunches. The findings from this study contribute to the growing knowledge about how the factors of achievement, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES) are related to a student's self-efficacy. A correlational design was used to analyze the …

Implementing A Culturally And Linguistically Responsive Phonics Curriculum That Incorporates Music To Meet The Needs Of English Language Learners In The Response To Intervention Process, Danielle Miller

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the Sing, Spell, Read, Write (SSRW) phonics curriculum that uses explicit and systematic methods and incorporates music to teach literacy skills implemented as a tier-two reading intervention in the Response to Intervention process to meet the cultural and linguistic needs of English Language Learners. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design will be used to explore the research questions. Using a quantitative quasi-experimental comparison method, the researcher gathered archived data relating to ELLs reading achievement using the reading portion of the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests and the STAR Reading assessment. The …

The Relation Between High School Teacher Sense Of Teaching Efficacy And Self-Reported Attitudes Toward The Inclusive Classroom Settings, Heather Wright

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate if collective sense of teaching efficacy, general sense of teaching efficacy, or personal sense of teacher efficacy influenced teacher attitude toward inclusive classroom settings. Additionally, the study sought to determine if teacher attitude toward inclusive classroom settings differed when taking into account primary student disability type. Prior research indicates that there is a direct link between teacher sense of efficacy and student disability type when determining teacher attitude toward inclusive classroom settings. The sample population for the survey consisted of a convenience sample that represented only a select number of teachers, thus …

Examining The Relationship Between Information Obtained At Kindergarten Registration And Reading Comprehension Six Years Later, Paige Swartz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this correlational study was to determine if variables known upon a group of students' enrollment in kindergarten had a significant relationship with their high-stakes reading assessment results obtained six years later, in the students' fifth grade year. Archival data was gathered from a rural northern Georgia school district. After a correlation matrix was constructed to examine the relationships among all variables of interest, bivariate linear regressions were used to determine whether the predictor variables explained any variance in the results of the fifth grade high-stakes reading assessment. Results indicated that one of the four predictor variables (vocabulary) …

Teacher Self-Efficacy: Common Core State Standards Within A 21st Century Skills Framework, John Wilborn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand teachers' self-efficacy in instructing 21st century learning skills in a high school core curriculum. This study examined the impact of three highly qualified teachers' attitudes toward instructing the Common Core State Standards 4C's (critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity) within a 21st century skills framework. Four research questions guided this study. What attitudes do teachers exhibit regarding instruction of 21st century learning skills? To what extent do teachers seek to engage students in creativity and innovation? To what degree do teachers implement neomillennial learning styles? How will the participants measure their own …

A Case Study On The Impact Of The Read 180 Reading Intervention Program On Affective And Cognitive Reading Skills For At-Risk Secondary Level Students, Jeffrey Vogel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the impact of the READ 180 reading intervention program upon the affective and cognitive reading skills of 21 struggling ninth grade at-risk students at a Title I high school in Southern California. There was minimal qualitative analysis of the READ 180 program at the secondary level and nominal research in general on affective learning regarding motivation to read for at-risk high school students. This study was designed to explore what changes, if any, may occur in the reading attitudes (affective skills) and comprehension levels (cognitive skills) of participants in the …

Mathers Systematic Theology - Chapter 2, Norm Mathers

Faculty Publications and Presentations

INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES

2.1 The Inspiration of the Scriptures involves the accurate recording of the revelation.

2.1.1 Central Passages establish the inspiration of the Scriptures.

2.1.1.1 2 Timothy 3:16-17

An Intelligent Critique Of Multiple Intelligences: A Christian Review For Leaders, David A. Mcgee, Bryce Hantla

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Ideas have consequences—for good or bad. The apostle Paul, in his letter to a group of Romans, stated that the metaphysical world could be known to humanity (Rom 1:18ff). Over 1,800 years later, Emanuel Kant, a German philosopher, challenged this view of the metaphysical world; that is, Kant claimed that God could not be known, and western Christian philosophy has scrambled ever since to make sense of the two.1 On a similar scale, Howard Gardner, professor at Harvard University, challenged the prevailing view of intelligence in 1983 with his book Frames of Mind, stating that there were a number of …

The Effect Of Teaching Experience On Service-Learning Beliefs Of Dental Hygiene Educators, Sharlee Burch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this non-experimental causal-comparative study was to determine if service-learning teaching experience affects dental hygiene faculty perceptions of service-learning benefits and barriers in the United States. Dental hygiene educators from entry-level dental hygiene education programs in the United States completed the Web-based Faculty Service-Learning Beliefs Inventory (wFSLBI) and a short demographic survey to determine the perceived differences in benefits at the classroom and community levels, and barriers at the classroom and institutional levels. Independent samples t tests and Mann-Whitney tests were employed in data analysis. Results from 317 surveys revealed there was a statistically significant difference between dental …

Rethinking Discipleship In The Area Of High School Ministry: Key Strategies For Transforming Urban Youth, Michael Rackley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

According to a Barna Research Group study titled "Third Millennium Teens" 60% of young people will leave the church permanently or for an extended period. Decreasing the number of urban youth ages 14-18 from defecting from the church and to increase retention of church dropouts using Twenty-First Century transformational strategies is the goal of this project. Having served as a youth pastor the writer will analyze key strategies that will benefit high school ministry by raising the bar on expectations and by building future leaders in the church.

This project will include an anonymous survey of 125 participants aged 18-24 …