Digital Commons Network^™

Tsenacommacah’S Role In The Survival Of Jamestown, Brandon J. Hewitt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

How was a small, unprepared, sick group of 105 English settlers in 1607 able to settle squarely in the middle of a native confederacy whose numbers surpassed 15,000 individuals? This work will attempt to answer this question. At the same time, it will explain how a small group of Englishmen could quickly expand and become the first thriving English colony in North America despite being in the middle of Tsenacommacah, home of the Chesapeake Algonquian chiefdom. This research will place the focus on the Powhatan chief's decision-making processes regarding economics and politics as the reasons the English were able to …

American Sign Language Legal Interpretation Complications: A Comprehensive Analysis Of Linguistic Barriers Within The Criminal Justice System, Katherine R. Doan

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

The founding documents of the United States of America tend to be rather universal and impartial in their vernacular. Because all citizens of a nation are deserving of the same rights and privileges regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or disability status, accommodations must be provided to the Deaf to give them equal access to information throughout interrogations, trials, and police interactions. While it may seem obvious that interpreters should be provided during legal situations involving a Deaf individual, visual communication can make legal interactions quite complicated when police or attorneys can only reveal limited details. When Deaf culture involving expansion …

Political Rhetoric And Civility: A Challenge To “The Legacy Of ‘Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Happiness’”, Timothy P. O'Brien, Melissa O. Stewart

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

“As you stand for your values do so with gentleness and respect—that’s how we move our country forward.”

Mike Pence, 48^th Vice President of the United States of America (2017-2021)

Since the founding of the United States of America, political discourse has often taken an unpleasant and nasty tone. Partisan disagreement concerning public policy is normal and policy should be the subject of vigorous debate. Disagreement, bickering, and even fights on the floor of Congress, are not new phenomena. However, today there is a growing sense in the country that civility and intolerance are on the rise. This study …

The Four Sinners: The Relationship Between Humanity And Its Creator - A Verse-By-Verse Devotional Reflection On Psalm 107, Isabelle Brunet

Senior Honors Theses

The book of Psalms is an essential means of worship to the Christian. Commanded to be sung and studied, God consistently uses the psalms to communicate with His people. His conviction, creativity, and faithful love are emphasized through the writing of each psalmist. This paper studies the varying types of psalms, the manner in which they are constructed, and the required response of the worshiper to the psalms.

Psalm 107, known as Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So if found to be titled, is a song of communal response and repentance. one sees that this title implies the …

The Impact Of Music Therapy On Language Acquisition In Children With Nonverbal Autism, Alecia Bernau

Senior Honors Theses

Through an experimental method, the researcher investigated whether children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to develop verbal communication skills after consistent exposure to songs with lyrics. Six children with nonverbal ASD were exposed to the same song with lyrics, with the goal of increased vocalization and language acquisition. Over nine sessions, subjects were pulled to participate in the experiment. The researcher played the song for the participants, recording the responses from each trial and categorizing them as either full words, verbal approximations, or miscellaneous verbalizations. The findings of the study suggest that there is a relationship between …

A Phenomenological Study Of Social Media Usage In Southern Baptist Churches In The Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Patricia Maria Rankin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore social media usage according to leaders from churches in the Southern Baptist Convention in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. For this study, social media was defined as any social media networking platform used to share the Gospel. The research was guided by the mathematical theory of communication (Shannon, 2001; Weaver,1953) developed by Shannon, Weaver, Schramm, and Berlo. The communication model effectively understands and explores the literature gap regarding God and how He communicates with His people. The study started with purposeful sampling and recruitment of participants, who then voluntarily completed the …

Addressing Health Illiteracy In The Hispanic Community – A Call To Action: An Integrative Review, Sarah Akers Dersch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The United States Hispanic population is rapidly growing; however, existing healthcare endeavors are insufficiently accommodating this expansion. This demographic is linked to multiple serious health problems, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiac disease, cancer, and liver disease. In order to improve health outcomes within this community, interventions, such as health literacy screening, need to be further explored to identify current insufficiencies and help this population overcome these health challenges. This integrative review seeks to determine the effectiveness of current health literacy screening tools among native Spanish speakers in the U.S. This review seeks to amalgamate data from various studies to demonstrate …

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Elementary Teachers Who Teach Students With Dyslexia How To Read: A Transcendental Phenomenology, Erin Lynn Bower

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenology sought to understand the lived experiences of elementary teachers who teach students with dyslexia how to read. The central question guiding this study was: “What are the lived experiences of elementary teachers who teach students with dyslexia how to read?” Three sub-questions looked more deeply into the phenomenon. The first sub-question asked: “What internal influences shape elementary teachers’ experiences when teaching students with dyslexia how to read?” The second sub-question asked: “What external influences shape elementary teachers’ experiences when teaching students with dyslexia how to read?” Finally, the third sub-question asked: “How do internal and external influences …

Cultural Health Literacy: A Case Study Of Somali Refugee's Information-Seeking Behavior And Health Communication Praxis, Andrea Mckinnon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This case study examines Somalian refugees who have sought health information from a trusted source and how it affected their health decision. Health literacy, the ability to find, understand, and use health information and make health decisions, is an understood barrier to achieving optimal health. Social determinants affect an individual’s ability to access and appropriately use the information for decision-making. The communication inequality theory states that health disparities occur when communication inequalities transpire across the communication continuum, and inequitable access to learning manifests within specific individuals or groups. Research data was collected using a sociodemographic and SNS use questionnaire and …

Christocentric Discipleship At Faith Baptist Church Of Tuscola, Allan Clyde Harris Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Faith Baptist Church of Tuscola and many other churches worldwide do not currently conduct Christocentric discipleship. Discipleship, in general, is not being achieved as well. A significant disconnect between the gospel and discipleship exists today. There is ignorance regarding the gospel and its message and how believers are to fulfill the Great Commission. The disconnect is a result of the type of gospel preached and implemented. This study aims to discover a means and method to correct the ignorance of the gospel that results in improper or lack of discipleship, thus creating converts to Christianity and not disciples of Christ. …

Deploying Secular Historian's Rules As An Apologetic Method To Persuade Secular Naturalists/Humanists That Demons Exist, Mark P. Ragsdale

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Secular Humanists/Naturalists presuppose a priori that the existence and activity of non-material, incorporeal, spirit beings are not possible. Like a First Order Skeptic argues that one cannot be sure of anything beyond perception, the Secularist accepts existence of all that is material while rejecting any spiritual realm. The dissertation qualitatively ties together themes arguing that the same standards secularists apply to vetting any commonly accepted historical event whatever also inductively supports the existence and activity of demons.

Exploring Teachers' Strategies That Motivate Achievement Among African American Students: A Single-Case Study, Charlie Howell Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Throughout the United States, the academic achievement gap between African American and White students has been a growing concern. The purpose of this single-case study was to explore upper-elementary African American students’ perceptions of effective motivational and instructional strategies in an eastern North Carolina private school. The self-determination theory of Ryan and Deci guided this study in exploring the central question: What instructional strategies have teachers used at the Center of Excellence to improve the motivation of African American students within the classroom? In addition, three sub-questions were considered: What instructional strategies have teachers used to foster autonomy among African …

A Causal Comparative Study Of The Difference In Achievement Scores Of At-Risk, Minority Students Based On Learning Styles, Linda Olene Green

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The American education system has historically promoted free and equal education for all, but history has shown that ethnic minority students’ academic achievement has been lower than ethnic majority students’ academic achievement. The resulting gap in achievement has been addressed throughout the research, but definitive solutions remain elusive. The study addressed the lack of research surrounding cultural learning patterns of at-risk students. The purpose of this quantitative, casual comparative study is to determine the difference among annual state mandated test scores of at-risk students who have visual, auditory, read/write or kinesthetic (VARK) learning styles. The participants for the study were …

Student Anxiety In The Foreign Language Classroom: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Daniel Moffatt Lambert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of foreign language anxiety or xenoglossophobia, for college students enrolled in foreign language courses at The Southern University. The topic was guided by Krashen’s theory of second language acquisition, as it relates to many aspects of the actual process of second language learning. The sample consisted of 10 college students enrolled in foreign language courses at the university level. Qualitative data collection occurred through semi-structured interviews, journaling, and document collection. Data analysis procedures were derived from methods set forth by Van Kaam, and modified by Moustakas, including …

African American Parenting Style Influence On Children And Adolescents' Academic Success, Elizabeth F. Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine how parenting styles influence African American children and adolescents’ academic success. The theory guiding this study was Diana Baumrind’s parenting typologies authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting styles. A sample size of 10 African American participants who had at least one child, 3 months to 18 years of age, were recruited and selected through purposeful and snowball sampling. Each participant was interviewed via recorded Zoom meetings and data were collected utilizing open-ended, semistructured, in-depth interview questions. Three research questions guided this study: (a) what response is given that characterizes parents’ relations …

Torn Between The Creeds Of The Devil: The German-Finnish Co-Belligerency In World War Ii, Stephanie Wright

Liberty University Research Week

Graduate

Textual or Investigative

Martha's Vineyard: The Island With The Flying Hands, Kaitlyn Misirian

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Textual or Investigative

Freedom, Mystery And “Kinds Of Desire”: The Doctrine Of Theosis And Free Will’S Intelligibility Problem, Aaron Milkie

Senior Honors Theses

The problem of free will stands among the most intellectually fascinating, and practically concerning, problems of philosophy. It also remains, after centuries of rich discussion and sharp division, a locus of tremendous philosophical polarization— citing strong, often incongruous intuitions, philosophers today disagree over the nature, possibility, existence, and implications of human free agency. One route which might help penetrate this apparent stalemate is the application of resources from theism— in particular, Christian theism— to the philosophical free will conversation. In this paper, I review past contributions of Christian theism to the philosophical free will debate, arguing that these contributions, while …

A Statistical Comparison Of Hebrews To Accepted Pauline And Lukan Corpora, Benjamin Erickson

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Applied

Prosody In Friedrich Von Flotow's Setting Of The Last Rose Of Summer, Hope Dornfeld

Liberty University Research Week

Graduate

Performing Arts- Music

The Impacts Of Interpreters On Deaf Patients' Care, Sarah Rinn

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Theoretical Proposal

Limited English Proficiency: Addressing The Challenges To Health Care Workers, Adrianna Rought

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Theoretical Proposal

Toxic Rhetoic Of The Online Incel Culture, Audrey Thomas

Liberty University Research Week

Graduate

Textual or Investigative

Language As Illumination, Sophia Jantomaso

Liberty University Research Week

Graduate

Theoretical Proposal

Language Anxiety And Motivation: Higher Education International Students' Experiences, Emmalene Sotomayor

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Theoretical Proposal

Comprehensible Input As A Language Learning Strategy Among Heritage Language Learners In The Spanish Classroom, Colleen Murphy

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Theoretical Proposal

Improving Cultural Competence In The Nurse To Reduce Adverse Patient Events, Anna Ponder, Julia Booker

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Theoretical Proposal

Effects Of Emr On Community Health Center Communication, John M. Boyke

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Electronic medical record (EMR) systems impact healthcare communication in a significant number of ways. The physical presence of the EMR in the examination room can negatively impacts patient-provider communication. This research examined the impact of EMR on patient-provider communication within the microcosm of the community health center. The data for this research was collected via a quantitative survey using a random sample of 513 (10%) of the 5,101 patients of the Northwest Community Health Center (August 2021 to August 2022). These participants were at least 18 years of age and had seen their medical provider in the previous 12 months. …

Lessons Learned In Social-Emotional Development After A Pandemic: A Qualitative Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Lyndsey Eksili

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lessons learned by educational leaders and teachers in the social emotional development of K-12 students after the COVID-19 pandemic. Twelve K-12 leaders and teachers in varying in age and demographics participated in interviews, a focus group, and artifact collection to explore the lived experiences and lessons learned in social-emotional learning and development after the pandemic. Themes were then developed based on those experiences using the qualitative transcendental methods of research and data analysis. The themes discovered through research were student struggles, teacher/staff struggles, and school climate. The subthemes …

The Communication Culture Of Flourishing Churches, Ronald Drake Jenkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study provides qualitative phenomenological observations that analyze and describe communication styles in ten flourishing churches. Practicing Christians contribute significantly to our society and culture. The primary goal of this study was to investigate the communication cultural themes within healthy and flourishing churches. The parameters of this study were limited to ten churches found on the Outreach Magazine Top-100 largest and fastest growing churches in America. Each of these churches was visited one time during a Sunday morning service. During this process, this researcher was a participant observer, examining and flourishing themes in real-time while observing the ten churches. People …