Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

Examining The Effects Of Student Loan Forgiveness And The Christian Perspective, Sarah Rogers

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

On August 24, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his plan for federal student loan forgiveness. The program allows individuals who make less than $125,000 a year and families under $250,000 relieve up to $10,000 of their loan debt. Those who fall under the Pell Grant program are able to relieve up to $20,000 of their debt. The reactions to this “revolutionary” program were mixed. Typically, those who the program would directly affect were very enthusiastic about this idea while those, most notably Republicans, were less than thrilled. While the idea is good in theory, the execution of debt forgiveness will …

Creating A New Sports Division The Importance Of Protecting Women’S Sports While Encouraging Sportsmanlike Competition, Taylor Nilson

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Creating a new sports division: The importance of protecting women’s sports while encouraging sportsmanlike competition

The foundation of sports is to encourage respectful and fair competition between two or more individuals. For those who choose to participate, they are pursuing the happiness they find in competition, others have found their livelihood in sports, and most find liberty in their carefree activities.

Given the recent rise in the popularity of the transgender community, it is natural for members that want to compete in sports, specifically women’s sports. However, with that there are also those who would abuse this popularity to support …

The Fight Against Abduction And Child Exploitation, Elizabeth Wilson

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

In the last century, abductions of missing children have gained public attention nationally. Communities have rallied together to search for abducted children. In the midst of tragedy, parents of missing children have founded programs to search for their abducted child, petitioned for legislation to be passed, and implemented new technological advancements in the search for their child. Over the past century, methods have evolved as technology advanced. Some methods were replaced with more efficient technological advancements.

The Terrorists' Secret And Hidden Weapon, Elizabeth Wilson

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Since the immersion of female suicide bombers is still in its infancy, there are many questions asked about this new role played by women. Terrorists for decades have been men; even today when one hears the word terrorism, one presumes the person who launched the attack was a male. While many individuals can justify acts of aggression by men due to their innate nature and testosterone driven violence, individuals struggle with understanding why women become suicide bombers. The question mulled around in one’s head is “how can women who are seen as the nurturing, compassionate, emotional sex, engage in acts …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Their Correlation To College Major, Rachel Ling Xiu Held

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

The term adverse childhood experiences or ACEs for short, is well known in many fields of study including criminal justice, psychology, social work, and education. There are a multitude of studies that compare ACEs with other risk factors, use ACEs as a comparison tool with other behavioral issues, as well as linking ACEs to criminality, mental health disorders, and physical health. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been identified as a key risk factor for a range of negative life outcomes, including a strong correlation in juvenile delinquency and crime. Despite many works regarding adverse childhood experiences and the ACE test, …

From The Ground Up: Restoring The Problem Of Education, William J. Norris Iii

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

This paper will examine the impact of families and how they can restore the promise of education. At the local level, parents and concerned citizens should review the impact of their local school boards and how they can become involved to effect positive change. Education policies that promote school choice and educational flexibility should be promoted at the local, state, and federal levels. A comprehensive approach is needed to help ensure equality of opportunity for each child in America.

Artistic And Cultural Impacts Of Impressionism, Lauren Booth

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

2-D

I Come Creeping: Remembering The Battle Of Blair Mountain In Graphic Narrative, Ellie James

Senior Honors Theses

Between August 24 and September 4 of 1921, approximately 10,000 West Virginia coal miners marched to Blair Mountain in Logan County in a militant stand for their right to unionize. Despite its status as the largest labor uprising in United States history, few know or understand the impact of the Battle of Blair Mountain today, even within the borders of West Virginia. This creative project aims to contribute to ongoing efforts to memorialize this period of the West Virginia Mine Wars through the creation of a 10-page comic, titled I Come Creeping, which depicts and is informed by the …

Online Vs On-Site: Navigating The Tension Between Curating Content And Cultivating Connections For Children In The Post-Pandemic Church, Mckinzie Marcus

Senior Honors Theses

The common Christian cliche “church is not a place, but rather a people” was challenged by the Coronavirus pandemic of early 2020. With the traditional means of assembling in physical spaces unavailable, congregations worldwide resigned themselves to adapting their in-person programs into internet assemblies. As churches step into the post-pandemic era, it is important to consider the implications of this forced shift, especially as it relates to children’s ministry. A consideration of traditional messages and trending methods is necessary. Twenty-first century children’s ministries must seek a healthy balance between curating content and cultivating connections for the children in their churches.

Successes And Failures Of War And The Shifting Landscape: An Analysis Of The Dynamic Relationship Between The Elements Of The Clausewitzian Trinity, Hannah Crosby

Senior Honors Theses

In his writing On War, Carl von Clausewitz explained the nonlinear nature of war and the inevitable chaos that occurs during times of conflict. Fundamental to his theory of war is the Clausewitzian Trinity, comprised of three elements: the people, the military, and the government. In the text, he emphasized the intrinsic relationship of these variables, observing that political objectives are the original motives for war. As such, the inherent values of the people will have a direct impact on the success of any war. In an examination of various military conflicts since the time of World War II, …

Antitrust For Dominant Digital Platforms: An Alternative To The Monopoly Power Standard To Restore Competition, Jordan Ramsey

Senior Honors Theses

Antitrust law is meant to promote competition by prohibiting anticompetitive business practices such as mergers and acquisitions as well as exclusionary conduct. Judicial interpretation of antitrust law has allowed dominant digital platforms to undertake anticompetitive actions without prosecution. The Sherman Antitrust Act should be amended to remove the monopoly power standard that allows firms to engage in anticompetitive conduct as long as the conduct does not create or uphold monopoly power. The amendment would make anticompetitive conduct illegal regardless of monopoly power, as long as six proof requirements are met. This would result in lessened market concentration, which would benefit …

The Theory Of Shot Composition Applied To Various Genres Of Film, Elizabeth Scott

Senior Honors Theses

I am fascinated by the composition of shots in movies, specifically as it applies to the various different genres. However, there seems to be a lack of research into this particular area of the theory of composition. In that case, I am planning to research the history and theory of shot composition as it applies to films throughout the history of film and into modern times. This will be supplemented by my own experience in the Fall of 2022 where I will be a Director of Photography for four individual films of varying genres as well as by a film …

Anti-Vaccination: Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy And Its Consequences For Modern Public Health Policy, Joshua Bird

Senior Honors Theses

Modern vaccination is arguably the most significant medical achievement in human history. Through widespread vaccination, populations are no longer susceptible to diseases that plagued humanity for most of its existence (measles, rubella, smallpox). While vaccinations have largely shown themselves as safe and efficacious under most circumstances, small but considerable portions of the worldwide population reject vaccination for various social, religious, and political reasons. Research indicates that vaccine hesitancy spans all socioeconomic boundaries, affecting patients and their physicians. To explore the underlying themes of vaccine hesitancy and their relationship to loss aversion and omission bias, a study of various factors underlying …

Understanding Romania's Poverty: A Historical Overview Of Economics And Politics And Their Implications On Poverty Today, Benjamin Bucur

Senior Honors Theses

Romania is a country with a high-income economy that is experiencing considerable growth following its economic reforms of earlier decades. With growth, tendencies for an unequal society are prevalent. Therefore, appropriate economic policies that are specifically targeted toward bottlenecks are essential. This thesis seeks to outline the major types of poverty in Romania while also offering actionable entrepreneurial and educational insights that practically combat poverty at its roots.

Parental Perspectives On The Social Communication Between Adolescent Females Diagnosed With High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder And Their Typically Developing Older Siblings: A Case Study, Victoria Suzette Paxton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Verbal social communication and nonverbal social communication have been documented as a source of deficiency in adolescents with high-functioning (H-F) autism. Likewise, adolescent females with autism reported an increase in social communication difficulties as they aged into adolescence. While the positive impact on social communication in children with autism by older siblings has been documented, there is no such research that has investigated the nonverbal and verbal social communication characteristics among adolescent females with high-functioning autism and their typically developing older siblings (Ben-Itzchak et al., 2016). In the following research study, parental perspectives on the social communication between female adolescents …

A Case Study Examining The Experiences Of Middle School Teachers Who Use Manipulatives To Foster The Self-Efficacy Of Students With Math Difficulties, Krishanta Katira Butcher

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to examine the experiences of middle school teachers who use manipulatives during math instruction to foster the self-efficacy of students with mathematics difficulties. Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy was the theoretical framework for this study. The study was conducted at the Starlight School for Exceptional Children and at the Kingsway High School in The Bahamas. I recruited 15 participants for this study that included a combination of special and general education teachers who use manipulatives to provide math instruction to middle school students. To attain optimum results, I collected the data in the …

Mental Health Outcomes From Adverse Childhood Experiences And The Role Of Natural And Service-Based Community Involvement, Sydney Elizabeth Wooten Quinones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the literature that exists on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) related to relationships and mental health outcomes, there is a gap that exists in how community involvement can be a moderating factor. Studies do not address how extended family and community influence childhood development as it relates to mental health outcomes. This study is a mixed-method research design. Participants included 61 individuals with at least 1 ACE score and who were at least 18 years of age. They were recruited through social media sharing. Phase 1 assessed demographics, ACE scores, depression and anxiety severity, involvement with a service-based community, and …

Online Doctoral Candidate Preparedness For Practical Matters Associated With Their Dissertation Research: A Phenomenology, Grace Michele Baker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the dissertation research preparation and IRB-review experience of online doctoral candidates attending a medium-sized university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The theory that guided this research was Knowles’ theory of adult learning, which addresses how and why adults learn and why they choose to do so. The chosen design was transcendental phenomenology, which is used when the purpose of a study is to describe a phenomenon, and this is accomplished by collecting information about the phenomenon from a group of individuals who experienced it. The sample pool …

A Qualitative Study Comparing The Teaching Philosophies And Practices Of Children's Choir Artistic Directors In South-Central Ontario, Rebecca Hope Strutt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the number of studies related to community music in North America, very little research is available regarding children's choir artistic directors, specifically those in Ontario. This research project examined the philosophical and pedagogical teaching practices of children's choir artistic directors of south-central Ontario for a comparative study through a phenomenological qualitative approach. Guided by the research of notable conductors such as Doreen Rao, Helen Kemp, and Jean Ashworth Bartle, this study identified perspectives not yet explored and documented concerning teaching philosophies and practices of children's choir artistic directors in south-central Ontario. Emerging themes from the literature review included building …

Strategies For Creating And Building College Band Programs Within Institutions Under A 5000-Student Population, Joshua Benjamin Buckrucker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Higher education institutions regularly cultivate recruitment and retention plans to attract potential students to their programs. Small college band programs are identified as institutions under a 5,000-student enrollment and often develop recruiting strategies that employ a smaller applicant pool. This qualitative study observes small college recruitment practices and justifies successful and non-successful techniques within small college band programs. The research within this project examined insights into college admissions practices, administration roles in student recruitment and retention, and the role of the music faculty in recruiting and retaining current students. Furthermore, this study evaluates the effects of college exposure, marketing, communication, …

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 …

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.

Using Online Collaborative Learning To Improve Learning Gaps After Covid-19 Impacts On Higher Education: A Qualitative Multiple-Case Study, Teresa M. Henning

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this multiple-case study was to understand and discover the learning gaps created by emergency online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact it has had on instructors and students in institutes of higher education. A look at how online collaborative learning theory and the effect it has had on online learning was also examined. The theory that guided this study was the online collaborative learning (OCL) theory, which stresses the process involving memory, thinking, reflection, abstraction, and motivation. The central research question that this study investigated was how COVID-19 impacted institutes of higher education and …

Understanding The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ And Its Soteriological Significance, Zach Maldonado

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this DMIN action research project was to develop and implement a study on the resurrection of Jesus at Life Church. The problem was that people at Life Church did not adequately understand the resurrection of Christ for their belief in salvation. The study sought to help members of Life Church understand what Scripture teaches about salvation. The goal for this action research project was for members of Life Church to understand, defend, and articulate the resurrection of Jesus and its soteriological implications. There were seven total participants that took part in the study. Every participant was given …

What Was The Real Trouble With The Troubles? The Lived Experience Of Attending A Maintained School In Northern Ireland During The Troubles, Lisabeth Daniels Sweeney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Immigrant parents from Northern Ireland (NI) interact with American schools differently than most other immigrant cultures. The current generation of NI immigrant parents grew up amidst a sectarian conflict known as the Troubles. This cohort also attended Catholic maintained schools in NI, where corporal punishment was a daily experience. These life experiences can potentially shape an individual’s worldview and view of education. This qualitative study aimed to understand the lived experience of attending maintained schools in NI during the Troubles and how this phenomenon may have shaped NI parents’ view of education. A phenomenological approach using a qualitative survey and …

Woke Religion: Effects Of Secularism And Progressive Politics On 21st Century Mainline Churches As Demonstrated Through The Worship And Witness Of College-Age Students, Brenda L. Widger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examines the impact of Woke messages on young adults when delivered in church worship services and at youth events. A mixed methods research approach is employed, with quantitative data collected through an anonymous online survey and qualitative data gathered in a live focus group. The online survey responses and focus group discussion are coded and analyzed, providing a thorough presentation of the perceptions of all participants. Young adults are the future leaders of the Christian church. With so many churches moving toward welcoming or affirming stances on Woke ideology, the sermons delivered from the pulpit and the topics …

Bible Or Qur'Ān? Which Passes The Bibliographical Test, Raini J. Yeakel

Masters Theses

A customary interrogation tactic used against Christians is to question the transmissional accuracy of the Bible from the Apostle’s writing to the present. Muslims are especially antagonistic in this accusation while asserting the superiority of the Qur’ān to near perfect transmissional accuracy. However, they are egregiously mistaken in these assertions. Though on the surface, the bibliographical test might begin to look like the Qur’ān may surpass the Bible, a more in-depth investigation proves otherwise. The fact that the Qur’ān does not, and never has, had a sole autograph but, instead, many varying writings attempting to preserve Mohammad’s teachings. Then later …

An Apologetic For The Reliability Of Biblical Doctrine From Pornography Addiction And Recovery, Jacob A. Arrieta

Masters Theses

Sexual ethics (in general) and pornography (in particular) are incredibly hot topics in postmodern culture. The biblical sexual ethic, which was once normative across much of the Global West since the rise and spread of Christianity, is now viewed as outdated and oppressive in a postmodern culture that values individual freedoms above all else. No longer are institutions seen as trustworthy bastions of truth to help shape individuals into good people or proper citizens of a nation. Expert opinions are no longer sought out and used to shape and form the individuals’ thoughts on a given topic unless they support …

Did Jesus Survive The Cross?, Christopher Dwayne Banks

Masters Theses

This study explored whether it was possible for Jesus to survive the crucifixion from a medical and historical perspective. The scope of this thesis is based purely on what is evidentially plausible and more likely. Therefore, the data must reflect whether it was possible for Jesus to survive being crucified. Medical examination and ancient Roman sources were utilized to determine the nature and effectiveness of a Roman crucifixion. Furthermore, several theories concerning how one expires by the crucifixion were included to provide a rounded conclusion. Contrasting hypotheses offered greater insight into refining the question for which this thesis was designed. …