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Visual Catechesis: Utilizing Pictorial Illustrations To Facilitate Learning And Retention Of Protestant Doctrine In The United States, Robert Christian Hemme Dec 2021

Visual Catechesis: Utilizing Pictorial Illustrations To Facilitate Learning And Retention Of Protestant Doctrine In The United States, Robert Christian Hemme

Masters Theses

A lack of catechetical instruction within contemporary Protestantism in the United States has resulted in a large number of self-identifying Christians not knowing important tenets of their faith. The modern era also presents a unique dilemma in that North American culture is steeped in visual stimuli due to technology, so that even were catechistic instruction revived, many individuals might balk at a traditional, text-centric process. This thesis explores improving comprehension and retention of orthodox Protestant doctrine in the United States through integrating pictorial illustrations into the classic Christian pedagogical methodology of catechesis. Because of unceasing debates surrounding numerous, nuanced theological …


Traversing The Back Door Of The Mind: Directing Imaginative Stories To Generate Meaningful Dialogue About Biblical Truths In A Materialist World, Heather Jean Birkeland Dec 2021

Traversing The Back Door Of The Mind: Directing Imaginative Stories To Generate Meaningful Dialogue About Biblical Truths In A Materialist World, Heather Jean Birkeland

Masters Theses

Ontological materialism hinders evangelistic efforts because it precludes any dialogue about spiritual matters, especially regarding the importance of cultivating an eternal value system. Furthermore, potential meaningful dialogue is inhibited by an audience that routinely rejects overtly Christian materials, which results in failure to develop the correct contextual understanding regarding biblical spiritual truths. The writer provides an overview of the philosophy of ontological materialism and its effects on people, the impact of imaginative storytelling, and the psychology of narrative persuasion. Firstly, the selected thesis topic will explore how non-Christians could potentially approach and engage in biblical truths without hostility through the …


Volunteering Creativity: A Tool For Growing The Church’S Creative Volunteer Base, Landon Joel Benson Dec 2021

Volunteering Creativity: A Tool For Growing The Church’S Creative Volunteer Base, Landon Joel Benson

Masters Theses

Churches often struggle to identify and recruit talented visual communicators because of a lack of familiarity with visual communication, limited resources, and an inability to recruit to an area of ministry they do not understand. Marketing needs accelerate as fast as technology innovates, and if the church fails to keep up, it will lose its relevance. With each passing day, the importance of having an effective creative team at a church’s disposal grows. Most of the research on this subject focuses on who participates in volunteering and identifying demographic or economic statuses. Few researchers have taken the next step to …


Meeting Madness- Maximizing Meeting Experiences To Promote Higher Productivity And Effectiveness, Heather Nicole Boswell Dec 2021

Meeting Madness- Maximizing Meeting Experiences To Promote Higher Productivity And Effectiveness, Heather Nicole Boswell

Masters Theses

Meetings are commonplace in organizations worldwide. In fact, meetings are important for collaboration, creative innovation, sharing information, coordinating activities, and more. Meetings in and of themselves are not bad; in fact, they are needed. The problem plaguing organizations and employees is the massive amount of time spent in poorly ran and unproductive meetings. This research aims to establish that these unproductive and poorly ran meetings are affecting employee morale, productivity and costing organizations millions each year. Research shows that improving meetings can positively affect strategic organizational outcomes and company culture and save time and money. This body of research shows …


A Christmas Cantata, Garth Andrew Olson Dec 2021

A Christmas Cantata, Garth Andrew Olson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this worship ministry research project was to research, prepare for, and lead a Christmas cantata presentation for two worship services at First United Methodist Church in Georgetown, Texas, on Sunday, December 12, 2021. In this thesis, I identified the worship components and the accompanying potential challenges for successfully leading a vital and converging traditional Christmas Sunday worship in a way that promotes authentic, biblically-centered, Christocentric, and participatory worship services for a church community.” The Christmas cantata was a musical composition set for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voices (SATB) with instrumental accompaniment including solos, chorus, chamber orchestra, …


The Supporting Role: Cultivating A Writing Life To Prevent And Combat Writer's Block, Molly Elizabeth Hanberry Dec 2021

The Supporting Role: Cultivating A Writing Life To Prevent And Combat Writer's Block, Molly Elizabeth Hanberry

Masters Theses

Every writer will suffer from writer’s block from time to time, and there are two general schools of thought in dealing with this affliction: wait it out or struggle through. The purpose of this thesis is to illuminate the nature of writer’s block from a fundamental level, beginning with the neuroscience of creativity. From there, it will explore the three root causes of writer’s block: lack of inspiration, burnout, and fear. And finally, with an understanding of its causes, it will be possible to examine ways to combat writer’s block through methods based in neuroscience, personal experience, and professional advice …


Manger Throne: Worshiping Emmanuel At Christmas, Jonathan Mitchell Henderson Dec 2021

Manger Throne: Worshiping Emmanuel At Christmas, Jonathan Mitchell Henderson

Masters Theses

The overwhelming truth of the infinite, Almighty God coming to earth, clothing Himself in flesh in order to begin His grand plan for the redemption of mankind is often lost amid the festive celebrations of the Christmas season. The holidays are a time when joy and sorrow are intensified and people’s hearts are softened, making them more receptive to hear the message of the Gospel and the hope found only in Jesus. The following Worship Ministry Project seeks to elicit the overwhelming truth of God’s love to the unbeliever and to reignite the wonder and worship in the hearts of …


The Museum Of Misinformation: An Interactive Exhibit Illuminating The Effects Of Social Media Algorithms On Cognitive Bias And The Spread Of Misinformation, Sydney Morris Dec 2021

The Museum Of Misinformation: An Interactive Exhibit Illuminating The Effects Of Social Media Algorithms On Cognitive Bias And The Spread Of Misinformation, Sydney Morris

Masters Theses

Misinformation is so easily believed and spread due to social media and its algorithms that amplify bias. This severely effects the millennial population and their ability to assess information, as many of them have begun to forego traditional news outlets and rely on social media for their news. The aim of this research was to investigate the phenomenon of confirmation bias and its connection to millennials’ belief in misinformation along with how social media uses confirmation bias to aid in the spread of misinformation. Specifically, it investigates methods that would aid millennials in combatting spreading misinformation. The following research questions …


The Emotional, Mental, And Spiritual Well-Being Of Gen Z: Perceived Social Media Messages, Abigail Marie Hayes Dec 2021

The Emotional, Mental, And Spiritual Well-Being Of Gen Z: Perceived Social Media Messages, Abigail Marie Hayes

Masters Theses

Technology has rapidly interwoven itself into the life of an individual. Social media makes up a large part of technology, an ever-changing system of mediums that portray messages depending on the current events. The messages communicated on various social media platforms fundamentally alter Generation Z’s (Gen Z’s) emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. As technology progresses, the necessity of studying the impacts of mediums on Gen Z, digital natives, increases. A study was conducted on 46 Gen Z participants specifically on how they utilize the most popular social media platform for Gen Z–Instagram, to determine their perceived emotional, mental, and spiritual …


Restoring Female Agency: Wicked As A Feminist Fairy-Tale Revision, Erica Nicole Fox Dec 2021

Restoring Female Agency: Wicked As A Feminist Fairy-Tale Revision, Erica Nicole Fox

Masters Theses

One method of promoting gender equality that has gained popularity in recent years involves revising the fairy tales, primarily the ones compiled and revised by Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Anderson, and the Grimm brothers, to create versions in which the female characters have agency and purpose outside of furthering patriarchal gender ideals. The primary goal of the feminist fairy-tale revision is to give the female characters agency, not because they are women, but because they are functioning characters within the story. While there are many authors who attempt to create fairy-tale revisions that embody a feminist perspective, not all are …


Understanding Blue Light Retinal Damages And The Methods Of Prevention, Amelia Lee Dec 2021

Understanding Blue Light Retinal Damages And The Methods Of Prevention, Amelia Lee

Senior Honors Theses

Light emitting diode (LED) lights that comprise television screens, phone displays, laptops, and tablets have been studied by scientists in order to understand the implications of blue light radiation and the effects that it has on the human body—especially the retina of the eye. The retina is comprised of highly metabolic cells, and when those cells are placed under oxidative stress, death occurs causing ocular disease. Additionally, excess blue light exposure causes shifts in biological rhythms that govern patterns of alertness and sleep. Recently scientists began studying the methods of blue light prevention. Some studies show that blue light radiation …


Developing An Intentional Disciple Making Strategy For Fathers To Lead Their Families In Spiritual Transformation, Michael Cauthorne Dec 2021

Developing An Intentional Disciple Making Strategy For Fathers To Lead Their Families In Spiritual Transformation, Michael Cauthorne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Do current student ministries produce disciples that can stand the test of the current culture? Has creating a separate ministry worked against God’s plan for making disciples? Statistics from across the Church would suggest the American Church is in decline. Within the Southern Baptist Convention there has been a continual decline in baptisms over the past few years. This project will seek to determine if there is a correlation between how student ministries are led in the modern church to how effectively the church has been in making disciples. With research and data collected from current and former student ministries, …


Intervention: Helping The Rural Baptist Church Identify Areas Of Strength And Weakness For Greater Kingdom Service, Anthony Jerome Baylor Dec 2021

Intervention: Helping The Rural Baptist Church Identify Areas Of Strength And Weakness For Greater Kingdom Service, Anthony Jerome Baylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The rural Baptist Church has historically been a place of tradition, cultural importance, and refuge. It has been led by a wealth of great leaders who have served generations of faithful members. Over time, many rural Baptist Churches have seen a gradual decline, and some are on the verge of extinction. This decline may be a direct result of those churches attempting to continue unnecessary traditions and unproductive ministries. These churches also sacrifice future interests and prospects for institutional practices that do not fulfill the Great Commission and promote destructive practices. To initiate an intervention into the destructive practices of …


Commercial Violin: Creating A Hybrid Twenty-First Century Collegiate Violin Curriculum, Ryan Joseph Ogrodny Dec 2021

Commercial Violin: Creating A Hybrid Twenty-First Century Collegiate Violin Curriculum, Ryan Joseph Ogrodny

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the stylistically diverse professional music opportunities available to twenty-first century violinists, modern collegiate violin students are most often exclusively trained through traditional classical pedagogy. Conversely, violinists who perform commercial music often do not experience formal classical training, which provides functional foundational skills required of the professional violinist. There has yet to be a collegiate violin curriculum developed that incorporates elements of both classical and commercial music, allowing for diverse musical opportunities through structured and sequential pedagogy. This qualitative research study identifies, examines, and compares current classical and commercial collegiate violin methodologies simultaneously as a framework for the development of …


Bullying Victimization In Middle Schools: A Quantitative Correlational Study, Corey Centwane Calhoun Sr. Dec 2021

Bullying Victimization In Middle Schools: A Quantitative Correlational Study, Corey Centwane Calhoun Sr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Bullying victimization is a very common, complex and potentially damaging form of violence among children and adolescents. Bullying is defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior, which involves a real or perceived social power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time (therefore, the definition excludes occasional or minor incidents). Bullying victimization in schools is not only alarming, but it has now become a persuasive concern, one that should be evaluated closely by educators, parents, and policymakers in all school systems. In public schools, 1 in 10 reports at least a case of serious violent crime, …


The Strong Black Woman And Marital Satisfaction: A Mediation Moderation Analysis Of Mental Health And Religiosity, Jessica Christine Wright Dec 2021

The Strong Black Woman And Marital Satisfaction: A Mediation Moderation Analysis Of Mental Health And Religiosity, Jessica Christine Wright

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between endorsement of the Strong Black Woman (SBW) schema (stoicism and independence subscales), mental health (depression and anxiety), marital satisfaction, and the potential moderating effects of religiosity (negative and positive religious coping) on the strength and direction of this relationship. Participants consisted of four-hundred and thirty-nine married women who were recruited via Qualtrics. The women completed inventories to assess for SBW endorsement, marital satisfaction, depression, anxiety, and both negative and positive religious coping. The results indicated embracing characteristics of SBW-stoicism predicted decreased marital satisfaction and increased anxiety and depression. In …


First-Year Student Leadership Readiness Among Cccu Member Institutions Citing Leadership In Their Mission Statement, Dawn B. Meadows Dec 2021

First-Year Student Leadership Readiness Among Cccu Member Institutions Citing Leadership In Their Mission Statement, Dawn B. Meadows

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Council of Christian Colleges and Universities has 121 members, 45 of which cite leadership as an institutional value within their mission statement; programs and curriculum are designed to help graduates attain this value as they earn a degree. Traditional-age, first-year students who enroll in these institutions may or may not hold the same view of leadership, based on past experience or training. As a new generation of students rises to enroll in these institutions, a consideration of the view of leadership held by both the institution, who have a specifically Christian worldview, and the students who enroll in them …


An Exploration Of Military Spouse Mental Health: Religion/Spirituality, Resilience, Social Support, Deployment, And Rank, Sharita Gwen Knobloch Dec 2021

An Exploration Of Military Spouse Mental Health: Religion/Spirituality, Resilience, Social Support, Deployment, And Rank, Sharita Gwen Knobloch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Military spouses (MLSPs) are a vital component of military readiness and resilience, yet they are highly understudied, particularly within the realm of mental health. This study was grounded in resilience theory, investigating relationship interactions between religion/spirituality (R/S) on mental health through resilience (mediator) conditioned at levels of social support, deployment, and rank (moderators). An online survey was distributed via social media, open to MLSPs of all branches and all components (N = 1079). This quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional correlational research design utilized PROCESS Model 58, which found that two R/S subscales, Daily Spiritual Experiences and Religious Coping, exerted indirect effects on …


The Lived Experiences Of Public School Educators Bullied By School Administrators: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Kristyn Renea Baker Dec 2021

The Lived Experiences Of Public School Educators Bullied By School Administrators: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Kristyn Renea Baker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological study discovered and explored the lived experiences of public school educators bullied by school administrators. Student bullying has been a problem, however, there has been much less attention given to educators who are bullied by their superiors. The research question guiding this study asked what are the lived experiences of public school educators who have experienced administrator bullying? The theory guiding this study was social cognitive theory by Albert Bandura. The study was conducted with 10 educators (former and current) in public school districts across the United States obtained by professional referrals and/or selected from identified cases …


Combining National And State Music Standards To Create A Secondary Choral Curriculum For York County School Division, Leah Parr Dec 2021

Combining National And State Music Standards To Create A Secondary Choral Curriculum For York County School Division, Leah Parr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite recent revisions of the National Music Standards and the Virginia Music Standards of Learning, there have not been efforts to determine how their combination could create a localized music curriculum. Combining the national and state music standards allows the music educator to employ current music education practices and ensure students graduate with a standard set of musical skills and abilities. This study examined how secondary choral directors can combine these standards to create an effective and sequential curriculum for secondary choral directors in York County School Division (YCSD). A qualitative, historical research approach identified the history of standards-based curriculum …


How Can Education Support Prepare Students For A Workforce Focused On Innovation? A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Scott Allen Myers Dec 2021

How Can Education Support Prepare Students For A Workforce Focused On Innovation? A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Scott Allen Myers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand how faculty members and administrators describe their experiences in preparing their students for an innovation-focused 21st century workforce. The guiding theories associated with this study were Kolb’s experiential learning theory (ELT) as a gauge for modeling the learning process and Bloom’s taxonomy to assess learning levels. The relationship between Kolbs ELT, Bloom's taxonomy, and this study was conceptualized as a gauge to assess learning skill effectiveness. The central research question associated with this study was: How do faculty members and administrators describe their experiences preparing their students for an innovation-focused …


New Urban Liturgy: Making A Lane For Hip-Hop In Multicultural Worship, Caleb Thomas Kudlo Dec 2021

New Urban Liturgy: Making A Lane For Hip-Hop In Multicultural Worship, Caleb Thomas Kudlo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The urban environments of American cities are home to diverse cultures and subcultures. If God created humanity in His image, and if the gospel of Jesus Christ has transcending power, then urban churches are poised to become worship communities that reflect His creativity and redemption. However, the ideal of unity in diversity strives against the currents of homogenization in American history, church traditions, and human nature. This project brings attention to a subculture that makes its home in the urban environments of American cities but not in its churches: hip-hop should be counted among the diverse cultures that can uniquely …


Understanding Eschatology Leads To A More Fruitful Christian Life, John Michael Mendola Dec 2021

Understanding Eschatology Leads To A More Fruitful Christian Life, John Michael Mendola

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The evangelical church cannot fulfill its mission to facilitate the return of Jesus unless its membership’s studies eschatology. Too many relegate biblical prophecies to the past without recognizing their fulfillment in the here and now. This study investigates the contemporary belief structure of church members and aims to develop an effective corrective measure in order to improve the spiritual life of its members while advancing the church’s central mission of evangelizing. This study aims to determine what members know about church viewpoints on eschatology and deliver an educational remedy. The 15-person sample received a six-week course on eschatology developed and …


Analysis Of Texas Collegiate Mariachi Ensembles: Standard Repertoire And Genres, Angela Michelle Morgan-Thornton Dec 2021

Analysis Of Texas Collegiate Mariachi Ensembles: Standard Repertoire And Genres, Angela Michelle Morgan-Thornton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A standard prescribed music list exists for band, orchestra, and choral music ensembles in Texas K-12 music education. Presently, no prescribed music list exists for mariachi ensembles or degree plans in Texas at the collegiate level. This study used explanatory sequential mixed methods to examine the differences in seven Texas collegiate mariachi programs’ standard teaching and performance repertoire. The study explored the commonalities and differences in repertoire and balance of mariachi genres in instruction. The repertoire of diverse genres reflects influences associated with European, Caribbean, and Indigenous cultures and musical forms. Related issues of this study included music literacy, college …


Worship, Culture, And Mission: Ethnomusicology As A Tool For Evangelism In America, Semaj H. Pennix Dec 2021

Worship, Culture, And Mission: Ethnomusicology As A Tool For Evangelism In America, Semaj H. Pennix

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite many efforts of using evangelism as a tool in the United States, a deficit within the mission field of the unchurched is still very present. Within the scope of the ethnomusicologist, there are both secular and sacred musical fronts and participants that must be presented with the gospel in a form that ministers to them and connects with their own cultural or traditional music. Infiltrating these atmospheres as an ethnomusicologist may be the way to meet these needs. Because music has such a strong potential for changing the hearts of others and fostering acceptance, it is important for the …


China Containment In East Asia: Preventative Or Provocative?, Rachel Solsman Dec 2021

China Containment In East Asia: Preventative Or Provocative?, Rachel Solsman

Senior Honors Theses

Since the end of World War II, the United States has developed and maintained its strategic alliances with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan, and has worked to contain China through bolstering its deterrence strategy. However, after a century of humiliation, China is modernizing its military capabilities, improving in trade, and increasing political cohesion to become a regional hegemon. In light of these changes to the international order, the United States must re-evaluate its East Asian alliances and its current military and economic deterrence strategy against China. This paper will discuss the history of these alliances, the rise of …


Electronic Cigarettes’ Health Effects On Young Adults: An Honors Thesis, Miranda Yates Dec 2021

Electronic Cigarettes’ Health Effects On Young Adults: An Honors Thesis, Miranda Yates

Senior Honors Theses

Hon Lik introduced e-cigarette use in 2003 as a “safe alternative” to smoking cigarettes. Unfortunately, this message has been misinterpreted to mean that e-cigarette use is “harmless”. Recent studies have linked e-cigarette use to adverse health effects involving injury to the heart and lungs. Cigarette smokers using e-cigarettes to quit smoking and reduce second-hand smoke are being exposed to unregulated and potentially harmful chemicals. Teens who may never have considered cigarette smoking have been led to believe that e-cigarette use is safe and non-addictive. However, most e-cigarettes contain nicotine and unsuspecting teens are becoming addicted to this “fun” behavior. This …


The Meaning Of Movement: Using Motion Design To Enrich Words For Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Children, Hannah Elyse Colasurdo Dec 2021

The Meaning Of Movement: Using Motion Design To Enrich Words For Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Children, Hannah Elyse Colasurdo

Masters Theses

This thesis aims to address challenging areas of vocabulary for deaf and hard of hearing children by developing an open resource for students, parents, teachers, and content creators that utilizes motion to enhance written words for deaf and hard of hearing children. This research seeks to study the means of nonverbal communication such as body language expression and paralinguistic prosody (i.e., tone, intonation, volume, and pitch) qualities within the framework of graphic design through motion design. Body movement and expression are essential during face-to-face communication, but written language lacks such context clues. Additionally, the hard of hearing may not fully …


Teaching Intentional Discipleship In An Age Of Moral Relativism, David Cruz Martinez Dec 2021

Teaching Intentional Discipleship In An Age Of Moral Relativism, David Cruz Martinez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Teaching Intentional Discipleship in an Age of Moral Relativism is essential to counteracting the downward trend of morality, religious affiliation, and church growth in America. In the church where discipleship and fulfilling the Great Commission is becoming more of an option versus a necessity, the fruit of unintentional discipleship has contributed to the transformation of America into an age of moral relativism with no end in sight unless the church reverts to its first love of the Great Commission. The project will accentuate the statistics that demonstrate the current statistical decline of church attendance in the western world and explain …


Police Perceptions And Parenting Styles Among Black Parents Of Miami-Dade County, Amber E. Roach Dec 2021

Police Perceptions And Parenting Styles Among Black Parents Of Miami-Dade County, Amber E. Roach

Masters Theses

A person’s perception of something or someone does not develop without external factors affecting the individual. Experiences and lessons people have learned from a young age have molded their perception of the world. One of those lessons is what is considered correct and what is not. In the Black American community, this is accompanied by the “talk”. This “talk” is shaped by past experiences with the police towards minority groups, specifically, Black Americans. This paper discusses how parenting styles, race, and authority intersect. The purpose of this paper is to examine the beginnings of one’s life, the lessons they are …