Digital Commons Network^™

Holding Schools Accountable For Their Sex-Ed Curricula, Rena M. Lindevaldsen

Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article examines the legal and policy implications that arise when a school district decides to instruct students on issues concerning same-sex attractions. As more states afford legal recognition to same-sex relationships and adopt non-discrimination codes that include sexual orientation, schools are faced with the decision of what, when, and how to teach children about same-sex attractions. Providing instruction on this divisive issue is fraught with conflict as views and beliefs on the topic are deeply-held, diverse, and often politically charged. In disputes concerning other sensitive topics, courts long have afforded schools broad discretion to implement curriculum without interference from …

Effects Of Departmentalized Versus Traditional Settings On Fifth Graders' Math And Reading Achievement, Connie B. Yearwood

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether fifth grade students who received instruction in a departmentalized setting achieved higher mean scale scores on the reading and math sections of the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) than students who were taught in a traditional setting. Two one-way between-groups analyses of covariance were conducted to control for previous achievement while seeking to determine if a statistically significant difference existed in the mean reading and math scale scores of fifth grade students who were taught in different organizational structures. The findings suggest that students who received instruction in departmentalized …

The Effects Of A Remedial Math Intervention On Standardized Test Scores In Georgia Middle Schools, Chastity London Adams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Schools are looking for interventions to improve academic achievement and increase test scores due to the requirements of No Child Left Behind. One such intervention in middle schools is remedial math. This causal comparative study examined the differences in the standardized test scores for at-risk students who receive remedial math instruction and at-risk students who do not receive this intervention. In addition, this study examined gender differences for the remedial math students. The Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test of 293 at-risk seventh-grade students was used in this study. Using the previous year's standardized math test scores as a control variable, there …

The Effectiveness Of Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning To Reduce Alternate Conceptions In Secondary Chemistry, Michelle Jones Barthlow

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A nonequivalent, control group, pretest-posttest design was used to investigate student achievement in secondary chemistry. This study investigated the effect of process oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) in high school chemistry to reduce alternate conceptions related to the particulate nature of matter versus traditional lecture pedagogy. Data were collected from chemistry students in four large high schools and analyzed using ANCOVA. The results show that POGIL pedagogy, as opposed to traditional lecture pedagogy, resulted in fewer alternate conceptions related to the particulate nature of matter. Male and female students in the POGIL group posted better posttest scores than their traditional …

What Factors Of Cultural Intelligence Predict Transformational Leadership: A Study Of International School Leaders, Emerson K. Keung

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

International schools are a microcosm of the globalization that is occurring throughout the world. Effective leadership is critical to ensure that schools are successful in accomplishing their missions. This study examines if there is a relationship between cultural intelligence and effective leadership, defined as transformational leadership, in international school leaders, and if so, what factor(s) of cultural intelligence best predicts transformational leadership in international school leaders. International school leaders received an online survey that included the Cultural Intelligence Scale and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5X. Standard multiple regression analysis was used. The results indicate that there is a significant positive …

Empowering Teachers: The Influence Of Transformational Leadership In Christian Schools, John Irungu Kirika

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The object of this study was to investigate transformational leadership in Christian schools. The study investigated the perception of empowerment of K-12 Christian school teachers and its influence on organizational and professional commitment and job satisfaction. It explored correlations between teacher empowerment and selected demographic variables. The study also investigated how K-12 Christian school leaders and teachers perceive teacher empowerment. A combination of causal comparative and a correlational research method using a series of t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression statistics was used for parametric statistical analyses. The research findings were mixed. While the study pointed to the prevalence of teacher …

An Effective Internet Ministry Strategy For Church Evangelism Through A Case Study Of The Sarang Community Church, Dae Suk Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purposes of this dissertation are to shed light on the essence of the church internet ministry from the biblical and ministerial angles and to suggest effective strategies for churches launching an internet ministry. In the thesis, I conducted a literary review of online ministry and a case study of the Sarang community church. Basic Web analysis, an interview, and a survey were performed to analyze Sarang's case and to draw lessons from it. I sincerely hope my suggestions on internet strategies can become a compass that points churches to the right direction as they navigate through the wave of …

The Effect Of A Manualized Group Treatment Protocol On God Image And Attachment To God, Jacqueline Diane Rasar

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study tested the effect of a manualized group treatment protocol on God image and attachment to God in a sample of college students attending a Christian college. Thirty undergraduate students from a homogenous population were tested with one measure of God attachment, two measures of God image, one measure of religious coping, and one measure of spiritual outcomes. It was hypothesized that significant God image and attachment to God change would occur among the treatment group participants. In addition, it was hypothesized that significant religious coping and spiritual outcome change would occur among the treatment group and comparable group …

Do Metacognitive Strategies Improve Student Achievement In Secondary Science Classrooms?, Jaunine Fouché, Mark A. Lamport, Ph.D.

Christian Perspectives in Education

Increasing prevalence of high-stakes testing calls for focus on value-added teaching and learning practices. Following is an inquiry regarding metacognitive teaching and learning practices as it pertains to secondary science classrooms. Research shows that the orchestration and inclusion of metacognitive strategies in the science classroom improve achievement under the following preconditions: (1) are pervasively embedded in the educational structure; (2) are part of appropriately rigorous and relevant curriculum; (3) are supported by ‘metacognitive friendly’ teaching strategies; (4) are explicitly practiced by students and teachers; and (5) enable students to take responsibility for their own learning.

Individual Religious Commitment And Interdisciplinary Academic Achievement: Student Religiosity As A Factor In A National Academic Competition, Joshua D. Reichard

Christian Perspectives in Education

This study included an examination of the differences between the religiosity of students representing both public and private schools that qualified at the state and national levels in the United States Academic Decathlon, a national, interdisciplinary academic competition. The statistical significance of religiosity in relation to achievement scores in the Academic Decathlon was examined. The literature reviewed suggested a positive correlation between religiosity and academic achievement. The Duke University Religion Index (DUREL) instrument was administered to students on both teams to determine religiosity levels. Statistical analysis was applied to the data to test for significant difference. No significant difference between …

The Cyber Pornography Use Inventory: Comparing A Religious And Secular Sample, John Sessoms

Senior Honors Theses

While Internet pornography use is becoming increasingly common in today’s society, until recently no instrument existed to measure compulsive use. Consequently, the Cyber Pornography Use Inventory (CPUI) was developed in order to assess Internet pornography addiction. While demonstrating promise as an assessment tool, the CPUI was only tested on a religious population. In addition to being strongly opposed to pornography, religious males experience extreme distress from their usage and often perceive their behavior as addictive, despite no supporting clinical evidence. Therefore, it seemed necessary to explore the psychometric capabilities of the CPUI further by administering it to a secular population. …

The Eternal Stranger: The Superfluous Man In Nineteenth-Century Russian Literature, Kelly L. Hamren

Masters Theses

The "superfluous man" is one of the most important developments of the Golden Age of Russian literature--that is, the period beginning in the 1820s and climaxing in the great novels of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. To understand the superfluous man is to understand a key cultural struggle, the battle for self-understanding of a Russian intellectual elite looking for solid ground along the fault between sophisticated Western philosophy and a Slavic heritage understood more instinctively than intellectually. The superfluous man is the bastard child of a volatile, centuries' long love affair between the Western mind and the Slavic soul--between a technologically advanced …

A Myth Retold: How Till We Have Faces Confirms That A Myth Is Not A Fairytale, Rachel Elizabeth Burkholder

Masters Theses

In the last fifty years or so, the study of myth and meaning has changed into the study of fairytales, and into world of non-meaning. But because myths are classified with fairytales, their depth and somber meaning are clouded with the various happy endings of fairytales. Myths, then, are stripped and analyzed the same way as fairytales, for critics do not perceive a distinction; therefore, when discussing modern fairytale criticism the conclusions are invariably applied to myths as well. Fairytales and myth suffer greatly from the modern views; both are lost in a world of criticism set on satisfying its …

Holy Horror: A Quantitative Analysis Of The Use Of Religion In The Yearly Top Grossing Horror Films From 2000 To 2009, Jason Duane Wheeler

Masters Theses

The yearly top-grossing films from 2000 to 2009 were analyzed to see if correlation exists between overt religious content and box office success. Also, the films were analyzed to see if correlation exists between overt religious content and IMDb.com user ratings. Neither box office success nor IMDb.com user ratings were found to be correlated with over religious content.

You've Got A Friend In Me: An Analysis Of Coworker Friendship Relationships, Ebonee Johnikin

Masters Theses

Relationships between individuals fashion themselves in many settings and on various levels. Friendships are pivotal relationships that significantly contribute to social life, health and well-being, job satisfaction, and workplace interaction. More specifically, coworker friendship relationships are unique in their length, measurement, development, and maintenance as their formation occurs within mutually shared environments outside of family relationships. This study employed a mixed methods procedure to specifically examine these relationships. Three research questions guided the first study in an attempt to find if gender and length of friendship relationships significantly affect strength measurements of the relationship. The second study was guided by …

Self-Directed Learning And The Impact Of Leadership: Analyzing Keys For Success From A Covenental Perspective, David Duby, Kahlib J. Fischer

Faculty Publications and Presentations

The current state of education seems to beg for visionary changes to truly impact students and prepare them for the future. Self-directed learning models purport to do just that, by preparing students to be self-motivated, lifelong learners. While many educators seek to apply self-directed practices, research reveals that there are several obstacles that can hinder self-directed learning. Duby’s 2006 study of schools employing self-directed learning investigated how leaders successfully overcome these hindrances via specific leadership attitudes and behaviors that not only effectively overcame these obstacles, but are also reflected in the covenantal perspective of leadership. Using content analysis, this paper …

Compassionate Procedures For The Dismissal Of Church Staff Members, Mark David Nalepa

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to offer church leadership compassionate procedures for dismissing a church staff member for reasons other than immorality and impropriety. This will increase the likelihood he will continue to fulfill his calling to serve Christ elsewhere in ministry. For this to be accomplished the process must recognize and address the needs of all spheres impacted by the dismissal. The project will integrate the Biblical account of John Mark, collect sampling of church data on termination procedures, stories and perspectives of previously terminated staff members and family, and resource related literature on this subject.

“But Enough About Me…”: An Investigation Of Young Adults’ Self-Disclosure In Summer Camp Environments, Courtney Hunt

Masters Theses

Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor's social penetration theory has been applied to numerous studies on self-disclosure for various target groups and contexts. While the self-disclosure of adolescents and young adults has been studied by many researchers, the self-disclosure of young adults at summer camp has not previously been studied, nor has it been compared with young adults' self-disclosure to new acquaintances in familiar settings. In this study, the researcher examined young adults' tendencies in self-disclosure while in camp settings to identify if self- disclosure at camp differed from their typical self-disclosure tendencies and if their self- disclosure at summer camp …

Polar Opposites: A Look At The Role Of Biblical Values In Managing Dialectical Tensions In Marriage, Kimberly Dawn Borland

Masters Theses

The purpose of the current study was to determine what role biblical values play in the management of dialectical tensions and the resolution of conflict in Christian marriages. Specifically, the research questions guiding this study were what, if any, dialectical tensions exist in Christian marriages, do dialectical tensions lead to conflict in marriage, how are dialectical tensions and conflict managed in marriage, and what role do biblical values play in the management of dialectical tensions in Christian marriages? Transcripts from interviews of ten Christian married couples were analyzed using a Relational Dialectics lens. Results of analysis revealed that all six …

Creating Home-Plate In America: American Exceptionalism And Baseball As Imperialistic Home In Irwin Shaw's Short Fiction, August Wilson's Fences, And William Kennedy's Ironweed, Nathaniel Ross Valle

Masters Theses

Baseball has often been viewed as unique among the pantheon of American organized sports. Perhaps this view was spawned from baseball's supposedly pastoral origins, but the sport undeniably carries, as Allen Guttmann mentions, a brand as America's pastime (51). For millions of immigrants who entered America during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, baseball was the first and primary institution that provided them with a sense of belonging to America. Foreigners ascribed tremendous value to baseball in the nineteenth century, leading the French philosopher Jacques Barzun to comment that no other sport seemed genuinely entwined with a nation's identity (13). Baseball …

Determining Factors Contributing To Graduation For Students With Learning Disabilities In Community Colleges, Crystal Perry Ange

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined Students with Learning Disabilities (SLD) graduation rates from two-year community colleges. Specifically, the purpose of this paper was to determine if identifiable demographics or accommodations were related to SLD who graduated from community colleges. Data were collected from the records of SLD at four community colleges in North Carolina. The information collected included demographic data, the accommodations of SLD, and graduation status from community college. The results were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. The overall study demonstrated no factors were identified that predict graduation for SLD from a two-year community college. Implications for future research include the …

Social Tensions And Acculturation: Portrayals Of German Integration Discourse, Soeren Wendland

Masters Theses

This Master Thesis deals with the portrayal of social tensions and acculturation perceptions resulting from German integration discourse. Wester, Pleijter, and Renckstorf's (2004) model for interpretative content analysis was applied to examine the portrayal of migrants and integration from three German online magazines. Germany's struggle with its multicultural aspect is described, a history of Germany as a multicultural society is provided, acculturation theory is described, the meaning of integration in Germany is illustrated, perceptions of Germans and foreigners on life in Germany are explored, and the role of the media in the integration discourse is introduced. Results show magazine portrayals …

Miming The Poem: Influence And Imitation In Robert Lowell's Poetic, Andrew Walker

Masters Theses

Following the recent work of Christopher Ricks in his book True Friendship, this thesis examines the possibilities and particularities of the influence of the New Critics on Robert Lowell and, more specifically, his poetry. As a way of elucidating Lowell's own comment regarding his indebtedness to New Criticism, Lowell's poetry is examined regarding its use of metaphysical theme, tension, and metaphor. Each of these examinations is given articulation in regards to a specific context in the Lowell canon (Land of Unlikeness, "For the Union Dead," and History) and a specific forebear against which to more clearly …

The Economics Of The Atomic Bomb: Cost And Utilization, Jonathan M. Davis Mr.

Senior Honors Theses

Few moments in human history can be compared to the culmination of events that brought the atomic bomb into creation.  It is incredible to contemplate that while a nation was fighting a two front war that spanned from Europe into the Pacific, that the United States was able to utilize the time, energy, brains, materials, manpower, and capital to complete a project in four years. That under any other circumstances would have taken greater than half a century to complete.

First, this thesis will discuss breakthroughs in research that led scientists to believe that the atomic weapons could be built, …

Hallowed Be Thy Name: The Effect Of Prayer On God-Schemata, Jennifer J. Healey

Senior Honors Theses

Religious ideologies and spiritual frameworks are first formed and later held together by the linking of encounters with the sacred, a spiritual Entity, ritualistic practices, and/or the recognition of spirituality in others or within one’s self. The concept of schemata, which are the mind’s processing frameworks wherein the individual connects information in a purposeful and meaningful way is fundamentally tied to this process of deliberating faith. According to the Christian faith, prayer molds this conceptualization of God. This study endeavors to establish the relationship between the subjective nature of schemata and its supernatural implications: how prayer influences one’s view of …

The American Dream: An Illusion Or Reality For Latino Immigrants, Jessica L. Del Cid

Senior Honors Theses

Many Latinos from Mexico, Central America, and South America have made the decision to immigrate to the United States in recent years—whether legally or illegally.  In the literature, stories of immigration and hopes for the American Dream proliferated; however, varying degrees of racism and anti-immigration sentiment were also revealed.  Interviews of first-generation Latino immigrants and American citizens that were both attendees of a local Hispanic church in southcentral Virginia showed that Latino immigrants had hopes of achieving what they believed to be the American Dream, while realizing they had a long journey ahead.  American citizens were more certain of having …

Students’ Perceptions Of Same-Sex Attraction And Sexual Reorientation Therapy, Abigail L. Roller

Senior Honors Theses

Much current research has focused on Christian individuals’ beliefs regarding the morality of homosexuality, and several studies have examined the efficacy of sexual reorientation therapy.  The current study sought to explore the perceptions of students at a private Christian university regarding the morality of same-sex attraction and behavior and the efficacy of sexual reorientation therapy.  An original survey was created for the data collection, and data analysis demonstrated a strong positive correlation between students’ beliefs about the morality of same-sex attraction and behavior and their beliefs regarding the efficacy of sexual reorientation therapy.  Implications for further research in this area …

Bible Translation And Anthropology: The Superiority Of A Dynamic Equivalence Method Of Translation, Kathryn Hedrick

Senior Honors Theses

Bible translation has taken many forms and employed many methods in the past centuries since it was compiled and formalized.  Methods of translation range from highly literal to unduly free, with several intervals between the two.  In order to come to an accurate translation that can be properly understood by people far removed from the time and culture of the Bible, translators must employ cultural anthropology to understood the culture they are trying to reach.  This use of anthropology, combined with a dynamic-equivalence method of translation, produces the most effective and universally understandable translation of the Christian Bible.

Determinants Of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking And The Urgent Need For A Global Cultural Shift, Karen M. Hoover

Senior Honors Theses

In the United States, an overtly selfish and sexual culture contributes to the spread of human trafficking, thereby requiring a complete culture shift in order to diminish this modern day slavery initiated by the aberrant culture. Sex trafficking of minors in the United States encompasses a variety of factors that facilitate the bondage and brutal enslavement of American children. These children are bought and sold hundreds of times, with no regard for their personal well-being. Major factors such as demand, vulnerability, and America’s induced culture of sex serve to increase the environment that trap children and youth in commercial sexual …

Redeeming Proper Taste: Food As An Emblem Of Luxury In Eighteenth Century England, Hannah R. Hinkson

Masters Theses

Food: the universal language. As a platform upon which people express their worldviews, food is the most important basic ingredient to both life and social progress. Elegance, gluttony, moderation, and excess are nowhere more evident than at the dinner table; such applications are evidence of the power of food to unite and destroy entire communities. And logic suggests that because food is necessary for survival, the human condition is, in part, reflected in taste. What a person craves is an indication of that person's identity.

But the connection between the aesthetic and economic significance of food is most obvious in …