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An Examination Of Secondary Marching Band Directors’ Self-Efficacy And Music Curriculum: A Phenomenological Study, Jonathon Allen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how high school band directors prepare their students for college marching band programs. The theory guiding this study was Bandura’s self-efficacy theory to address the personal characteristics and traits of marching band directors’ qualities relating to teaching. The phenomenological research design examined teachers' self-efficacy levels and ability to prepare their marching band students for college. I used snowball sampling to select the participants and gain insight into various perspectives. Data were collected by three different methods: document analysis, semi-structured individual interviews, and a focus group. I triangulated and analyzed data by …

Equipping Covenant Baptist Church To Defend The Bible In A Skeptical World, Harlan Grant Mclain

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The thesis of this research project is “If Covenant Baptist Church members are taught the reliability of the Bible, they will be equipped to defend their faith to a skeptical world.” The goals of this doctoral thesis are two-fold: to train adequate believers regarding the Bible’s reliability in a skeptical world, and honor God in the process through the equipping ministry of the church in accordance with Ephesians 4:11-16. Seven lessons were researched, formulated, and presented to a small group of believers in Covenant Baptist Church who desired to become more confident in defending the Bible to a skeptic. Entrance …

Design Considerations Of The Aged As It Is Applied To Senior Housing, Amanda Mcnally

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Applied

Defending The First Premise: Why Prenatal Life Is Not The Exception, Jessica Buchanan

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis frames the abortion debate by dividing the pro-life position into two premises: that the government must protect human beings’ right to life, and that an unborn human organism is a human being. It briefly describes the proposition that the unborn are moral persons. It then proceeds to examine philosophical, legal, and practical objections to the first premise, concluding that if the unborn are established as human beings, the government must uphold their right to life. While this thesis is intended to argue in favor of restricting elective abortion, it does not put forth an opinion on what should …

Developing A Community Chaplaincy Ministry: Through A Need Satisfaction Care Model For A Native Language Church, Shanti Samuel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Believers in Jesus Christ are mandated to "go" into the world, and caring for people is part of the seeking. God has provided models and processes of His care in the scriptures. A chaplain holds spiritual care functions outside the church's four walls on the field. Unfortunately, many Asian Indian Americans in the booming immigrant population have not received care. Therefore, this action research thesis assumes need-based church training to build a culture-sensitive model of care to provide care. This research project explored the causes and impediments to care through participative sessions with the spiritual care provider volunteers of the …

Understanding The 21st Century Practical Implication Of Chaplaincy Ministry In The City Of Milwaukee, Wi, Jeffrey D. Hayman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research project acknowledges that God’s command for Christian hospital chaplains is to serve humanity. Jesus calls a chaplain. He then forms, transforms, and conforms them to His image of oneness. Hospital chaplains like pastors are part of care ministries that extend to various work settings, Christian and secular. The hospital-certified chaplain, by definition, can support the whole workforce in the hospital, including their patients and the patient’s families. The hospital-certified chaplain is the main focus of this research. These hospital chaplains must be qualified, endorsed, licensed, certified, or ordained to be on the frontline in the community. A hospital-certified …

Self-Compassion Education, A Framework For A Self-Care Plan For Military Chaplains: A Qualitative Study, Opeyemi Samuel Oluwafisoye

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Self-compassion education promotes coping skills to ease emotional discomfort and suffering by offering a sense of belonging, understanding, and caring, similar to the benefits of empathy for someone else. No research has been done examining the buffering importance of self-compassion education as a framework for self-care among military chaplains. The current study was tailored toward understanding military chaplains’ perception of self-compassion as a framework for self-care. The dissertation aimed to determine a need to formulate a self-care plan for military chaplains to reduce their pain after helping Soldiers and their families diagnosed with trauma through different interventions. The goal of …

The Impact Of Virtual Technology On Discipleship Training In A Small Group Context, Austin Stephen Mansfield

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many contemporary churches face the difficulty of implementing the Great Commission’s mandate for making disciples (Matt 28:19-20). Occasional church attendance and a lack of participation in fellowship and ministries beyond the Sunday worship service reflect this difficulty. Discipleship has become even more challenging in the current climate of social distancing that has resulted from COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Being separated physically from others exacerbates a growing predisposition to spiritual isolation, which in turn hinders development of discipleship; physical interaction has always been the main model for making disciples. The Great Commission’s description of discipleship (making disciples through going, baptizing, and teaching) …

The Effect Of Isolation On The Mental Health Of Older Adults, Christina Yates

Senior Honors Theses

As individuals age and lose mobility and cognitive functioning, many require full-time care which their loved ones are unable to provide. This often results in placement into long-term care facilities, and these facilities are notorious for being understaffed. Physical health becomes the only priority, depriving the client of having their mental and emotional needs fulfilled. Family and friends may decrease visitation due to distance or convenience. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic closed the doors of many facilities to nearly all visitors. Thus, the only individuals the residents of these facilities experienced interaction with were overworked staff members looking intimidating in …

Resiliency In Nursing: An Integrative Review, Valerie Yvonne Moke

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Nurses have been placed under tremendous pressure throughout their careers and the culmination of this pressure was the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses had to remain stoic despite longer hours, heavier workloads, lack of PPE and the fear of becoming infected or infecting their families. A review of the current literature was accessed to see how nurses built their stamina to withstand those pressures and create interventions to improve patient outcomes. The research was used to evaluate ways to improve nurse retention, reduce nursing shortages, and improve job satisfaction for those nurses and future nurses. The evidence showed that nurses with support, …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Graduate Occupational Therapy Students Using A Magic Trick-Themed Intervention, Kevin Wayne Spencer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of graduate occupational therapy students in the delivery of a magic trick-themed intervention in their fieldwork to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that may influence their decision to adopt or reject this approach. This study was qualitative, employing a hermeneutic phenomenological approach guided by the theoretical framework of diffusion of innovations theory. The aim was to gain a deeper understanding of the interpretation of their experience and the factors that may influence how and why an arts-integrated, evidence-based practice is adopted or rejected by the …

Veterans And Volunteering: A Phenomenological Study Of Values And Motivations In Serving Others, Felix Edward Alexander

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study is to understand and describe veterans’ perspectives of volunteering, including their values and motivation. Veterans are internally motivated and committed to helping others. Approximately 92% of veterans regard community service to be extremely important. Some researchers link military service with future volunteering in the community. Veterans possess essential skills and resources that are needed in the community. Current research affirms that social ties, religious involvement, and recruitment contacts promote volunteering. Scholars believe volunteering serves one of three purposes: sociability, self-interest, and/or altruism. It is an individual and collective empowerment with the public good, …

Exploring The Relationship Between Faith And The Experience Of Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, And Compassion Satisfaction For Hospice Workers During A Global Pandemic: A Multidisciplinary Study, Sarah Jo Spiridigliozzi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Individuals who work within hospice and palliative care experience unique stressors while providing care to patients and families at the end of life. The COVID-19 global pandemic provides additional stressors, personal and professional, which may affect these individuals. Research lacks data to understand how this pandemic affects individuals working in hospice care. Most current research focuses on individual disciplines, with the highest number of studies focusing on a nurse's experiences. Additionally, the recent research provides conflicting relationships on faith's influence on burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction. Biblical guidance on burnout and compassion highlights the importance of addressing this phenomenon …

Pastoral Care And The Alleviation Of Compassion Fatigue In Staff At St. Mary's Hospice, Ellen Chloe Gardner-Cook

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This action research project studied compassion fatigue in hospice staff and the ways that Christian prayer practices can mitigate compassion fatigue symptoms and contribute to resiliency. The sample population included forty employees and the sample size was N=6. The participants answered four anonymous, self-report assessments to measure six areas, compassion satisfaction, self-compassion, secondary traumatic stress, burnout, perceived stress, and spirituality at the first of eight weekly sessions. These assessments included the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), the Perceived Stress Scale, the Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory, and the Self-Compassion Scale. Six weeks of prayer interventions followed the initial assessments then …

Compassion Fatigue And Burnout: When Caring Becomes Too Much, Ruth Elisabeth Cole

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this DMIN thesis is to provide resources and education for clinical staff to recognize and reduce compassion fatigue and burnout. Compassion fatigue and burnout in hospice clinical staff is a sizeable issue. Clinical staff was defined as doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and aides due to their direct and constant contact with dying patients. By providing resources and education on what compassion fatigue and burnout look like and the primary causes, the study aimed to help clinical staff in the hospice care setting to reduce the damage caused by compassion fatigue and burnout. Resources including counseling sessions, …

Protestant Prison Chaplaincy: Teaching Common Theology To Mature Inmates, John J. Caudle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Recent literature and studies concerning prison ministry focus more on relationships, the overarching work, and the day-to-day mission. Even then, this study acknowledges that the impact of prison chaplaincy still needs further studying. Few studies focus on Protestant chaplains' theological boundaries, maintaining diverse denominations. While attempting to understand the value of chaplaincy in the prison setting, the predominant group involved in prison ministry are Protestant prison chaplains. Protestant prison chaplains come from a diverse background of core theological beliefs and denominationally tied doctrine. This thesis looks at the theological views of 15 Protestant prison chaplains who previously or currently serve …

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 …

Chaplaincy: A Practical Approach To Caring For The Human Spirit, Susan Fair

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This DMIN project is based on the Pastoral Ministry program at Nyack College, which publicly promotes that it leads the student to become a professional in the ministry context. The problem is that the academic curriculum does not include components of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). The project facilitator reasons that the current environment demands that spiritual care providers possess a specific skill set extending beyond pulpit preaching, reading scriptures, and prayer. The literature review contains articles, journals, and books that explore caring for the human spirit within the physical, spiritual, emotional, financial, religious, and holistic context. The research methodology designed …

A Study Of Support For The Bereaved In The Local Congregation, Ngoy Nadine Ilunga

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The bereaved often face the ongoing challenges of grief with little support from the Church. This study aimed to resource the Church with practical methodologies to help congregants cope with grief. The study examined the troubling issues the bereaved experience after the death of a loved one. Survey data was collected from ten United Methodist members and had lost an immediate family member within the past five years. The measure consisted of interviews and questionnaires. An email and a verbal announcement during church worship service built the sample. Findings reveal that approximately 90% of participants experienced grief and emotional effects …

Revisiting Strategy In A Time Of Crisis, Gregory A. Smith

Faculty Publications and Presentations

The season of upheaval brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is a critical occasion for libraries to revisit their organizational strategies. Strategy includes two complementary dimensions: alignment with the environment and the pursuit of competitive advantage. Rapid changes in the environment call for practicing strategic thinking iteratively rather than engaging in a fixed rhythm of multi-year planning. An effective library strategy displays four key attributes: (1) It responds to the concerns of diverse stakeholders. (2) It is flexible enough to adapt to emerging conditions. (3) It enacts organizational mission but can also help to reshape it. (4) It integrates with …

Palliative Care And Improving Quality Of Life With End Stage Renal Disease: An Integrative Review, Natoya Bender

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

End-stage renal disease is a rising health care problem effecting greater than 10% of the US population. there are 700,000 patients in dialysis in the U.S who are characterized by multiple comorbidities and increasing, distressing symptom burden. The need for palliative care for patient with end-stage renal disease is becoming standard of care due to their complex medical needs and high symptom burden. The aim of this integrative review investigated the incorporation of palliative care will improve the quality-of-life of patients with end-stage renal disease once introduced in their care. While palliative care provides an ideal opportunity to assess the …

A Framework For Utilizing Narrative Theory And Life Review In Healthcare Chaplaincy, Joshua M. Fagin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In healthcare chaplaincy, narrative theory can help the patient separate themselves from their grief or terminal illness. It has been said that chaplaincy is a “ministry of presence,” however, just showing up is a low-level intervention. The purpose for this Doctor of Ministry thesis is to equip chaplains with a comprehensive framework for apply narrative theory and life review in the healthcare chaplaincy context. This thesis seeks to explore and define biblical models of storytelling and spiritual narratives. This thesis will encourage chaplains to have meaningful, engaging and longer visits in individual and group visits. If the spiritual care department …

Correlating Maslovian Need Satisfaction To Educational Attainment And Time Since Completion, Anthony Brandt Babbitt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational research study was to investigate how accurately an individual’s needs satisfaction (i.e., the criterion variables) may be predicted from the combination of educational attainment and time since completion (i.e., the predictor variables). The present study addresses a gap in the literature regarding whether secondary education, post-secondary education, or both, correlate to the satisfaction of Maslow’s hierarchical needs across a broad spectrum sample of the United States population. A US-based quota sample of 245 paid adult participants operating on Prolific Academic’s online research platform provided the data within a Qualtrics-hosted version of the Five Need …

Conscious Sedation Medications And Risk Of Patient Falls: An Integrative Review, Tricia G. Stevens

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Falls cause injury and occur at a high rate worldwide (World Health Organization, 2018). Healthcare organizations suffer from loss of reimbursement from patient falls due to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ no-pay policy. With sedation increasing the risk for patient falls, the study of conscious sedation should be performed to analyze if there is a relationship between conscious sedation and patient falls. Current knowledge regarding this topic is needed to further understand the topic at hand. An integrative review was performed to review and synthesize data. A database search was conducted with research from 2016 to 2021. CINAHL, …

Biblically Based Mentorship For Military Chaplains Endorsed By Liberty Baptist Fellowship, Justin Phillip Bernard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Mentorship in the military context is well known and accepted but seems to be harder to find for military chaplains, as their professional training continuum does not always lend itself toward the spiritual leadership that is needed and desired to succeed in this institutional ministry. This thesis project will focus on the topic of mentorship in the context of military chaplains who are endorsed by Liberty Baptist Fellowship. The goal of the research is to study mentorship from a biblical perspective, define the roles and methods of mentors, survey the biblical background of mentorship, understand the need for mentorship in …

Inmate Peer To Peer Mentoring, A Resource For Future Prison Reform, Calvin L. Sutphin Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The moral rehabilitation initiative using trained and equipped inmates to mentor their peers within West Virginia prisons is in its infancy and lacks formal validation as a resource for prison reform in West Virginia. All key stakeholders must validate peer-to-peer mentoring for it to reach its fullest potential and become a tool for future prison reform. The key stakeholders include state correctional leaders, individual prison administrations, and the inmate population. Most of the inmate population in West Virginia has release dates and will be returning to local communities throughout West Virginia. Today’s investment in an inmate’s moral fiber translates to …

Promoting Health Literacy To Aging Christians To Combat The Scourge Of Euthanasia Through The Church, Willie Mae Corley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The many dilemmas that occur in the medical care of chronically ill seniors raise the question of whether senior populations have become the new black. The research seeks to provide an evidence-based review of limited health literacy among elderly African American Christians regarding diagnoses and medical treatments, which has resulted in unethical Christian practices becoming a norm. The researcher adapted the health literacy framework of Paasche Orlow and Wolf’s view of three distinct causes that influence health literacy: the access and utilization of health care, the patient-provider relationship, and self-care. The problem is that Victory Church members may not understand …

Enhancing Outpatient Participation In Advance Care Planning Via Nurse-Led Intervention: An Integrative Review, Daniel Patrick Arthur

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Advance care planning allows for medical care at the end-of-life that is congruent with a patient’s wishes, values, and beliefs. Even with well-known organizations such as the Institute of Medicine recommending advance care planning completion and legislative encouragement such as the Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990, only approximately one-third of American adults have completed any form of advance directive. Barriers to participation include lack of time, lack of knowledge, and misconceptions on the part of healthcare providers and patients. As an integral part of the care team having significant patient contact in most healthcare settings, nurses are in an ideal …

Analyzing The Investment Potential To Increase Prenatal Care Utilization As A Tactic To Decrease Preterm Birth Costs In Tennessee, Michael S. Wiggins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Preterm birth contributes significantly to health care costs in the United States (Frey & Klebanoff, 2016). Certain components of prenatal care reduce preterm birth incidence (Newnham et al., 2014). Tennessee’s preterm birth rate ranks 35th among the 50 United States (National Center for Health Statistics, 2019). This study analyzed the investment potential to reduce preterm birth cost through increasing prenatal care utilization in Tennessee. Based on 2018 data, the study identified a significant relationship between prenatal care utilization and preterm birth incidence in Tennessee. The study also identified a significant opportunity to increase prenatal care utilization in Tennessee when compared …

Improving Advanced Care Planning Through Proper Implementation Of The Polst Paradigm: An Integrative Review, Charles Hunter Shomo Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

End of life planning is critical to ensure enactment of patient wishes, ethical patient treatment, and improved family acceptance of death. As such, this project addressed integration of reviewed literature of advanced planning directives to influence end-of-life care. Implementation guidelines and incorporation of the Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) paradigm was the central focus of this project. Addressing best implementation practices of the POLST paradigm should increase advanced care planning and ultimately positively impact patient and surrogate decisions regarding end of life management and care. Completion of this integrative review has provided substantial implicative evidence regarding best practice …