Digital Commons Network^™

Learning Self-Determination: Lessons From The Literature For Work With Children And Youth With Emotional And Behavioral Disabilities, Beth E. Ackerman

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Children and youth with disabilities perform more poorly in transitional outcomes than their non-disabled peers. Programs are facing many changes because of these outcomes. Definitions are being revised, and new categories of exceptionalities are being recognized. Accountability measures are being put in place for people with disabilities. However, there is an important, current issue identified by researchers and individuals with disabilities – the issue of self-determination. This article explores how self-determination can and should be taught to children and youth with disabilities.

Distance Counseling: Perceived Advantages And Disadvantages Among Christian Counselors, Anthony J. Centore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Not available.

Today’S Challenges And Resolutions Regarding Church Music, Philip R. Mcfarland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this thesis is to first affirm the fact that music is one of the most powerful mediums that can control and influence people today. By emphasizing music’s impact, the objective for churches and pastors is to understand that although music plays a major part within church worship, it is only one of many functions of the church. This thesis will serve the purpose of helping pastors, church leaders, and Christians to understand the influence of music that can lead to potential challenges and problems, and to give biblically based, historical, and practical resolutions. Christians must not let …

“Waltzing With The Monster,” Interventions With The Substance-Abusing Adolescent For Pastors, Treatment Providers, And Family, Philip A. Watkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The biblical story of the "Prodigal Son" is a universal experience made significantly more precarious by the use of mind altering chemicals. A review of the literature reveals that approximately half of all problems impacting American families are caused or exacerbated by the abuse of alcohol or other drugs. This project's focus is the impact of substance abuse on the developing adolescent. Chemical "hijacking" of the brain's pleasure centers and resultant dysfunction is examined. Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention are discussed. Interventions which facilitate the young person's "homecoming" and implications for the community of faith are integrated.

The Effect Of Spiritual Attitudes On Female Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder, Ralph W. Fox Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study hypothesized that there is a relationship between religious orientation (conservative, moderate, or liberal) and the occurrence of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) among Christian women. The participants of this study were 71 married Christian women who were patients from a Christian obstetrical! gynecological medical practice in southern Georgia and who volunteered for an anonymous survey. The survey instruments used in this study included the Sexual Self-Assessment Questionnaire, the Female Sexual Function Index, and the Christian Religious Orientation Scale. Demographic information was also gathered on each participant.

Results showed that all of the women had a conservative orientation and …

Teaching Outside The Box , Clarence Holland

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Reading Comprehension And Thinking Process , Kevin D. Washburn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

According to the U.S. Department of Education, middle school literacy research in four areas is currently mandated: neurocognitive elements, instructional processes, instructional materials, and professional development. This study presents appropriate statistical analysis of fifth grade student gains in reading comprehension and thinking processes. The results suggest reading programs based on findings from the four key areas of research produce significantly greater student achievement in reading comprehension and thought processes than programs not based on findings from the key research areas. The study includes a Research-Based Rubric for Reading Comprehension Components, detailing findings from the four research areas. This rubric serves …

The Perceived Effectiveness Of A Beginning Teacher Mentoring Program In Central Virginia, Toni M. Flanagan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This descriptive study examined the perceived effectiveness of a beginning teacher mentoring program in a public school district in Central Virginia. A total of 87 participants, including beginning teachers, new-to-district teachers, mentor teachers, and administrators were surveyed about the perceived effectiveness of the teacher mentoring program and general demographic information. In addition, 17 of the survey respondents were interviewed as a follow-up to the study. A 5-point scaled survey questionnaire based on Virginia’s guidelines for teacher mentoring programs was the primary means of assessment. Results from the study indicated that the teachers and administrators surveyed had overall positive perceptions of …

Early Childhood Cognitive Development: A Descriptive Study On The Effectiveness Of Preschool Curricula, Alisa Shook Dyson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the lack of rigorous, systematic evaluation of preschool curricula utilizing three survey instruments developed by NSSE: Parent/Guardian Questionnaire, Staff Questionnaire, Program Specific Indicators o/Teaching and Organizational Effectiveness. The measures were designed to reflect the concepts of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) as presented in the revised 2005 NAEYC guidelines, Association of Christian Schools International Intended Student Outcomes, and The National Study of School Evaluation (NSSE) accreditation assessment instruments. Two hundred surveys completed by nonprofit, Christian early childhood center administrators across the United States were utilized in this study. Quantitative data presented utilizing NSSE's psychometric instruments provides the information …

Selected Bachelor Of Science In Nursing Programs Variables Impacting Graduate Scores On The National Council Licensure Examination For Registered Nurses, Lois B. Borek

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Students graduating in 2005 from a state approved BSN program in a Christian University experienced a reduced passing rate on the NCLEX-RN licensure examination as compared to their peers in 2004. An examination of program variables provided insight into the cause for such decline. The quantitative analysis of variables reported in this study identified the significant differences occurring between the two groups of students as (a) cumulative GP A, (b) grades in selected pre nursing science courses, and (c) grades in post admission nursing courses. Findings from this study may enable program administrators to better identify students who have special …

A Philosophy Of Culture Approach To Inter-Religious Understanding, Michael S. Jones

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

David S. Landes: The Wealth And Poverty Of Nations: Study Guide, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Healing The Body And Mind, Ann Galgano

Senior Honors Theses

Each day hospitals strive to provide optimal care for physically traumatized patients. While the word "trauma" is often associated with the physical injuries of patients in an emergency room or an intensive care unit, the meaning may be significantly different to the one who has been traumatized. At a glance, a patient who enters the hospital as a victim of sexual assault or a motor vehicle accident (MV A) may appear to have sustained only a severe physically traumatic event. If one looks closer and uses other senses such as hearing, touch, and personal, intimate eye-to-eye communication, then one would …

Experiences Of The Risen Jesus: The Foundational Historical Issue In The Early Proclamation Of The Resurrection, Gary R. Habermas

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due: Avoiding Plagiarism In Christian Writing And Speaking, Gregory A. Smith

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Plagiarism is an ethical breach involving the misuse of others' intellectual property. Instances of alleged plagiarism have discredited various Christian ministers and authors. Various style manuals provide guidelines for acknowledging direct quotation, paraphrasing, and other uses of sources. Preachers and teachers should adapt those guidelines to the context of verbal communication.

Connecting Ethics To Action: An Introduction To Ethical Decision Making, Rory Patterson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Schumaker, Kiel, Heilke: Great Ideas/Grand Schemes Study Guide, 1998-2006, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Great Ideas/Grand Schemes is a systematic treatment of twelve ideologies by means of an elaborate conceptual framework. This twelve-point analytic grid, which is comprised of six substantive political principles, four philosophical bases, and two political bases, is introduced in the first chapter. Subsequent chapters focus on the ideologies themselves.

David Kupelian: The Marketing Of Evil Study Guide, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Harm De Blij: Why Geography Matters Study Guide, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Culture As Religion And Religion As Culture In The Philosophy Of Lucian Blaga, Michael S. Jones

SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mircea Eliade, the renowned scholar of Romanian origin, wrote that Lucian Blaga was the greatest Romanian philosopher of all time. Blaga was intensely interested in both culture and religion as areas of philosophical investigation. Blaga’s philosophy proposes a metaphysics that explains the origin of culture and its unrivaled significance to humanity. His philosophy also endeavors to explicate the relationship between culture and religion. Blaga finds that religion is a cultural product, but does not view this as a detriment to religion. On the contrary, according to Blaga, it is the very fact that religion is an expression of cultural creativity …

The Likely Effect Of A Radiological Dispersion Device, Paul R. Rickert

Faculty Publications and Presentations

With the end of the Cold War, the political and strategic relationships that undergirded the global balance of power were shattered. The powers that held nation-states together, like the USSR, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and others largely disappeared and to fill the vacuum left by the reduction of political authority, nationalist and religious identities emerged strong. As a result, the former USSR has broken into at least thirteen new countries, mostly along historic ethnic lines, Czechoslovakia into two, Yugoslavia, violently, into five along both religious and ethnic lines. These are only the most familiar examples, as there are many more. The threat …

11-01-05 (The Liberty Champion, Volume 23, Issue 8)

2005 -- 2006

No abstract provided.

10-25-05 (The Liberty Champion, Volume 23, Issue 7)

2005 -- 2006

No abstract provided.

10-11-05 (The Liberty Champion, Volume 23, Issue 6)

2005 -- 2006

No abstract provided.

An Assessment Of Effective Senior Level Leadership Within The United States Air Force Chaplain Service, David W. Kelley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to determine what leadership qualities, traits, and/or behaviors will produce effective leadership of chaplains within the Air Force Chaplain Service. Twelve senior level Air Force chaplains were assessed using three tools: the Dimensions of Leadership Profile, the Contextual Leadership Questionnaire, and Personal Leadership Interviews. Based upon the responses of the senior chaplains the results of these leadership tools will be analyzed and conclusions drawn in reference to successful leadership within the Air Force Chaplain Service.

Introversion And Self-Advocacy: Concomitant Predictors Of End-Of-Year Attrition Rates For College Freshmen With Learning Disabilities, Shirley E. Tucker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This attrition research investigated the social aspect of two independent variables, introversion and self-advocacy, and explored whether they functioned as a concomitant unit to reliably predict end-of-year attrition rates for college freshmen with learning disabilities. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator categorized subjects dichotomously as introverts or extraverts while the Tucker Self-Advocacy Tool used a continuous scale to indicate the degree of self-advocacy each subject exhibited.

Several statistical procedures facilitated this correlational study: the Fisher's Exact Test compared the percentage of dropouts between the introvert and extrovert groups while a two-sample t-test compared the average self-advocacy score between the group that dropped …

Developing A Creator Based World View, Steve W. Deckard

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

09-13-05 (The Liberty Champion, Volume 23, Issue 3)

2005 -- 2006

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Student Perceptions Of Parental Involvement And Grade Eight Reading And Math Achievement In A Rural Georgia Middle School, Wayne A. Hickman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between students' perceptions of parental involvement and grade 8 reading and math achievement as measured by the Georgia Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT). This study relied on a theoretical framework developed by Epstein (1987). This framework includes a six-part categorization of parent involvement typologies (Type 1—parenting, Type 2—communication, Type 3—volunteering, Type 4—learning at home, Type 5—decision-making, and Type 6—collaborating), which were used as the basis for data collection and analysis. The High School and Family Partnerships: Questionnaires for Teachers, Parents, and Students were developed by Epstein and Salinas (1993) for …

Transgressing The Spiritual Boundary: Integrating The Soul Into Psychology, Frederick Milacci, David Lawson, Michael Firmin, William Anderson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of the present symposium is twofold: 1) to evaluate the definition of spirituality and explore the misuse of the construct in the literature, and 2) to present positive alternatives for using spirituality in psychology. The symposium intends to present the material in a developmental sequence, building on previous material. The first presenter describes the problem of an ambiguous definition of spirituality. Then, citing examples from the literature, the presenter shows how this definition, although broad, can result in an abuse of power in order to force acquiescence to desired behaviors and calls for a spirituality more explicitly and …