Digital Commons Network^™

A Critique Of The Urban Mission Of The Church In The Light Of An Emerging Postmodern Condition, Kleber De Oliveira Goncalves

Dissertations

The world is becoming an urban society. The urban expansion witnessed during the twentieth century and continuing into the twenty-first century is unprecedented in the history of the human civilization. Simultaneously, the Western world faces the paradigm shift from the modern era to a postmodern condition. Both movements have remarkable implications for the mission of the church in urbanized, postmodernizing societies. Shaped by the modern worldview, the church is now further ostracized by the postmodern condition.

While the literature of urban mission has grown in the past few years, very little consideration has been given to the particular issues and …

The Student Missionary Experience And Its Impact On Young Adults, Troy Fitzgerald

Dissertations

Problem. While reputed to be valuable, the Student Missionary (SM) experience has not been studied to ascertain how a year of service impacts the college students who serve. Furthermore, there are no studies that show what aspects of the SM experience make a year of service transformational. Most of what is known about a year of service is anecdotal and begs for systematic study of the SM experience.

Method. This is primarily a qualitative study where former SMs from four Adventist colleges and universities were interviewed. The Christian Spiritual Participation Profile (CSPP) was administered to SMs as an …

Suicide Attempt And Characteristics Of Religiously Affiliated Puerto Rican Adolescents And Young Adults, Saúl Rivera

Dissertations

Problem. Recent research has identified several risk factors associated with attempted suicide among the general population. Puerto Ricans, in general, and Puerto Rican Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs), in particular, may face unique challenges that are related to their familial, social, and religious environment that may affect the suicidal attempts among this group. Therefore, this study examined family-related factors, history of being abused, religiosity factors, sexuality factors, gender, substance abuse, age, and socioeconomic status factors among a sample of religiously affiliated Puerto Ricans (73.2% SDAs) living on the island.

Methodology. The data for the study came from the Avance PR study. Avance …

Proclamation In Cross-Cultural Context: Missiological Implications Of The Book Of Daniel, Sung Ik Kim

Dissertations

This study attempts to explore the biblical foundation ofsalvific mission as revealed in God's purposes for the nations (missio Dei ) in the book of Daniel and to investigate the means that Daniel employed in his ministry as an overt missionary who was sent to witness to God's salvific purpose in the cross-cultural context of heathen kingdoms.

The main objective of this research is to validate the book of Daniel as a missionary document and show that its missiological implications are still relevant to present-day missions. Chapter 2 explores the salvific purpose of missio Dei in the book of …

Staying In Ministry: A Qualitative Study Of Seventh-Day Adventist Women Pastors, Leslie Helfer Bumgardner

Dissertations

Problem. Women pastors in the Seventh-day Adventist Church function under limitations not imposed upon their male colleagues. This study explored the pastoral experiences of 11 Adventist women clergy serving in the United States and what contributed to their longevity in ministry.

Method. This qualitative study followed a narrative design. Data from the purposive sample were obtained through face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. The constant comparative method was utilized to code data into emergent themes. The following methods were utilized to enhance internal validity: triangulation; member checks; clarifying researcher bias; rich/thick description; including negative or discrepant information; and peer debriefing. Two …

Perceptions And Attitudes Of Selected Adventist And Non-Adventist Parents Of School-Age Children Toward Adventist Schools In Canada, Mike Mile Lekic

Dissertations

Purpose of the Study. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions and attitudes toward Adventist schools in Canada of Adventist parents with children in Adventist schools, of Adventist parents without children in Adventist schools, and of non-Adventist parents who at the time of this study had children in Adventist schools, and to look for reasons why these parents send or do not send their children to Adventist schools in Canada.

Method. The Adventist Education in Canada Parents' Attitude Survey was developed and used to gather information about spiritual focus, academic excellence, school accessibility, administrators and teachers, …

Spiritual Well-Being And Quality Of Life As Correlates Of Job Stress Among Academic Chairpersons In Selected Seventh-Day Adventist Tertiary Institutions, Russell Mark Aldridge

Dissertations

Problem . Stress, like pain, begins at birth and remains common to the human condition throughout life, and it is a factor in the experience of every human being who ever lived. It is not merely universal but it is also endemic and omnipresent. Chairpersons, due to the bi-directional demands of administration and students are in a stressful environment. This study was undertaken to identify whether quality of life and spiritual well-being play an important role in occupational stress levels in chairpersons of Seventh-day Adventist Tertiary Institutions.

Method. Three questionnaires were used to get responses from 137 chairpersons in …

Job Satisfaction And Its Relationship To Organizational And Religious Commitment Among Workers At Northern Caribbean University, Donna Brown

Dissertations

Problem. Recruiting teachers and motivating them to stay in their jobs present a challenge to educational institutions in Jamaica. Given the importance of workers' satisfaction to the health of an organization and the link between job satisfactionand turnover rate, then an examination of job satisfaction at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) is a priority. Based on this background, the primary focus of this study was to investigate job satisfaction and its relationship to organizational and religious commitment among workers at NCU.

Method. This study utilized a quantitative, descriptive research design. A survey questionnaire was sent to all full-time administrators …

A Study Of The Expectations Of Treasurers As Chief Financial Officers In Local Conferences In The North American Division Of Seventh-Day Adventists: Perceptions Of Roles, Responsibilities, And Relationships, Theodore Brown

Dissertations

Problem. The chief financial officer's position has changed in the business community. However, it is not clear whether the expectations of the treasurer in the Seventh-day Adventist Church are changing. They do not seem to be clearly defined or communicated. There appears to be a tacit knowledge about how treasurers should do their work. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceived roles, responsibilities, and relationships of the treasurer from the perceptions of presidents, treasurers, and board members in the local conferences in the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.

Method. This study used a mixed method, sequential …

Factors Influencing Enrollment Trends In Seventh-Day Adventist Boarding Schools On North America, Jeanette Wright Bryson

Dissertations

Problem. Enrollment is declining in the majority of Seventh-day Adventist boardingacademies in North America, while it is increasing in a few. This study seeks to identify the more important factors related to increasing and declining enrollment trends.

Method. A basic causal-comparative study was conducted involving two groups of Seventh-day Adventist boarding academies, one with an increasing and one with a declining enrollment trend. A survey questionnaire was designed for educators, students, and parents/guardians affiliated with these academies to assess satisfaction and relevant perceptions and to rank the perceived importance of factors influencing enrollment trends, including Academics, Climate, Cost, Facilities, Leadership, …

A Descriptive Examination Of Protective Factors: Analysis Of Male Completers Of An Alternative Educational Program, Rona Dominique Roberts

Dissertations

A growing number of students, primarily at the high school level, are being assigned to alternative education programs for behavior management. These students, who engage in risky behaviors, may also come from high-risk environments, suggesting a possible correlation between these two factors that may increase the likelihood of unsuccessful life outcomes. Very little research has been conducted to determine the effectiveness of these programs after completion; however, because of the increasing prevalence of alternative education programs across the nation, questions have emerged as to whether or not students assigned to these programs will continue to engage in at-risk behaviors after …

Evaluating Progress In Behavioral Programs For Children With Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Continuous Versus Intermittent Data Collection, Anne Rena Cummings

Dissertations

It is well documented that intensive behavioral treatment of early childhood autism can result in significant improvements in adaptive behavior. The typical teaching format in such programs is based on the restricted operant (i.e., discrete trial) in which the performance of an exemplar skill follows a clear instruction and precedes programmed reinforcement or error correction. Because of the often-intensive nature of behavioral treatment, it is not unusual for thousands of learning opportunities to be presented each week. There currently exists a professional debate regarding the frequency of data collection necessary in autism treatment programs. One side of the argument favors …

Management Style, Organizational Climate, And Organizational Performance In A Public Mental Health Agency: An Integral Model, Pamela Sue Meserve Erbisch

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Differential Outcomes Procedure With Children Diagnosed With Autism, Ivy M. Chong

Dissertations

The differential outcomes effect (DOE) refers to the phenomenon whereby discrimination learning is enhanced when a correct response to a specific sample stimulus is followed by its own unique reward (Savage, 2001). According to some researchers, the DOE is a consistent and powerful effect that enhances the acquisition and retention of conditional discriminations (e.g., Urcuioli, 1990). This series of experiments sought to extend research on the DOE. In Experiment 1, we examined the differential outcomes procedure (DOP) with four children diagnosed with autism across various task types commonly used in early intervention. In Experiment 2, we examined the DOP with …

U.S. Policy Toward Iraq Within The Context Of Complexity Theories, Alexander Rayssan Dawoody

Dissertations

This research investigates the trajectory of the U.S. policy toward Iraq and the factors that went in the making of its phase shifts. The research is qualitative in nature, uses official governmental documents, articles, books, focus groups and one-on-one interviews in order to answer three questions: How does a linear observation interpret the U.S. policy toward Iraq? How do the new sciences of complexity interpret the U.S. policy toward Iraq? How does a linear observation of the U.S. policy toward Iraq contrast and compare with that of a complex analysis? The language of the research is metaphorical. Its analytical model, …

A Multicomponent Intervention System Using Goal Setting, Feedback, And Incentives To Improve Performance In Small Service Businesses, Doug Lafleur

Dissertations

A small business servicing dealerships in the chimney lining industry was responsible for training and resupplying contractors in a propriety chimney lining system. A process was developed for sharing and comparing the dealerships' financial reports and business processes. The process involved a small group of dealers attending regular 6-month meetings called Impact Groups. A monetary incentive system was used to encourage dealers to join the Impact Groups and to maintain continued attendance and participation. Dealers took turns hosting the meetings and having the attending dealers analyze their business. A detailed list of problems and solutions was provided to each host …

Effectiveness Of Teaching Modalities For Pre-College Level Mathematics Courses, Dorothy Latuszek

Dissertations

College educators are challenged with providing students with choices of teaching modalities that facilitate student achievement and success at a time when students are also seeking flexible scheduling and accommodation of their differing learning styles. This is certainly the case for college students who need to demonstrate proficiency for the content in pre-college level mathematics courses prior to enrolling in college-level mathematics courses. The term "pre-college level" is defined as courses in reading, writing, and mathematics for college students lacking those skills necessary to perform college-levelcoursework at two- or four-year college institutions (Parsad & Lewis, 2003).

Do certain teaching modalities …

Remembering The Mendiola March: Understanding The Role Of Experience And Accounts In The Construction Of History, Megan C. Mullins

Dissertations

This research project investigates the relationship between personal experiences of events and public descriptions of events. Specifically, the researcher develops a case study around a 1987 march and demonstration for land reform in the Philippines. Specifically, this research includes a discourse analysis of published, public accounts as they appeared in a national newspaper and the personal interviewee accounts of the event as remembered by U.S. participants and witnesses. Interviewees were involved in social and political work on hunger and other social justice issues as coordinated with ecumenical groups. The theoretical contributions of symbolic interaction, cultural theory and discursive practices of …

The Relationship Between Locus Of Control And Nutrition Health Status Among Adult Wic Participants, Damita Jo Zweiback

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between locus of control orientation and the nutrition health status of adult WIC participants in Michigan. The locus of control variable is defined as the degree to which an individual perceives reinforcement or outcomes as contingent upon his or her own behavior. It ranges from internal to external. Internal locus of control is the individual's belief that s/he is an actor and can determine one's fate within limits. External locus of control is the person's belief that s/he is controlled by forces outside of one's self (Lefcourt, 1976; Koger, 1999). …

An Investigation Of Secondary Teachers’ Knowledge Of Rate Of Change In The Context Of Teaching A Standards-Based Curriculum, Jihwa Noh

Dissertations

This study investigated teachers' mathematical content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge with respect to rate of change in the context of teaching a Standards-based high school mathematics curriculum that emphasizes rate of change as a central theme, the Core-Plus Mathematics Project (CPMP) materials. A framework was designed to provide a comprehensive guide for analyzing different aspects of rate of change knowledge incorporating existing frameworks relative to rate of change, NCTM recommendations described in Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics andPrinciples and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000), and research related to pedagogical understanding of rate of change.

Data …

Common Sense Parenting (Csp) Learn At Home Kit: A Clinical Effectiveness Evaluation Of A Commercially Available Video Training Program For Parents, Sean T. Smitham

Dissertations

Much has been made of the gap between psychotherapy research and clinical practice. Most current psychotherapy research is focused on what could be viewed as macro-level efficacy type issues, while practicing clinicians are often most concerned with micro-level effectiveness questions. The current study-an evaluation of a parent training (PT) program provides an example of how scientist-practitioners can contribute meaningfully to psychotherapy research by conducting small scale clinical effectiveness studies. Parent Training (PT) is a well established efficacious treatment approach for child disruptive behaviors and non-compliance. Recent research has also established that self-administered videotape PT programs may also be efficacious. A …

The Relationship Between Student Characteristics And Success In An Online Business Course At West Shore Community College, Amy J. Wojciechowski

Dissertations

This ex-post facto study was conducted to identify characteristics of successful online students with respect to: (a) gender; (b) age; (c) previous courses completed online; (d) ACT English, Reading, and Composite test score; (e) ASSET Reading and Writing test score; (f) grade point average of student upon completion of the course; (g) withdrawal from previous courses; (h) semester format (16-week vs. 8-week); (i) student status (full-time vs. part-time); and (j) attendance at orientation that will predict success. A small, rural community college in western Michigan participated in the study. The subjects included 179students in an online Introduction to Business course …

Two High School Teachers’ Initial Use Of Geometers Sketchpad: Issues Of Implementation, Kathryn G. Shafer

Dissertations

This study documents two teachers' instructional practices as they learn and incorporate Geometer's Sketchpad (GSP) activities into their curriculum. The researcher (as a mentor) worked closely with two high school geometry teachers following a case study methodology. As a secondary goal, this study examined the use of a mentor as a professional development model to assist classroom teachers in the learning and implementation of Geometer'sSketchpad. Data were gathered through interviews, surveys, observations, classroom videotape, participant journal entries, as well as researcher field notes.

Results are reported in the areas of goals of instruction, method of instruction, role of the teacher, …

Divine Minds: The Cognitive Foundations Of God And Religion, Todd Tremlin

Dissertations

Understanding how human brains work bears directly on the study of religion. Introducing the new "cognitive science of religion," this dissertation explains how natural mental processes that shape everyday human thought are also responsible for the arising and persistence of religious ideas and for the content and development of religions. The central claim of this work is that understanding the origin and features of god concepts and the religious systems that form around them requires an understanding of the adapted mind. This argument unfolds in two parts. The first explores the cognitive foundations ofsupernatural beings. It discusses in both evolutionary …

Leadership Competency Needs Of U.S. Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, John Nathaniel Vinson

Dissertations

College campus police administrators operate in a complex administrative environment that produces difficult leadership challenges. In order to manage these challenges, police administrators need to possess certain leadership competencies. This study fills a gap in the academic literature by examining the perceptions of campus law enforcement administrators in the United States as to the kinds of leadership challenges they face, and the nature of the leadership competencies needed to manage these challenges. A nationwide survey of college campus police administrators at four-year colleges and universities was conducted to (1) explore their perceptions regarding the major leadership challenges they currently face, …

The Study Of Nontraditional Student Satisfaction With Academic Support Services Offered At Western Michigan University, Natalie Morton

Dissertations

This study examines the impact from the adaptation of lean manufacturing strategies on key external financial performance measures as reported by a number of management accounting methods. The research is not concerned with creating a justification for lean manufacturing strategies but rather it evaluates the inadequacies of standard financial reporting methods to accurately reflect operational improvements possible in the key performance measures through the early stages of a lean program.

ProModel simulation software is used in conjunction with Microsoft Excel and Visual Basic to create a simulated repetitive manufacturing environment and production planning and control system. The study examines the …

The Differences In Performance Between Large And Small Organizations In Mental Health Settings, Randy Parker

Dissertations

The quantitative part of this study examined the relationship between organizational size and staff performance in mental health group home settings.The data from two hundred and sixty-two group homes from small, medium, and large umbrella organizations were examined. The results of independent third party evaluations were compared across these umbrella organizations. Evaluations measured compliance and performance mandated by federal health and safety regulations.

The qualitative part of this study involved on-site interviews with group home staff from various organizations at various professional levels which scored either a low or a high number of errors. A qualitative analysis was conducted to …

Underrepresented Doctoral Students: The Cultural And Institutional Barriers That Hinder Their Ability To Graduate, Nancy Greer-Williams

Dissertations

African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian doctoral students continue to have attrition rates substantially higher than their White counterparts (Lovitts, 2001). Attrition was defined as the act of weakening or exhausting by constant harassment, abuse, or attack (Merriam-Webster, 2004). Research todate on this topic has focused on causes and barriers that can be attributed to mainstream groups, not on particular cultural barriers that may adversely affectdoctoral persistence among underrepresented groups. This study collected the lived experiences of these students at three separate university settings and turned them into conceptualized statements in an effort to understand the meaning of their experiences …

The Effects Of Negotiated Written Feedback Within Formative Assessment On Fourth Grade Students' Motivation And Goal Orientations, Craig Alan Waddell

Dissertations

This research was a field-based investigation into the impact of written feedback on students' perceptions, motivation, and academic performance. Seventy-nine fourth grade students, from five elementary classrooms participated in two studies. Study 1 (n=15) was an ABAB-type, reversal design, intended to provide support for a cause-and-effect relationship between feedback scores (i.e., a rubric-based evaluation of teacher's written feedback) and feedback effectiveness (i.e., a survey-based measure of students' views on the value of written feedback). Study 2 (n=64) was a quasi-experimental study intended to demonstrate: a) the relationship between feedback scores and feedback effectiveness, b) an association between feedback effectiveness and …

Effects Of Disability Disclosure And Acknowledgment On Ratings Of Interviewees With Visible Disabilities, Lisa Lynn Roberts

Dissertations

While some authors stress the benefits of disclosing one's disability prior to the interview in order to eliminate interviewer surprise, attention-related research suggests that such disclosure is likely to result in self-focused thinking by the interviewer, reducing the ability to judge performance accurately. Similarly, verbal acknowledgment of a visible disability during an interview has been predicted to reduce interviewer anxiety, yet some authors contend that acknowledgment is a violation of the rules of interviewing and adds to discomfort. The present research addressed the question: What are the effects of an applicant's pre-interview disability disclosure and disability acknowledgment during the interview? …