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Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

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Investigation Into The Enhanced Activation Of The Are And The Correlations Between Nrf2 And Other Cytoprotective Pathways Such As Ahr, Hsp, And Apoptosis, Jonathon Joseph Odom Jun 2023

Investigation Into The Enhanced Activation Of The Are And The Correlations Between Nrf2 And Other Cytoprotective Pathways Such As Ahr, Hsp, And Apoptosis, Jonathon Joseph Odom

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Oxidative damage is a cellular threat that is responsible for many pathologic conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cancer, and many more. The primary cytoprotective pathway within the cell that is responsible for mitigating the harmful effects of oxidative stress is the antioxidant system. The master regulator of the antioxidant system is the transcription factor, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) which operates by binding to the antioxidant response element (ARE) and inducing the production of many antioxidant genes. It is known that the early response of NRF2 is regulated by electrophilic interaction …


Bicultural Appalachian Females: The Mediating Effect Of Perceived Stigma On Health Outcomes, Victoria Lynn Evans-Fulton Jun 2023

Bicultural Appalachian Females: The Mediating Effect Of Perceived Stigma On Health Outcomes, Victoria Lynn Evans-Fulton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Appalachia has been the focus of ongoing curiosity and ascribed disdain in Euro-centric American history. An amalgamation of cultures found a home in the Appalachian Mountains, blending to create a unique collectivistic culture still visible today. However, this culture has often been misconstrued as unhealthy or undesirable at best and, by reductionistic intentions, relegated to a culture of poverty. Within this system, Appalachian females have faced the burden of the intersectionality of their identities, given the acculturation expectations and Appalachian identity stigma imposed by the dominant Euro-North American culture. As indicated in scholarly literature, despite chronic marginalization and systemic oppression, …


The Influence Of Religion On Marital Crisis: A Qualitative Study, Kendal Florence Thomas Jun 2023

The Influence Of Religion On Marital Crisis: A Qualitative Study, Kendal Florence Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to explore how married Christians couples and pastors perceive the influence of religion, religious over-idealization, and community-centered social processes on couples’ ability to cope with relationship crises within their marriage in New York. The theory guiding this study was the Social Learning Theory by Albert Bandura (1977). The Social Learning Theory was fundamental in the discussion of marriage because behaviors can occur in a marriage that one spouse may disagree with, but due to lack of consequences or rewards, the behavior has persisted, leading to conflict within the marriage. The researcher interviewed ten …


Teaching Students With Autism In An Inclusive Environment: A Case Study, Corey Antione Brooks Jun 2023

Teaching Students With Autism In An Inclusive Environment: A Case Study, Corey Antione Brooks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand the perspectives and experiences of general education teachers who teach high school students with autism spectrum disorder in inclusive education with respect to challenges teachers face, strategies and interventions they use to manage the classroom, and relationships they build to create an environment where students with autism spectrum disorder can learn and grow. Participants were identified via purposeful criterion sampling procedures, based on general education teachers in inclusive education. The setting for this study was an inclusive classroom in a public senior high school in North Carolina, referred to herein as …


Challenging The Gifted Learner Virtually: A Phenomenological Study, Amanda Jeane Price Jun 2023

Challenging The Gifted Learner Virtually: A Phenomenological Study, Amanda Jeane Price

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of core academic middle school teachers with differentiating instruction and assessment for gifted and talented students in rural southern Maryland. Two theories providing the theoretical framework for this study include Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and McClelland’s achievement-motivation theory These two theories explain learning experiences and interactions between the learner and the instructor while addressing the educator’s efficacy in challenging gifted learners within the virtual classroom. The central research question that guided this research was, “What are the shared lived experiences among select middle school, core academic, teachers when differentiating …


The Lived Experiences Of Faculty Conducting Post-Simulation Debriefing In Nurse Practitioner Programs, Jodi Borden Duncan Jun 2023

The Lived Experiences Of Faculty Conducting Post-Simulation Debriefing In Nurse Practitioner Programs, Jodi Borden Duncan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Simulation-based education is a teaching–learning pedagogy widely used in nursing programs today. While much research has been done on student perceptions of simulation and the fact most learning occurs in the post-simulation debriefing session, little research has been done on how learning takes place in debriefing. Nurse practitioner faculty also use simulation as a teaching methodology, but the implementation of debriefing methods and faculty experiences with debriefing sessions are not known. As simulation may not be counted as direct clinical hours in nurse practitioner programs, more research must be done before the substitution of hours can be considered. The substitution …


A Case Study Involving External Stakeholder Perceptions Of Factors Related To Effective Community College Civic Engagement, Matthew David Little Jun 2023

A Case Study Involving External Stakeholder Perceptions Of Factors Related To Effective Community College Civic Engagement, Matthew David Little

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand external stakeholder perceptions regarding factors related to effective community college civic engagement. The theory guiding this study was empowerment theory, as it allowed for exploring community-academic partnerships through a lens focused on community psychology, linking individual well-being with the larger social and political environment. Purposeful and convenience sampling were used to identify and select 18 highly qualified members of the Riverside Chamber of Commerce. Data collection and analysis were ongoing, emergent, and interrelated processes. Sources of data included individual document analysis, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions. Data analysis involved examining, …


Enhancing The Patient Experience By Providing A Visual Cue To Reference/Reinforce Medication Communication, Janet Radzykewycz Jun 2023

Enhancing The Patient Experience By Providing A Visual Cue To Reference/Reinforce Medication Communication, Janet Radzykewycz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to examine how placing a visual cue (sticker) for patients and nurses to reference during the patient’s acute care admission on the Telemetry unit will affect the patient’s perception of medication communication (purpose and side effects of medications). Background: Approximately 1.3 million people annually in the United States experience an injury due to medication-related errors. Hospitalized patients are at greatest risk for medication errors at the time of discharge due to medication changes in the acute care environment and these changes being implemented in the patient’s plan of care in the home environment. …


Feeling The Burn: A Phenomenological Study On Burnout Among Adjunct Professors At Higher Education Institutions, Janette B. Whitmore Jun 2023

Feeling The Burn: A Phenomenological Study On Burnout Among Adjunct Professors At Higher Education Institutions, Janette B. Whitmore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of burnout among adjunct professors at higher education institutions. The central research question guiding this study was what are the lived experiences of burnout among adjunct professors at higher education institutions? This study found that adjunct professors burned-out due to their higher education institutions’ unreasonable work expectations, tight deadlines, and lack of resources. Using the guiding theory of job demands and resources (JD-R) developed by Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner, and Schaufeli, the phenomenon’s essence was discovered as it highlighted how excessive work demands and a lack of resources …


Embracing Diverse Thinkers: A Case Study Examining The Graduation Rates From A High Autism College Student Population, Beverly Donovan Jun 2023

Embracing Diverse Thinkers: A Case Study Examining The Graduation Rates From A High Autism College Student Population, Beverly Donovan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to describe how Alpha College, a private college in the southeastern United States with high neurodiverse enrollment, generates uniquely high graduation rates for its autistic student population. The case study answers the following central question: CQ) How does Alpha College, a private college in the southeastern United States with high neurodiverse enrollment, generate high graduation rates for its autistic student population? The intrinsic case design focused on the case itself; Alpha College observes uniquely high graduation rates of autistic students. This study was guided by Blume and Singers' social stigma theory and …


The Role Of Elementary Teacher Experience On Classroom Management Self-Efficacy: A Causal Comparative Study, Emily Marie Dixon Jun 2023

The Role Of Elementary Teacher Experience On Classroom Management Self-Efficacy: A Causal Comparative Study, Emily Marie Dixon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative causal-comparative study sought to determine if there was a difference in self-efficacy with classroom management between different levels of experience among teachers: pre-service, novice, mid-career, and late-career. Classroom management is an aspect of education that many teachers have famously struggled with, resulting in an increasing number of teachers leaving the field. Strong classroom management self-efficacy among teachers results in higher confidence levels for managing disruptions and unwanted behavior within the classroom. For this study, 166 participants were drawn from a convenience sample of elementary, public, and charter school teachers and pre-service teacher candidates from universities within the state …


Developing Interpersonal Relationships Between Deaf And Hearing People Using Instagram, Kimberly Ann Erskine Jun 2023

Developing Interpersonal Relationships Between Deaf And Hearing People Using Instagram, Kimberly Ann Erskine

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to understand how deaf and hard of hearing individuals use Instagram to interact with and develop interpersonal relationships with hearing individuals. The researcher used her personal experience as a member of the deaf and hard of hearing community to connect with members of the researched population on a personal level. The theories guiding this study were Elihu Katz’s uses and gratifications theory, Joseph B. Walther’s social information processing theory (SIPT), and Sandra Ball-Rokeach and Melvin DeFleur’s media dependency theory. These theories were applied to help the researcher gain a better understanding of the …


The Relationship Between Problematic Smartphone Use And The Academic Performance Of University Students, Richard Robinette Jun 2023

The Relationship Between Problematic Smartphone Use And The Academic Performance Of University Students, Richard Robinette

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

To fulfill the explicit mandate of meeting (or exceeding) benchmarks established for the learning objectives associated with programmatic curricular goals, it is incumbent and imperative that the educational process of sharing instructional material with students is not interfered with. However, mobile technology – especially in the form of smartphone use by students while in the classroom during learning activities – may effectively distract attention and focus sufficiently enough to jeopardize both academic performance and the concomitant achievement of learning objectives. The concern is serious and the consequences are significant. This study has attempted to ascertain if the problematic use of …


Elementary School Teachers' Pedagogical Digital Competency And Self-Efficacy During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Multiple Case Study, Teerath Kaur Grewal Jun 2023

Elementary School Teachers' Pedagogical Digital Competency And Self-Efficacy During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Multiple Case Study, Teerath Kaur Grewal

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this multiple case study was to understand the pedagogical digital competence and self-efficacy of educators from Delta Technology Elementary School and MacArthur Elementary School during emergency remote teaching of the 2020-2021 school year caused by the Covid-19 crisis. Previous research has shown that factors such as competency and self-efficacy as primary elements that immensely influence the educator’s ability to integrate technology in a classroom. The theory guiding this study was Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, which explains the educator’s ability to integrate educational technology within instructional practices successfully. Qualitative multiple case study was used to explore the challenges and …


Charles Spurgeon And A Biblical View Of Wealth, Robert Sheppard Jun 2023

Charles Spurgeon And A Biblical View Of Wealth, Robert Sheppard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Charles Spurgeon preached wealth as a spiritual commodity based on his Christological exposition which countered the preaching of wealth as a divine right. Some people have come to view earthly wealth as a substance that comes as a result of obedience to God. There are also a number of people that believe that any biblical theology pertaining to wealth is amendable and see no lasting truth in the text. Spurgeon critiques these approaches. He saw earthly wealth primarily as a spiritual commodity and believed it to be a substance that should be utilized for the purpose of bringing glory to …


The Decline In Attendance At Local Churches In Queens, New York: A Biblically Based Strategic Revitalization Plan To Bring Local Churches Back To Spiritual Health, Marilyn A. Dolloway Jun 2023

The Decline In Attendance At Local Churches In Queens, New York: A Biblically Based Strategic Revitalization Plan To Bring Local Churches Back To Spiritual Health, Marilyn A. Dolloway

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The decline in church attendance is not a new phenomenon. Historical evidence shows that God has intervened to revitalize and restore the church to a healthy state. Unfortunately, attendance at churches in contemporary times worldwide has declined, as congregations at approximately ninety percent of churches have shrunk. This trend is evident in the United States, where upwards of fifty congregations close their doors permanently each week, resulting in an annual attendance decline of one to two percent. The decline is remarkable in the New York borough of Queens. Churches have been declining for decades, with only fifteen to twenty-five members …


Making And Meaning In The Study Of Biblical Stories: A Case For A Unified Approach To Narrative Criticism, Todd Michael Oakes May 2023

Making And Meaning In The Study Of Biblical Stories: A Case For A Unified Approach To Narrative Criticism, Todd Michael Oakes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is threefold and involves looking across the disciplines of literary theory and criticism, hermeneutics, exegesis, and theology in the analysis of biblical literature. In the areas of literary theory and criticism this involves looking at poetics, modern linguistic theory, structuralist criticism, mimetic theory, and the elements of narrative storytelling. For hermeneutics we will measure how one might best interpret a story comparing the differences between text-centered, reader-centered, and author-centered approaches. Regarding exegesis we will advance an argument for the adoption of the grammatical-historical method over any other. This will allow us to make a case …


Seeking Help For Intimate Betrayal Trauma: The Lived Experience Of Unsuspecting Wives Receiving Counseling Messages From Mental Health Professionals After Discovering Their Sexually Addicted Spouse's Out-Of-Control Behavior, Johanna Dillenbeck May 2023

Seeking Help For Intimate Betrayal Trauma: The Lived Experience Of Unsuspecting Wives Receiving Counseling Messages From Mental Health Professionals After Discovering Their Sexually Addicted Spouse's Out-Of-Control Behavior, Johanna Dillenbeck

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

After unsuspecting wives (UWs) discover their sexually addicted spouse’s (SAS’s) out-of-control behavior (OCB) outside of their committed relationship, they may seek support from mental health professionals. Depending on a mental health professional’s theoretical framework for treating sexual addiction (SA) and partner betrayal, women may receive messages based on a family systems approach for addiction counseling or from a trauma model that prioritizes the client’s need for safety, stabilization, and grief work, with the goal of reconnecting the UW to a redefined sense of reality. Components of trauma work along with validation of an UW’s experience offers UWs the safety to …


A Case Study On Leadership And Digital Media Strategy For Prolonged Absences, Blake Michael Harcup May 2023

A Case Study On Leadership And Digital Media Strategy For Prolonged Absences, Blake Michael Harcup

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic created difficulties for the Western Church to meet together as it had normally done for generations. The question that arises is, “How is the church to continue its mission of reaching people with the Gospel and make disciples that make disciples when it is not able to gather together in the same manner as before?” This project will seek to determine the best strategies and tools that the modern Western Church can use to fulfill its mission through an online digital media strategy during these prolonged absences. A case study of Bedrock Church Sarasota and the strategies …


Vicarious Trauma: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study Of School Counselors And Self-Care, Chernika E'Unece Leon May 2023

Vicarious Trauma: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study Of School Counselors And Self-Care, Chernika E'Unece Leon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand school counselors’ lived experiences of vicarious trauma and explore self-care strategies. School counselors are often exposed to vicarious trauma while working with children who encounter trauma. The theories used to guide this study were constructivist self-development theory and the theory of self-care. These theories explained the nature of understanding the psychological, interpersonal, and transpersonal influence of trauma work on counselors. There were two research questions that guided this study: (a) How do school counselors describe their experience of vicarious trauma? (b) What coping strategies do school counselors implement to cope with …


A Multiple Case Study Examining Collaborative Nature Of Bahamian Pastoral Teams Considering Contextual And Biblical Transformational Leadership, Kevin Andrew Hall May 2023

A Multiple Case Study Examining Collaborative Nature Of Bahamian Pastoral Teams Considering Contextual And Biblical Transformational Leadership, Kevin Andrew Hall

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to examine the nature of pastoral leadership teams in Bahamian churches. Three Bahamian pastoral leadership teams served as the sample frame for this research, with four research questions narrowing its scope to identifying collaborative and transformational behaviors and attributes. The study collected qualitative data regarding leaders’ character formation and the role of the Christian doctrine in shaping (pastoral) team dynamics, along with data regarding pastoral (team) leadership development and the usage of spiritual gifts. The data was then analyzed to determine if the leaders’ behaviors aligned with Cooper’s (2005) contextual and …


A Team-Based Approach To Increase Initiation Of Self-Management Goals In Adult Patients Diagnosed With Hypertension With The Use Of A Self-Management Goal Toolkit, Kristel Danette Ramsay May 2023

A Team-Based Approach To Increase Initiation Of Self-Management Goals In Adult Patients Diagnosed With Hypertension With The Use Of A Self-Management Goal Toolkit, Kristel Danette Ramsay

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Due to the high risk of cardiovascular disease and other negative complications, it is imperative that patients in the primary care clinic diagnosed with hypertension control blood pressure levels. The purpose of this scholarly project was to increase the initiation of self-management goals (SMGs) among adult males and females age 30 to 60 diagnosed with hypertension. These patients were active duty military, reservists, and dependent beneficiaries who receive care at the Navy Medicine Readiness Training Unit–Memphis. The practice change took the onus of introduction and education about SMGs off the provider and added key responsibilities to support staff, who provided …


Sel And Community Engagement Strategies For The Recruitment And Retention Of Suburban Middle School Band Students, Gina Marie Vingara May 2023

Sel And Community Engagement Strategies For The Recruitment And Retention Of Suburban Middle School Band Students, Gina Marie Vingara

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research has not yet found a correlation between community engagement and social-emotional learning (SEL) in a manner that benefits the recruitment and retention of suburban middle school band students. Teachers who create community engagement initiatives can boost the number of student recruits as the program becomes more widely recognized as a valuable asset of the school. This explanatory sequential mixed methods design study examined strategies regarding community engagement and SEL for recruiting and retaining middle school instrumental music education students. Perspectives on community engagement and SEL benefiting recruitment and retention of middle school band students emerged. Research revealed a connection …


Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Black Males Who Have Participated In A Black Male Initiative Program At A Historically Black College Or University, Jenard Darrell Moore May 2023

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Black Males Who Have Participated In A Black Male Initiative Program At A Historically Black College Or University, Jenard Darrell Moore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological was to identify and understand how Black Male Initiative programs contributed to the completion of an undergraduate degree for Black males at HBCUs. The study's central research question was: What role does the Black Male Initiative (BMI) play in Black male undergraduate degree completion at HBCUs in the U.S.? Shaun Harper’s anti-deficit achievement framework (ADAF) served as the conceptual framework for this study. Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory (SCT) served as the guiding theoretical framework for this study. The design of this study was a transcendental phenomenological design with multiple units of analysis. The sample …


A Phenomenological Examination Of Church Leaders' Perceived Impact Of Executive Coaching On Organizational Culture, Jerrell Stokley May 2023

A Phenomenological Examination Of Church Leaders' Perceived Impact Of Executive Coaching On Organizational Culture, Jerrell Stokley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The trajectory of the seminary training curriculum has evolved pedagogically at projecting adequate church leadership education and hands-on development. However, empirical research reveals that the seminary struggles with preparing generations of church leaders for modern church responsibilities including executive leadership, tactical performance, administration, and church organizational culture (Crowson, 2021; Costin, 2008). Hicks (2012), as cited by Smith (2017) states, “Recent studies have begun to explore the need for management training for pastors” (p. 2). Graduates as well as current church leaders report feeling ill-equipped for the increasing duties for today’s church culture. This qualitative, phenomenological study evaluated mid-to-senior level Christian …


The Effects Of The Orff Approach On Language Acquisition For Spanish Foreign Language Students, Kimberly Jean Clare Chimento-Tichacek May 2023

The Effects Of The Orff Approach On Language Acquisition For Spanish Foreign Language Students, Kimberly Jean Clare Chimento-Tichacek

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the abundance of literature that supports music education connecting to language learning, limited research evaluates the effectiveness of elementary music methodologies, such as the Orff approach, in helping foreign language students in their language learning. The Orff approach develops musicianship in every student through music, movement, speech, and drama. Guided by Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, the researcher implemented a quasi-experimental research study to measure the language fluency of 100 elementary students participating in general music and learning Spanish as a foreign language. The researcher placed half of the students in the treatment group exploring the Orff approach in …


The Impact Of Childhood Adversity On Career Decision-Making In Licensed Mental Health Clinicians: Aces And The Helping Profession, Lindsay Rose Seeger May 2023

The Impact Of Childhood Adversity On Career Decision-Making In Licensed Mental Health Clinicians: Aces And The Helping Profession, Lindsay Rose Seeger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Traumatic experiences can have lasting impacts on an individual across the lifespan. Areas of adult functioning that are impacted by trauma may include but are not limited to mental health, physical health, relationships, communication style, attachment tendencies, and so on. Traumatic experiences in childhood can yield dysfunction in areas of intrapersonal functioning and interpersonal functioning. Childhood adversity has been studied in detail over the last two decades, with notable research done in the areas listed above. What is less studied is the impact of childhood adversity on career choice. Factors influencing career choice are endless; research points to socioeconomic status, …


The Influence Of Personality On The Experiences Of Child Molesters: A Phenomenological Study, Julianna Emma Davis May 2023

The Influence Of Personality On The Experiences Of Child Molesters: A Phenomenological Study, Julianna Emma Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe different personality traits and pathologies that are common to each of the two identified types of child molester, report how personality played a part in the offense committed, and describe the results from the offender’s point of view. The history of personality traits and disorders is discussed; this information can be useful in the identification of sexual preferences involving those who abuse children. The study involved eight convicted child molesters in the state of Alabama. The participants were grouped into subtype based on self-report measures and public records. Costa and McCrae’s …


Teacher Migration And Retention In Title I High Schools: A Phenomenological Study, Kenethia Lasundra Zachary May 2023

Teacher Migration And Retention In Title I High Schools: A Phenomenological Study, Kenethia Lasundra Zachary

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Teacher migration is a fundamental challenge facing many school districts in the United States (Djonko-Moore, 2016). School leaders in Title I schools, which predominately serve minority and low-income students, expressed difficulties retaining teachers who were opting to transfer to lateral positions in non-Title I schools (Whipp & Geronime, 2017). The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological research study was to identify intrinsic and extrinsic factors that led to teachers’ lateral migration from a Title I to a non-title I school. In order to highlight participants’ rationales, the principal researcher posed the following research questions: What were teachers’ perceptions of the organizational …


A Causal-Comparative Study Of Teachers' Attitudes Toward Science Teaching Based On Biological Sex, Teaching Experience, And An Instructional Resource In An Urban Elementary School Setting, Melissa Davis May 2023

A Causal-Comparative Study Of Teachers' Attitudes Toward Science Teaching Based On Biological Sex, Teaching Experience, And An Instructional Resource In An Urban Elementary School Setting, Melissa Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative, causal-comparative research study analyzed the difference in teachers’ attitudes toward science teaching in an urban elementary school setting based on biological sex, teaching experience, and the use of a science instructional unit of study. The study was significant because it revealed that teaching experience influenced elementary teachers’ attitudes toward science teaching, contributing to the body of knowledge about elementary teachers in an urban setting and related to science education. A convenience sample of 120 study participants in the Georgia urban area was selected. The teacher participants completed the online ten-minute Dimensions of Attitude Toward Science instrument that measured …