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Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

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Nudge Communication: A Causal-Comparative Study Of Interventions That Impact Persistence Of Higher Education Students, Helene Vance Jun 2021

Nudge Communication: A Causal-Comparative Study Of Interventions That Impact Persistence Of Higher Education Students, Helene Vance

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative causal-comparative study focuses on nudge communication and its impact within online higher education. Due to prior studies confirming the relationship between motivation and persistence, this study focuses on whether or not nudge communication, or intentional interventions that include reminders, encouragement, and other motivational factors, helps students persist toward successful completion of courses within a semester. This study included over 10,000 undergraduate students at a private institution that offers online education. The students were enrolled in over 98,600 general education courses, which were included in the analysis of the test and control populations. Successful course completion was defined as …


Perceptions Of Math Teachers Working With Students Who Suffer From Math Anxiety: A Collective Case Study, Wanda W. Calhoun Jun 2021

Perceptions Of Math Teachers Working With Students Who Suffer From Math Anxiety: A Collective Case Study, Wanda W. Calhoun

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this intrinsic collective case study was to develop an in-depth understanding of how general education secondary math teachers in Virginia effectively identify students who suffer from math anxiety and what best practices are put in place to help reduce math-anxiety. This qualitative study attempted to explain the role of an effective mathematics teacher and the best practices utilized to identify successfully and teach students who suffer from math-anxiety. The focal participants in this collective case study were teachers that were identified by their district leadership team as teachers who successfully implement best practices that support students with …


Disaster Preparedness Plan For Cascade Hills Church, Columbus, Georgia, Kenneth Durell Dawson Jun 2021

Disaster Preparedness Plan For Cascade Hills Church, Columbus, Georgia, Kenneth Durell Dawson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

While churches, especially large churches, may consider themselves well-prepared for a disruption in normal activities, the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated churches’ lack of preparedness on multiple levels. This disaster as well as other natural or manmade disasters could disrupt normal functions of a church and seriously impede a church’s outreach to the community. This project defines the problem and delineates a plan for Cascade Hills Church in Columbus, Georgia. This study designs and implements an intervention by interviewing church staff members and by seeking the input of an expert in the field of disaster recovery. Results are measured by a tabletop …


Zooming In On Zoom Fatigue: A Case Study Of Videoconferencing And Zoom Fatigue In Higher Education, Chandra Kaye Massner Jun 2021

Zooming In On Zoom Fatigue: A Case Study Of Videoconferencing And Zoom Fatigue In Higher Education, Chandra Kaye Massner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how faculty and students in higher education experience videoconferencing in online courses and why they feel fatigue. Zoom fatigue, the exhaustion users feel when communicating through videoconferencing platforms, is a recently identified phenomenon associated with the extensive use of synchronous videoconferencing communication. The research employed a qualitative case study approach to investigate how faculty and students experience videoconferencing and Zoom fatigue in online courses at a small liberal arts university in Appalachia. Document review, qualitative surveys, and in-depth interviews informed the case study. Faculty and student respondents reported dissatisfaction with …


Mothers Of Students With A Disability: A Phenomenological Study Of Experiences With School Discipline, Mary Jane Harris Jun 2021

Mothers Of Students With A Disability: A Phenomenological Study Of Experiences With School Discipline, Mary Jane Harris

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand what school discipline means to mothers of students with a disability at various school districts in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. School discipline was defined as the policies and procedures schools use to manage student behavior. This study was supported by Oliver’s social model theory, Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, and Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. The purpose of data collection in this qualitative, transcendental phenomenological study was to gather data so an empirical analysis could be completed of how mothers of students with a disability define school discipline. Interviews, focus groups, and …


A Biblical Understanding Of Making Disciples, Gregory Douglas Brown Jun 2021

A Biblical Understanding Of Making Disciples, Gregory Douglas Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

One of the many functions of the local church is to make disciples. Unfortunately, thoughtful and consistent efforts have not always proven to yield the results that accompany transformational living. This thesis project seeks to address and remove some of the barriers around discipleship and disciple-making in the local setting. This study provided a discipleship training course targeted toward spiritually mature male leaders. Individuals were invited to attend a six-session training course where they were equipped with a biblical understanding of discipleship, and training in spiritual disciplines, to aid in their personal growth and ability to teach others. Data was …


Exploring How Self-Leadership Influences Team Building In The Department Of Defense, Joseph Wolemonwu Jun 2021

Exploring How Self-Leadership Influences Team Building In The Department Of Defense, Joseph Wolemonwu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative research case study explored the influence of self-leadership in team-building abilities among leaders within a Department of Defense (DOD) component in Quantico, Virginia. The general problem to be addressed was the lack of self-leadership among leaders resulting in ineffective team building. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to discover what tools, approaches, skills, methodologies, or theories are needed to prepare those in authority for self-leadership better to assist team building and to evaluate those tools, methods, or theories. Research questions explored how self-leadership supports team-building abilities among leaders. If any, the barriers to self-leadership could prevent …


An Exploration Of Self-Determination Of First-Generation College Students: A Phenomenological Study, Chelsa Rash Jun 2021

An Exploration Of Self-Determination Of First-Generation College Students: A Phenomenological Study, Chelsa Rash

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the self-determination experiences of first-generation college students. For this study, first-generation college students were defined as students with parents who do not have any college education. The study examined students taken from a population of first-generation college students who are at least 18 years old, classified as a sophomore or higher at a university or college in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree, and enrolled as either full-time or part-time students. The theory guiding this research study was Ryan and Deci’s self-determination theory. The research questions expounded upon the individual, self-determined …


Lived Experiences Of Assemblies Of God Pastors With Regards To Leadership Style, Demands, Stressors, And Ministry Burnout, Barbara Christina Chavez Jun 2021

Lived Experiences Of Assemblies Of God Pastors With Regards To Leadership Style, Demands, Stressors, And Ministry Burnout, Barbara Christina Chavez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to discover the perception of 15 small church Assemblies of God pastors in San Antonio with regards to leadership style, leadership demands, leadership stressors, and ministry burnout. The researcher used the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach due to the openness of collecting the data through semi-structured interviews that allowed participants to respond to open-ended questions. The additional interview instrument was the WLAB scale and the burnout inventory instrument from Iverson, Olekalns, and Erwin (1998). The researcher coded and evaluated data using NVIVO12 software. Through the association of common themes, the researcher unearthed …


Impact Of Cultural Competence Professional Development On The Suspension Referrals Of Minority Students, Philip Bonar Jun 2021

Impact Of Cultural Competence Professional Development On The Suspension Referrals Of Minority Students, Philip Bonar

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Racial disparity in discipline practices is a concern in public schools across the United States. Racial disparities in exclusionary discipline practices (EDP), such as in-school and out-of-school suspensions of minority students, have been well documented. The purpose of this causal-comparative quantitative study was to examine if a relationship exists between cultural competence (CC) professional development training of faculty (administrators and professional teachers) and the suspension referral counts of Latinx and African American students in an affluent, award-winning public school system in a Mid-Atlantic state. Discipline referral data was collected from the Office of Planning and Evaluation to run a Mann-Whitney …


The Experiences Of Students With Disabilities: A Phenomenological Study Of Postsecondary Students In Ghana, Shadrack Agyekum Jun 2021

The Experiences Of Students With Disabilities: A Phenomenological Study Of Postsecondary Students In Ghana, Shadrack Agyekum

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of students with disabilities at Golden Technical Institute (a pseudonym) in the eastern belt of Ghana. The theories guiding this study were Hosking’s critical disability theory and Tinto’s student persistence theory. This study sought to understand postsecondary students with disabilities’ social and academic experiences and institutional and personal factors that impact persistence. Transcendental phenomenological research approach was employed to understand how students with disabilities experience the phenomenon under the study. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were used to select participants. Twelve participants took part in this research. …


An Instrumental Case Study Of The Student Perspective Of A Smart Phone Meditation App In Rural Virginia, James Allen Eggleston Jun 2021

An Instrumental Case Study Of The Student Perspective Of A Smart Phone Meditation App In Rural Virginia, James Allen Eggleston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative instrumental case study was to explore how an introduction of a mindfulness meditation app (Calm) affects students in rural Virginia. The theory that guided this study was that of emotional intelligence, popularized by the efforts of multiple researchers including Salovey and Mayer (1990), and Goleman (1995), as it may influence and be influenced by the specific characteristics observed (Brown, Ryan, & Creswell, 2007; Charoensukmongkol, 2014; Waters, Barsky, Ridd, & Allen, 2015). Data was collected from 12 students by way of multiple methods including interviews, focus groups, journaling, an art project, researcher reflections, and field notes. …


How Effective Is Psychotherapy In Reducing Opioid Usage Among Patients With Chronic Pain?, Charity Harold Whorley Jun 2021

How Effective Is Psychotherapy In Reducing Opioid Usage Among Patients With Chronic Pain?, Charity Harold Whorley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this integrative review is to evaluate the effectiveness of psychotherapy in the management of chronic pain thorough a comprehensive review and synthesis of current literature on the topic. Chronic pain is a prevalent condition throughout America with an estimated 30% of the population affected. As such, it is a common condition encountered in primary care. At one point the mainstay of treatment was opioid therapy. Unfortunately, this along with other issues has contributed to an overprescribing of narcotics and ultimately the opioid crisis in America. Healthcare providers are in a unique position to assist in reversing this …


Caucasian Teachers' And African American Students' Perceptions Of Factors That Motivate Low-Socioeconomic African American Students To Read, Brittany Keys Anderson Jun 2021

Caucasian Teachers' And African American Students' Perceptions Of Factors That Motivate Low-Socioeconomic African American Students To Read, Brittany Keys Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to explore Caucasian teachers’ and African American students’ perceptions of factors that motivate low-socioeconomic African American students to read within the southern region of West Virginia. The theories guiding this study were the self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1980) and the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991). This study details the literature on the achievement gap in reading between African American students and students of other races, as well as teachers’ and students’ perceptions of instructional and motivational practices that influence reading development. African American students from lower economic backgrounds are being left …


Development Of Future Leaders In The Christian Church, Albert Lee Crout Jun 2021

Development Of Future Leaders In The Christian Church, Albert Lee Crout

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The thesis project, Development of Future Leaders in the Christian Church, was developed to address the decline in youth attendance, retention, and participation in The Mountain Christian Church in Nicholasville, Kentucky. There has been a consistent decline in the number of youths who attend and participate in the church after high school graduation. After a review of literature and case study, which included a survey, questionnaire, and roundtable discussions, this researcher determined that the cause of the problem was that the church lacked programs for youth that lead them to Christian maturity and an opportunity for leadership skills training. The …


Leading From Eternity: Developing Inmates With Life Sentences Into Undershepherds, Richard S. Kowalczyk Jun 2021

Leading From Eternity: Developing Inmates With Life Sentences Into Undershepherds, Richard S. Kowalczyk

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In an attempt to reform the American criminal justice system, the United States Congress passed, and the President signed, the comprehensive First Step Act (FSA). The aim of the FSA is to identify and begin preparing offenders for release in order to reduce recidivism. Unfortunately, the provisions of FSA applied to only a small percentage of the inmate population. Further, there was very little relief with regards to the reforming of the sentencing guidelines. None of the provisions provided any direct relief for inmates with a minimum of 20 years to life sentences. This thesis project provides an opportunity for …


A Multicase Study On African American Male Students: The Least Identified And Represented In The Gifted And Talented Education Program At The Upper Elementary Level, Nicole Angella Clarke Jun 2021

A Multicase Study On African American Male Students: The Least Identified And Represented In The Gifted And Talented Education Program At The Upper Elementary Level, Nicole Angella Clarke

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this multicase study was to develop an understanding of educators’ perspectives of African American male students being the least identified and represented in the gifted and talented program at two elementary schools. The theories that guided this study were the expectancy-value theory and the social cognitive theory. Given the purpose of this study, the following central research question framed this study: What are educators’ perspectives on African American male students being the least identified and represented in the gifted and talented program at the elementary level? The participants who took part in this study were 10 teachers …


Solving The Problem Of The Transferability Of Response To Intervention Skills To The General Education Setting: An Applied Approach Study, April Renee Freeney Jun 2021

Solving The Problem Of The Transferability Of Response To Intervention Skills To The General Education Setting: An Applied Approach Study, April Renee Freeney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this applied study was to solve the problem of the transferability of Response to Intervention (RTI) skills (specifically tiers 2 and 3) into the general education setting for students at an elementary school located in middle Tennessee and to design practices to address the problem. Data collection included interviews, achievement scores, and surveys from over 60 stakeholders at the elementary school. This data was collected from stakeholders to include teachers, students, administrators, and interventionists. After collecting data from the stakeholders at the elementary school, analysis strategies were incorporated to describe the problem. Coding, direct analysis, and descriptive …


Migrating And Amplifying Ministry To Online Platforms To Pursue The Great Commission, Daniel Elnaam Bagaas Jun 2021

Migrating And Amplifying Ministry To Online Platforms To Pursue The Great Commission, Daniel Elnaam Bagaas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The COVID-19 crisis was unexpected by the universal church. The current pandemic revealed that the universal church and many local churches were not prepared for its’ accompanying challenges or to adapt in general. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, churches across America were required to temporarily cease in-person public gatherings and later to reduce the number of participants once in-person meetings were allowed again. This scenario caused many churches to have to adapt to the current circumstances to continue ministering. The purpose of this DMin research project is to amplify Sonrise Church’s online ministry presence and determine if it garners greater engagement …


Trends In The Gospel Music Ensemble Experience: Establishing The Precedent And Need For Inclusion Of Gospel Choir Ensemble Experience And Pedagogy Into The Collegiate Level Music Curriculum, Arthur Demario Beard Iii Jun 2021

Trends In The Gospel Music Ensemble Experience: Establishing The Precedent And Need For Inclusion Of Gospel Choir Ensemble Experience And Pedagogy Into The Collegiate Level Music Curriculum, Arthur Demario Beard Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

During the late 1990s, gospel music emergence in secondary schools and colleges brought a new awareness of a dynamic change in social-cultural, peer-relations, and many educational sector activities in America. Gospel music is part of the musical tapestry in the United States arts community. The music genre shapes, frames, and reflects the worship-life and faith expression in most African-American churches. The nature of gospel music itself encourages teachers to introduce it as a meaningful, albeit alternative genre in music education curriculum and teaching experiences. This study aims to articulate the significance of integrating gospel music ensemble into the college music …


A Study On The Small Groups For The Vitalization Of Young Adult: With A Focus On Dang-Il Church, Jongkil Park Jun 2021

A Study On The Small Groups For The Vitalization Of Young Adult: With A Focus On Dang-Il Church, Jongkil Park

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis is a study on the revitalization plan for youth ministry in the church. The purpose of this study is to study the effect of small group ministry on faith growth and youth revitalization as a way to promote youth ministry based on the understanding of youth. Today, while the growth of Korean churches is slowing and the number of members decreases, the youth group has also stopped growing, facing a crisis of spiritual growth and a crisis of existence itself. The decline of the young generation is not a problem only today, but at a time when the …


Language Development In Toddlers: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of Nursery Rhyme Use By Mothers With Their Toddlers, Wenonah Faye Gildon Jun 2021

Language Development In Toddlers: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of Nursery Rhyme Use By Mothers With Their Toddlers, Wenonah Faye Gildon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand current mothers’ perceptions of their lived experiences using nursery rhymes to facilitate language development in their toddler enrolled in early childhood facilities in Northwest Louisiana. The theories guiding this study are sociocultural theory, theory of transmission, and theory of cognitive developmental stages. Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural theory was related to this study through the social nature of language, the cultural aspects inherent in language, and the mother’s scaffolding of the learning experiences to facilitate language transmission. A mother’s understanding of the nature of her child and the development of a bond …


Connections Between The Enneagram Personality Type Of Christian University Presidents And Provosts With Student Enrollment, Pamela J. Daly Jun 2021

Connections Between The Enneagram Personality Type Of Christian University Presidents And Provosts With Student Enrollment, Pamela J. Daly

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Limited research has examined the relationship between the Enneagram personality styles of faith-based university presidents/provosts and the institution’s student enrollment size. While there are many personality theories, the Enneagram is a sophisticated model that exposes the unconscious predispositions, motivations, anxieties, and behavioral tendencies of nine different personality profiles. Ego development is the evolution of personality constructs that integrate experiences into a personal framework of interpreting self and the world. Ego maturity is demonstrated by understanding self and others with the ability and motivation to maximize individual potential. Mature leaders exhibit wisdom, broad empathy towards self and others, tolerance of differing …


Pediatric Concussion Management In The School Setting: An Integrative Literature Review, Renee Mann Jun 2021

Pediatric Concussion Management In The School Setting: An Integrative Literature Review, Renee Mann

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Concussions in the pediatric population are a growing concern due to the impact concussions could have on the child’s health and well-being. Appropriate management of concussions in the pediatric population promotes recovery and the return of the student who has sustained a concussion to school and to normal physical activities. The purpose of this integrative review project is to evaluate the current practices, evidence-based recommendations, and guidelines to ascertain the optimum recovery times in children who have sustained a concussion within the school setting, grades K-12. An integrative review was conducted utilizing the Whitmore and Knafl framework. The four main …


Traditional And Nontraditional Leadership In Higher Education: A Qualitative Case Study, Jihna Racquel Jenkins Jun 2021

Traditional And Nontraditional Leadership In Higher Education: A Qualitative Case Study, Jihna Racquel Jenkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Higher education is experiencing unprecedented challenges in a rapidly changing educational landscape. Leaders are charged with transforming their institutions to demonstrate their formidability by successfully responding to change. It is integral that leaders understand the happenings within the external environment as they guide their institutions. Institutions are adopting business postures and there is an increase in nontraditional leaders in administrative roles. The increase in nontraditional leaders is providing an opportunity for institutions to implement contemporary approaches to leadership. This study identified the predominant changes impacting liberal arts institutions in the Midwest, leadership behaviors contributing to successful change adaptation, and existent …


Promoting Health Literacy To Aging Christians To Combat The Scourge Of Euthanasia Through The Church, Willie Mae Corley Jun 2021

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 …


From At-Risk To Graduation: A Causal Comparative Study Of Mentoring The At-Risk Student With The Jag Model, Stacy Bishop Carlton Jun 2021

From At-Risk To Graduation: A Causal Comparative Study Of Mentoring The At-Risk Student With The Jag Model, Stacy Bishop Carlton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is imperative for students to graduate career-ready in order to enter the employment field and fill this gap. This research examined a non-experimental causal-comparative quantitative study of at-risk students and their career readiness upon graduation. The effectiveness of Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) mentoring program was analyzed to determine the impact of career readiness among these at-risk students. A comparison of the data of at-risk students enrolled in the JAG program versus at-risk students not enrolled was compared to determine their career-readiness skills upon graduation. A review of the research showed that early intervention significantly increased the success of …


Utilizing Relevant Bible Centric Studies As A Means Of Retaining Young Adults In Active Church Membership And Ministry In An Older Puerto Rican American Baptist Church, Jessica Lugo-Melendez Jun 2021

Utilizing Relevant Bible Centric Studies As A Means Of Retaining Young Adults In Active Church Membership And Ministry In An Older Puerto Rican American Baptist Church, Jessica Lugo-Melendez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This project will explore how the integration of young adults’ everyday life issues and struggles into Bible Studies content can become more attractive for this demographic. With the intention of adding relevancy as a means of retention of young adults within a local American Baptist Church in Puerto Rico. Several recent studies provide a concrete picture of the lack of local church involvement among young adults’ lives, translating into attrition in many cases. In terms of church attendance, a study maintains that only 30.9% of young adults attend religious services "regularly," meaning at least twice a month, 35.4% report never …


Fidelity In Institutional Structure: Divine Family Formation And The Variance Of Church Amid Dysfunctional Behavior, Terrence Lyne Toliver Jun 2021

Fidelity In Institutional Structure: Divine Family Formation And The Variance Of Church Amid Dysfunctional Behavior, Terrence Lyne Toliver

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There has been a rift in the providential establishment of our Lord. Humanity is indulgent unto sin and the family is suffering. Disobedience and selfishness have blinded humankind into a false sense of reality. The fallacy has taken the place of divine order in the chosen avenues into humanism depicted as science, technology, philosophy, cultism, and any other route devoid of Christ. Therefore, this in-depth study seeks to dispel or to bring to light a revelation of where humanity rests in the grand scheme of contemporary life. Two notions of preponderance present themselves, to forgo selfishness and to embrace righteousness. …


Lead Pastor Support In Balancing Marriage, Family, And Ministry As It Related To Stress And Depression, Yolanda K. Mcbride Jun 2021

Lead Pastor Support In Balancing Marriage, Family, And Ministry As It Related To Stress And Depression, Yolanda K. Mcbride

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The role of a pastor encompasses many duties and responsibilities within the church as well as in the home. In particular, associate pastors are akin to lead pastors in dealing with issues that arise in their personal marriages, family, and ministry. Balancing the three can be daunting and arduous tasks without proper guidance and leadership. Lead pastors have a responsibility to assist associate pastors in balancing those three areas of concern to ensure the ability to serve in ministry with a strong state of mind necessary for a full and thriving career in leading others to Christ. Without the assistance …