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Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

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The Impact Of A Christian Adaptation To Mindfulness Training On Stress, Religious Coping, And God Attachment: A Randomized Trial, Kristy Ford May 2016

The Impact Of A Christian Adaptation To Mindfulness Training On Stress, Religious Coping, And God Attachment: A Randomized Trial, Kristy Ford

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Multicultural sensitivity requires consideration of a client’s personal belief system in the administration of ethical and effective mental health treatments. Religiously accommodative treatments seek to increase therapeutic effectiveness, enhancing empirically supported treatments by adapting interventions as needed to respectfully incorporate the worldview of the client. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a religiously accommodative treatment in a Christian sample. Volunteer participants (n=78) were randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions. The Christian mindfulness training (CMT) group protocol was explicitly adapted to a Christian worldview, while the conventional mindfulness training (MT) group protocol lacked explicit …


The Effect Of Daily Progress Reports On Parental Academic Support: Paper Versus Electronic Communication, Jonathan Schneider May 2016

The Effect Of Daily Progress Reports On Parental Academic Support: Paper Versus Electronic Communication, Jonathan Schneider

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In this age of data based decision making and accountability, parent involvement and data collection are paramount. This study represents a significant contribution to educational research by extending the understanding of home-school communication media with specific regard to daily progress reports. The purpose of this study was to compare communication scores of parents of student using paper daily progress reports with communication scores of parents of student using electronic daily progress reports. This quasi-experimental posttest only control group design research study compared survey results of parents (N = 45) of middle school students currently using a DPR as part of …


Effects Of Enrollment In College Success Skills Course On Academic Outcomes Of Community College Students, Keith Hill May 2016

Effects Of Enrollment In College Success Skills Course On Academic Outcomes Of Community College Students, Keith Hill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A nonexperimental, causal-comparative (ex post facto) research design was used in this study to examine the effectiveness and value of a College Success Skills course for students who tested into three developmental courses at the community college. The discussion and debate as to the efficacy of developmental education at community colleges has been continuing for decades. In many states, legislators seem to be prioritizing the issue of developmental education and the cost involved, both in time and money to students and taxpayers. The issue is complex as students arrive at community colleges with a wide variance in basic academic skills …


Put Me In Coach: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Examining School Wide Positive Behavior Support Coaches' Experience With Program Implementation, Kimberlie Rieffannacht May 2016

Put Me In Coach: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Examining School Wide Positive Behavior Support Coaches' Experience With Program Implementation, Kimberlie Rieffannacht

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe lived experience during School Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) implementation for School Wide Positive Behavior coaches in Pennsylvania public schools. Participants, identified as co-researchers throughout this study, included 11 SWPBS coaches selected from seven elementary schools who are implementing the program with fidelity, as defined by Pennsylvania Positive Behavior Support Network (PAPBS, n.d.). The literature surrounding the SWPBS program is largely quantitative and does not include the coaches' experiences. Thus, this research filled an important gap in the literature on the crucial issue of providing positive behavior support that is …


Biblical Principles Of Small Group Ministry, Shawn Barr May 2016

Biblical Principles Of Small Group Ministry, Shawn Barr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Small group ministry models abound today, and so do the materials that provide the methodology for these models. However, there seems to be a dearth of resources that connect the methods with a theological foundation. This project will demonstrate the need for examining small groups from a theological aspect, and then examine the principles of biblical community as found in Scripture. These principles will then be measured through surveys of at least fifty participants in small group settings from several churches, including the churches where the author was the small group pastor for the last seven years and where he …


Impact Of Mentoring On K-12 Beginning Teachers' Efficacy And Commitment: A Comparative Phenomenological Study, Sandra Mozdzanowski May 2016

Impact Of Mentoring On K-12 Beginning Teachers' Efficacy And Commitment: A Comparative Phenomenological Study, Sandra Mozdzanowski

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite a growing body of literature on the needs of beginning teachers, little is known about the impact of mentoring on K-12 beginning teachers’ efficacy and commitment to teaching, and why beginning teachers in special education received less mentoring than their counterparts in general education. This qualitative phenomenological study compared the experiences of nine beginning teachers in general education and special education, factors within the school (e.g., principal, mentor coordinator, mentor), and characteristics of the teaching assignment. The central question was: What are the experiences of K-12 beginning teachers who receive mentoring? The sample consisted of 22 participants (9 teachers, …


Tell Your Story: A Phenomenological Examination Of The Experiences Of Single, Latina Mothers Experiencing Poverty, Thaeda Franz May 2016

Tell Your Story: A Phenomenological Examination Of The Experiences Of Single, Latina Mothers Experiencing Poverty, Thaeda Franz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological study involved an examination of the experiences, parenting practices, and utilization and perception of community supports among single Latina mothers experiencing poverty. Purposive sampling was used in requesting volunteers from local parenting education programs. Six Latina mothers living in Reading, PA, were interviewed. Participants reported experiencing neglect and abuse as children and struggling to meet their children’s needs. They also reported feeling as though they were the “black sheep” of their families of origin and having a lack of connection to their families. The mothers in the study described wanting to give their children a better experience …


Exploring Intercessory Prayer As It Relates To Spiritual Warfare Preaching At Mount Zion Christian Church, Vernon Langley May 2016

Exploring Intercessory Prayer As It Relates To Spiritual Warfare Preaching At Mount Zion Christian Church, Vernon Langley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The focus of this thesis is exploring the influence of intercessory prayer; from the standpoint of spiritual warfare preaching. Present day homiletics concentrates on the method of sermons by applying information within the message to a great story and powerful scriptural passages which is imperative to make the sermon thought provoking and applicable to contemporary congregations. However, there is another element to preaching the gospel, which has gotten considerably less attention in modern day study. How the evaluations of Divine powers of intercessory prayer operate behind the discourse, and spiritual powers of darkness that endeavor to obstruct the reception of …


A Phenomenological Inquiry Of Grade Retention As Experienced By Middle School Students Who Were Twice Retained, Dimetri Richardson May 2016

A Phenomenological Inquiry Of Grade Retention As Experienced By Middle School Students Who Were Twice Retained, Dimetri Richardson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of grade level retention for twice retained, middle school students in Eastern Virginia. During data collection, 10 twice retained, middle school students in grades 6-8 residing in Eastern Virginia were surveyed, interviewed, and provided personal journals. The theory guiding this study was constructivism, due to its consideration of individuals’ unique experiences and multiple realities (Piaget, 1954). This study’s qualitative data was coded using horizonalization, and clusters of meaning were developed, which allowed textural and structural descriptions of the participants’ unique experiences. The study’s findings reveal twice retained, middle school …


Exploring Attitude Transformation: A Grounded Theory Study Of Romanian Teachers Of Roma Students, Laura Jones May 2016

Exploring Attitude Transformation: A Grounded Theory Study Of Romanian Teachers Of Roma Students, Laura Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this systematic grounded theory study was to explore the process of change in teacher attitudes toward including Roma (“Gypsy”) students in non-segregated schools in Romania. The theories guiding this study included Mezirow’s (1991, 2000) theory of transformation, Gay’s (2002, 2013) theory of culturally responsive teaching, and Bandura’s (1977, 1997) theory of self-efficacy. These three theories guided this research inquiry into how attitudes change, how teacher attitudes affect beliefs and actions, and how self-efficacy affects teacher attitudes. This study sought to answer the following questions: What is the process of transforming Romanian teacher attitudes toward including Roma students? …


Developing A Model For Church-Based Disaster Relief, Brady Rose May 2016

Developing A Model For Church-Based Disaster Relief, Brady Rose

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to provide a manual for the local church to implement in preparation for and during times of disaster. The author will specifically focus on the region of Amherst County, Virginia for this project. The author will approach this project by first defining what a disaster is and the role the church should play during times of great need. Attention will be given specifically to how the church should respond during times of disaster in foreign nations, in the United States, in nearby counties, and in the community of the church’s backyard. This project will …


An Analysis Of Social And Demographic Variables And Student Graduation Success, Lisa Taylor May 2016

An Analysis Of Social And Demographic Variables And Student Graduation Success, Lisa Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

he dropout population does not reflect an equal representation of all student subgroups (Kena et al., 2015). There are many negative outcomes that often coincide with the decision to drop out, such as lower overall lifetime income as well as emotional and physical fitness (Chapman, Laird, Ifill, & KewalRamani, 2011). This dissertation examines how graduation success varies by the social variables of school engagement, students’ closeness to parents, and self-esteem and the demographic variable of race through the lenses of the social development model (Hawkins & Weis, 1985), the school membership theory (Wehlage, 1989), and the self-determination theory (Deci, Vallerand, …


A Phenomenological Study: Exploring The Needs, Wants, And Desires From The Voices Of African-American Males Desiring To Graduate From Community College, Yvette Harris May 2016

A Phenomenological Study: Exploring The Needs, Wants, And Desires From The Voices Of African-American Males Desiring To Graduate From Community College, Yvette Harris

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore factors that could lead to academic success for African-American males enrolled in community college. By conducting a phenomenological study, those factors leading to graduation will be derived from the particular lens of perception of the participants’ lived experiences. The guiding theories are those of Derrick Bell’s Critical Race Theory (CRT, 1977), Vincent Tinto’s (1975) Theory of Departure, and John Bean’s (1979) Theory of Student Attrition. A convenience participant sample totaling 10 African-American males was comprised of students who were currently enrolled in a community college. The data collected for this …


A Causal Comparative Analysis Of Biblical Worldview Among Graduate Students Based On Christian School Attendance, David Baniszewski May 2016

A Causal Comparative Analysis Of Biblical Worldview Among Graduate Students Based On Christian School Attendance, David Baniszewski

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

One of the primary objectives of the Christian school (K-12) is the development of a biblical worldview in its students. This study examined the impact that these Christian schools had on their students’ biblical worldview development by administering a biblical worldview assessment to graduate students at a private, Christian university (Liberty University). Christian, graduate students in the School of Education at Liberty completed a demographic survey and a biblical worldview assessment. The survey collected information on age, gender, type of K-12 schools attended, profession to the Christian faith, and denominational background. The results of the survey and assessment were analyzed …


Qualitative Case Study On The Perspective Of Pennsylvania Superintendents On Distance Education In K-12 Public School Districts, Stephanie Pennucci May 2016

Qualitative Case Study On The Perspective Of Pennsylvania Superintendents On Distance Education In K-12 Public School Districts, Stephanie Pennucci

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Distance education is rapidly changing the way K-12 students learn. School districts use it for course recovery, to supplement the curriculum with additional courses, and to offer alternative educational opportunities. Pennsylvania’s 500 public school superintendents face a unique challenge in an economic recession, severe cuts in state funding, and competition from cyber charter schools. The purpose of this qualitative intrinsic case study is to understand the impact of distance education on the experiences of Pennsylvania public school superintendents as they deal with the influence of distance education in their programs, particularly the implementation of cyber charter schools. As the educational …


Teachers’ Experiences Of Georgia’S Early Math Intervention Program: A Phenomenological Study, Rachel Scott May 2016

Teachers’ Experiences Of Georgia’S Early Math Intervention Program: A Phenomenological Study, Rachel Scott

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the perceptions that K-5 teachers have toward Georgia’s mandated Early Intervention Math Program (EIP) on at risk learners in an elementary school in a rural, North Georgia community. The following questions guided the study: 1. How do K-5 teachers describe their experience with Georgia’s Early Intervention Math Program as an early math intervention for at-risk learners? 2. How do participants describe their experiences with Georgia’s EIP regarding student math preparedness? 3. How do participants perceive the EIP program in comparison to the regular education math program? The setting for this study …


A Multiple Case Study Of Challenges And Successes Experienced By Founders And Directors Of Nature-Based Preschools In The United States, Alexandra Barnett May 2016

A Multiple Case Study Of Challenges And Successes Experienced By Founders And Directors Of Nature-Based Preschools In The United States, Alexandra Barnett

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Nature-based preschools are defined as educational settings in which children spend three or more hours per school day in natural environments such as woods, meadows, and beaches (Knight, 2013). The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to obtain a deep understanding of the challenges and successes of nature-based preschool (NBP) founders and directors in the United States and to develop recommendations for those interested in establishing and operating NBPs in the United States. A rich description of the phenomenon of founding and directing NBPs was developed by first answering the primary research question: “What can be learned from …


Proposal For A Local Church Ministry To Mentally Ill Addicts, Terry Jacobs May 2016

Proposal For A Local Church Ministry To Mentally Ill Addicts, Terry Jacobs

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a significant sub-culture of mental health patients who are addicted to prescription drugs, whose needs are not being met by the mental health rehabilitation system. These individuals are incapable of functioning or working normally and exist solely on welfare and community charities. This thesis will investigate this nationwide problem to determine existing ministry approaches, to create a reproducible ministry strategy for reaching this segment of our society with the gospel, by implementing Christian growth, and providing God’s hope for recovery from addiction. The writer has experience with such a ministry, including a church ministry home in the community, …


Proposal For A Local Church Ministry To Mentally Ill Addicts, Terry Jacobs May 2016

Proposal For A Local Church Ministry To Mentally Ill Addicts, Terry Jacobs

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a significant sub-culture of mental health patients who are addicted to prescription drugs, whose needs are not being met by the mental health rehabilitation system. These individuals are incapable of functioning or working normally and exist solely on welfare and community charities. This thesis will investigate this nationwide problem to determine existing ministry approaches, to create a reproducible ministry strategy for reaching this segment of our society with the gospel, by implementing Christian growth, and providing God’s hope for recovery from addiction. The writer has experience with such a ministry, including a church ministry home in the community, …


Five Principles To Empower The Worship Leader, Stacey Brown May 2016

Five Principles To Empower The Worship Leader, Stacey Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The role of the worship leader exists in most churches. These leaders serve in roles from volunteer choir directors to the directors of large worship staffs. They are the standard-bearers of worship for their teams and their congregations. To successfully serve, they must possess knowledge of worship practices and leadership skills. While students of worship may have a firm foundation of biblical, historical, and philosophical principles, many current leaders do not have strong leadership backgrounds and, therefore, lack basic foundational skills for leadership. Through a study of current literature and a survey of leaders of worship in churches of various …


The Effect Of Classroom Walkthroughs On Middle School Teacher Motivation, Karen Dickenson May 2016

The Effect Of Classroom Walkthroughs On Middle School Teacher Motivation, Karen Dickenson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this pretest-posttest control group experimental study was to see the effect of classroom walkthroughs on middle school teacher motivation. The independent variable was; classroom walkthroughs and the four dependent variables were teachers’ self-concept of the ability to affect student achievement, teachers’ attitude toward the principal, teachers’ beliefs of the principal’s value and expectations for achievement, and teachers’ belief about future utility of efforts. The instrument used in this study was the Teacher Motivation Diagnostic Questionnaire. Sixty-eight language arts and reading participants from the grades 5-8 at 6 middle schools in Southwest Virginia were used. Six diverse public …


The Relationship Between Science Classroom Facility Conditions And Ninth Grade Students’ Attitudes Toward Science, Angela Ford May 2016

The Relationship Between Science Classroom Facility Conditions And Ninth Grade Students’ Attitudes Toward Science, Angela Ford

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Over half of the school facilities in America are in poor condition. Unsatisfactory school facilities have a negative impact on teaching and learning. The purpose of this correlational study was to identify the relationship between high school science teachers’ perceptions of the school science environment (instructional equipment, demonstration equipment, and physical facilities) and ninth grade students’ attitudes about science through their expressed enjoyment of science, importance of time spent on science, and boredom with science. A sample of 11,523 cases was extracted, after a process of data mining, from a databank of over 24,000 nationally representative ninth graders located throughout …


Developing A Curriculum Ministry For Widows In The Local Church, Gail Nanez May 2016

Developing A Curriculum Ministry For Widows In The Local Church, Gail Nanez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

An examination of widows in the local church reveals a growing percentage of widows in many churches today, signifying a significant ministry need for widows in the church. An abundance of widows sitting in churches, are not only suffering the grief, and loneliness from their loss, some have lost their only income and sometimes feel neglected or a burden to others. As a biblical mandate, it is imperative that the church, pastors, and counselors take heed to the biblical command of ministering to the comfortlessness and insecurity many widows are facing. This will entail revitalization of the care of widows, …


Exploring The Experiences Of Female Student Veterans With Disabilities Entering Higher Education During Reintegration: A Phenomenological Study, Beverly Williams May 2016

Exploring The Experiences Of Female Student Veterans With Disabilities Entering Higher Education During Reintegration: A Phenomenological Study, Beverly Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of female student veterans with disabilities entering higher education during reintegration in order to improve programs, services, and support available to female student veterans with disabilities. A screening questionnaire, interviews, a focus group, and journals were used to collect data. Participants consisted of 11 female student veterans with disabilities who were purposively selected using criterion, snowball, and maximum variation sampling. The central research question was: What are the transition experiences of female student veterans with disabilities entering college during reintegration into society? Four sub-questions …


Resiliency Among Widows Who Lost Their Husbands To Suicide: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Natalie Ford May 2016

Resiliency Among Widows Who Lost Their Husbands To Suicide: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Natalie Ford

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Over six million people are influenced by the suicide of someone they love yearly; survivors of suicide are at greater risk for suicide themselves. This interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) explored postvention factors that led to resiliency in widows who lost their husbands to suicide, in order to explore the needs and inform the treatment of suicide survivors, who are at greater risk, from attempting suicide themselves. A purposive, self-selected sample of six widows who lost their husbands to suicide at least two years prior and who scored a minimum of 3.8 on the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) participated in the …


The Effects Of Video-Based Embedded Supplemental Instruction Upon Preservice Teachers’ School Law Competency, Jeffrey Keeling Apr 2016

The Effects Of Video-Based Embedded Supplemental Instruction Upon Preservice Teachers’ School Law Competency, Jeffrey Keeling

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quasi-experimental posttest only study examined the impact of embedded school law video-based mini-lessons upon preservice teachers’ levels of proficiency with school law. The intent of the study was to address the concern that approximately only 18 out of 700 American teacher education programs include a required school law course (Gullatt & Tollett, 1997). The study aimed to discover whether or not a statistically significant difference in level of school law proficiency as measured by Schimmel and Militello’s (2007) Education Law Survey would emerge between preservice teachers who had been exposed to a series of eight video mini-lessons containing school …


Litigious Experiences Among Teachers Of Special Education Students: A Phenomenological Study, Shannon Madara Apr 2016

Litigious Experiences Among Teachers Of Special Education Students: A Phenomenological Study, Shannon Madara

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore litigious experiences for special education teachers in South Central Pennsylvania. It was known that teachers are not typically required to have courses on school law, but they are required to abide by educational law. This study was guided by the following research question: How do special education teachers in South Central Pennsylvania describe their litigious experiences? It sought to fill a gap in the literature in the area of actual teacher experience with the problem of litigation. Background information was given to show why this issue was a current problem …


A Causal-Comparative Inquiry Into The Significance Of Implementing A Flipped Classroom Strategy In Nursing Education, Rhonda Faretta Apr 2016

A Causal-Comparative Inquiry Into The Significance Of Implementing A Flipped Classroom Strategy In Nursing Education, Rhonda Faretta

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this causal-comparative design study was to examine the application of the theory of Vygotsky’s social constructivism (1978) and McMillan and Chavis’s (1986) definition of sense of classroom community in the context of a flipped classroom. The researcher aimed to determine if a pathophysiology course taught with the flipped classroom method would result in a statistically-significant difference in nursing students’ academic performance and sense of classroom community when compared to a pathophysiology course taught with the lecture classroom method. Two questions were addressed during this study: (a) Is there a statistically-significant difference in nursing students’ academic performance (as …


Why Do They Stay? A Phenomenological Study On The Lived Experiences Of Teachers Who Persist In Urban K-12 Christian Education, Marie Teodori Apr 2016

Why Do They Stay? A Phenomenological Study On The Lived Experiences Of Teachers Who Persist In Urban K-12 Christian Education, Marie Teodori

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of teachers who persist in urban K-12 Christian education at five Association of Christian Schools International schools located in the United States. The central research question was: What are the lived experiences of teachers who persist in urban K-12 Christian education? Sub-questions explored the source of motivation, role of intrinsic goals, and contextual/environmental supports for teachers who persist in this setting. Methodology utilized a transcendental phenomenological design, purposeful participant sampling, data collection primarily through in-depth interviews and focus groups, and data analysis using Moustakas’ (1994) recommended procedures. …


A Study Of Developing Healthy Disciples In The Korean-American Church, Kyung Seo Apr 2016

A Study Of Developing Healthy Disciples In The Korean-American Church, Kyung Seo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Korean-American congregations within the Presbyterian denomination need to implement a Bible-centered discipleship model in order to become a more spiritual and viable Christian church. As the Senior Pastor for the Columbia Korean Presbyterian Church (2009-2014), the author utilized qualitative and quantitative analysis when interviewing church pastors within the Korean-American Presbyterian Churches of America. The surveys identified the need for a practical model of spiritual growth to develop healthy disciples within the Korean-American Church. Based upon the biblical principle of Christian discipleship, the author developed an overall a three-level strategy of making healthy disciples.