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Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

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Changing The Effects Of A Reduced Gospel, John Douglas Herring Sep 2022

Changing The Effects Of A Reduced Gospel, John Douglas Herring

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Does your church preach the “whole gospel” or “reduced gospel?” The whole gospel is the story of God working to redeem mankind, from Eden to the New Jerusalem. The reduced gospel is a belief that the plan of salvation and the whole gospel of Scripture are synonymous, a belief that salvation is for personal forgiveness. This research aims to change the effects of a reduced gospel in a local congregation. Participants, members of First Baptist Church of Eupora, were given questionnaires and interviews to determine their views regarding the gospel. To many participants, the gospel is one of forgiveness; therefore, …


Internal Controls In Small City Government, M. Wade Cothran Sep 2022

Internal Controls In Small City Government, M. Wade Cothran

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The flexible design multiple case study was performed to broaden the understanding of the possible rationale for city government officials' failing to implement effective internal controls related to the global business problem of occupational fraud. The leadership of an organization should assume a stewardship attitude to reduce fraud risk by designing, implementing, monitoring internal controls, and testing their effectiveness. Asset misappropriation from occupational fraud results in the loss of assets and potential business failure. The research questions explored the internal control procedures implemented to prevent and detect property theft. Additionally, the research questions addressed the strategies implemented to establish segregation …


Eliciting Music Performance Anxiety Of Vocal And Piano Students Through The Use Of Virtual Reality, Keith Brian Pace Sep 2022

Eliciting Music Performance Anxiety Of Vocal And Piano Students Through The Use Of Virtual Reality, Keith Brian Pace

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the growth of virtual reality technologies, there is a lack of understanding of implementing these technologies within the collegiate classroom. This case study provides a mixed-method insight into a virtual reality (VR) asset deployed in a music performance environment. The study examined the effectiveness of a virtual reality environment as measured by the physiological response and user feedback. Ten voice and four piano college students participated in the study. Each participant performed musical works within an authentic practice room and the virtual concert hall via a Virtual Reality (VR) headset. Data was collected across four criteria. Participants’ heart rates …


The Effects Of Religious Commitment On The Loneliness And Authenticity Of Single Millennial Women Churchgoers, Zowee Jamison-Shanks Sep 2022

The Effects Of Religious Commitment On The Loneliness And Authenticity Of Single Millennial Women Churchgoers, Zowee Jamison-Shanks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There has been a plethora of studies that have been conducted regarding the large number of millennials who are leaving the religious institution. Despite the studies that have been conducted there are a limited number of studies that examine the reasoning behind millennials leaving religious institutions. This study adds to current knowledge about single millennial women and their religious commitment. This study provides knowledge that can benefit leaders of religious institutions in reconnecting with single millennial women and engaging in conversation that could help to decrease the internal and external factors that cause disaffiliation. The purpose of this quantitative study …


A Quantitative Research Study On Probability Risk Assessments In Critical Infrastructure And Homeland Security, Alfred B. Lee Sep 2022

A Quantitative Research Study On Probability Risk Assessments In Critical Infrastructure And Homeland Security, Alfred B. Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation encompassed quantitative research on probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) elements in homeland security and the impact on critical infrastructure and key resources. There are 16 crucial infrastructure sectors in homeland security that represent assets, system networks, virtual and physical environments, roads and bridges, transportation, and air travel. The design included the Bayes theorem, a process used in PRAs when determining potential or probable events, causes, outcomes, and risks. The goal is to mitigate the effects of domestic terrorism and natural and man-made disasters, respond to events related to critical infrastructure that can impact the United States, and help protect …


Pornography Use And Its Effect On Marital Quality, Karolyn A. Webster Sep 2022

Pornography Use And Its Effect On Marital Quality, Karolyn A. Webster

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Statistics have shown that married couples who start watching pornography double their chances of divorcing within two years following the pornography use. Statistics also report that every year for the past decade there have been roughly one million divorces in the United States, and the current divorce rate is 2.9 per population of 1000, with 45 reporting states, including Washington, DC. However, these statistics do not provide a breakdown of how many of these divorces were due to pornography use. Research suggests that the negative relationship between pornography use and marital well-being has grown stronger over time, during a period …


The Relationship Of Perceived Learning And Self-Regulated Learning Of Undergraduate Students And The Curiosity Scores Generated By Packback, Rosemarie Rizzuto Sep 2022

The Relationship Of Perceived Learning And Self-Regulated Learning Of Undergraduate Students And The Curiosity Scores Generated By Packback, Rosemarie Rizzuto

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Institutions work to improve their retention rates. Research supports academically and socially integrated students are more likely to develop a commitment to the institution and persist to graduation. Historically these theories emphasized perceived learning and self-regulated learning as contributing factors for student retention. Curiosity is a motivational factor that improves student engagement and academic integration. Discussion boards are used with face-to-face, online, and hybrid courses. Instructors use the virtual workspace to build a collaborative community for students to engage with one another, the instructor, and the course material. Packback uses artificial intelligence (AI) to heighten student engagement on discussion board …


Experienced Pastoral Burnout And The Self-Reported Role Of Emotional Intelligence On Leadership Effectiveness During Burnout, Craig Wesley Folds Sep 2022

Experienced Pastoral Burnout And The Self-Reported Role Of Emotional Intelligence On Leadership Effectiveness During Burnout, Craig Wesley Folds

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Emotional intelligence (EI), employee burnout, and effective leadership traits are constructs that have been researched from a traditional, organizational perspective since the 1970s. Over the past 15 years, pastoral leaders and clergy have been identified as leaders working in the same capacity as public safety officials, medical professionals, mental health specialists, and other helping professions. Research suggests that leaders working in helping professions are often exposed to situations that may induce burnout, create emotional dissonance, and may have adverse implications on effective leadership behaviors during experienced burnout. The significance of this study lies in its identification of a gap in …


Third Culture Kids' Repatriation And Planned Transition To College From A South Asian Country: A Qualitative Collective Case Study, Sandra Wiemann Blank Aug 2022

Third Culture Kids' Repatriation And Planned Transition To College From A South Asian Country: A Qualitative Collective Case Study, Sandra Wiemann Blank

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to understand the transition to college in the United States of third culture kids (TCKs) who have spent at least one year in South Asia during their upbringing (ages 6-18). Schlossberg’s adults in transition theory was employed to study planned transitions to college. This study attempted to answer the research questions: How do TCKs perceive the major events or benchmarks in their transition to college? How did expected and unexpected outcomes impact TCKs’ experience during their transition to college? What resources do TCKs typically access during their repatriation to college transition …


Apologetic Properties Of Archaeology, Scott Christopher Reynolds Aug 2022

Apologetic Properties Of Archaeology, Scott Christopher Reynolds

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Scholars are divided over the idea of archaeology providing more information than anthropomorphic data about people groups. In the Levant, biblical archaeology used the Bible to connect artifacts with biblical accounts; however, scholars began to believe that interpretation was being forced to fit the biblical accounts. Apologists began to embrace more technical results and archaeology and different schools of apologetics began to see a place for archaeology in the study of apologetics. The most accepting form of apologetics is the Cumulative Case Apologetic, as it blends into its apologetic argument anything needed to further the argument. However, the ability of …


A Case Study Of Cultural Awareness Integration Throughout The Elementary Education Curriculum, Kristina Nicole Laird-Arnold Aug 2022

A Case Study Of Cultural Awareness Integration Throughout The Elementary Education Curriculum, Kristina Nicole Laird-Arnold

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to understand the critical aspects of cultural awareness education at the elementary level. This study intended to assess a variety of educators’ perceptions of elementary students’ cultural awareness and character development by asking what role culture awareness plays in the development of the whole child. This instrumental case study sought to identify teachers’ perceptions of the current educational provisions of teaching and learning through cultural proficiency in elementary education. The central research question was: How do elementary teachers’ perceptions of cultural awareness help integrate content throughout the educational curriculum? It was used …


Distribution Center Erp Utilization, Andrew B. Davidson Aug 2022

Distribution Center Erp Utilization, Andrew B. Davidson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Globalization has forced the supply chain industry into becoming more reliant on technology. Organizations invest large amounts of resources in remaining competitive in today's market. The primary tool distribution centers leverage in their general business practice is an enterprise resources planning (ERP) system. Unfortunately, this system is often underutilized after the initial implementation. This qualitative case study aimed to explore the benefits of advanced ERP training and knowledge management policies in order to provide recommendations to increase distribution centers ERP utilization. The recommendations, if implemented, will maximize corporate capabilities by influencing ERP efficiency. A manufacturing organization with distribution centers throughout …


A Case Study Of Audio Video Technology And Film Teachers’ Preparedness, Brian Ronald Holt Aug 2022

A Case Study Of Audio Video Technology And Film Teachers’ Preparedness, Brian Ronald Holt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to provide a deeper understanding of audio video technology and film (AVTF) teachers’ preparedness to teach this curriculum in the state of Georgia. Their preparedness will generally be defined as the degree of formal training, or lack thereof, for teaching the AVTF curriculum in Georgia public schools. The research questions were as follows: Central Question: To what degree are current AVTF teachers’ formal training experiences sufficient in teaching a CTE course offering? Sub-Question 1: What are AVTF teachers’ training experiences? Sub-Question 2: What research-based teaching strategies are employed by AVTF teachers? Sub-Question …


Exploring The K-12 School Experiences That Contribute To Resilience In Adulthood As Described By Resilient Adults With Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Phenomenology, Susannah Wyndi Bradley Aug 2022

Exploring The K-12 School Experiences That Contribute To Resilience In Adulthood As Described By Resilient Adults With Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Phenomenology, Susannah Wyndi Bradley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to describe the K-12 school experiences that contributed to resilience in adulthood for individuals with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The theory guiding this study is Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as it explains how students’ achievement and engagement in learning, as well as their barriers to the same are related to students’ unmet basic needs, the pursuit of safety, and feelings of fear and mistrust. The research questions will explore how resilient adults with ACEs describe the K-12 classroom experiences that contributed to their resilience in adulthood, the classrooms where they were …


A Step Toward An Interfaith Visitation Ministry To Provide Spiritual, Social, And Emotional Support To The Seriously Ill And Elderly At Their Homes In The Community Served By Good Samaritan Medical Center Lafayette, Colorado, Grant Gill Kirksey Aug 2022

A Step Toward An Interfaith Visitation Ministry To Provide Spiritual, Social, And Emotional Support To The Seriously Ill And Elderly At Their Homes In The Community Served By Good Samaritan Medical Center Lafayette, Colorado, Grant Gill Kirksey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this Doctor of Ministry action research thesis is to identify the support offered to the seriously ill and elderly by local faith-based communities, to compare the identified interventions provided, to discuss the population’s needs and satisfaction with their local hospitals, and to discuss the results in the context of the population of seriously ill and elderly community members, and explore opportunities for Good Samaritan Medical Center (GSMC), Lafayette, Colorado, to partner with local religious communities to improve the well-being of the seriously ill and elderly in their community. This project will include the analysis of needs and …


Engaging Millennials In Missions, Annell Adams James Aug 2022

Engaging Millennials In Missions, Annell Adams James

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The millennial members of the Power of God Church have shown a lack of interest in participating in the local church's mission ministry. This lack of interest has caused the Missions Department and the church concern because fulfilling the mission of God is the mission of the church. The mission statement of the church is the focus of the ministry programs. Suppose the mission department creates a missions training program designed to focus on a technological learning style in which millennials thrive. Could it attract, involve, and engage millennials in future mission trips while educating them? It is this question …


Effects Of Strategic Communications Of Middle-Level Managers On Strategic Thinking And Organizational Performance: A Quantitative Study, Anthony Uwem Wilson Aug 2022

Effects Of Strategic Communications Of Middle-Level Managers On Strategic Thinking And Organizational Performance: A Quantitative Study, Anthony Uwem Wilson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study explored the relationship between Middle-Level Managers' (MLM) strategic communications, strategic thinking, and organizational performance. Pieces of evidence about strategic communications processes and strategic thinking supporting increased organizational performance are critical to an organization. According to researchers, when strategic communications and strategic thinking are not in the manager’s thought processes, any plans based upon such methods might fail to achieve the desired outcomes concerning organizational performance. While strategic communications and strategic thinking are essential to corporate performance, researchers have not fully substantiated their impact on the performance outcomes of an organization. Identifying to the highest Degree how a relationship …


Effect On Student Achievement For Middle School Math Students Using Blackboard, Canvas And Schoology In The State Of Virginia, Rosa Ann Woodley-Richard Aug 2022

Effect On Student Achievement For Middle School Math Students Using Blackboard, Canvas And Schoology In The State Of Virginia, Rosa Ann Woodley-Richard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative research was to compare the differences in middle-school student achievement for grade 7 math students among three different learning management systems: Blackboard, Canvas, and Schoology. The instrument was the Virginia Grade 7 Math Standards of Learning test. The population included students in the 7th grade attending a public school in the state of Virginia. The participants were the individual school districts. The study examined the means between the pass rates of the three learning management systems to see if there was a significant difference. The independent variable included the three learning management systems: Blackboard, …


A Transcendental Phenomenology To Understand The Persistence Of African American Males At A Historically Black Liberal Arts College, Jill Triplett Ellis Aug 2022

A Transcendental Phenomenology To Understand The Persistence Of African American Males At A Historically Black Liberal Arts College, Jill Triplett Ellis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experiences that contributed to the persistence of African American males at a historically Black college. The problem was that the percentage of 18- to 24-year-old African American males enrolled in the nation's colleges and universities over the past two decades has been lower than the rates of White and Hispanic men and women, as well as African American women. The guiding theory in this study was Tinto's persistence theory. This transcendental phenomenological study aimed to obtain individual living experiences of African American male students enrolled in a historically Black, …


Leaders And Restraints: Investigating How Attitudes Of School Leaders Predict The Number Of Physical Restraints, Sarah S. Ulmer Aug 2022

Leaders And Restraints: Investigating How Attitudes Of School Leaders Predict The Number Of Physical Restraints, Sarah S. Ulmer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study investigates how attitudes of school leaders predict the number of physical restraints that occur in schools that serve students under IDEA. This study focuses on the attitudes of school leaders from the geographical regions of Virginia in public and private schools. The “Educational Leadership and Behavioral Interventions” survey was used to gather research from 33 schools within Virginia. After collecting the data through the survey, the data was analyzed using a predictive correlation research design. The bivariate linear regression was used to analyze the predictor and criterion variables using SPSS. Based on the results of the data analysis, …


Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Working Mothers Persisting In Cacrep-Accredited Ces Doctoral Programs Transitioning Through The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study, Shannon Mercer Pugh Aug 2022

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Working Mothers Persisting In Cacrep-Accredited Ces Doctoral Programs Transitioning Through The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study, Shannon Mercer Pugh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing gender inequities in work and academia and further strained working doctoral student mothers struggling to balance multiple roles. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenology was to describe how working mothers of children under the age of 12 persisting in the final year of a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program-accredited counselor education and supervision doctoral program described their lived experiences moving through the COVID-19 pandemic. The central research question explored how participants described what the COVID-19 pandemic has been like for them as they moved in, moved through, and moved out of …


Elementary School Teachers' Perceptions Of Student Motivation To Use Classroom Integrated Technology, Jason Lynn Webb Aug 2022

Elementary School Teachers' Perceptions Of Student Motivation To Use Classroom Integrated Technology, Jason Lynn Webb

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The integration of technology into the classroom transforms curriculum design and instructional methods. Research suggests that the perspectives of teachers and students are not always in agreement regarding the influence of classroom integrated technology on learning motivation. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to determine if there is a significant difference in how teachers perceive the influence of technology integration on student learning motivation based on teacher gender, teacher weekly hours of computer use, and teacher years of teaching experience. The study used the Teacher Attitudes toward Classroom Computing Scale to collect data from 238 4th- and 5th-grade rural …


The Relationship Between Servant Leadership And Self-Efficacy Among Law Enforcement Officers In Western North Carolina, Anthony Scott Teague Aug 2022

The Relationship Between Servant Leadership And Self-Efficacy Among Law Enforcement Officers In Western North Carolina, Anthony Scott Teague

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The role of a servant united with the role of a leader, combines to form the servant leader. The term self-efficacy is defined as a person’s belief in the ability within a specific situation to be successful. The purpose of this quantitative non-experimental correlational descriptive research study was to discover law enforcement officers’ perception regarding the influence of the servant leader behaviors of their immediate supervisor on the officers’ own self-efficacy level in law enforcement officers located in western North Carolina. Law enforcement officers who attended training at two community colleges in western North Carolina was surveyed for this study. …


The Kindness And Severity Of God: A Defense Of The Conquest Of Canaan, Jordan Peter Ballard Aug 2022

The Kindness And Severity Of God: A Defense Of The Conquest Of Canaan, Jordan Peter Ballard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Conquest of Canaan has become a hot-button issue in Christian apologetics because of the moral dilemma it poses. Would an all-loving God command the wholesale slaughter of the Canaanite men, women, and children? Christians throughout the centuries have grappled with this problem and have offered many interpretations to alleviate the tension between God’s love and God’s wrath displayed in the Conquest. This dissertation defends a straightforward reading of the account: God really did command the destruction of the Canaanites, and the Israelites carried it out as described in the pages of the Old Testament. When understood in its biblical, …


Causal Comparative Study Of The Compassion Satisfaction Of School Counselors Working With Students Engaging In Self-Harm, Raymond Edward Storms Aug 2022

Causal Comparative Study Of The Compassion Satisfaction Of School Counselors Working With Students Engaging In Self-Harm, Raymond Edward Storms

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

School counselors have several responsibilities above ensuring students are in their correct classes. One of those responsibilities is assisting in a school crisis. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to examine the compassion satisfaction of school counselors when working with students engaging in acts of self-harm. To identify the school counselors’ compassion satisfaction, the study researched the following two questions. RQ1: Is there a difference between the compassion satisfaction scores of high-experience counselors and low-experience counselors working with students engaging in self-harm? RQ2: Is there a difference between the compassion satisfaction scores of elementary-middle school counselors and high school …


Leadership Strategies And Behaviors That Support Career Advancement For Teleworkers, Glory Ann Sanders Aug 2022

Leadership Strategies And Behaviors That Support Career Advancement For Teleworkers, Glory Ann Sanders

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research in telework has primarily focused on the study of teleworkers or on the comparison between teleworkers and non-teleworkers. For this reason, leader behaviors in the telework context has been a relatively neglected area of study. This study emphasizes the lack of career advancement within the telework arena that has contributed to higher turnover intentions and a reluctancy to participate in telework programs. This research specifically explores leader behaviors and strategies that support career advancement for teleworkers within Denver, Colorado. The findings indicate that leaders are more intentional about communication with teleworkers than with non-teleworkers. Physical distance creates many challenges …


Conservatives At The Movies: Conservative Film Critics And Popular Culture, Alex Pinelli Aug 2022

Conservatives At The Movies: Conservative Film Critics And Popular Culture, Alex Pinelli

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The study of modern American conservatism has flourished in the 21st century. However, there are some gaping holes in the historiography. One is the intersection between conservativism and popular culture and the arts. This study aimed to remedy this by analyzing hundreds of film reviews in nearly a dozen conservative publications over twenty-five years. In doing so, this first-of-its-kind analysis explored the underexamined world of the conservative film critic, while also identifying a group of principles that unified the varying critics under one conservative banner.


Exploration Of How Unified Theory Of Acceptance And Use Of Technology Enhances Trust In Communication, Samantha M. Ricciardi Aug 2022

Exploration Of How Unified Theory Of Acceptance And Use Of Technology Enhances Trust In Communication, Samantha M. Ricciardi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The qualitative study aims to understand the central phenomenon of how trust enhances communication with online grocery shopping for participants who are 25 years and older and are active online grocery shoppers. Venkatesh, Morris, and Davis created a technology acceptance model called Unified created Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, which explains the acceptance and use of information systems and communication technology innovations with consumers (Kim et al., 2008; Phillippi et al., 2021). The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology is an alternative theoretical model that ties into eight existing user acceptance models: (a) Technology Acceptance Model …


Grit As A Predictor Of Academic Achievement Among Street-Connected Boys In Bungoma, Kenya: A Quantitative Study, Brigid Siobhan Scripa Aug 2022

Grit As A Predictor Of Academic Achievement Among Street-Connected Boys In Bungoma, Kenya: A Quantitative Study, Brigid Siobhan Scripa

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, predictive, correlational study was to examine the relationship between street-connected children’s grit while enrolled in Reach International Children’s Center and street-connected children’s grit while living with family of origin. Furthermore, the purpose of this study was to examine hypothesized predictors of rank-ordered academic achievement among street-connected children, recently rescued street-connected children, recently reintegrated street-connected children, and home-connected children. A world phenomenon is currently occurring where children are migrating to the streets in search of shelter, security, and safety; children are migrating to the streets in search of meeting their basic needs. While the factors that …


Interactive Textbooks: A Study On The Effects On Learning Gains And Course Grades Among Community College Minority Students, Victoria C. Brower Aug 2022

Interactive Textbooks: A Study On The Effects On Learning Gains And Course Grades Among Community College Minority Students, Victoria C. Brower

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study is to examine whether the use of interactive e-textbooks by community college minority students makes a difference in academic outcomes (as measured by final course test grades) and if the use of interactive textbooks could lead to course completion and terminal degrees. This study adds to the existing literature insight into alternative methods of increasing learning and developing positive attitudes among minorities in the community college setting. The sample population included minority students enrolled in a government class attending a community college in an urban area in South Florida. There were N = …