Digital Commons Network^™

Time For A Change? The Lived Experiences Of Abortion Workers Who Left The Industry, Susan Marie Cole

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain insight and understanding into the lived experiences of those who have worked in a medical facility or freestanding clinic providing abortion services and eventually chose to leave the industry due to moral distress. Two research questions are addressed in this study: What is the lived experience of former abortion workers who left the field due to moral distress both before and after their transition from the industry? And, What were (and are) the perceived bio-psycho-social-spiritual impacts of abortion work for those who ultimately left the field due to moral distress? A …

Refugee Perceptions Of Post-Migratory Stressors Impact On Pre-Existing Trauma, Christine Elizabeth Krauter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Refugees are an ever-growing population across the world. Refugees leave their country to survive from the horrors and traumas many experiences. They arrive in countries oftentimes with little to no language proficiency, housing, finances, or employment. The stressors many of them face mixed with the trauma they experienced pre-arrival can be a heavy burden to carry. The purpose of this case study is to understand the perceptions of post-migratory stressors impact on pre-existing trauma for refugees at Matthew House in Vancouver, Canada. A constructivist approach is taken since the focus is on the situation from the participants’ point of views …

Humanity's Desire For Perfection: A Defense For Christian Theism, Billy W. Camp

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Amid the milieu of ethical theories and presuppositions about morals, a significant disconnect exists at the confluence of moral theories and human behavior. One may parse the issue as follows: If objective morals exist, humans are to live by them; however, no one lives a perfectly moral life. According to the moral standards identified by different theistic ethical theories (i.e., divine command theory, natural law, and virtue ethics), one may surmise that objective morals exist and that humans imperfectly live a moral life according to these standards. If it is the case that both secularists and theists recognize this issue, …

A Phenomenological Study Of Multi-Ethnic Churches That Have Effectively Managed Ethnocentric Biases And Cultivated Imago Dei-Centered Relationships, Shirley Ann Vazquez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Much research has been conducted in recent years concerning implicit bias. Banaji and Greenwald (2016) tell readers that even good people can have some form and level of implicit bias, including implicit ethnic bias (Banaji & Greenwald, 2016). While ethnically based implicit bias has been studied in education and business, the effects of ethnically based implicit bias in churches have only recently come to the forefront. Christian pastors need a good understanding of these implicit biases and how these phenomena may have been, and may still be, operating in their local multi-ethnic church body, preventing them from becoming a successful …

Experiences Of Asian American Women In Distance Education Doctoral Programs: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Cathy Vu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is well documented that doctoral attrition is a concern, and research into subgroups of doctoral student populations is needed. Researchers have begun to examine the experiences of women in distance education doctoral programs, but the experiences of women from Asian backgrounds have not been the direct focus on any research to date. This transcendental phenomenological study described the persistence experiences of Asian American women pursuing distance education doctoral studies. Tinto’s (1975) theory of student integration served as a foundation for understanding how an individual’s academic and social integration affects persistence. In addition to Tinto’s theory of student integration, Berry’s …

Determining The Effectiveness Of Nonpharmacological Treatment Modalities For Adult Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain: An Integrative Review, Sydia Nichole Spence

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Chronic low back pain continues to be a major health issue, affecting a significant percentage of the population worldwide. It is one of the major contributors to long-term disability. People with ongoing and recurrent low back pain experience lowered quality of life, long-term disability, lost productivity, and medical costs due to urgent and emergency care visits. Pharmacological treatment modalities often present with serious safety concerns, ineffectiveness due to limited evidence-based studies, undesirable side effects, and the possibility of addiction. Therefore, many clinicians and patients seek alternative approaches to remedy persistent low back pain. Various nonpharmacological therapies have shown favorable results …

Participation In Collision, Contact, And Noncontact Sports And Academic Outcomes At A United States Service Academy, Benjamin Thomas Showman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The present study seeks to determine whether significant differences exist in the academic outcomes, specifically grade point averages (GPA), between college students who participate in collision, contact, or noncontact sports. Additionally, this study seeks to understand whether sport contact levels are predictive of a student’s GPA when sport competition levels and demographic variables are also taken into account. Current research suggests links between sports participation, aggression, brain injuries, and academic outcomes. Along these lines, a significant amount of research has investigated relationships between student aggression and academic outcomes, between aggression and sport contact levels, and between sports participation and academic …

Mental Health Experiences In The Workplace, Laura L. Goff

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the real life experiences in the workplace related to employees with mental health issues. It examined these experiences to evaluate differences in perspective on issues arising from the mental health conditions among the employee, the manager, and coworkers. It explored organizational efforts to support employees with mental health issues and the capabilities of those involved in the process. This is a qualitative phenomenological study in which the author explored employer experiences through interviews with HR professionals and employee perspectives through interviews with mental health professionals. The questions asked in these interviews gathered information on one or more …

The Impact Of Professional Development On Trauma-Informed Practices (Tips) In A Teacher's Feeling Of Self-Efficacy, Christina Kay Cumbest

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental, static-group comparison design study was to determine the increase or decrease of self-efficacy for elementary and secondary teachers regarding instructional strategies, student engagement, and classroom management after professional development in TIPs. TIPs in the school setting provide comprehensive interventions to address childhood trauma that could promote positive academic progress. There has been little research provided on the impact of TIPs regarding instructional strategies, student engagement, and classroom management as it relates to teacher-efficacy. The results of this study found significant differences in survey responses from teachers in two school districts. The Teachers’ Sense of …

African American Administrators Utilizing Responses To Intervention For Identification Of African American Males In Special Education: A Phenomenological Study, Barbara Jean Batts

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of African American administrators in public schools with their use of Response to Intervention (RTI) when identifying African American males in special education. In order to arrive at the crux of the matter, the central research question was, How do African American public-school administrators describe their experiences in using RTI in the identification of African American males in special education? This study attempted to discover the perceptions of African American administrators in the sub-questions of: (1) How do African American administrators describe the connection of misidentification and disproportionality …

A Single Woman’S Concerns And Struggles: Reversing The Perception Of Exclusion In The Church In The Twenty-First Century And Beyond, Bernadine C. Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The thesis research project seeks to offer the readers of the project solutions to changing perceptions while improving single women's experiences as critical community members and the local church in the twenty-first century and beyond. This study will employ mixed methods analysis using both qualitative and quantitative data. The project includes a survey by single individuals between the ages of eighteen and sixty-five or older via email. Participants will complete a thirty-two-question survey characterizing exclusionary practices in the church processes, leading to the perception of exclusion revolving around family relationships. The results of this study may allow for the positive …

The Ems Deficit: A Study On The Excessive Staffing Shortages Of Paramedics And Its Impact On Ems Performance In The States Of South Carolina And North Carolina And Interventions For Organizational Improvements., James Boyd Eubanks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This is a qualitative multi-case study on emergency medical services (EMS) paramedic shortages, their effects on ambulance responses, and the quality of patient care in the prehospital environment. A qualitative multi-case study was selected for this study because the nature of the methods’ design aligned with a systematic approach of life experiences (Creswell, 2015). Paramedics who participated in this study provided insight, from life experiences, as to why one prematurely leaves EMS; thus, creating a staffing shortage. The foundation of this study is the high staffing shortages of paramedics specifically in South Carolina (SC) and North Carolina (NC). Drastically reducing …

Leaving The Faith: Factors That Lead To Emerging Adult Apostasy, Sammie Davis-Dyson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The present qualitative study used the transcendental phenomenological model. It investigated the three parenting factors of modeling, style, and attachment and their impact on emerging adult decisions to leave the Christian faith of their upbringing. Six participants, ages 21-25, male and female, white or Hispanic college students yielded information demonstrating that the parenting factors mutually interacted with one another. If the parent or parents had a positive impact in the modeling factor, the same was true for attachment and style. A fourth focal point was whether the emerging young adult would seek out a community of faith of his or …

Frequency Of Marijuana Use By California University Students Based On Gender And Ethnicity: A Quantitative Analysis, Evelyn Lorraine Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to determine the frequency of marijuana use by California university students based on gender and ethnicity. This study was important because marijuana is the most used illicit substance in the United States, and there is limited research regarding the demographic characteristics of California university students who use marijuana. The quantitative research design was used to describe the patterns of marijuana use by California university students. The setting was online. The participants included a random sample of 167 college students from five California state universities. The Daily Sessions, Frequency, Age of Onset, and …

Video Collaboration: Copresence And Performance, Thomas James Zito Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative narrative theory study on video collaboration platform use is to explain how an individual's on-screen performance and their interpersonal verbal and nonverbal communication contributes to engagement and copresence with their audience. The literature review analyzes critical interpersonal communication theories to explain how this affects engagement and copresence levels in mediated virtual environments. The research was conducted through interviews with thirty professional businesspeople about their video collaboration experiences during the COVID-19 2020 shutdown. The interview respondents told the stories of business communication successes and failures that correspond to the scholarly theories in the literature review. The …

Servant Leadership Impact On Organizational Performance, John W. Wesevich

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Leadership matters because individuals desire to improve their personal, social, and professional lives; corporations seek individuals with specific leadership qualities to improve organizational and financial performance and gain a competitive advantage; and universities provide programs in leadership studies. Leadership encompasses influence over others to accomplish a specific or common goal (Northouse, 2019). This qualitative research study focused on a contemporary leadership approach, servant leadership, and its influence on organizational performance. Researchers have acknowledged a positive relationship between servant leadership and organizational performance (Chiniara & Bentein, 2016; Saleem et al., 2020; A. Wong et al., 2018). This qualitative case study corroborates …

Using Bible Reading In Moral Injury Therapy: A Mixed-Method Approach, John Ikenna Onuoha

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The debilitating effect of moral injury on members of the Sergeant Major Association of California in the Bay Area/Central Valley/Los Angeles area has deprived member veterans of a good and meaningful quality of life. This study aims to recognize the challenging impact of moral injury on adult Bay Area/Central Valley/LA veterans, address its symptoms using Bible reading therapy, and reassess their progress for an effective and lasting solution to veterans who are battling with war’s unseen wounds. The study used mixed research methods that incorporate the technical and social features of the combination of qualitative and quantitative means to help …

Resiliency In Nursing: An Integrative Review, Valerie Yvonne Moke

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Nurses have been placed under tremendous pressure throughout their careers and the culmination of this pressure was the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses had to remain stoic despite longer hours, heavier workloads, lack of PPE and the fear of becoming infected or infecting their families. A review of the current literature was accessed to see how nurses built their stamina to withstand those pressures and create interventions to improve patient outcomes. The research was used to evaluate ways to improve nurse retention, reduce nursing shortages, and improve job satisfaction for those nurses and future nurses. The evidence showed that nurses with support, …

Tiktok Cyberbully Responses: Communicating The Narrative, Wendy Sommer Zito

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study analyzed TikTok cyberbullying response videos to understand how content creators use verbal and nonverbal communication within their performance, creating audience engagement and awareness for cyberbullying and social advocacy issues. This study was conducted with 200 TikTok creator accounts analyzing communication, performance, engagement, and analytics narrative content analysis. Codes were separated into themes that represented the creator's emotional responses. These responses were analyzed to learn how the audience presented the content. The combination of narrative content analysis and analytics data was used to determine the effectiveness of the creators' ability to engage with their audience and create cyberbullying and …

Building Healthy Families Through Intergenerational Worship Ministry, Frank Richard Gillespie

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although literature exists concerning family ministry in the local church, there is little research that gives explicit insight into music and worship ministry’s role in helping to strengthen families. Since worship is one of the ultimate functions of both the church and the family, this study integrates family ministry methodology with worship ministry methodology to discover theological sound and practical ways to build up the family through corporate worship, structured music programs, and community involvement. Guided by biblical and historical foundational teachings on church and family, this qualitative research study identifies perspectives that have not yet been explored and documented …

Standardized Testing: A Comparison Amongst Magnet, Stem, And Traditional Middle Schools, Lori Leigh Horne Wooley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study emphasizes the effectiveness of a middle school learning environment on the Georgia Standardized Assessment (Georgia Milestone Assessment System - GMAS) in the subject of Math. The purpose of this quantitative study is to determine whether there is a difference in the 8th grade Math Georgia Milestone standardized testing scores (adjusted by the covariate) within the three types of middle schools: STEM, magnet and traditional middle schools. This quantitative research study compares the student achievement data of a large urban school system’s STEM school to those of a traditional middle school and magnet middle school in the subject …

Early Intervention And Prediction Of Risk Management Issues In Law Enforcement: A Phenomenological Study, Pamela Lynn Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to research the Early Intervention Systems (EIS) and prediction of risk management issues in law enforcement. The following questions guided the study:

1. How do law enforcement personnel describe their experience with EIS programs as an intervention for officers with behavioral or conduct issues?
2. How do EIS programs affect law enforcement agencies as a whole?
3. What indicators could law enforcement supervisors look for in officers to circumvent misconduct (on or off duty)?
4. What interventions have been observed personally or with other officers regarding discipline, counseling, additional training, etc.?

The setting for this study was …

Middle School Staffs' Perceptions Of Bullying And Traumatization Of Special Education Students In An Alternative School Setting, Marlene Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study is to know and understand teachers’ perceptions of bullying, teachers’ perceptions of special education students, and what influences their decision to intervene and assist when observing special education students being victimized through bullying. The theory guiding this study is Aaron Beck’s Cognitive Behavioral Theory’s Cognitive Triangle that suggests that thought influences emotions and emotions influences behaviors, as well in reverse. The data collection process includes individual interviews with eight classroom teachers who work in alternative middle schools. Due to COVID-19, in-person observations were omitted, and the individual interviews were conducted using Zoom …

Understanding Combat Veterans And Their Social Supporters’ Experiences Related To Trauma And Combat Veteran Suicide: A Qualitative Case Study, Martisa V. Bullock

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand combat veterans and their social supporters’ experiences related to trauma and mitigating combat veteran suicide. The research questions were: What are combat veterans and their social supporters’ understandings and experiences related to trauma? What do combat veterans and their social supporters identify as significant aspects of support in mitigating suicidal ideation and suicide? The theories guiding this study were interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide and the psychache theory as these theories address the connections between suicidal thought processes and the trauma that contributes to them. This multiple case study consisted of …

Integrating Prayer And Faith In Complementary Alternative Medicine Into Treating Breast Cancer: Lived Experiences, Barbara Orticelli

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcended phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of women who have survived breast cancer and how complementary alternative medicine (CAM), such as prayer and spirituality, were incorporated into their treatments. The research questions used to frame this study include: 1) How do women describe their experiences in seeking to engage faith and prayer praxis as a form of complementary alternative medicine in breast cancer treatment? 2) How do women describe their decision process in choosing faith and prayer as a form of complementary alternative medicine in their breast cancer treatment? The theory guiding this …

Exploring Trauma: Lived Experiences Of Foster Parents In The Foster Care System, Audrey Michelle Butler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative transcendental phenomenology study explored the lived experiences of foster parents who care for traumatized children. Children in the foster care system are often exposed to trauma before and after entering the foster care system. Therefore, the trauma that foster children experience can impact them emotionally, psychologically, and cognitively. Unfortunately, foster parents are often unequipped to deal with these issues when these children enter their homes. The gap this study aimed to address was that foster parents did not have opportunities to share their experiences on what it was like to provide care for traumatized foster children. Husserl’s phenomenology …

Surviving The Affair: A Qualitative Phenomenological Case Study Of The Strategies Couples Utilize To Repair Their Marriage Successfully After The Occurrence Of Infidelity, Kimberly J. Youngblood

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research explores couples' strategies in reconstructing their marriage after infidelity, thereby avoiding divorce. The research questions provide a clear focus on the discovery process through a phenomenological design and the use of semi-structured interviews. The literature review illustrates the history of marriage, fidelity, infidelity, predictors, general reasons for infidelity, the impact on the marriage, and tools utilized by couples who successfully repair their marriage after infidelity. The methods section provides a framework for implementing the study and includes details about the process of recruiting participants, interviewing participants, transcript review, codes, and theme development. The presentation of the findings illuminates …

Impact Of A Comprehensive Musicianship Through Performance Program On An International School Band During Covid-19, Anna Lee Siew Hui

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The threats of the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020 resulted in schools moving to online learning and impacted programs with cocurricular activities, especially band programs. Student retention, low enrollment, loss of interest, and lower motivation became liabilities for band programs during the pandemic. Therefore, having an engaging online band program is crucial to continue effective music learning and maintain a high standard of band instruction. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of a Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance (CMP) program on an international school band during COVID-19. Forty-six participants ages 13-16 were recruited from the senior band …

Effect Of 1:1 Implementation On Middle School Student Achievement, Dustin White

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to understand which arrangement of technology provided the best results for middle school students. Educators and schools are trying to ensure that students are prepared for jobs that currently do not exist. Previous research has been conducted to look at the achievement of students; however, very little has been done to look at these levels at the middle school level in comparison to other schools in the same district. This quantitative causal comparative study sought to understand if differences exist between two groups of middle school students. One group participated in a 1:1 technology …

A Mediation Analysis: Adult Children Of Alcoholics, Resilience, Depression, Anxiety, And Attachment Disruption With The Role Of Self-Compassion: A Moderation Analysis, Jessica Ellen Kuehne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study intends to address the gap in the literature on treatment options for adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs). The theoretical and conceptual framework for this study was centered on three main ideas: attachment styles, resilience, and self-compassion. Studies have indicated that exposure to parental alcoholism increases the risk of depression, anxiety, and insecure attachment, and ACOAs tend to have higher resilience than non-ACOAs. Researchers have examined different treatment approaches and clinical outcomes for ACOAs. Some holistic treatment choices, specifically self-compassion, have grown ubiquitous for a broad spectrum of individuals with trauma. The purpose of this study is to assess …