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Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

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Teacher Perspectives Of Factors That Cause High School Dropout Rates For Latino Students: A Case Study, Isis Yahaira Gonzalez Aug 2021

Teacher Perspectives Of Factors That Cause High School Dropout Rates For Latino Students: A Case Study, Isis Yahaira Gonzalez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to identify and report the experiences of high school teachers working with at-risk Latino students on prevention high school dropout in public schools in Los Angeles, California. This study was beneficial as it informed school administrators and teachers on the factors that cause Latino students to drop out of high school and highlight successful strategies and interventions used to retain at-risk students in school. The theory that guided this study is the cultural ecological theory by John Ogbu. Focus groups, open-ended semi-structured interviews, and observational field notes were the tools utilized …


A Collective Case Study Of Teachers’ Perceptions Of Factors That Impact Teacher Retention At A Title I High School In A Southern U.S. State, Laronica Deniece Gilmore Aug 2021

A Collective Case Study Of Teachers’ Perceptions Of Factors That Impact Teacher Retention At A Title I High School In A Southern U.S. State, Laronica Deniece Gilmore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this collective case study was to understand secondary teachers’ perceptions of the factors that influenced teacher retention at a Title I high school in a southern U.S. state. Although researchers have investigated the problem of teacher retention, few have studied factors that have influenced teacher retention in Title 1 high schools. The theories that guided this study included job demands-resources theory which analyzes employee well-being. This collective case study captured the insights of 10–15 current and former teachers at a Title I high school in a southern U.S. state. Data were collected through interviews, focus groups, and …


The Relationship Among Religiosity, Childhood Sexual Abuse, And God Attachment On The Development Of Sexual Shame, Derek James Parker Aug 2021

The Relationship Among Religiosity, Childhood Sexual Abuse, And God Attachment On The Development Of Sexual Shame, Derek James Parker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Religiosity is a very important component to an individual’s overall wellness. Religiosity is typically formed early in life through family religious patterns and expectations. While religiosity may be a protective and healthy component of oneself, it is possible that religiosity may also contribute negatively and enhance maladaptive thoughts. Previous research has explored childhood family religiosity and current religiosity and their relationships with the development of sexual shame. This study aims at continuing to explore the relationship of childhood family religiosity and current religiosity and their relationship to the development of sexual shame. Additionally, childhood sexual abuse and a perceived relationship …


Navigating Two Worlds: A Phenomenological Study Of Lived Experiences Of High School Teachers Instructing Dual Credit Courses In South Texas, Cynthia F. Cid Aug 2021

Navigating Two Worlds: A Phenomenological Study Of Lived Experiences Of High School Teachers Instructing Dual Credit Courses In South Texas, Cynthia F. Cid

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to understand the experiences of high school teachers instructing dual credit courses for which they serve as college adjunct faculty in South Texas. The central research question addressed in this study is: What are the experiences of adjunct faculty teaching dual credit courses in South Texas? The theory guiding this study is Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory. This study used a qualitative research design with a phenomenological approach. The settings of the research were three high schools that offer dual credit courses in Arroyo Nordville, located in South Texas. In this study, …


The Predictive Relationship Between Gpa, Cooperating Teacher Assessment Ratings, And Practice Teacher Performance Assessments Upon Successful Completion Of A Summative Teacher Performance Assessment, Robert Shane Lazzell Aug 2021

The Predictive Relationship Between Gpa, Cooperating Teacher Assessment Ratings, And Practice Teacher Performance Assessments Upon Successful Completion Of A Summative Teacher Performance Assessment, Robert Shane Lazzell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Ensuring quality within teacher preparation programs is critical to the success of producing excellent teachers. Numerous studies focus on the influence teacher preparation programs have on emerging teacher self-efficacy, but few studies explore the correlation between teacher preparation programs and successful teaching performance. This quantitative, correlational research study explores how well cumulative GPA, cooperating teacher feedback scores, and practice teacher performance assessment scores can predict performance on Pearson’s edTPA. The data for this study is collected from institutional records of 72 students at a Midwestern school of education. The results indicate that GPA, cooperating teacher feedback scores, and practice teacher …


Engagement Of Millennials: Understanding The Decline Within Greater Hartford Area Churches, Victor Thomas Aug 2021

Engagement Of Millennials: Understanding The Decline Within Greater Hartford Area Churches, Victor Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

ecent trends reveal the sharpest decline in Church attendance in the Greater Hartford area has occurred within the population known as the Millennials. A question that is looming and of significance in this decade is what causes this generation to be attracted to some Churches and not others? Ten Protestant inner-city Churches within the Greater Hartford Area were studied to discover if there is a nexus between millennial participation, church leadership, and tools for equipping the millennial population of the church body. This study discovered several factors which impact millennial engagement which include, social influences, political ideologies, technology, and generational …


A Phenomenological Study Of How English Teachers' Beliefs Affect Their Grammar Instruction, Athena Pualeilani Jackson Aug 2021

A Phenomenological Study Of How English Teachers' Beliefs Affect Their Grammar Instruction, Athena Pualeilani Jackson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe how beliefs about grammar affected the grammar instruction of 10 high school English teachers in central Florida. Fishbein and Ajzen’s (2010) theory of reasoned action guided the study since the theory shows the relationship between beliefs and actions. A phenomenological design with a transcendental approach was used, and data was collected through three methods: interviews, observations, and participant reflections. Data was analyzed according to Moustakas’ (1994) steps for data analysis. Data analysis included horizonalization, theme development, textural descriptions, structural descriptions, composite descriptions, and a synthesized essence of the experience. Many participants …


Effects Of Nonmusical Factors On Virginia High School Band Concert Performance Assessment Results, Larry Michael Seipp Aug 2021

Effects Of Nonmusical Factors On Virginia High School Band Concert Performance Assessment Results, Larry Michael Seipp

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Nonmusical factors affect the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA) concert performances and subsequent assessment results; namely, school size, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. A comparison of ratings given by individual trained evaluators demonstrates interrater reliability. A comparison of final ratings given at different assessment locations and times reflects the reliability of ratings. However, administrators and evaluators must consider nonmusical factors to report instrumental music performance results accurately. Predictor variables included SES, school size, and minority percentage. Outcome variables included overall band rating and band performance literature difficulty. Using an MLR design, the researcher compared data from the 2019 VBODA …


A Study On The Essence Of Worship In Online Worship Groups Under Covid-19 Pandemic: Focus On Korean Ministers In The Northern Virginia Area, Nakjung Kim Aug 2021

A Study On The Essence Of Worship In Online Worship Groups Under Covid-19 Pandemic: Focus On Korean Ministers In The Northern Virginia Area, Nakjung Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to review the current needs regarding online worship that were conducted by Korean ministers in the Northern Virginia area under the COVID-19 pandemic and thereby supplement the found needs through establishing a theological basis and a summary of essential elements of worship that should be applied to online worshiping groups. Thirty-three (N = 33) Korean ministers in the Northern Virginia area who conducted online worship under COVID-19 participated in this survey. Results showed that the dominant need in online worship was an education on the essence of worship followed by technical support and ways …


The Impact Of Out-Of-Home Placements On Juvenile Delinquency And The Protective Factors That Neutralize Offending, Kenneth James Kilian Aug 2021

The Impact Of Out-Of-Home Placements On Juvenile Delinquency And The Protective Factors That Neutralize Offending, Kenneth James Kilian

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The negative effects of adverse childhood experiences have been widely examined; however, there has been limited research exploring the association between out-of-home placements and juvenile delinquency. Evidence suggests that positive bonding and associations mitigate maladaptive behaviors, yet it remains unclear if certain protective factors have an equally mediating effect on offending. The current study expanded on the existing criminological literature of juvenile offending by applying general strain theory and developmental taxonomy as the frameworks for the association between childhood traumas, protective factors, and juvenile offending. Data were drawn from the Pathways to Desistance Study using foster care, residential treatment centers, …


Clinicians' Experiences And Attitudes Treating Cannabis Use Disorders In Colorado: A Qualitative Inquiry Since The Legalization Of Marijuana In Colorado, Michael Walter Leiker Aug 2021

Clinicians' Experiences And Attitudes Treating Cannabis Use Disorders In Colorado: A Qualitative Inquiry Since The Legalization Of Marijuana In Colorado, Michael Walter Leiker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study has been to discover, describe, and understand the attitudes of Licensed Addictions Counselor’s (LACs) in treating cannabis use disorders by accessing their lived clinical experiences, and discover what regulatory, personal, environmental, social, scientific, legal, or other clinical experiences influence the decision making of LACs who treat cannabis use disorders in Colorado. This study sought to discover the attitudes, interactions, feelings, and other unique factors that form the underlying assumptions, through reciprocal determinism, that inform clinical decision-making choices independently. These dynamics have been ignored in the literature and this study seeks to pursue it with …


The Effect Of Self-Efficacy On First-Generation African American College Students, Benita Lynn Cabbler Aug 2021

The Effect Of Self-Efficacy On First-Generation African American College Students, Benita Lynn Cabbler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As students transition into college, some matriculate with more family, social, and academic support structures than others. Students who are the first in their families to attend college may not have the support necessary to help them succeed, influencing a need for more college resources to assist students with becoming academically successful. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to determine if there were significant differences in perceived self-efficacy between first-generation and non-first-generation African American college students. The independent variable was African American college student status: first-generation African American college students and non-first-generation African American college students. The dependent …


Transformational Learning In A Washington State Veterans Therapeutic Court: A Holistic, Multiple-Case Design Study, Thomas Lee Williams Aug 2021

Transformational Learning In A Washington State Veterans Therapeutic Court: A Holistic, Multiple-Case Design Study, Thomas Lee Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this holistic, multiple-case design case study was to describe the transformative learning journey of justice-involved veterans assigned to one of Washington State’s veterans treatment courts (VTC). Veterans treatment courts are designed to help justice-involved veterans break their criminogenic cycle, but the VTC’s efficacy is still debated. Yet, when applied to other modalities, transformative learning has proven effective in changing counter-societal behavior. The guiding theory for this study is Mezirow’s theory of transformative learning, one of the premiere adult learning theories, and will be used as the rubric to evaluate if veteran transformative learning indeed occurs. The central …


A Case Study Of Combat Student Veteran Success In Higher Education, Mona Fazzina Aug 2021

A Case Study Of Combat Student Veteran Success In Higher Education, Mona Fazzina

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that support combat student veterans in a private institution of higher education. The theory guiding this study was Astin’s developmental theory of student involvement for higher education. The conceptual framework guiding the study was Vacchi’s model of student veteran support. The theory and conceptual framework explain the relationship between what these nontraditional students bring to the academic experience, the role of educators, and factors contributing to, or detracting from their success in higher education. Combat student veterans, and staff of support services were interviewed, and …


Minority Adolescents And School Referral: The Importance Of School Counselors And The Referral System, Samantha Jo Davis Aug 2021

Minority Adolescents And School Referral: The Importance Of School Counselors And The Referral System, Samantha Jo Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate a school-based referral system in northwest Missouri that is effectively able to identify students with mental health concerns, help students find treatment options, and provide any follow-up needed. The main focus in this qualitative case study was on what makes one school district in northwest Missouri have an effective and successful mental health referral system. The theory guiding this study was Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This motivational theory is a five-tier model of human needs, including physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Without having all these needs met, an …


A Quantative Study Of Heol Students' Perceptions Of Communication Within The Lms, Holly Walker Aug 2021

A Quantative Study Of Heol Students' Perceptions Of Communication Within The Lms, Holly Walker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this applied study was to provide knowledge and information concerning students’ perceptions of communication within the LMS platforms for higher education institutions, using a quantitative study surrounding communication, sense of community, and LMS tools to address the problem. The quantitative design used a survey that consisted of various closed-ended questions, including Likert, multiple choice, and outcome measures of True/False and Yes/No questions. Various social media platforms were leveraged to provide a convenience sampling method to attract potential participants, and a total of 986 qualified respondents completed the survey. Data was analyzed through a series of descriptive statistics, …


White Coat Remediation: Understanding Medical Students’ Academic Remediation Experiences, Lauren Elizabeth Daly Aug 2021

White Coat Remediation: Understanding Medical Students’ Academic Remediation Experiences, Lauren Elizabeth Daly

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the lived experience of academic remediation for medical students at an osteopathic medical school. Two theories guided this study: Bronfenbrenner and Ceci’s bioecological theory and Tajfel and Turner’s social identity theory. Research questions focused on understanding the emotional experience of failure within the medical education context, and the subsequent experience of involvement in the academic remediation process. Purposeful sampling was used to identify 10 medical students who did not pass one or more courses in their didactic curricula and underwent academic remediation as a result. The central question guiding this …


The First-Year Experiences Of Women Engineering Majors At Community Colleges: A Phenomenological Study, Brandy Ann Robertson Naughton Aug 2021

The First-Year Experiences Of Women Engineering Majors At Community Colleges: A Phenomenological Study, Brandy Ann Robertson Naughton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of women engineering majors who transitioned to community colleges and persisted to the second year. Guiding this study was Schlossberg’s transition theory as it explains the transition to first-year engineering student and Tinto’s theory of student departure. The study used purposeful, criterion sampling to identify the participants who met the following criteria: full- or part-time female engineering student who completed the first year of study, as defined by the completion of 30 credits, and persisted into the second year of study at a community college. Data were …


The Predictive Relationship Between Elementary Pre-Service Teacher Praxis Subject Assessment Scores And Pedagogical Knowledge, Miranda Arnold Aug 2021

The Predictive Relationship Between Elementary Pre-Service Teacher Praxis Subject Assessment Scores And Pedagogical Knowledge, Miranda Arnold

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of elementary pre-service teachers’ pedagogical knowledge with the predictor variable of content knowledge. This quantitative, correlational study measured content knowledge through the Praxis Subject Assessment – Elementary Education: Multiple Subjects scores, including the four subtests: Reading and Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science. The criterion variable of pedagogical knowledge was obtained through the scores from the Candidate Preservice Assessment of Student Teaching Form. Scores from the two assessment instruments for 167 elementary education pre-service teachers were collected through archived data from one educator preparation program. A multiple regression analysis …


Entitlement At School: Linking Noncompliance To Academic Entitlement, Lili Michelle Smith Aug 2021

Entitlement At School: Linking Noncompliance To Academic Entitlement, Lili Michelle Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This work examined the relationship between academic entitlement and noncompliance among college students using trauma or adverse childhood experiences to moderate the relationship. Additionally, this study explored how gender, enrollment type (full-time vs. part-time), and type of student (residential vs. online) impacted noncompliance. This study was comprised of 149 participants from Liberty University that were at least 18+ years of age and an undergraduate or graduate student. Using a quantitative research design, participants completed the following self-report measures: demographics questionnaire, HEXACO-PI-R personality domains honesty-humility, and Adverse Childhood Experiences Survey. Logistic regression analyses were conducted, and the results of the study …


Legacy Trail: Photovoice Of African American/Black Women Ces Doctoral Graduates Persistence, Andrea M. Garraway Aug 2021

Legacy Trail: Photovoice Of African American/Black Women Ces Doctoral Graduates Persistence, Andrea M. Garraway

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study examined the retrospective experiences of seven African American/Black (AA/Black) women who graduated from a Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) doctoral program, accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The purpose of the study was to investigate ancestral links to their persistence. This study obtained data from semi-structured individual interviews, a focus group, and PhotoVoice pursuit. Through these different methods of data collection, the validity of the study was increased. The research problem identified was that the CES doctoral degree attrition rate remains stagnated (approximately 50%) and the rate for AA/Black women …


Correlating Maslovian Need Satisfaction To Educational Attainment And Time Since Completion, Anthony Brandt Babbitt Aug 2021

Correlating Maslovian Need Satisfaction To Educational Attainment And Time Since Completion, Anthony Brandt Babbitt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational research study was to investigate how accurately an individual’s needs satisfaction (i.e., the criterion variables) may be predicted from the combination of educational attainment and time since completion (i.e., the predictor variables). The present study addresses a gap in the literature regarding whether secondary education, post-secondary education, or both, correlate to the satisfaction of Maslow’s hierarchical needs across a broad spectrum sample of the United States population. A US-based quota sample of 245 paid adult participants operating on Prolific Academic’s online research platform provided the data within a Qualtrics-hosted version of the Five Need …


Effective Sermon Application In A Charlotte Exurb Baptist Church, David Keuss Aug 2021

Effective Sermon Application In A Charlotte Exurb Baptist Church, David Keuss

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis explores an improvement in expository sermon application using two technical tools added to the sermon divisions of sermon series messages. The background of applicational improvements is explored, the problem at Sandy Plains Baptist Church of Gastonia is outlined, and the solution employed. The problem is a spiritual comfort or plateau among members with previous life applications of sermons. The goal was to provide two new resources that would overcome the spiritual status quo in Sunday worship attendee’s lives. This method was tested utilizing Likert scale surveys, unpaired T-tests, and facilitator notations. The thesis project provides guidance to other …


A Phenomenological Study Of The Attitude Of Church Attending Caribbean-Canadian Christians Toward Counseling, Melbourne Webster Turgott Aug 2021

A Phenomenological Study Of The Attitude Of Church Attending Caribbean-Canadian Christians Toward Counseling, Melbourne Webster Turgott

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand and describe the attitude of church-attending Caribbean-Canadian Christians toward counseling. The two central research questions were, What is the lived experience of Caribbean-Canadian church-attending Christians with counseling? What meaning do Caribbean-Canadian church-attending Christians ascribe to their experience with counseling? The theories guiding this study included expectancy-value and social learning theories. Expectancy-value theory amplifies the belief Caribbean-Canadian Christians have a favorable attitude toward counseling if it aligns with their Christian beliefs. Social learning theory supports the idea that Caribbean-Canadian Christians are shaped by their communal and individual experiencing the world. Data were …


Residential Adjunct Faculty Members' Experiences Forming And Maintaining Caring Instructor-Student Relationships: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Kristine J. Murray Aug 2021

Residential Adjunct Faculty Members' Experiences Forming And Maintaining Caring Instructor-Student Relationships: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Kristine J. Murray

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experience of fostering caring instructor-student relationships for residential adjunct faculty members at accredited degree-granting institutions in the South. The theories guiding this study were Noddings’ (1984) ethic of care, which provided a framework for the formation and maintenance of relationships, and Astin’s (1999b) student involvement theory, which placed an emphasis on both quantity and quality of interactions. The central research question guiding this study was: How do residential adjunct faculty members describe their experiences forming and maintaining caring instructor-student relationships in an effort to increase student engagement? There were …


Effects Of Virtual Math Mentorships On Elementary Student Math Scores, Tammy T. May Jul 2021

Effects Of Virtual Math Mentorships On Elementary Student Math Scores, Tammy T. May

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to examine the relationship between college students’ virtual math mentorships and instruction on third grade students’ math academic success. College students in teacher preparation programs investigated deficiencies in third grade students’ competency of math concepts as specified by state standards, and they designed lessons to address these challenges through weekly virtual meetings. Third grade teachers wanted to provide additional math supports for their struggling students, and this partnership between the college students and the third graders was the foundation of this study at four Title 1 rural elementary schools. This research is …


A Qualitative Study On The Underrepresentation And Minimal Advancement Of African Americans In Higher Education, Sylvester Allen Jr. Jul 2021

A Qualitative Study On The Underrepresentation And Minimal Advancement Of African Americans In Higher Education, Sylvester Allen Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative case study explored the underrepresentation and disproportionate advancement of African American leaders in higher education. The general problem addressed is the minimal advancement, and the disproportionate representation of African Americans compared to their White counterparts in leadership positions at higher education institutions, resulting in a lack of diversity among individuals in a leadership capacity. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to add to existing bodies of research that address the underrepresentation and low advancement of African Americans in leadership positions in higher education. The research questions explored why African Americans leaders are disproportionately represented in leadership …


Washington Street Baptist Church: Training Leaders For Community Outreach, Latasha Fabrae Culkin Jul 2021

Washington Street Baptist Church: Training Leaders For Community Outreach, Latasha Fabrae Culkin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This DMIN action research thesis aims to create and implement additional leadership training for those who have completed prior leadership training, explicitly addressing community outreach, the purpose of the church, the outside culture, and the disciplines of a church leader. When Christian leaders go outside the church, connect with the culture, model an authentic Christian life, and use their gifts, the church is influential. When the Christian leader works in the secular arena with people who are not saved, and when the Christian leaders take their skills and training outside the four walls, they change that working community for Christ. …


Analyzing The Relationship Between Breastfeeding And Postpartum Depression: An Integrative Review, Sarah K. Johnson Jul 2021

Analyzing The Relationship Between Breastfeeding And Postpartum Depression: An Integrative Review, Sarah K. Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Treating maternal mental health and identifying contributing factors are priorities in health care. Postpartum depression is a very prevalent and burdensome illness in the United States that negatively affects the health and well-being of postpartum mothers as well as their infants. While breastfeeding is known to be advantageous to both maternal and infant health, it may be implicated in the development of postpartum depression in some scenarios. The purpose of this integrative review is to examine the relationship between breastfeeding and postpartum depression to promote the best health outcomes for both the mother and the child with goals of determining …


The Lived Educational Experiences In Juvenile Facilities: Perspectives Of Former Juvenile Offenders, Deneil D. Christian Jul 2021

The Lived Educational Experiences In Juvenile Facilities: Perspectives Of Former Juvenile Offenders, Deneil D. Christian

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of earning a high school diploma or equivalent in a juvenile correctional facility in Pennsylvania. Bandura’s social cognitive theory (SCT) and self-efficacy theory provided the theoretical framework for the study. The two research questions were: 1) How do former youth offenders describe their lived experiences of obtaining a high school diploma or equivalent in a juvenile correctional facility in Pennsylvania? 2) How do former youth offenders describe their self-efficacy in completing their high school diploma or equivalent while they were in a juvenile correctional facility in Pennsylvania? This qualitative study …