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Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

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Academic Performance, Retention Rates, And Persistence Rates Of First-Year, First-Generation, Latino College Students, Jaime Duran Aug 2016

Academic Performance, Retention Rates, And Persistence Rates Of First-Year, First-Generation, Latino College Students, Jaime Duran

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this causal-comparative quantitative study was to examine the relationships between the efficacy of a Summer Bridge Academy (SBA) and the impact on students by measuring the Grade Point Averages (GPAs), retention rates, and persistence rates of first-generation, first-year, Latino college students who participated in a SBA at Central Valley Community College against like students who did not participate in same program. The independent variable was participation in a 6 week long SBA, which took place during the summer of 2011. The dependent variables were GPAs, retention rates, and persistence rates, and the control and intervening variables, students …


Traditional Vs. Project-Based Learning: The Effects On Student Performance And Motivation In Honors Level Mathematics Courses, Sunletha Carter Aug 2016

Traditional Vs. Project-Based Learning: The Effects On Student Performance And Motivation In Honors Level Mathematics Courses, Sunletha Carter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Since the charge by the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) to move away from the traditional learning (TL) method of instruction to more learner-controlled techniques, project-based learning (PBL) has been on the rise. This quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design study compared the academic achievement of 122 eleventh and twelfth grade students who were instructed using PBL techniques, with a control group of their counterparts who were instructed using TL techniques, in honors level mathematics courses. Pretest and Posttest data collected from both groups of students were statistically analyzed using independent t-tests, and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), respectively, since …


Nursing Students’ Perceptions Of How Working As Nursing Assistants Impacts Their Education, Jerry Harvey Aug 2016

Nursing Students’ Perceptions Of How Working As Nursing Assistants Impacts Their Education, Jerry Harvey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to develop an understanding of how working as a nursing assistant impacts the ability of nursing students to meet the high demands of school during their junior year of a Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing (BSN) pre-licensure program. Benner’s Novice to Expert Theory, Situated Learning Theory, and the Johari Window Communication Model each suggested that immersing oneself in the culture of nursing would have positive outcomes for the student working as a nursing assistant. A qualitative phenomenological design was used to explore the following research questions: (a) What are the unique experiences of …


Post-Secondary Academic Self-Limitation Of Rural High School Students In Northeast Georgia, Jeffrey Lambert Aug 2016

Post-Secondary Academic Self-Limitation Of Rural High School Students In Northeast Georgia, Jeffrey Lambert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the phenomenon of academic post-secondary self-limitation of rural high school students in northeast Georgia. The theory guiding this study was based upon self-determination theory, as described by Deci and Ryan (2008). Most high school students must make a decision as to whether or not they continue their education into the post-secondary years. This transcendental phenomenological study examined post-secondary academic self-limitation of high school students in rural, northeast Georgia. This type of phenomenology suggests that the whole of human experience is descriptive and leads to absolute knowledge (Moustakas, 1994). This approach was …


The Relationship Of Organizational Identity And Alumni Participation Interest Among Online, Non-Traditional, Undergraduate Students At A Southeastern Private Religious University, Mary Hendrick Aug 2016

The Relationship Of Organizational Identity And Alumni Participation Interest Among Online, Non-Traditional, Undergraduate Students At A Southeastern Private Religious University, Mary Hendrick

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Colleges and universities depend heavily on alumni participation in the areas of financial contributions, positive advertising, and student recruitment. As higher education institutions increase the number of fully online programs, it is important to ensure that students feel a sense of connectedness to the university. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a correlation between non-traditional, online, undergraduate students’ sense of connectedness to their college and their subsequent interest in alumni participation after graduation. This research provides information that would fill a gap in the literature on the correlation between perceptions of identity when related to …


The Relationship Between Online Classroom Incivility And Sense Of Community Of Online Undergraduate Students, John Spohn Aug 2016

The Relationship Between Online Classroom Incivility And Sense Of Community Of Online Undergraduate Students, John Spohn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Incivility is not just bullying and physically threatening students. Uncivil behaviors include more mild forms of classroom disruption, including plagiarizing, posting terse responses, and continually asking for extensions for assignments. A student’s motivation for learning can be hampered, when subjected to incivility causing classroom disruptions. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between student incivility in the online learning environment, as scored by the Incivility in Online Learning Environments instrument, and the student’s sense of community, as measured by the Community Classroom scale. This quantitative study seeks to extend Tuckman’s model (1965) of the Theory of Group …


Academic Vocabulary Instruction And Adult English Language Learners In The Arabian Gulf: A Phenomenological Study Of Instructor Perspectives, Indrani Ibrahim Aug 2016

Academic Vocabulary Instruction And Adult English Language Learners In The Arabian Gulf: A Phenomenological Study Of Instructor Perspectives, Indrani Ibrahim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe 11 ESL instructors’ experiences and perceptions of why some adult learners in their college level ESL programs in the Gulf States of the Middle East have challenges to academic reading comprehension success. The theories that guided this study were epistemological and axiological ones whereby participants’ descriptions of perceptions regarding academic vocabulary instruction, instructional self-efficacy, and experiences were explored. Adult learning theory of Malcolm Knowles’ coupled with the social cognitive theory espoused by Albert Bandura are the frameworks that underscore the adult learner context and their social learning and instructional environments within …


A Study Of Relationships Between Teacher Leadership, Student Trust, And Student Commitment To Ethical Goodness, Timothy Prickett Aug 2016

A Study Of Relationships Between Teacher Leadership, Student Trust, And Student Commitment To Ethical Goodness, Timothy Prickett

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between student perception of teacher leadership and the student commitment to ethical goodness. A second model was developed adding student trust to the student perception of teacher leadership and determining their influence on student commitment to ethical goodness. The importance of this study is in forming an understanding of how teacher leadership and student trust in teacher affects character education approaches. The theoretical framework for understanding teacher leadership and conducting this study was derived from a general understanding of transformational leadership. The context of this study was a Christian secondary …


A Correlational Study Of Teacher Demographics And Racial Color-Blindness, Dudley Freeman Aug 2016

A Correlational Study Of Teacher Demographics And Racial Color-Blindness, Dudley Freeman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Two primary camps of thought guide K-12 education: Color-blind ideology and Multiculturalism (Rattan & Ambady, 2013). Color-blindness implies color does not matter (Neville, Lilly, Duran, Lee, & Browne, 2000). Shifting student demographics in K-12 education and unchanging demographics of a predominately White, female teaching force create a need for better understanding the dynamics affecting teachers and their interaction with the students they teach. This correlational study utilized multiple regression analyses to answer the following research question: How accurately can racial color-blindness be predicted from the linear combination of age, years-of-experience, and political philosophy for K-12 teachers located in an urbanized …


Teaching Students Struggling With Trauma: A Qualitative Investigation Of Impact Upon Curricular Goals, Michael Emmart Jul 2016

Teaching Students Struggling With Trauma: A Qualitative Investigation Of Impact Upon Curricular Goals, Michael Emmart

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to understand the impact of childhood trauma upon curricular goals for elementary school teachers in the northeastern United States. A qualitative effort was employed in an effort to examine the lived experiences of teachers working with students affected by trauma. Data were collected from interviews with six female elementary school teachers (mean experience: 18.3 years) working within what might be characterized as a small urban district, with the interview transcripts analyzed according to processes provided by Moustakas (1994). All of those interviewed were able to identify numerous students within their classrooms (past …


The Effect Of Gamification On Elementary Students’ Spanish Language Achievement And Academic Self-Efficacy, Jason Rachels Jul 2016

The Effect Of Gamification On Elementary Students’ Spanish Language Achievement And Academic Self-Efficacy, Jason Rachels

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest, non-equivalent control group design was used to examine the effect of gamification on third and fourth grade students’ Spanish language achievement and student academic self-efficacy. In this study, the primary means of incorporating gamification into the experimental group’s Spanish language instruction was through the use of Duolingo®, a computer and mobile app that uses gamification and adaptive learning technology to teach foreign languages. Students in the control group received their regularly scheduled English L1/Spanish L2 class learning activities. The study was 12 weeks in duration. Students were assessed with a 50 question, multiple-choice English to Spanish and …


The Effect Of Gamification On Elementary Students’ Spanish Language Achievement And Academic Self-Efficacy, Jason Rachels Jul 2016

The Effect Of Gamification On Elementary Students’ Spanish Language Achievement And Academic Self-Efficacy, Jason Rachels

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest, non-equivalent control group design was used to examine the effect of gamification on third and fourth grade students’ Spanish language achievement and student academic self-efficacy. In this study, the primary means of incorporating gamification into the experimental group’s Spanish language instruction was through the use of Duolingo®, a computer and mobile app that uses gamification and adaptive learning technology to teach foreign languages. Students in the control group received their regularly scheduled English L1/Spanish L2 class learning activities. The study was 12 weeks in duration. Students were assessed with a 50 question, multiple-choice English to Spanish and …


Adjunct Faculty Perceptions On Professional Development Offered And Needed By Institution Type And Career Cluster, Mark Parrish Jul 2016

Adjunct Faculty Perceptions On Professional Development Offered And Needed By Institution Type And Career Cluster, Mark Parrish

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the perceptions of adjunct faculty in higher education to gather their opinion on professional development that was offered and the professional development they feel is needed and whether institution type or career cluster was significant in determining their perception. This causal-comparative, quantitative research study utilized an online survey and included 220 adjuncts from within the United States. The study utilized one-way ANOVA to determine if there were statistically significant differences in means between the institution types and career clusters of adjunct faculty related to professional development offered and needed. It was found that there were statistically significant …


Outside Looking In: A Phenomenological Study Of Non-Residential African American Fathers’ Perceptions Of Their Roles In The Academic Process Of Their Male Children, Chaundra Creekmu Jul 2016

Outside Looking In: A Phenomenological Study Of Non-Residential African American Fathers’ Perceptions Of Their Roles In The Academic Process Of Their Male Children, Chaundra Creekmu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental, phenomenological study was to understand the perceptions of non-residential African American fathers’ roles in the academic process of their male children in in a suburban city in the Eastern region of Georgia. The following questions guided the study: (a) What roles do non-residential African American fathers play in the academic process of their male children? (b) What factors shape non-residential African American fathers’ perceptions of their roles in the academic process of their male children? (c) What do non-residential African American fathers perceive as the value of their involvement in the academic process of their …


Examining The Decisional Ethic Of Textbook Adoption In Christian Schools: A Collective Case Study, Cecil Phillips Jun 2016

Examining The Decisional Ethic Of Textbook Adoption In Christian Schools: A Collective Case Study, Cecil Phillips

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this collective case study is to examine the decisional ethic Christian school administrators employ when evaluating textbooks for adoption in Christian schools. The study affirms the truism that Christian schools ought to be decidedly Christian and focuses upon textbook adoption practices in Christian schools. A multisite, qualitative research design is employed to examine current practice of textbook adoption among a purposive sample of secondary schools within the Southeast region of the Association of Christian Schools International. The research questions address such administrative leadership factors as organizational values and learning objectives, textbook content criteria and features, and the …


A Case Study On The Impact Of Reading Strategies On The Comprehension Of Informational Text For Adolescent Readers, Mary Rock Jun 2016

A Case Study On The Impact Of Reading Strategies On The Comprehension Of Informational Text For Adolescent Readers, Mary Rock

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand how students use reading strategies to help them comprehend informational text. Eighteen adolescent, developing readers who participated in a Reading Edge intervention at a suburban junior high school in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania answered interview questions, and 14 students met the criteria to participate in the entire study. Seven adolescents in Grade 9 who did not score proficient on their state tests and seven who scored proficient on the most recent state tests participated in the study. Three research questions developed from the literature guided the study and helped the …


Establishing The M7 Dream Builder Pastoral Care Ministry: A Christ-Centered Spiritual Oasis For Women-By-Women With Dreams Deferred, Sylvia Medley Jun 2016

Establishing The M7 Dream Builder Pastoral Care Ministry: A Christ-Centered Spiritual Oasis For Women-By-Women With Dreams Deferred, Sylvia Medley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

One of the long standing problems of Christ-Centered pastoral care in the local church is the need for a practical innovative pastoral care ministry for women whose dreams have been deferred that not only provides healing, hope, and encouragement, but also incorporates the discipling culture of the Great Commission. Based on Matthew 28:19-20, Proverbs 13:12, and supported by surveys, development of an M7 network will culminate in an annual women’s conference. The establishment of the women’s center will consist of a three-part program utilizing a methodology of pastoral care developed specifically for women-by-women. It will include: 1) radical Christ-Centered programs …


Student Perspectives Of The Integration Of Faith And Learning In An Online Counselor Education Program: A Program Evaluation, Kevin Van Wynsberg Jun 2016

Student Perspectives Of The Integration Of Faith And Learning In An Online Counselor Education Program: A Program Evaluation, Kevin Van Wynsberg

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The integration of faith and learning is a valued aspect of Christian education and holds particular importance in training professional counselors. Currently, literature related to integration learning has been limited to residential environments, and students’ expectations and most valued aspects of learning integration have received little attention even in this more traditional learning format. Additionally, online counselor education programs are growing, making the need for exploration in this area increasingly important. The following quantitative study explored student perceptions of integration learning in counselor education in an online environment. Building off of previous survey design collected in a resident environment, student …


A View Of Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jennifer Reynolds Jun 2016

A View Of Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jennifer Reynolds

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Parents of children with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) encounter many stressors beyond the typical parenting pressures that parents of children without disabilities face. Along with the additional challenges, parents of children with ASD face complex needs that differ from parents of children with other types of disabilities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to consider the needs of parents (N = 10) with children with ASD served in a public school system in North Georgia through the framework of Maslow’s (1943) Theory of Human Motivation. A transcendental phenomenological design was used to provide a voice to parents of children …


Predicting High School Gpa Using Hexaco Personality Domains And The Secondary School Admission Test, Jeffrey Durso-Finley Jun 2016

Predicting High School Gpa Using Hexaco Personality Domains And The Secondary School Admission Test, Jeffrey Durso-Finley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Predictive studies of non-cognitive personality traits and SAT on college GPA are well established, but far less is known about the association between personality traits and comparable secondary school admission tests on secondary school GPA. This study assessed the relationship between the personality domains in the HEXACO: Personality Inventory-Revised (HEXACO: PI-R) inventory and secondary school GPA, while controlling for performance on the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT). The results of the hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated no association between the HEXACO domains and GPA and a significant association between SSAT and GPA. The use of the personality domains in the HEXACO: …


The Relationship Between Parental Attachment, Religious Coping, And Self-Esteem In Korean-American Adolescents, Paul Roh Jun 2016

The Relationship Between Parental Attachment, Religious Coping, And Self-Esteem In Korean-American Adolescents, Paul Roh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the relationship between insecure parental attachment, religious coping, and self-esteem with Korean-American adolescents, investigating the mediation effect of self-esteem on the relationship between insecure attachment and negative religious coping. Two hundred sixty-one Korean-American adolescents aged 12 to 18 from Korean immigrant churches in seven states completed the survey questionnaire to assess their attachment relationship with their mother and father, religious coping strategies, and self-esteem. Correlation analysis revealed significant correlations among the variables, and multiple regression analyses were used to detect the unique variance of father attachment in negative religious coping and the mediation effect of self-esteem on …


A Transcendental Phenomenological Exploration Of The Shared Perceptions Of Online Adjunct Faculty In The United States Who Have A High Sense Of Community, Tiffany Ferencz Jun 2016

A Transcendental Phenomenological Exploration Of The Shared Perceptions Of Online Adjunct Faculty In The United States Who Have A High Sense Of Community, Tiffany Ferencz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of online adjunct faculty who have a high sense of community within their respective university. Sense of community was generally defined as feelings of connectedness within the university community. The theories that guided this study were McMillan and Chavis’ (1986) sense of community theory and Herzberg’s (1968) motivation-hygiene theory. McMillan and Chavis’ sense of community theory suggests a sense of community is a powerful force that influences people. Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory is used as it identifies guiding principles for why people are motivated to work. The central question …


Predicting High School Gpa Using Hexaco Personality Domains And The Secondary School Admission Test, Jeffrey Durso-Finley Jun 2016

Predicting High School Gpa Using Hexaco Personality Domains And The Secondary School Admission Test, Jeffrey Durso-Finley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Predictive studies of non-cognitive personality traits and SAT on college GPA are well established, but far less is known about the association between personality traits and comparable secondary school admission tests on secondary school GPA. This study assessed the relationship between the personality domains in the HEXACO: Personality Inventory-Revised (HEXACO: PI-R) inventory and secondary school GPA, while controlling for performance on the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT). The results of the hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated no association between the HEXACO domains and GPA and a significant association between SSAT and GPA. The use of the personality domains in the HEXACO: …


The Effect Of Gender On The Attitudes Of Undergraduates Toward Young-Earth Creationism After Enrollment In An Origins Course, Sean Vinaja May 2016

The Effect Of Gender On The Attitudes Of Undergraduates Toward Young-Earth Creationism After Enrollment In An Origins Course, Sean Vinaja

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many Christian students graduate from secondary schools and enter Christian colleges with worldviews that are unbiblical or contain unbiblical components, many of which stem from their beliefs regarding origins. Little research has been done to study the effect of gender on the role of a young-earth creationist (YEC) origins course in shaping students’ worldview. Research has shown that males and females respond differently to science and religion instruction; because the origins discussion is an intersection of science and religion, the study of gender’s effect in developing a Bible-based worldview is important so that Christian colleges might more effectively guide their …


Exploring The Relationship Between The Freshman Academy Environment And Academic Achievement And Resilience, Taneesha George May 2016

Exploring The Relationship Between The Freshman Academy Environment And Academic Achievement And Resilience, Taneesha George

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Student success or failure during the transition to high school is an accurate predictor of student success beyond the ninth grade. In an attempt to support students during this transition, many schools across the nation have implemented small learning communities called freshman academies to bridge the apparent gap in achievement between middle and high school. Research has linked freshman academies and ninth grade success in terms of test scores (Styron & Peasant, 2010). There is, however, little empirical research that examines the success of freshman academy students in terms of promoting resilience and other factors during this time of risk. …


Comparing The Effects Of Elementary Music And Visual Arts Lessons On Standardized Mathematics Test Scores, Molly King May 2016

Comparing The Effects Of Elementary Music And Visual Arts Lessons On Standardized Mathematics Test Scores, Molly King

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to compare the effect elementary music and visual arts lessons had on third through sixth grade standardized mathematics test scores. Inferential statistics were used to compare the differences between test scores of students who took in-school, elementary, music instruction during the same semester state standardized mathematics tests were administered and those who took in-school, elementary visual arts instruction during the same semester standardized mathematics tests were administered. The students attended seven elementary schools in the same North Alabama school district. The research questions were: (a) Does participation in elementary school music lessons …


Priming And The Activation Of The God Attachment System, Kevin Conner May 2016

Priming And The Activation Of The God Attachment System, Kevin Conner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Attachment theorists seek to understand the development of attachment bonds in childhood and how these bonds serve as the foundation of continued close-relationship development in adulthood. These attachment bonds are established early through the development of internal working models of attachment, yet they may continue to be susceptible to change when opposing attachment information is received. Due to the potential plasticity of attachment bonds, researchers have considered priming, the introduction of cues in order to interact with attachment working models, as a means to stimulate change toward more secure attachment representations, resulting in potential health benefits. In religious individuals, one …


Facilitating Literacy Acquisition In At-Risk Second-Grade Students Using A Rhythmic Intervention: A Case Study, Deborah Jones-Gensel May 2016

Facilitating Literacy Acquisition In At-Risk Second-Grade Students Using A Rhythmic Intervention: A Case Study, Deborah Jones-Gensel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this intrinsic, holistic case study was to describe and analyze the impact of a rhythmic intervention designed to support literacy skills in second-grade students at-risk of failure of state mandated reading assessment. The theories used to guide this study were Finkelstein (2001) and Hunt’s (1966) disability theory, and critical realism posited by Bhaskar and Danemark (2006). Critical realism, as applied to disability theory, reflects a unique combination of needs a person with disability faces: socio-economic, physical, biological, psycho-social and emotional, psychological, cultural, and normative. Research suggested musical instruction could be used to teach literacy skills as a …


Perceptions Of Southern Culture And Writing Program Effectiveness At A Community College: A Phenomenology, Mary Fetters May 2016

Perceptions Of Southern Culture And Writing Program Effectiveness At A Community College: A Phenomenology, Mary Fetters

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was to develop a deeper understanding of the perceptions of students, faculty, administration, and visiting Southern authors of the effectiveness of Chattanooga State Community College’s Writers@Work program for encouraging composition student writing and learning about Southern culture. Southern culture is defined as phenomena which shape the regional experience and resonate through the lives of individuals native to the US South. Participants in the study that was conducted in Chattanooga, Tennessee consisted of two current English administrators, four current English professors, eight composition students who participated in the Writers@Work program, and two visiting Southern …


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 …