Digital Commons Network^™

Implementation Of The Clinician’S Guide To Spiritual Recovery From Fetal Loss, Donald K. Eckhardt Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Obstetricians and midwives care for a surprising number of patients experiencing perinatal loss each year, yet they lack formal training in grief support. Lack of training heightens their stress, anxiety, and burnout, especially when chaplain support is unavailable. Miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal death profoundly affect families, and healthcare providers share in their pain as they deliver the deceased baby and offer comfort, counseling, and hope. This project’s creator hypothesized that enhancing providers’ knowledge of grief support and biblical Scripture as well as highlighting how God’s grace and love can ease guilt, grief, anxiety, and depression would reduce provider burnout while …

Leadership Team Responses To Sudden Newcomer Enrollment: A Multi-Site Case Study, Nicole D. Burrell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative multi-site case study was to explore how leadership team members in public schools supported educators during a sudden mid-year influx of newcomer students. The theory guiding this study was transformational leadership theory, which provided a framework for how leaders influence, motivate, and support those they lead, particularly during times of challenge and organizational change. The central research question guiding this study was: How did leadership team members support educators during a sudden mid-year influx of newcomer students across multiple public school sites? Ten participants were recruited through the researcher’s professional networks and snowball sampling and …

The Protective Factors Of Alcohol Use And Problem Drinking By Emerging Adults During The 2020s And The Era Of Covid-19, Aubrey A. Coplon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research investigated the protective factors that shape alcohol use and problem drinking among emerging adults during the 2020s, with a spotlight on the COVID-19 pandemic. As this age group grapples with the complexities of self-discovery and independence, the pandemic introduced a new set of challenges and shifts. Through qualitative interviews, this study worked to uncover the resilience strategies and support systems that have emerged as crucial in mitigating alcohol misuse. It examined the role of social connections, mental health resources, coping mechanisms, and evolving social norms in buffering against problem drinking. While the pandemic intensified some risks, it also …

Understanding The Perceptions Of Racial Socialization As A Protective Factor Influencing Resiliency Adaptation Among Black Males Who Matriculated To College In Northeastern Florida When They Were Aged 18 – 24 And Who Had A History Of Criminogenic Risk Factors Or Criminal Justice System Contact, C. Darnell Stroble

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study aimed to explore the perceptions of racial socialization (“RS”) as a protective factor that leads to resiliency adaptations among Black males who matriculated to college in Northeastern Florida when they were aged 18 – 24 and who had a history of criminogenic risk factors or criminal justice system contact. Grounded in Unnever and Gabbidon’s (2011) Theory of African American Offending (“TAAO”), the study used a qualitative phenomenological case study research design to explore participants’ understanding of RS messages from their parents and their resiliency adaptations in response to those messages. Two research questions guided the study: (1) How …

A Virtual Coach Model For Christian Leaders: Addressing Burnout And Other Mental Health Challenges, Hillary Arlene Hinds

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The demands placed on pastoral leaders have increased immensely, and according to Eser (2025), this has caused emotional exhaustion, declining mental health, and feelings of isolation that threaten their well-being and ministry. Data on pastoral leadership burnout and the extent to which a coaching approach is used to assist them in addressing mental health challenges in Canada are limited. This research reported on the use of Whitmore’s (1980) GROW model contextualized within a biblical worldview to mitigate burnout with a group of pastoral leaders (N = 5) in Saskatchewan, Canada. Findings from this research, though from a small population, were …

Doctor Of Ministry Final Portfolio: Developing A Dynamic Educational Curriculum For Truthwins.Com Supporting Its Global Prospective On Individual's Spiritual Formation, Randall Thomas Keith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This portfolio presents the development of a dynamic educational curriculum for Truthwins.com designed to support its global mission of fostering individual spiritual formation across cultural, social and theological boundaries. The project integrates biblical principles, intercultural competency and contemporary educational practices to cultivate rounded spiritual growth among learners worldwide. Drawing on theological reflection, qualitative research and practical ministry applications, the study outlines a framework that embraces inclusivity, promotes critical engagement with spiritual formation, and equips participants to embody authentic discipleship in a dynamic context. The resulting curriculum aims to inspire transformative learning experiences that unify spiritual development with Truthwins.com commitment to …

Effective Strategies To Improve Telemedicine Services For Veterans In Baltimore, Maryland: A Qualitative Single-Case Study, Dolapo Uthman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative single-case study investigated the inefficiency and limited accessibility of telemedicine services within a selected healthcare organization located in Baltimore, Maryland. The purpose of this study was to investigate how telemedicine services can be improved to enhance healthcare outcomes for patients and their overall quality of life. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 16 participants, supported by fieldnotes, and publicly available documents, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Methodological triangulation was used to validate the findings to ensure credibility and consistency. The research indicated that telemedicine enhances access to healthcare and supports continuity of care, especially for …

The Lived Experiences Of School Counselors In Counselor Education And Supervision Doctoral Programs: A Phenomenological Study Of Self-Efficacy And Professional Identity, Bryana Lynn Caviness

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceived impact of doctoral studies on self-efficacy for school counselors who have earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) from CACREP-accredited programs. The theory guiding this study is Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory as it emphasizes the role of beliefs in one’s capabilities to manage prospective situations. This study sought to understand the lived experiences of these professionals and how their doctoral education influenced their confidence in performing the multifaceted roles of school counseling. By capturing these lived experiences, the study aimed to identify both the strengths …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Faith-Based Advocacy Experiences Of Leaders Of Christian Academic Libraries, Melanie Lewis Croft

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the faith-based advocacy experiences for library leaders at Christian institutions of higher education. The theory guiding this study is spiritual leadership theory, which demonstrates how library leaders connect library resources and services to the advancement of the mission and goals of a Christian institution of higher education. The central research question asked, What are the lived experiences of library leaders in Christian institutions of higher education who have engaged in faith-based advocacy? Participants in this study were those who served as the primary administrator of an academic library within a …

Recently Graduated Students From The Freely Associated States And Their Underrepresentation In Advanced Courses In Guam's High Schools: A Case Study, Tricia Mae C Togawa

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative case study was to understand the cultural, psychological, and institutional factors that influenced recent graduates from the Freely Associated States (FAS) in their access and participation in advanced courses located in Guam’s high schools. The theory guiding this study was Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory because it explained how learning and cognitive development happen by social interactions and cultural mediation. The framework provides a lens to examine how cultural practices, values, and social context influence students’ academic experience. The Central Research Question was: How do the cultural, psychological, and institutional factors contribute to the underrepresentation of …

Valuing Music Education: A Comparative Study Of Elementary Programs In Canada And The United States, Johanna Katelyn Hatt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Music education is widely recognized as an important component of a well-rounded education and is frequently associated with numerous educational, social, and developmental benefits. Despite this perceived value, support for music education remains inconsistent across elementary school contexts. Differences in funding, instructional time, and administrative priorities raise questions about how the value of music education is understood and enacted within schools. The purpose of this qualitative comparative study was to examine how music education is valued within elementary schools in Canada and the United States. Guided by Comparative Education Theory, interviews were conducted with elementary music educators to better understand …

Stuck In A Paradox: Loving An Unseen God While Hating The Neighbor That Is Visible: A Quantitative Correlational Study, Felisha A. Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Racism within the Christian church is a persistent concern that may influence interpersonal relationships and spiritual development. Although research has examined this broadly, there has been limited research on the relationship between perceived racism and spiritual maturity in a Christian church setting. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between racism and spiritual growth amongst Christians, assess the perceived prevalence of racism in the church, and explore perceptions of responsibility for addressing racism in the church. It was hypothesized that a negative relationship would be found between racism and spiritual maturity. Data was collected from …

Trinity And Moderate Communitarianism: The Shape Of Social Engagement Within The Godhead, Harry Allotey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation explores the doctrine of the Trinity through the lens of Social Trinitarianism in dialogue with African communitarian anthropology, particularly the Ghanaian construct of moderate communitarianism as articulated by Kwame Gyekye. The central thesis is that the concept of moderate communitarianism in African cosmology provides an appropriate conceptual framework for understanding the intra-Trinitarian relationship, one that complements Western insights and avoids some concerns associated with modalism and tritheism. By engaging African categories of personhood, community, and relational ontology, the study demonstrates that the life of the Triune God resonates deeply with African communitarian insights, while also offering theological correction …

Exploring The Relationship Between Divine Grace And Guilt/Shame Among Christians With Same-Sex Attraction, Christopher Tyler Carroll

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the experiences of guilt, shame, and divine grace as they relate to Christians with same-sex attraction (SSA). Although divine grace, defined as unmerited favor and love given by God, has been linked to favorable psychological outcomes in general samples, it is unclear whether experiencing divine grace protects Christians with same-sex attraction from guilt and shame. The Perceptions and Experiences of Grace Scale (PEGS), Factor 1 and The Guilt and Shame Experience Scale (GSES) were used to assess whether an association exists between these variables. Findings from multiple regression models indicated that experiencing divine grace does not significantly …

A Strategy For Identifying, Equipping, And Empowering High-Capacity Church Leaders Within The Zero Collective Network, Blake Hicks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This Doctor of Ministry action research project addressed the shortage of high-capacity lay leaders within The Zero Collective (TZC), a multi-church network in West Michigan, which has limited the sustainability and expansion of ministry initiatives. The purpose of this project was to develop a practical, biblically grounded strategy for identifying, equipping, and empowering high-capacity leaders to strengthen the network’s leadership pipeline and support its mission.

Using an action research methodology, this study engaged a select group of lay leaders identified as having high leadership potential. Data were collected through a triangulated approach, including pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, …

A Strategic Guide To Understanding How Leadership Motivation Creates A Productive Work Environment In The Service Sector, Sakina Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative case study explored the challenges leaders face in motivating employees in the service sector that threaten a productive work environment in the educational sector. The problem to be addressed is the challenges leaders face in motivating employees within the service sector that threaten a productive work environment. The purpose of this study is to explore how leadership strategies influence employee motivation and productivity, particularly within the education industry, where leaders often contend with stressors such as workplace change, low morale, and burnout. Guided by a constructive constructivist paradigm, the research employed a qualitative multiple-case study design, using semi-structured …

The Phenomenology Of Residential Youth In Child Welfare Settings And The Social Workers Who Work With Them., April Leigh Rorabaugh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study examines the experiences and challenges faced by social workers in child placement for adolescents aged 12-18 within North Carolina’s child welfare system, an issue that warrants immediate attention. Hardworking and determined social workers are on the ground fighting in an already overtaxed system that is resulting in options that are frighteningly few for the care our youth so desperately need. Many of the most vulnerable children in the welfare system are being placed in other states for residential treatment. This is not only traumatic but also robs youth of everything they are familiar with at such a …

Secondary Traumatic Stress: Lived Experiences Of Urban Educators, Stephanie R. Booker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand and interpret the lived experiences of urban educators who experienced secondary traumatic stress resulting from exposure to the traumatic events of their students. Teachers in urban school settings serve students with high exposure to poverty, violence, and trauma, and these shared experiences often result in the urban educator experiencing secondary traumatic stress (STS). The theory guiding this study was Hans Selye's Stress Theory. Data were collected through interviews with ten secondary urban educators from five states and eight cities with varying years of experience, grade levels, and racial and ethnic backgrounds. …

A Qualitative Case Study: Learning, Teaching, And Using Social-Emotional Skills In A Post-Covid Era, Camille Louise Andrews

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this collective case study was to discover the influence that COVID-19 has had on teaching and learning social-emotional skills in grades K through 2 in a local public school in a central metropolitan area in the northeastern United States. During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools worldwide were forced to shut down, providing online instruction using tablets and other media devices. Students and teachers suddenly became limited in how they socialized with each other. COVID-19 changed how teachers use social-emotional learning (SEL) in the classroom. The study included 10 participants. This study’s purpose was to answer the central research …

Well-Being And The New Economics Of Labor Migration Theory: A Study Of Elderly Left-Behind Parents In Guatemala, Dawn Marie Lawson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study tested whether multidimensional self-assessed well-being constitutes a suitable dimension for extending the New Economics of Labor Migration (NELM) framework. Specifically, the study examined the association between perceived migration-related material outcomes, namely consumption of market goods, savings, property holding, and business ownership or expansion, and self-assessed well-being among left-behind elderly parents in Guatemala. Well-being was operationalized using the Well-Being of Older People instrument (WOOP), a measure that the study established as culturally relevant to the sample. Given the ordinal levels of measurement used to capture the variables, the study used nonparametric statistical methods, viz., Kendall’s tau-b, Spearman’s rho, …

Switching Sides: A Grounded Theory Study Of Transition From Christian To Atheist, Joel C. Furches

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study developed a data driven, six stage model of deconversion, defined as the transition from publicly identifying as a Christian to publicly identifying as an atheist. Using a Grounded Theory approach for analysis, and an archival approach for data collection, the research analyzed 35 autobiographical accounts of deconversion to identify common psychological, social, and behavioral processes underlying religious-deidentification and atheist identification. The findings revealed six background features characteristic of religious environments with higher likelihood of producing deconverts, four categories of objections that precipitate dissonance, and six coping strategies individuals employ in response to that dissonance. Central to the model …

Collisions Of Law: Judge William Howard Taft At The Intersection Of Labor, Capital, And Government, 1887-1900, Michael Richard Crill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

William Howard Taft’s early judicial career has been dismissed by historians and biographers for nearly a century as merely an unimportant preliminary phase before his later political and Supreme Court career. This dissertation challenges that interpretation through a detailed examination of forty-six labor and antitrust-related opinions written by Taft while serving on the Superior Court of Cincinnati and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. During his eleven years on these courts, Taft wrote a disproportionate share of labor and antitrust-related opinions and engaged deeply with legal problems arising from the socioeconomic upheavals of the Second Industrial …

A Phenomenology Exploring The Perceived Influence Of Students’ Disability Disclosure On Faculty's Practices, Shannon M. Bernick

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the influence of student disability disclosure on policy practices developed by higher education administrators for faculty at higher education institutions in the United States. The theory guiding this study was Bandura’s social cognitive theory. The central research question was: What are the lived experiences of faculty integrating policy practices developed by higher education administrators with students who have chosen disability disclosure at higher education institutions in the United States? Participants in the study included 10 faculty members from diverse educational, professional, and personal backgrounds. The criteria for participant inclusion in …

Empowering Elementary Music Students To Compose And Perform With Ipad, Matthew Martin Massengale

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

iPad is a popular device commonly used an educational tool, yet little information is available about how iPad can be used to supplement gaps in music education in elementary classes. It is widely accepted that music education increases student achievement across multiple curriculums: therefore, any techniques and tools available to deliver music lessons that may close gaps in access to quality music education are important to study and understand. Through qualitative research techniques, this study will examine and analyze the efficacy of using iPad in music lessons. Students will access music history and theory through apps installed on iPad. Students …

Earning The Green Light: How Organized Baseball Survived During World War Ii, Amanda Lauren Curto

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines how professional baseball survived and contributed to the United States war efforts during the Second World War. It argues baseball’s survival was dependent on its relationship with the federal government during the war. Previous scholarships studied baseball’s symbolism, cultural, economic, and social impacts during wartime. The scholarship has not explored how these methodologies sustained baseball while under wartime conditions. Drawing on primary sources including federal government records, correspondences, and national and local newspapers, this dissertation reconstructs the relationship between professional baseball and the federal government. Providing crucial support for Organized Baseball’s continuation came from President Franklin D. …

Lament Shift: Utilizing Biblical Lament As A Reframing Process To Help Church Members Of First Baptist Church Of Lumberton, Mississippi, Cope With Emotional Distress, Paul Wiseheart

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this DMIN action research project was to address the problem that church members at First Baptist Church of Lumberton, Mississippi (FBCL) were unprepared to use biblical lament as a meaning-making coping practice to manage emotional distress. The thesis statement was that if FBCL church members participated in Lament Shift, they would report greater preparedness to manage emotional distress. Lament Shift is a curriculum-based program designed to equip FBCL church members to use biblical lament as a meaning-making coping practice in the context of a four-week peer support group. The study used a pre-experimental mixed methods design and …

Examining Perceptions Of Instructional Design And Technology In The Usaf Corrosion Prevention And Control Program: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Jarquees Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of ID&T in corrosion education and training within the corrosion prevention and control program for personnel in the United States Air Force (USAF). The theory guiding this study was social cognitive theory, as defined by Bandura, which provided a structural framework for assessing personnel perceptions of the effectiveness of CPC education and training. The central research question is: How do USAF personnel perceive the efficacy of instructional design and technology within the USAF corrosion prevention and control education and training program? This study employed a qualitative phenomenological …

Banks' Conservative Lending Since Covid-19: The Effect On Trading Rates, Daniella Puig

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation investigated how bank’s conservative lending during the COVID-19 global pandemic affected trading rates, examined through a constructivist lens and established with a flexible, mixed-methods design. Rather than addressing bank behavior and market pricing in a mechanical way, this study contextualizes mortgage lending conservatism as a response to uncertainty derived from a socially constructed interpretation of risk, the financial narrative at the time, and regulatory policy. Using qualitative interviews with mortgage lenders, combined with a quantitative analysis of survey data, this research explores mortgage lending decision- making during the crisis. The flexible design enables the use of both qualitative …

Arete In Education: A Phenomenology On Virtue Cultivation In Classical Christian Schools, Jeffrey D. Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of educational leaders in classical Christian schools with the cultivation of virtue as the primary purpose of education. The concept guiding this study is Aristotelian virtue ethics, from which spring virtue theory and positive organizational scholarship. The Aristotelian worldview drives the assertion among classical Christian educators that education is defined as the cultivation of virtue. The central research question for this study is “What are the lived experiences of classical Christian educational leaders in cultivating virtue in their students?” The study of classical Christian educational leaders’ views about …

Besieged Emotions: Female Writers, Vicksburg, And The Domestic Sphere During The Civil War, Theresa Schaecher

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, is most often interpreted in terms of military strategy, leadership, and battlefield outcomes. While these perspectives provide important insights into the campaign, they have often placed less emphasis on the experiences of civilians who endured the forty-seven-day siege within the city. This dissertation examines the civilian experience through women's writings, arguing that their diaries and memoirs serve as analytical accounts of survival, emotional endurance, and social transformation under siege. Drawing on the writings of Mary Loughborough and other female civilians, this study employs content and narrative analyses to identify patterns of fear, grief, hope, and …