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Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

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The Black Church And The Current Generation: A Program To Address The Decline Of African-American Church Attendance In Johnston County Of North Carolina, Robert Allen O'Neal Jr Apr 2019

The Black Church And The Current Generation: A Program To Address The Decline Of African-American Church Attendance In Johnston County Of North Carolina, Robert Allen O'Neal Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study concentrates on issues dealing with the decline of attendance in African American churches. Although long-standing statistics since the Civil Rights Era have always shown the African American Church keeping higher audience percentage than European American churches, the tide has changed, and now African American churches are uncharacteristically declining at a faster rate than usual. Unchurched young adults, particularly African American males, are disproportionately missing in the African American church. The fundamental purpose of this study is to focus specifically on evangelical denomination African American churches in Johnston County, North Carolina by employing quantitative and qualitative research. The survey …


Incorporating A Pedagogy Of Worship In The Community Group Ministry Of Grace Bible Church, Jeremy G. Sauskojus Apr 2019

Incorporating A Pedagogy Of Worship In The Community Group Ministry Of Grace Bible Church, Jeremy G. Sauskojus

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many local church fellowships have embraced small groups (life groups, community groups) as a means of connecting people with one another from within the larger church body. These small groups are a means of building community. Furthermore, many churches testify to the importance of pursuing worship as much more than music in the corporate worship gathering that takes place once a week. However, very little has been done to connect these two components together in the small group ministry environment. As will be presented, people have written concerning each one of these important elements of church body life. Yet, connecting …


Worship Ministry Leadership: Principles For Age-Related Transition And Succession, John Rollin Mohler Apr 2019

Worship Ministry Leadership: Principles For Age-Related Transition And Succession, John Rollin Mohler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The tenure of a long-serving worship pastor is affected by many variables, but few are as impactful, challenging, yet unexamined, as the pastor’s age. In this historical research study, the researcher assesses the best strategies of professional development necessary for aging worship pastors as they transition for lasting relevance and honorable succession. This study focused on the necessities of cultural engagement and people development as a means to maintain, among other things, platform credibility and leadership reproduction. Historic rationale and precedent was established through the examination of principles of age-related recalibration, transition, and succession from the researcher’s own experience, as …


A Correlational Study On Components Of Hybrid Course Delivery And Student Success In Introductory Statistics, Gail Moore Mcgowan Apr 2019

A Correlational Study On Components Of Hybrid Course Delivery And Student Success In Introductory Statistics, Gail Moore Mcgowan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Hybrid course delivery has become a popular course design in general education large enrollment courses. While the benefits of hybrid course design are detailed in many studies, little research has been conducted on the contribution specific components make toward student success. In this quantitative research study, a correlational design with a multiple regression technique was used to examine the relationship between average weekly quiz grade, number of weekly quiz attempts, weekly lab attendance, weekly time spent in class with the professor and student conceptual understanding in the introductory statistics course. This research study was conducted at a private university located …


A Phenomenological Study Of Novice Teachers' First-Year Experiences In Curriculum Development In International Schools, Rachel Morgan Pedigo Apr 2019

A Phenomenological Study Of Novice Teachers' First-Year Experiences In Curriculum Development In International Schools, Rachel Morgan Pedigo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe the experiences of teachers in Christian international schools during the process of developing curriculum for their classes during their first-year of teaching at the school. In light of the purpose of the study, the following research questions framed this investigation: How do first-year teachers describe their experiences developing curriculum during their first year of teaching at an international Christian school? What challenges do first-year teachers encounter when beginning to develop curriculum for their classes? What are first-year teachers’ expectations of support during curriculum development? How do first-year teachers describe their experiences …


The Effect Of Expressive Therapies On Refugee Children And Adolescents: Meta-Analytic Findings, Brian Kristopher Cambra Apr 2019

The Effect Of Expressive Therapies On Refugee Children And Adolescents: Meta-Analytic Findings, Brian Kristopher Cambra

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Millions of displaced families are seeking refuge in countries that are not their own due to war, violence, persecution, political unrest, and natural disasters. This global crisis is forcing researchers and practitioners to consider how refugees are coping with trauma associated with their migration process. Effective therapeutic approaches are needed in a global effort to address the traumatic impact of forced migration. This meta-analytical study investigates the effectiveness of expressive therapeutic modalities, including play, art, music, sandplay, theatre, and writing therapies, in helping children and adolescents cope with refugee trauma. A theoretical understanding of the neurobiological and human ecosystemic frameworks …


Block Adoption: Evaluating The Impacts Of Neighborhood Care On Church Attendance At House Of Joy, Victor King Apr 2019

Block Adoption: Evaluating The Impacts Of Neighborhood Care On Church Attendance At House Of Joy, Victor King

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

When a church plateaus, it is a major indication that the church is no longer adding new members. This is a dangerous stage for any church to be. If nothing is done to turn the situation around, the church will likely head down toward decline and death. This Thesis project addresses the problem of stagnation in church attendance. The Thesis project examines how block adoption can be used as an evangelism strategy to reach the people who live in the same community where a local church is located. The thesis project shows how block adoption can be planned and implemented. …


The Achievement Gap: Predicting The Effects Of Protective/Risk Factors On Student Grades, Kathleen Pechtold Apr 2019

The Achievement Gap: Predicting The Effects Of Protective/Risk Factors On Student Grades, Kathleen Pechtold

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The achievement gap has been extensively studied in urban and low-income schools. This study looked at the opposite end of the demographic spectrum to inform a wealthier, low-minority district of the predictive nature of risk and protective factors present in the lives of 10th-grade students as reported by the students. The purpose of this study was to see if student perceived effects of risk and protective factors in four environments have a predictive correlation to student grades. Using the socioecological framework the non-experimental, descriptive, correlational study used archival data to determine if risk and protective factors show a correlation for …


The Relationship Between Years Of Homeschool And Self-Esteem Of Freshmen College Students, Sheryl Welfel Apr 2019

The Relationship Between Years Of Homeschool And Self-Esteem Of Freshmen College Students, Sheryl Welfel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Since the number of homeschooled students choosing to attend college is increasing, there continues to be a need to identify potential self-esteem issues in homeschooled freshmen college students (Smith, 2013). This study investigated if years of homeschool had a relational effect on self-esteem in homeschooled college freshmen students attending a college campus. In this quantitative study, the sample population was comprised of freshmen college students between the ages of 18 and 22, have been homeschooled for at least one year, and were currently attending a college campus with under thirty hours of college credit. Participants received the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale …


Relations Between Placement Criteria And Students' Emporium-Based Developmental Math Final Grades, George Sherman Mar 2019

Relations Between Placement Criteria And Students' Emporium-Based Developmental Math Final Grades, George Sherman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With computer-based math emporiums serving many post-secondary students who are assigned developmental coursework, the need to evaluate the predictive value of math placement criteria for math emporium courses presented an opportunity for research. This quantitative, predictive, correlational study explored how accurately the predictor variables of students’ ACT/SAT math component scores, local math assessment results, and unweighted high school GPAs foretold the criterion variable of students’ final math grades in MATH 100, an entry-level, residential, developmental math course taught through a private university’s math emporium. The research relied on archival data pulled from the university’s system of records, and the samples …


Resolving Intergenerational Conflict Within The Rural Black Churches Of Central Virginia, Patrick Ward Bland Mar 2019

Resolving Intergenerational Conflict Within The Rural Black Churches Of Central Virginia, Patrick Ward Bland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to assist church leaders and their congregations in the rural black churches in Central Virginia to become more aware of the intergenerational conflict that has governed and, in some instances, legitimated the church. Qualitative and quantitative analysis and academic research revealed a majority of rural black churches in central Virginia are challenged with limited increase in membership because of the frequency of blatant disregard shown among the various generations. This thesis proposes a biblical model for Christian pastors and church leaders to provide resourceful methods of leading their congregations into more productive growth.


Dental Professionals' Preparedness To Manage The Behaviors Of Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder During Dental Treatment: A Phenomenological Study, Kelli A. Trenga Mar 2019

Dental Professionals' Preparedness To Manage The Behaviors Of Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder During Dental Treatment: A Phenomenological Study, Kelli A. Trenga

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental, phenomenological study was to explore the preparedness of dentists and dental hygienists to manage the behaviors of patients with ASD during their dental treatments. The research focused on 12 participants who were novice or experienced dentists or dental hygienists, representatives of three states, and chosen from snowball and criterion sampling. The study was grounded in the adult experiential learning theory and the disability model. Data collection included long interviews face-to-face or via phone, open-ended-online surveys, and document analysis. The data was analyzed through the process of Epoche, transcendental-phenomenological reduction, imaginative variation, synthesis of meanings, and …


A Phenomenological Study Of What Motivates Secondary Students To Enroll In Virtual Academies, Jan Michelle Huffman Mar 2019

A Phenomenological Study Of What Motivates Secondary Students To Enroll In Virtual Academies, Jan Michelle Huffman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to determine what motivates secondary students to enroll in virtual academies. Students at the Tennessee Virtual Academy (TeViA) were contacted via email to determine participation interest in this study. Students that chose to participate from TeViA were asked to complete a reflective journal and participate in a semi-structured interview at their residence. In vivo coding and initial coding were conducted on the reflective journals and semi-structured interviews. In vivo coding was also conducted on observation notes before theming of the data. The theory guiding this study was Ryan and Deci’s Self-Determination Theory …


Leadership Factors That Influence Church Growth For Western North Carolina Churches Of God, Harold Jordan Mar 2019

Leadership Factors That Influence Church Growth For Western North Carolina Churches Of God, Harold Jordan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to identify and describe the essential leadership factors required to stimulate and sustain church growth for Church of God churches operating in Western North Carolina. This will be accomplished using a grounded theory research approach. Sample (N = 30) analysis of statistics provided by the Western North Carolina State Offices of the Church of God showed 3% of the churches in this region to have recorded significant overall growth in attendance and membership (=>10% per year) from April 1, 2014 to April 30, 2016. Few of the sampled churches recorded benchmark conversion growth …


Mythology, Morality, And The Messiah: How Natural Moral Law And Hero Myth Entail That Jesus Christ Is The Best Possible Hero, Matthew J. Coombe Feb 2019

Mythology, Morality, And The Messiah: How Natural Moral Law And Hero Myth Entail That Jesus Christ Is The Best Possible Hero, Matthew J. Coombe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Essentially this dissertation is an abductive argument for Jesus Christ being the best possible hero. The abductive argument is concerned with the synthesis of several different disciplines: natural theology, general revelation, ethics, natural law (meta-ethics), literary criticism, Biblical criticism, and mythology. When synthesized the most reasonable conclusion for the data is that Jesus Christ is the best possible hero. All of the disciplines work together: Natural theology establishes the axiological basis for moral realism and moral knowledge. General revelation acts as a universal imprinter, which not only imbeds man with moral knowledge, but also with inherent notions of heroism—heroism and …


Husbands' Experience Of Being Trusted By Their Wives: A Heuristic Study, Paul Andrew Johns Dec 2018

Husbands' Experience Of Being Trusted By Their Wives: A Heuristic Study, Paul Andrew Johns

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Trust is widely understood to be a critical component of interpersonal relationships. In an effort to understand this complex construct, the majority of research on dyadic trust has focused on the decision to trust and the interactions between a trustor and trusty, with a strong bent toward understanding the trustor’s experience. Surprisingly little is known about the experience of the trusty, or the recipient of trust, which if not remedied may result in erroneous assumptions about the experience of the trusty or an obscuration of the relational dynamics surrounding trust as a whole. Using qualitative, heuristic methodology, the author sought …


Country Road, Take Me Home: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Public School Personnel In Two Rural Central Virginia School Divisions And Their Perception Of Homelessness And The Mckinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Cora Peterson Tolliver Dec 2018

Country Road, Take Me Home: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Public School Personnel In Two Rural Central Virginia School Divisions And Their Perception Of Homelessness And The Mckinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Cora Peterson Tolliver

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand how school personnel in two rural Virginia school districts perceive the phenomenon of homelessness and the McKinney-Vento Act for Homeless Education. Participants in this study were10 school employees from two school districts located in the rural Central Virginia counties of Framingham and Marlborough, and included teachers, reading specialists, school administrators, registrars, counselors, and homeless liaisons. The theoretical framework guiding this study was Burns’s (1978) theory of transformational leadership, which holds that, with the proper leadership, stakeholders, such as teachers, can be connected more to the project at hand and to …


A Quantitative Examination Of The Relationship Between Organizational Commitment, Work-Life Balance And Voluntary Turnover Intention Of Women Faculty In The Stem Disciplines Within The United States, Sherry Lynn Mathews Dec 2018

A Quantitative Examination Of The Relationship Between Organizational Commitment, Work-Life Balance And Voluntary Turnover Intention Of Women Faculty In The Stem Disciplines Within The United States, Sherry Lynn Mathews

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Higher education institutions in the United States experience high levels of faculty turnover (Klein & Takeda-Tinker, 2009). Colleges and universities have allowed the phenomenon of high turnover of faculty to become a cultural norm (Figueroa, 2015). Colleges and universities within the United States are specifically facing challenges retaining women faculty in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines (Burnett, Bilen-Green, McGeorge, & Anicha, 2012; Carrigan, O’Leary, Riskin, Yen, & O’Donnell, 2017; Hill, Corbett, & St. Rose, 2010). In this quantitative, correlational study, the relationship of organizational commitment, work-life balance and voluntary turnover intention of women faculty in STEM disciplines …


Student Perceptions Of The Online Customer Experience: A Phenomenological Investigation Of The Behavioral And Experiential Factors That Influence Online Student Retention, William Delaney Dec 2018

Student Perceptions Of The Online Customer Experience: A Phenomenological Investigation Of The Behavioral And Experiential Factors That Influence Online Student Retention, William Delaney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The acquisition of the accounts blended and online students experienced formed the foundation for this phenomenological investigation. Emanating from the foundation, the findings of the phenomenological investigation suggested both experiential and behavioral factors influenced the blended and online students’ customer experience. The phenomenological investigation concluded that the mechanics of the blended and online students’ customer, experience effected the blended and online students’ persistence to complete the online program.


A Phenomenological Study Of School Counselors' Experiences Following Student Suicide, Suzanne Lea Nichols Dec 2018

A Phenomenological Study Of School Counselors' Experiences Following Student Suicide, Suzanne Lea Nichols

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative, hermeneutic, phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of school counselors who have been impacted by the death of a student by suicide in the United States. The central question of the study was: How do school counselors describe their experiences following the death of a student by suicide? The three subquestions were: (a) How do school counselors describe their reactions when a student dies by suicide? (b) How do school counselors perceive their professional involvements in postvention activities following a student suicide? (c) How do school counselors cope after the death of a …


School Suspension And Academic Achievement For Tenth And Eleventh Grade Male Students: A Correlational Study, Dante' L. Ferguson Sr Dec 2018

School Suspension And Academic Achievement For Tenth And Eleventh Grade Male Students: A Correlational Study, Dante' L. Ferguson Sr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between absenteeism due to suspensions and math and reading scores from the 2016 – 2017 Georgia Milestones Test for tenth and eleventh grade regular education, male students. The focus of this study was on determining if math and reading scores on standardized tests could be predicted by the number of days missed from school due to suspensions using a bivariate regression. A total of 93 male high school students in grades ten and eleven who have received one or more out of school suspensions during the previous school term …


How Latina/O Family Values Impact Student Persistence To College Graduation: A Multi-Case Study, Jeremiah R. Riggs Dec 2018

How Latina/O Family Values Impact Student Persistence To College Graduation: A Multi-Case Study, Jeremiah R. Riggs

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this multi-case study is to discover the common family values of Latino families living in Chicago that were passed down from the parent to the child and how those values may have enabled the child to complete a four-year college degree. This study employed a multi-case qualitative study design. The participants were 12 Latina/o parents in Chicago who had at least one child who had graduated from a four-year college. Data were collected from interviews, field notes, and documents. A pattern-finding approach was used for data analysis. In this study, all participants shared family values that they …


A Job Embeddedness Comparison Of Professors Based On Employment Status And Type, Jeremy Todd Bowser Nov 2018

A Job Embeddedness Comparison Of Professors Based On Employment Status And Type, Jeremy Todd Bowser

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of difference in the job embeddedness attitudes of full-time and part-time professors, and possible differences in job embeddedness attitudes between professors at community colleges and state universities. This research project focused on Criminology and Criminal Justice departments. The dependent variables were on-the-job and off-the-job embeddedness, and the independent variables were school type and employment status. The timely study was based on the recent trend toward hiring adjunct professors in lieu of tenured professors at community colleges and universities. The literature review identified a lacuna in the embeddedness literature within the …


Effect Of Perceived Self-Efficacy And Certification On Teachers Of Students With Emotional Disabilities Exhibiting Behaviors, Maisha Evonne Williams Nov 2018

Effect Of Perceived Self-Efficacy And Certification On Teachers Of Students With Emotional Disabilities Exhibiting Behaviors, Maisha Evonne Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Teacher efficacy is a motivational construct that suggests teachers’ beliefs in their perceived efficacy affects the learning environments they create and the academic achievement of their students. Perceived self-efficacy affects the effort and persistence teachers exude during obstacles, such as when students exhibit challenging behaviors, regardless if the teacher is alternatively or traditionally certified. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to test the construct of self-efficacy grounded in the social cognitive theory and compare a teachers’ route to licensure (traditional or alternative) to perceived self-efficacy for special education teachers (SETs) of students with emotional disabilities exhibiting challenging behaviors. A …


Christian High School Science Teachers' Perspective Transformation: The Journey From Evolution To Creation, Paul Leslie Thorpe Nov 2018

Christian High School Science Teachers' Perspective Transformation: The Journey From Evolution To Creation, Paul Leslie Thorpe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenology study was to explore and describe the perspective transformations of 11 science instructors teaching at Christian high schools. These science teachers previously believed the evolutionary paradigm of origins. However, they have all experienced a transformation and now hold a young-earth creation perspective and believe the literal six-day creation event in the book of Genesis is accurate and true. Transformation of perspective regarding origins is defined as a phenomenon of transformative faith accompanied by assimilation and accommodation of new knowledge as seen through the lens of Jack Mezirow’s (1991) transformative adult learning theory, and James …


How Public College Students Experience Biblically-Informed Literature Taught As Cultural Documents: A Transcendental Phenomenology, De'lara Khalili Stephens Nov 2018

How Public College Students Experience Biblically-Informed Literature Taught As Cultural Documents: A Transcendental Phenomenology, De'lara Khalili Stephens

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenology describes the experience of public college students who study biblical or biblically-informed literary texts that are taught merely as cultural documents in literature and humanities courses. Two primary theories informed this study: transformation theory in adult learning and the theory of literary apologetics. Furthermore, qualitative methodologies of data collection included journaling, individual interviews with 13 public college students, and focus groups. Data analysis included epoche, member checks, and horizonalization. Three research questions guided the study: (1) How do public college students describe their experiences with biblical or biblically-informed literary texts when they are taught simply as cultural …


Community Bank Leaders' Perception On Maintaining Values In Decision Making, Jennifer H. Matheny Oct 2018

Community Bank Leaders' Perception On Maintaining Values In Decision Making, Jennifer H. Matheny

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study explored community bank leaders’ perception of conflicts between their personal values and core corporate values when negotiating critical decisions. At this stage in the research, the negotiating of decisions were generally defined as resolving conflicts between personal and organizational values. Results provide an understanding of how values-based leadership affects executive level decisions in community banks. A purposeful sample of community bank leaders participated in qualitative interviews. These leaders were selected based on their responsibility to make decisions that influenced their corporate culture and/or had a significant impact on their company. Based on the study, there was a …


Nothing Left Unfinished: A Transcendental Phenomenology On The Persistence Of Black Women In Distance Education Doctoral Programs, Sherrita Rogers Sep 2018

Nothing Left Unfinished: A Transcendental Phenomenology On The Persistence Of Black Women In Distance Education Doctoral Programs, Sherrita Rogers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Black women are earning doctoral degrees in the field of education at a rate higher than any other demographic group; however, their overall degree obtainment is increasing at a slower rate than other minority groups. In addition, median degree completion rates in the field of education are higher than any other measured field of study. At the same time, enrollment in distance education doctoral programs is increasing at exponential rates, while doctoral attrition rates continue to hover around 50%. There is a significant amount of research examining persistence for both distance education doctoral programs and Black women; however, there is …


A Multiple Case Study Examining The Challenges And Successes In The Development And Implementation Of Transition And Post-Secondary Education Programs For Students With Intellectual Disabilities, Keli Michelle Fewox Sep 2018

A Multiple Case Study Examining The Challenges And Successes In The Development And Implementation Of Transition And Post-Secondary Education Programs For Students With Intellectual Disabilities, Keli Michelle Fewox

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this multiple case study was to examine the successes, challenges, and factors identified to mitigate or overcome the identified challenges, as experienced by program directors, faculty, and staff, in the development and implementation of transition and post-secondary education programs, for students identified with intellectual disability at 4-year post-secondary educational institutions. Theories guiding this study were program implementation theory (Weiss, 1997) and disability theory (Mertens, 2009). Sites included three transition and post-secondary education programs for students with intellectual disability, utilizing similarly designed program models at a four-year post-secondary institution. Multiple forms of data collected from each site included …


Predicting Student Retention Using Scholarship And Grant Aid, William Dixon Aug 2018

Predicting Student Retention Using Scholarship And Grant Aid, William Dixon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Since the beginning, the field of higher education has represented the possibility of a better future for many. For some, education represents a way to better oneself and to prepare for a future career. This is the one of the strongest drivers of going to college, that it will open doors to a better future. The number of students attending colleges and universities has increased over the decades but so too has the expense of going to college. The dissertation report presented here attempts to look at the retention rates of colleges and universities and how forms of financial gift …