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Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

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The Impact Of Student Engagement, Instructional Strategies, And Classroom Management On Self-Efficacy Of Christian Private School Teachers, Monica Cason May 2018

The Impact Of Student Engagement, Instructional Strategies, And Classroom Management On Self-Efficacy Of Christian Private School Teachers, Monica Cason

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative correlational research study was to investigate variables that best predict Christian private school teachers’ efficacy. Specifically, the study addresses the question of how the predictor variables of gender, age, ethnicity, professional qualification, and school status relate to efficacy in student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management. The present study contributes to the limited resources for research concerning efficacy of a teacher. Approximately 138 teachers from northeast Florida Christian private schools completed the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale–Short Form. The instrument developed for assessing efficacy also targeted instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement. A target sample was …


A Phenomenological Study Of The Impact Of High School Student Spirituality On Transition Decision Making, Sandra Brady May 2018

A Phenomenological Study Of The Impact Of High School Student Spirituality On Transition Decision Making, Sandra Brady

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand the impact of a student’s spirituality on the decisions he or she makes during transition. For this study, transition will be defined as the process of moving from high school to post-secondary education and employment. Spirituality will be defined as moments of transcendence that can often provide clarity and guidance (Maslow, 1976). The process of transition can be both stressful and exciting. While supports and preparation can make an impact, it is possible that the student’s spiritual beliefs are a significant factor in the decisions that are made. The following research …


Secondary Student Experiences With Mandatory Enrollment In North Carolina Virtual Public School Courses: A Hermeneutical Phenomenological Study, Damion Lewis May 2018

Secondary Student Experiences With Mandatory Enrollment In North Carolina Virtual Public School Courses: A Hermeneutical Phenomenological Study, Damion Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was to describe secondary student experiences within mandatorily assigned online courses using the North Carolina Virtual Public Schools (NCVPS) platform. Bandura’s (1986) social cognitive theory provided a lens to explore this phenomenon. Specifically, the study was guided by the central research question: What are the experiences of secondary students who are required to take online courses using NCVPS? Student participants were selected from two low-performing high schools in northeastern North Carolina. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. Accordingly, data was analyzed through the process of immersion: continually reading, …


Breaking The Cycle: An Ethnographic Study On Hispanic Mothers In Family Drug Court, Rhonda Tyler May 2018

Breaking The Cycle: An Ethnographic Study On Hispanic Mothers In Family Drug Court, Rhonda Tyler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this critical ethnographic study was to understand the phenomena of generational substance abuse of Hispanic mothers. By participating in family drug court (FDC), a therapeutic judicial program, rather than incarceration, mothers have a greater opportunity to address their substance abuse issues (Brown, 2010). Motivated to restore their domestic structures, FDC often allows them to address their substance abuse issues and regain custody of their children, who are usually in family or state’s care (Choi, 2012). In this study, generational substance abuse will be generally defined as those women who are FDC participants and have lost custody of …


Intentional Practices Of Christian Schools For Spiritual Formation Of Third-And Fourth-Grade Students: A Multiple Case Study, Angie Blount May 2018

Intentional Practices Of Christian Schools For Spiritual Formation Of Third-And Fourth-Grade Students: A Multiple Case Study, Angie Blount

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this multiple-case study was to explore and describe intentional spiritual formation practices used with third and fourth grade students enrolled in Association for Christian Schools International (ACSI) member schools. The study took place in four elementary school settings in two different states, using a replication design with each school as or for a unit of analysis. Participants in each case were teachers, administrators, and staff familiar with the teaching practices with third- and fourth-grade students. The central research question guiding the research was “What are the intentional practices of Christian schools for spiritual formation of third- and …


Ministry Through Musical Performance: Establishing Biblical, Historical, And Pedagogical (Educational) Precedent For The Christian Performing Artist, Lindsey Graham May 2018

Ministry Through Musical Performance: Establishing Biblical, Historical, And Pedagogical (Educational) Precedent For The Christian Performing Artist, Lindsey Graham

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As a performing artist, the author suggests in an “American Idol” culture, Christian artists have largely lost their identity as worshipers with a ministry of the Gospel through music. The Christian performing artist has the responsibility to commit to spiritual maturity and personal growth. This thesis project proposes the artist is a communicator of the Gospel through music and seeks to substantiate the Christian performing artist through biblical, historical, and educational rationale and precedent. Biblical rationale of the Christian performing artist is considered in Old Testament and New Testament principle and precedent. Historical rationale and precedent is established through the …


One From The Beginning: A Proposed Apologetic For The Growth Of The Church From Ad 30-250, Douglas Taylor May 2018

One From The Beginning: A Proposed Apologetic For The Growth Of The Church From Ad 30-250, Douglas Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

“The oftener we are mown down by you, the more in number we grow; the blood of Christians is seed.” Why Christianity from its inception grew in numbers has remained a relatively stable and uncontested topic. Moreover, recent history has seen a move by some scholars to claim not one but multiple Christianities existed in the first three centuries. No study, however, has approached the growth of Christianity as being a result of positive apologetics and then defended that there was but one Christianity from the beginning through the use of Root Cause Analysis. After proposing an early fixed understanding …


Developing A Discipleship-Training Model For Equipping The Laity With Both Emotional And Spiritual Maturity In Korean Churches, Jongsik Hwang Apr 2018

Developing A Discipleship-Training Model For Equipping The Laity With Both Emotional And Spiritual Maturity In Korean Churches, Jongsik Hwang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There are a lot of discipleship training programs in South Korea, but there is no discipleship-training program that focuses on both emotional maturity and spiritual maturity at the same time for mature believers. By focusing so much on spiritual maturity, churches have neglected the parts of emotional maturity since the churches were planted in South Korea. Emotionally unhealthy believers cause conflicts in church and struggle with serious individual troubles. Therefore, Korean churches should have a discipleship program which focuses on the emotional aspects as Jesus came to the earth as a perfect human and an incontestable God. The purpose of …


A Study Of The Relationship Between Students' Self-Reported Self-Esteem Levels And Their Perceptions Of Teacher Behaviors, Shane Grant Apr 2018

A Study Of The Relationship Between Students' Self-Reported Self-Esteem Levels And Their Perceptions Of Teacher Behaviors, Shane Grant

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research has shown that self-esteem, particularly among female students, can decline during the elementary school years and beyond. Self-esteem is a very important indicator of how well students will adapt to their surroundings and perform in and outside of the classroom setting. Very little research identifying the impact of students’ perceptions of teachers’ controlling or supportive behaviors in relation to self-esteem has been studied among middle school high-ability math students in the United States. The purpose of this quantitative, predictive, correlational study was to examine the effect of the criterion variable of self-esteem based on the multiple predictor variables of …


Relationships Between Job Satisfaction, Gender, Marital Status, And Parental Status Of Pk-12 Administrators Identifying As Christian, Alanna Staton Apr 2018

Relationships Between Job Satisfaction, Gender, Marital Status, And Parental Status Of Pk-12 Administrators Identifying As Christian, Alanna Staton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative non-experimental correlational study involved the investigation of the relationships between job satisfaction, gender, marital status, and parental status among educational leaders who identify as being Christian. A multiple regression analysis was utilized to determine how accurately job satisfaction, as measured by the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), can be predicted from a linear combination of gender, marital status, and parental status for Pre-Kindergarten through twelfth-grade school administrators identifying as Christian. A sample size of 573 educational leaders in Pre-Kindergarten through twelfth-grade schools who identified as being Christian participated in this study. The gender distribution in this study was relatively …


The Effects Of Perceived Learning On Open Sourced Classrooms Within The Community Colleges In The Southeastern Region Of The United States, Amanda Carpenter-Horning Apr 2018

The Effects Of Perceived Learning On Open Sourced Classrooms Within The Community Colleges In The Southeastern Region Of The United States, Amanda Carpenter-Horning

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the perceived learning of students using open educational resources in face-to-face and distance education courses at nine community colleges in the southeastern region of the United States. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to determine if students using open educational resources perceive learning differently from those using traditional textbooks as measured by the Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor (CAP) Perceived Learning Scale (Rovai, Wighting, Baker, & Grooms, 2009). Students at nine community colleges in the southeastern region of the United States completed the CAP Perceived Learning Scale following the successful completion of a first-year seminar course. The …


The Relationship Between Perceived Sense Of Community And Self-Efficacy In Special Education Teachers: A Quantitative Correlational Study, Laura Sinkonis Apr 2018

The Relationship Between Perceived Sense Of Community And Self-Efficacy In Special Education Teachers: A Quantitative Correlational Study, Laura Sinkonis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Teacher attrition is a worldwide problem. Teachers leave education for reasons other than retirement, and many retire before the generally accepted retirement age of 65. Further, special education teachers are at an even higher risk of premature exit than their general education counterparts. Self-efficacy is related to teacher burnout and other reasons for leaving the profession. One missing piece in the literature is role of sense of community in special education on teachers’ self-efficacy. The purpose of this correlational study is to investigate possible predictive relationships between sense of community and self-efficacy in special education teachers. Further, relationships between group …


Comparing Active Duty And Transitional Military Veteran Students' Evaluation Of Online Distance Higher Education Learning Environments, Sherry Crissman Apr 2018

Comparing Active Duty And Transitional Military Veteran Students' Evaluation Of Online Distance Higher Education Learning Environments, Sherry Crissman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Active duty service members’ participation in non-traditional higher education designed for veterans and other non-traditional adults can be uniquely impacted by their unpredictable military schedules, geographic instability, and frequently limited access to technology needed to complete course requirements while in remote areas. The purpose of this study was to examine whether active duty undergraduates differed significantly regarding their attitudes toward distance learning and their perceptions of the distance learning environment compared to veterans and non-traditional adults. This causal comparative study examined adult students’ perceptions after participating in 200-level undergraduate education delivered online at a private four-year institution based on their …


Kentuckian Middle School Students' Self-Efficacy And Their Participation In Physical Sports: A Correlation Study, Alissa Richards Apr 2018

Kentuckian Middle School Students' Self-Efficacy And Their Participation In Physical Sports: A Correlation Study, Alissa Richards

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Self-efficacy is well known as one of the most effective methods to raise student academic achievement (Hattie, 2007). Known as the “I think I can” phenomenon, extensive research is presented concerning the impact of self-efficacy as the predictor to achievement. Likewise, participation in physical sports is known for its impact on academic achievement, as well as social and emotional health. The purpose of this correlational study was to determine the presence of a statistically significant relationship between the level of participation in physical sports activities and the middle school students’ self-efficacy. A convenience sample of 69 seventh and eighth grade …


Academic Achievement With Cooperative Learning Using Homogeneous And Heterogeneous Groups, Patricia Wyman Apr 2018

Academic Achievement With Cooperative Learning Using Homogeneous And Heterogeneous Groups, Patricia Wyman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Cooperative learning is a proven teaching strategy that teachers have been using for over 40 years. Teachers often group students heterogeneously so that students that are lower achieving are learning from higher achieving students and higher achieving students support and solidify their learning by restating and re-teaching to their lower achieving partners. The purpose of this study was to test homogeneous and heterogeneous grouping while using cooperative learning teaching structure. This dissertation aimed to answer the question, should students be grouped homogeneously or heterogeneously while participating in cooperative learning. The research design for this study was quantitative, quasi-experimental. A convenience …


Connecting The Church Beyond Prison Ministry: Transitioning The Discipled Prisoner Into A Discipleship Community, Joyce Weathers Apr 2018

Connecting The Church Beyond Prison Ministry: Transitioning The Discipled Prisoner Into A Discipleship Community, Joyce Weathers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The prison population in the United States surpasses all other countries on a per capita basis. The number of released inmates, who return to prison (recidivism) is staggering. In-prison Christian discipleship programs have successfully transitioned parolees into the free world, but little research has been done to confirm a standard practice for the transition process. Theories abound from clergy and laity alike; yet apathy and fear remain persistent deterrents. The church is confronted with a biblical mandate to assist the incarcerated (Matt. 25:36) and to make disciples (Matt. 28:19). By addressing the current concerns of church and prison ministry leaders, …


High Academic Achievement For Adolescents In Blended And Stepfamilies: A Heuristic Inquiry, Vernette Gilbreath Apr 2018

High Academic Achievement For Adolescents In Blended And Stepfamilies: A Heuristic Inquiry, Vernette Gilbreath

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this heuristic study is to understand the lived experiences (i.e., values, attitudes, and practices) of 10 biological parents in blended and stepfamilies in which at least one child experienced high academic achievement at the middle school and high school level. Building on dynamic systems theory and educational resilience theory as theoretical underpinnings, this qualitative study seeks to answer the following central research question: What are the values, practices, and attitudes experienced by biological parents in blended and stepfamily units that contribute to high academic achievement for adolescents in these families? Participants living in the Southeastern area of …


The Relationship Between The Number Of Hours Taken In A Senior Practicum Course In Prelicensure Nursing Education And The Score Of Preception Of Professional Competence By The Newly Graduated Nurse, Arlene Holowaychuk Apr 2018

The Relationship Between The Number Of Hours Taken In A Senior Practicum Course In Prelicensure Nursing Education And The Score Of Preception Of Professional Competence By The Newly Graduated Nurse, Arlene Holowaychuk

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study determined whether there is a relationship between the number of direct acute care hours completed in a senior practicum course during pre-licensure nursing education and the scores of perception of Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) in newly graduated nurses between the third and sixth month of employment. A sample of new hires of newly graduated nurses within a large, nonprofit healthcare system was used. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval was obtained from Liberty University’s IRB and the healthcare organization’s IRB prior to the survey being sent out to prospective participants and data collected. A non-experimental, correlational design was used …


Emotional Re-Engagement After Deployments: Using Attachment Principles With Relationship Resources For Post-Deployment Relational Enhancement, Rob Fasnacht Apr 2018

Emotional Re-Engagement After Deployments: Using Attachment Principles With Relationship Resources For Post-Deployment Relational Enhancement, Rob Fasnacht

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The understanding of attachment theory helps one to overcome personal and relational problems that are exacerbated by past traumas. This thesis project focused on how long durations of separations, especially in a military setting, may trigger symptoms from past traumas, which may impede relational secure attachments to friends and family. A survey was crafted and answered by over 100 adults, including military members, military dependents, and non-military civilians. The results were analyzed to discover how often people were separated from loved ones, the length that perhaps caused problems, and the feelings that developed. A literary review of books and scholastic …


Moving From Performance To Missional Worship: Five Biblical Principles And Practices To Infuse Discipleship Into Worship, Ossie Xzabia Mckinney Apr 2018

Moving From Performance To Missional Worship: Five Biblical Principles And Practices To Infuse Discipleship Into Worship, Ossie Xzabia Mckinney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In striving for authentic worship, many worship leaders focus on the sound of the choir and the individual’s relationship with God without considering discipleship. God’s first directive to humanity in Gen. 1:28 supplied God’s instruction for authentic worship, which emphasized discipleship and not music. Training choir members to worship without including discipleship results in the shaping of performers rather than worshipers. Worship must reflect the Trinity and not the skills and ability of the worshiper. When worshipers show God's love through discipleship, they reveal the Godhead. To shape singers holistically, worship leaders must teach their choir members to disciple. This …


7 Essential Keys To Success: Developing The Spiritual Discipline In The Leader, Bernard Winchester Apr 2018

7 Essential Keys To Success: Developing The Spiritual Discipline In The Leader, Bernard Winchester

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

To deny that some leaders have problems, and others do not, is to deny Scripture, history, and experience. All leaders may not have as many problems as some, but all leaders do have problems. These problems are not always produced by the grass-roots membership. Leaders are often the cause of the very problems they see and deplore in the church. It is apparent that this is true when a leader has dishonored the moral standards or departed from sound doctrine. It is more often true when the leader has been indolent, failed to plan his work or work the plan, …


A Phenomenological Study: The Quest For God In An Epoch Of Distraction, Todd Marcy Apr 2018

A Phenomenological Study: The Quest For God In An Epoch Of Distraction, Todd Marcy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Distraction happens to everyone at some point in time. Diverted attention while driving can have serious consequences, and being sidetracked while talking on the cellphone can cause one to forget where the car keys were laid down at home. Distraction at church during a worship service can affect one’s relationship with God and others. Personal motivations, pre-existing conditions, and duration of time contribute to how a person will interact with a disturbance of attention; likewise, factors of biology, technology, values, and mores can influence the power of partial attention. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to examine the lived …


The Relationship Between Mobile Learning And Academic Achievement In A Community College System Online Environment, Daniel Grenier Apr 2018

The Relationship Between Mobile Learning And Academic Achievement In A Community College System Online Environment, Daniel Grenier

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study poses the question: Is there a relationship between student use of mobile technology in an online environment and student achievement expressed by final grades? The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between mobile learning (m-learning) using mobile technology and academic achievement in terms of final grades in an online environment. The literature on m-learning indicates the freedom and flexibility of the m-learner constitutes a new paradigm in education. The untethered nature of m-learning means students can access course content anywhere, anytime. Studies have focused on the use of specific technologies in learning environments; this study …


Male And Female Middle School Students' Attitudes Toward Science, Michelle Schpakow Apr 2018

Male And Female Middle School Students' Attitudes Toward Science, Michelle Schpakow

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Women continue to be underrepresented in certain disciplines of science. Differences in male and female students’ attitudes toward science have been observed down to the middle school level. Attitudes, however, may be formed through the integration of multiple constructs: attitudes toward school science, desire to become a scientist, value of science to society, and perceptions of scientists. To fully understand the problem of the underrepresentation of females in science, differences in male and female middle school students’ attitudes toward science were analyzed across these constructs. A causal-comparative design was used to compare students’ attitudes toward science based on biological sex. …


House Church: Planting Seventh-Day Adventist House Churches Among Rwandese Refugees In Columbus Ohio, Kwesi Gyimah Apr 2018

House Church: Planting Seventh-Day Adventist House Churches Among Rwandese Refugees In Columbus Ohio, Kwesi Gyimah

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Traditional Church attendance is declining among the Rwandese Seventh-day Adventists refugees living in Columbus Ohio. Many of the Rwandese families reside in the same apartment complex carpooling with the few that drive to work and church services where possible. This project is in response to the unique opportunity of the proximity of these families to each other. The goal is to train leaders and plant Seventh-day Adventist house churches in the homes of some of these families so that they may walk to a neighbor's house for worship and fellowship. This project surveyed twenty-five Rwandese refugee adults living on the …


The Relationship Between Well-Being And Technology Among Senior Citizens In Indiana, Treg Hopkins Apr 2018

The Relationship Between Well-Being And Technology Among Senior Citizens In Indiana, Treg Hopkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Across America technology has become an ever present requirement for day-to-day living. Senior citizens for this study were those who were 50 years of age and older and were often hindered in understanding and using technology. The purpose of this research study was to determine if there is a statistical significant correlation between the number of technology classes a senior citizen takes and general well-being. Senior citizens were surveyed to determine if understanding of technology changed level of well-being. A paper survey was used with a convenience sample of seniors who take technology based courses through an organization designed to …


Ipads In Preschools: A Collective Case Study About Tablet Technology In Subsidized Preschool Programs, Dean Tagawa Apr 2018

Ipads In Preschools: A Collective Case Study About Tablet Technology In Subsidized Preschool Programs, Dean Tagawa

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Preschool children today will not remember a time when there were no smartphones, laptops, or iPads. The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to develop an in-depth understanding of the challenges and benefits of implementing tablet technology for early education teachers that work in subsidized preschool programs. Tablet utilization in preschool classrooms was generally defined as how teachers from five different classrooms utilize tablet technology to enhance the instructional programs for children in subsidized preschool programs. The setting for this study was five early education centers in a large urban school district. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, …


A Case Study Of A Christian Alternative School, Dianne Carniol Apr 2018

A Case Study Of A Christian Alternative School, Dianne Carniol

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand the decisions and life choices of students who attended East Coast Christian Alternative School (ECCAS; pseudonym). An alternative school is generally defined as a school set aside for students who are at-risk of failing (Foley & Pang, 2006). ECCAS is a Christian educational setting designed to accommodate educational, behavioral, spiritual, and medical needs of students which cannot be addressed in a traditional school setting as prescribed by local and school officials which includes the participants of the study. The theories guiding this study are Bronfenbrenner’s (1994) ecological systems theory in that …


A Case Study To Understand Global Awareness Among A Christian Homeschooling Group, Bobo Beck Apr 2018

A Case Study To Understand Global Awareness Among A Christian Homeschooling Group, Bobo Beck

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to document and describe how Christian home educators addressed global awareness in their homeschool curriculum as part of a home education network in a large northeastern city in the United States. My primary research question had to do with how Christian home educators addressed global awareness in their curriculum. There were four sub-questions pertaining to the specifics of addressing global awareness in the homeschool context. The questions were as follows: RQ1 How are Christian home educators implementing 21st Century Skills for Learning?; RQ2 What methods do Christian home educators use to address global …


A Causal-Comparative Analysis Of Performance-Based Music Classes And Act Scores, Russell Courson Apr 2018

A Causal-Comparative Analysis Of Performance-Based Music Classes And Act Scores, Russell Courson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Educational leaders at the state and district level are struggling to provide adequate funding for schools due to the uncertainty of the economic outlook throughout the country. Although several states have requested and received waivers for the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), many school systems still find themselves in the difficult position of providing enough instructional time dedicated to the four primary core content areas (language arts, math, science, and social studies) to allow students to be successful in high stakes standardized testing. While NCLB stated the fine arts, including performance-based music classes, such as band, choir, …