Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of E-Readers On The Domains Of Reading Comprehension In High School Students, Erika Zeidler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

n this quasi-experimental static comparison group design, a homogenous sample of 128 American Literature (high school juniors) students were placed in a comparison and treatment group to determine whether e-readers can improve decoding skills and language comprehension, the two main domains of reading comprehension. Both groups took a pre- and posttest that measured their reading comprehension skills in both areas. The comparison group read a class assigned novel in a traditional paperback version while the treatment group read the novel on either a Kindle or a Kindle app on his or her smart phone or device. The treatment group was …

An Organic Model Of Leadership Development For The Rural, Traditional Church, Douglas Brooks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project examines the nature of leadership development relating to an organization known as the local body of Christian believers. This study reveals that the average believer lacks confidence in his or her ability to clearly define what it means to be a Christian, what is required of a believer in the areas of discipleship and leadership, and how to be a disciple maker. Pursuant to completion of this thesis project, the pastor will progressively develop each member of the local body of believers at Woodland Trails Baptist Church into servant leaders who make disciples. The questionnaire results of …

Joonhyun, Joonhyun Bae

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

During the last decade, most new church plants in South Korea remained as small churches of less than one hundred members that are not self-sustaining or growing, because their leaders are heavily dependent upon limited discipleship models of few megachurches that rarely reflect the characteristics of small churches. Since newly planted churches rarely grow in the absence of effective discipleship models that suit their given cultures and geographical locations, their leaders need to be equipped with a biblical framework and applications for establishing discipleship models that aptly respond to the needs of their churches. The purpose of this thesis project …

A Proposal For A Local Church Infertility Ministry, Melanie Gruner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

How is the church addressing the difficult issue of infertility? Pastors may not be adequately trained to handle the demon of infertility, which is a growing epidemic. Thirteen Scriptural remedies for the struggle of infertility are proposed in the form of a manual which is designed to equip and be implemented by churches. The hope is that churches will effectuate either a group dynamic or individual canvas for a detailed analysis of what Scripture teaches about infertility. Research involves surveying pastors and infertile couples about what they believe is being done in churches to relieve the sting of infertility. Results …

Phenomenology Of Transformation Through Participation In A General Education Development Program, Sherrie Mitchell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to describe how young adults experience transformation through participation in a federally funded General Education Development (GED®) program located within a small urban area in the southeastern region of Georgia. Specifically, transformative learning theory and its overarching themes was applied to the perspective of the individuals who shared the experience of transformation. The queries of the study were to determine: (a) how the participants understood transformation, (b) how the participants described their experience of transformation in a federally funded GED program, (c) what transformation(s) were described and perceived from the GED program, …

Six Key Concepts In Training Evangelical Lay Chaplain For Effective Local Hospital Ministry, Lisa Kanne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many professional hospital chaplaincy organizations have ethics statements that specifically prohibit paid chaplains from proselytizing, unless specifically requested by the patient. The intention of the dissertation is to train lay chaplains in what to communicate with the patients, family and friends. Restrictions will be imposed on lay volunteer chaplains by the hospital and the chaplaincy department dealing with proselytizing and other topics concerning religion. The presentation will introduce biblical principles regarding ministering to the sick and dying, providing comfort to those who are hurting, and fostering hope and who are grieving. Between the survey findings and the interview key concepts …

A Collective Case Study Of Expectant Father Fears, Robert Grand

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative, collective case study explored how men perceive fears of childbirth and level of preparedness to become fathers. An additional purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of expectant and new fathers with regard to how the Boot Camp for New Dads (BCND) program helped them to alleviate pregnancy fears and develop preparedness to become a parent. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews and focus groups conducted after the participants completed a three-hour boot camp for the BCND program. Additionally, participants completed the Kessler-6, a short questionnaire designed to glean their perspectives of fears after the childbirth. …

Elementary Students’ Perceptions Of Gender Equity In Mathematics Classes, Debra Jacobson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There have been various research studies stating that in elementary school, gender bias in all subjects is nonexistent. However, other researchers interested in gender equity in the mathematics classroom have recognized that gender bias does not occur in early elementary school grades but exists by middle school. Thus, research in this area is greatly needed. This study examined children in the third, fourth, and fifth grades to determine whether students’ perceptions of their own mathematical abilities relate to their perceptions of their teacher’s beliefs about gender bias in mathematics. Pearson Product-Moment correlation and Point-Biserial correlations were used to analyze data. …

Flight Lead: The Mission Of A Father And Husband, John Marselus

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Similar to fighter pilot flight leads, the Lord created multiple roles and responsibilities for husbands and fathers to lead their families. Millions of dollars are invested into the training and readiness of a fighter pilot to lead a flight into combat. Flight leads must perform multiple missions to ensure the success of friendly armed forces against their enemy. The multiple roles and responsibilities for husbands and fathers are remarkably similar to the functions a flight lead must execute to successfully complete a mission. This study compares the author’s military experience with scholarly research, Scriptural analysis, quantitative survey, and case study …

Personalized System Of Instruction And Student Performance In High School Weight Training Courses, Charles Allen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

School reform has applied pressure on the United States public school systems to improve student achievement. As a result of this pressure, educators are seeking instructional models that research supports improves student achievement. The purpose of this causal comparative study was to test the Social Cognitive Theory by comparing the achievement of all-male high school weight training students who had been taught using the personalized system of instruction (PSI) instructional model to students who had not been taught using the PSI instructional model on the state mandated Fitnessgram assessments, after controlling for prior Fitnessgram achievement within a large, urban high …

Understanding Factors Contributing To The Persistence Of First-Generation College Students From Appalachian Distressed Counties: A Phenomenological Study, Richard Hunley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

• Appalachia
• Distressed
• Endurance
• First-Generation
• Persistence

Examining The Effectiveness Of The Early College High School Model In The Rural Appalachian Region Of Western North Carolina, David Robinson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Early College High School (ECHS) model of education became a reality in North Carolina in 2002, and although some rich data resulting from research targeting the success of ECHS is starting to emerge; the focus is primarily broad in its comparisons of subjects attending ECHS with those attending traditional high schools (THS). This quantitative correlational research study utilized archived student achievement data and data collected from AdvancEd student surveys to explore possible relationships that exist between school setting, student achievement on required standardized tests, and feelings of school connectedness for students. The study revealed statistically significant positive relationships between …

Effects Of Student Family Structure And Attendance On Academic Achievement In Middle Grades Mathematics, Bobby Sneed

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact student attendance and family structure had on academic achievement as measured by the Georgia mandated criterion referenced competency test (CRCT) in middle grades mathematics. There were many factors that could have come into play regarding the level of academic achievement each child experiences. With federal, state and local entities placing increased pressure on schools and educators to be more accountable, specifically in the form of student test scores, it seemed imperative to understand the external variables that may negatively impact student learning potential. Utilizing the student’s family structure data reported …

The Relationship Between Hexaco Personality Traits And Cyberbullying Perpetrators And Victims, David Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is an increasing problem in high schools across America with the threat of cyberbullying from both a perpetration and victimization standpoint. Cyberbullying is a problem for many youth because of the inability to escape the use of technology and the incapability of escaping the online community. This non-experimental predictive correlational study examined personality traits, using the HEXACO personality structure model, to predict the susceptibility of freshman high school students either being perpetrators or victims of cyberbullying. There were a total of 256 participants who took the Cyberbullying and Online Aggression survey along with the HEXACO personality model survey. This …

Teacher Immediacy From The Perspective Of Teachers Who Educate At-Risk Students In A High School Alternative Setting: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Connie Locklear

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to gain a deeper, richer understanding of teacher immediacy from the perspective of teachers who educate at-risk students in an alternative setting. This study consisted of 12 teachers who educate high school students that have dropped out of school or were potential dropouts prior to entering the alternative program. The study was designed to answer the following questions: (a) What are the opinions of teachers who work in an alternative setting about teacher immediacy? (b) What do teachers state as obstacles to establishing teacher immediacy? (c) What additional resources do teachers state …

A Quantitative Study Of Dropout And Suspension Rates Of Native American High School Students Enrolled In Title Vii And Non-Title Vii School Districts, Annette Skinner-Coleman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs (NCCIA) works collaboratively with The North Carolina State Advisory Council on Indian Education (SACIE) to support educational agencies with large populations of American Indian and Alaska Native students. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and the North Carolina SACIE identified the American Indian students as having one of the highest dropout rates in North Carolina. This quantitative study employed a design combining causal comparative and correlational methods to examine the relationship between high school dropout and suspension rates among American Indian high school students enrolled in school districts that provide Title …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Transactional Reading Experiences Of 12th Grade Digital Natives In Rural Northeast Georgia: Print And Digital Texts, Katherine Kesterson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to describe the print and digital transactional reading experiences of 12th grade digital natives at Mountain High School in rural, northeast Georgia. The research questions include: What are the reading experiences of 12th grade digital natives in a rural high school in northeast Georgia? How do 12th grade digital natives in a rural high school in northeast Georgia describe their transactional experiences with print texts? How do 12th grade digital natives in a rural high school in northeast Georgia describe their transactional experiences with digital texts? Participants included a purposeful sample of …

A Grounded Theory Study Exploring The Technology Decisions Mothers Make For Their Preschool Age Children In The Home Environment, Carolyn Wicks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this systematic grounded theory study was to explore the technology decision process mothers use when making technology decisions for their preschool age (3-5 years) children in the home environment. I used snowball and maximum variation sampling procedures to purposefully select 18 mothers of preschool age children living in urban, suburban, and rural areas located in and around a college town in central Virginia. Data gathered from questionnaires, participant interviews, and focus groups were analyzed and findings revealed mothers’ technology decisions are a multi-dimensional process whereby they situationally reflect to form technology preferences which promote intentionality and individuality …

The Perception Of The Effectiveness Of Classdojo In Middle School Classrooms: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Michael Burger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological study modeled after Moustakas’ (1994) phenomenological reduction investigated the perceptions of teachers and students regarding the effectiveness of ClassDojo as a classroom management tool for three middle school classrooms at Cardinal Unified School District (pseudonym). The research questions for the study were aimed at understanding teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of ClassDojo as a classroom management tool as well as the necessary resources and experiences to implement it well. Furthermore, this research aimed at explaining teachers’ perceptions of how the use of this tool affected their administrators’ view of them as teachers. The participants consisted …

Non-Science Co/Prerequisite Course Grades As Predictors Of Associate Degree Nursing Program Completion And First-Attempt Nclex-Rn Performance, Joey Trader

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the potential relationship between non-science co/prerequisite courses (English Composition I, English Composition II, General Psychology, Child Psychology, and Nutrition and Diet Therapy) upon successful program completion and first-attempt NCLEX-RN results while controlling for age and gender in a traditional associate degree nursing program in the South Atlantic region of the United States. The rationale for the study was described with General Systems Theory while Schema Theory was tested and framed the study. The researcher employed binary logistic regression. There were 216 cases in the program completion dataset while there were 177 in the NCLEX-RN result data set. …

Adoption Of Ereaders By Senior Adults: A Phenomenological Study, Dale Tysor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A majority of the previous research on older adults and their use of technology has focused on computers and the Internet. Most of the eReader-specific research examined younger participants in an academic setting. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the perspectives of Georgia senior adults in their adoption of eReaders. The adoption of an eReader was generally defined as the acquisition of an eReader, followed by the selecting, downloading, navigating, and reading of eBooks using an eReader. This study took place in a public library and was designed to answer 3 research questions: (a) What are contributing …

Perfect Harmony: An Examination Of The Necessity Of Interdependency Between First And Second Generation Korean Congregations, Hank H. Shin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The English speaking second-generation Korean Americans coexisting with the first-generation Koreans topic identifies the issues associated in a typical Korean immigrant church. Based on the resources, the English Ministry has a tendency to stay under the authority of the Korean Ministry leadership, coexist independently with a separate administration, or depart to set up a separate church. This project is separated in three parts. The first section reviews the history of the early Korean American churches in the United States. The second section addresses the problems between English Ministry and Korean Ministry. The third section identifies a strategy to provide harmony …

Perceived Parental Factors As Predictors Of Spiritual Maturity In Emerging Adults, Lizabeth L. Matthews

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Scant research has focused on possible parental factors behind increasing rates of disengagement by millennial emerging adults (18- to 25-years-old) in church attendance and other traditional Christian practices. Cluster, quota, and convenience samples of emerging adults (N = 266) who had identified with Christian practices in high school were recruited from social media, Web sites for religious doubt, and various universities and churches across America. Independent sample t tests and regression analyses were performed to explore the effect of selected parent variables (as perceived by the emerging adult child) on the child’s self-reported spiritual maturity (measured by a spiritual assessment …

The Experience Of Recalling Christian Spiritual Songs On Affect Dysregulation In The Mood And Anxiety Disorders, Nancy J. Cochran

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although existing treatment methods for the mood and anxiety disorders have improved the lives of many who suffer from these conditions, there remains a significant portion of the population for whom these methods are only partially effective or are ineffective entirely. The purpose of the present study was to explore the experiences of a spiritually-integrated music therapy intervention with a nonclinical population during times of affect dysregulation. Ten participants used this intervention over the course of a two-week period and were interviewed regarding their experiences. The results indicated that the participants were impacted in their biological, spiritual, social and psychological …

The Correlation Between Nutrition And Academic Achievement In Georgia Middle Schools, Lesia Griffin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it is an important part of the academic achievement of students. Several hours after breakfast, the body requires more fuel. The fuel is used to energize the body and help feel refreshed. The wrong fuel may have the opposite effect. The primary objective of this correlation study was to determine if there was a relationship between the academic achievement, as measured by reading and math scores on the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) of 8th grade students and their nutritional intake. The qualifications of the selected participants were that …

Transgenerational Transmission And The Relationship Between Parents With Symptoms Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Their Children With Symptoms Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Donald Dean Campany

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined parental symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its effects on children referred for treatment with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Data was collected from children who had been diagnosed ADHD. This research attempted to determine whether negative family functioning can be predicted between caregivers with symptoms of PTSD and their children with symptoms of ADHD, and whether PTSD caregiver’s behavior is an indication of ADHD like symptoms in their children. Results revealed that there was a not a significant difference in behavior of children with symptoms of ADHD when compared to parents with symptoms …

The Effect Of Two Foreign Language Teaching Approaches, Communicative Language Teaching And Teaching Proficiency Through Reading And Storytelling, On Motivation And Proficiency For Spanish Iii Students In High School, Maite Blanton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this comparative study was to examine the effects of two foreign language teaching approaches--communicative language teaching and teaching proficiency through reading and storytelling--on motivation and proficiency for Spanish III students in high school. These two teaching approaches have gained prominence over the last couple of decades and no consensus exists between second language (L2) researchers and practitioners on which approach might be best to increase students' motivation to learn and to become proficient. One hundred and seventeen Spanish III students in high school studying with the TPRS or the CLT teaching approach, completed the LLOS-IEA Motivation Scale …

Differences In Post-Secondary Persistence, By Gender: A Phenomenological Study Of Traditional College Students, Karen Louise Clark

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore persistence differences by gender, among traditional-age college students at a private, residential, liberal arts college in a Mid-Atlantic state. The number of students attending college has steadily increased. However, females have increasingly outnumbered males in college enrollment and persistence. This is a growing concern for higher education. The following research questions guided the research: How do traditional-age college seniors describe persistence? How do traditional-age college seniors describe experiences or beliefs that contributed to their persistence? What are the persistence differences, by gender? Twenty females and thirteen males (n=33) participated in …

A Phenomenological Study Of Facebook Messages From Female Friends To Middle School Girls And The Multi-Dimensional Effect On Self-Esteem, Eileen Elizabeth Hegel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study investigated positive and negative Facebook messages from female friends to middle school girls and the multi-dimensional effect on self-esteem. This study also examined what role these messages play in female friendships. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit nine participants, 13 years old, the minimum age to have a Facebook account or 14 years old, in the 7th or 8th grade in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Gilligan's theory of moral development underpinned this study. Data collection included a descriptive survey, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, semi-structured interviews, journals, and site artifacts. The questions framing the …

Can A Christian College Student Please God? Spiritual Growth And Its Relationship To Small Group Involvement, Accountability And Academic Progress, Ralph W. Jernigan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In order to please God, a Christian college student should be committed to spiritual growth, accountability, as well as doing one's best academically. This project will examine the association between these three areas. Academic success will be measured among College Learning Strategies students using their pre-class and post-class grade point averages. A pre- and post-class survey will be administered to students in order to measure spiritual growth. Spiritual growth will be compared to a student's involvement in some type of accountability. The finding of a correlation between spiritual growth and accountability and/or spiritual growth and academic achievement would lead to …