Digital Commons Network^™

Homemade For Change: Addressing The Barriers To Home Cooking Among Emerging Adults For Better Health, Finances, And Well-Being, Sarida Smitthimedhin

Masters Theses

This study investigates how a visual approach—combining design, photography, and illustration with nutrition—can encourage home cooking. In today’s fast-paced society and overabundance food culture, many emerging adults struggle to prepare meals at home. This study examines how food industry practices and cultural trends shape the eating habits of emerging adults by exploring the reasons behind the decline in home cooking and its adverse effects on health, finances, well-being, and the environment.

Although research indicates that most adults recognize that home cooking is the healthiest choice, they often do not practice it, citing time and lack of cooking knowledge as their …

Grounding Human Value: A Critical Evaluation Of Naturalism And A Defense Of Christianity As The Basis For Human Value And The Moral Status Of The Unborn, Jacob Vazquez

Masters Theses

This thesis will explore the grounding of personhood and seeks to convince atheist readers who adhere to naturalism that abortion is wrong because human beings are made in the image of God, as the Christian doctrine of the Imago Dei teaches. This will be done by taking the reader on a journey or a map, in which various secular (non-religious) destinations are visited before finally reaching the final theological conclusion as presented above. The evidence culminated from each of the secular stops will end up supporting the argument from the Imago Dei against abortion.

For instance, Chapter 1 will consist …

Hollywood, Ai, And The Moral Universe: An Analysis Of The Terminator And Battlestar Galactica, Lara Sumera Samms

Masters Theses

This thesis defends the argument that depictions of artificial intelligence in Hollywood film and television point to a moral universe. Films The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), as well as the television series Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009) are analyzed to find clues of moral facts. This research paper submits that these stories add weight to the moral argument and provide evidence that humans implicitly recognize a moral universe. Such acknowledgment of moral structures cannot be adequately explained within a secular framework such as utilitarianism or evolutionary ethics. However, the Christian worldview frames reality around the existence of God, …

Looking At Labels, Examining Values: Knowledge, Narrative, And Multilingualism In American Art Museums, Mary Mitchell

Masters Theses

Object labels are key components of the knowledge production networks in American museums. But despite their sustained use in the Western museum field since the late nineteenth century, museum labels are not frequently regarded as valuable sources in scholarship on museum history and practices. In this thesis, I reposition labels in art museums as objects of value that should be studied for their important role in producing and disseminating knowledge. What can we learn about art museums by looking closely at their labels—specifically about those institutions’ values? How do labels reveal the hierarchies of value that art museums construct between …

An Axe To The Funny Bone: Curated Instability And Horror-Comedy Intersections In American Storytelling, Samantha Box

Masters Theses

Funny. Terrifying. Subversive.

Horror-Comedy twists and bites at the intersection of two incredibly reactive genres— with both Horror and Comedy being well known for the political and social discourses they embody and reinvent through story. While prevalent in American popular culture, scholarly analysis of this hybrid space barely exists beyond a small number of Film Studies investigations. Despite this lack, Horror-Comedy works continue to be successfully produced. This thesis unpacks the vibrant relationship between fear and laughter in contemporary American storytelling through Horror-Comedy, maintaining a focus on structural dynamics and the audience-disarming results of simultaneously applying horror and humor to …

Learning To Play Drums: Rote Learning Versus Note Approach, Jacob R. Brumback

Masters Theses

The purpose of this qualitative historical study is to determine whether rote-learned drummers perform better than formally trained drummers. The issue is that some drummers may excel by watching and developing aural skills exclusively, while others perform well by only reading sheet music. The goal is to decide if drummers with strong aural skills or those who rely on note-reading performed better. The rationale explained how the applicability of rudiments, complex timing, creative fills, and improvisational soloing skills influences the performances of both rote-learned and note-approach drummers. Data collection methods for this research included oral history traditions and analyzing secondary …

Design With A Purpose: An Introductory Faith-Integrated Graphic Design Textbook For Christian Higher Education, Rosealine Lemette

Masters Theses

This thesis project addresses the absence of faith-informed graphic design curriculum available to Christian higher education programs creating a curricular gap that limits students’ ability to draw meaningful connections between their profession and Christian identity. The proposed solution in this project is an introductory graphic design textbook that combines foundational design theory, historical context, and hands-on skill building from a Christian worldview. This educational resource will guide students and faculty to view their profession as a divine calling, engaging in the creative process as an act of worship while developing an ethical and spiritually grounded design process. The comprehensive literature …

Mistake: A Toolkit For Combating Maladaptive Perfectionism In Creatives, Sean D. Silva

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the potential use of a tabletop game as an approach for creatives to address their maladaptive perfectionism. Through my research, perfectionism has been identified as a pervasive barrier to creative flow, emotional well-being, and artistic growth. Motivated by my observations of increasing mental health challenges among my students, I explore how adaptive, visually engaging, and interactive analog systems might help to foster resilience and reframe failure as a necessary part of the creative process. Through a review of existing literature on perfectionism and creativity, analysis of successful tabletop and digital interventions, and cognitive-behavioral strategies, this research will …

Ezer Kenegdo: Reviving The Stories Of Our Christian Matriarchs In The American Evangelical Church, Kayleigh Funk

Masters Theses

The silencing of women’s experiences throughout history has caused a general lack of familiarity with the contributions of Christian matriarchs in most modern church congregations. This absence of historical precedent has led to ongoing issues of identity and belonging in the body of Christ among the Christian women of today. The primary goal of this thesis is to bring attention to the erasure of women in the faith throughout history and shed new light on their individual narratives.

This study will assess how Scripture originally set up leadership dynamics, encouraged women into those roles, and allowed them to teach in …

The Divided Self: Gothic Duality In Literature, Sarah Anna Meeks

Masters Theses

Gothic literature of the nineteenth century is haunting due to its frequent use of ghosts and monsters. However, the true terror lies in a deeper horror, one that is more intimate and destabilizing– a fright that leaps out of the text, looking into the heart of the reader: the fractured mind of the self torn between reality and repression, haunted by its own, newly manifested internal disunity rather than external monsters. The characters of Gothic fiction are typically caught in a psychological turmoil. They battle with split morals between duty and desire, morality and madness, and science and spirituality. Specifically, …

Edenic Themes Of Creation And Exile In The Book Of Jonah And Their Impact On Evangelical Exegesis, Christopher R. Walker

Masters Theses

This thesis examines how the Book of Jonah uses imagery drawn from the Garden of Eden and how these themes shape the way evangelicals read the book. Rather than treating Jonah as a simple moral tale, the study argues that the narrative is intentionally crafted to further highlight Jonah’s disobedience and the book's theological claims, using Edenic imagery. Chapter One considers the question of “Why did Jonah run to Tarshish”? After considering the intertextual links, it appears that Jonah ran specifically to Tarshish for its Eden-like possibilities. Chapter Two focuses on the non-human agents in the book. The wind, ship, …

Exploring The Relationship Between Loneliness And Real-Time Measurements Of Gsr And Hrv During Concept Mapping, And Cortisol And Oxytocin Levels, Jangwon Seo

Masters Theses

This study attempts to explore loneliness among college students from a bio-physio-psycho-social perspective, and it utilizes real-time physiological measurements (GSR and HRV) and biomarkers (cortisol and oxytocin) in conjunction with psychosocial assessments. The study employs both qualitative and quantitative methods, which involve concept mapping exercises, with the aim of comprehending the full nature of how loneliness interacts with physiological and psychological processes. At Time 1 (T1) we found significant positive correlations between loneliness and elevated GSR levels, which is indicative of increased sympathetic arousal (r = .35, p < .01). Additionally, there were significant negative correlations between loneliness and mean RR intervals in HRV that indicated autonomic dysregulation featured by increased sympathetic activities as well as reduced parasympathetic functions (r = -.28, p < .05). However, at Time 2 (T2), these correlations were not significant indicating possible temporal fluctuations due to adaptive responses or extraneous variables such social support systems or coping mechanisms. The qualitative data from concept mapping enriched the analysis by providing deeper insights into the cognitive and emotional processes underlying loneliness. Despite limitations like demographic skewness, funding constraints, logistical challenges, etc., this, therefore, highlights the need for multidimensional investigations of psychological phenomena. This has implications for future research as well as clinical practice, which could include using these integrative measures to develop holistic interventions for mental health disorders.

Neurogenesis And Functional Recovery Of Murine Retinal Ganglion Cells After Glaucoma Induction Following Treatment With Pnu-282987, Samantha Luzadre

Masters Theses

Experiments were performed to demonstrate electrical recovery in glaucoma-induced adult mice after neurogenesis of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Newly derived RGCs were induced following eye drop treatment with a selective alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist, PNU-282987. Both sexes of transgenic (RlbpCre-ER (CRE⁺) and Rosa-tdTomato (tdTomato⁺)) adult mice were utilized to trace newly generated RGCs originating from Müller glia (MG). Experimental mice were injected with hypertonic saline into the episcleral vein of anesthetized mice to significantly increase intraocular pressure (IOP) and induce glaucoma-like conditions. One month after the injection and after significant death of RGCs occurred, mice …

Home Visitors Perceived Barriers To Practicing Self-Care In Personal And Professional Settings, Lexie Yancey

Masters Theses

Home visiting has the potential to support families in increasing their parenting skills, reducing incidents of child maltreatment, increasing school readiness, and improving financial sustainability (HRSA, 2023; Peacock et al., 2013). Retention of home visitors in programming is crucial to retaining families in home visiting (Damashek et al., 2020; Fifolt et al., 2017; Holm-Hansen et al., 2017; Ramakrishnan et al., 2022). While many home visitors struggle with burnout, research has found that self-care strategies are effective for social work students and are even used widely by home visitors (Begic et al., 2019; Siebert, 2008). This nested mixed-methods study examines answers …

The Effect Of Shared Decisions On Intertemporal Choice, Rosemarie M. Davidson

Masters Theses

Substance use disorders are a significant public health concern, and improving treatment outcomes requires a better understanding of the behavioral processes that influence drug consumption. Delay discounting, or the tendency to overvalue immediate reinforcers, is reliably more severe among individuals with substance use disorders. Recent work suggests that shared decision-making may increase tolerance for delayed rewards; however, prior studies used procedures that confounded delay to token delivery with delay to token exchange, limiting conclusions. The present study evaluates delay discounting across individual and social decision-making contexts using a traditional delay discounting paradigm.

Ten undergraduate participants completed sessions involving choices between …

Evaluating Psychosocial Stressors And Mental Well-Being Of Construction Professionals From The Management Standpoint: An Exploratory Study, Md Tauhidul Karim

Masters Theses

Construction professionals face persistent workplace stressors that undermine their mental well-being outcomes. Despite progress in general job-related stressors, social and interpersonal aspects of psychosocial stressors traditionally remain underexplored in the construction management research. The present study examines how social and interpersonal factors influence construction workers’ mental well-being and how management’s awareness, responsiveness, and strategic roles evolved in the transition of the COVID-19 pandemic at the organizational level. An integrative mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a systematic literature review, a bibliometric analysis, and an exploratory case study to capture the current landscape of mental well-being and management standpoints in the US …

"Gross Normality" And "Marked Deviation": A Qualitative Study Of Disability Theory In Three Periods Of Sociological Literature, Kelsey Sullivan

Masters Theses

In the 20th century, three theoretical perspectives concurrently dominated sociological discussions of disability. Functionalism and Talcott Parsons argued for a pathologized framework in the form of a “sick role” occupied by disabled people. Interactionism and Erving Goffman emphasized the stigmas faced by individual disabled people, and the ripple-effects of those stigmas. Finally, disabled activists, inspired by social constructionism, championed the social model of disability. This model purported that disability is a social condition, resulting from systemic barriers imposed upon people who do not fit the mental or physiological norm. This project, through a content analysis of 30 historical journal articles, …

Music Technology As A Medium To Stem Education, Sophia Grace Moon

Masters Theses

This project researched how music technology programs can be implemented in high schools of low-income communities to act as a medium in teaching STEM education. The point at which students are first introduced to STEM concepts is critical in terms of their interest. The project explored the ways we can help students not only excel in school, but also help to interest them in subjects that have lucrative job markets as well. The number of jobs related to STEM fields continues to grow as our society relies more and more on technology. Getting students interested in STEM almost guarantees a …

Growing A Church Worship Band, Charmaine Landrum

Masters Theses

Many churches either leave the music to the professionals, or let untrained musicians blunder their way through the service, distracting their congregations. Little research has been done pertaining to the development of average or inexperienced musicians for Sunday Services. Considering the shift in worship music and technology, there is a need to train the next generation of worship team members. There is a lack in research pertaining to the best methods for training untrained musicians who want to volunteer but may not be ready for the platform. One particular church, Revolution Church in Canton, Georgia, is solving their dilemma by …

Pauline Style And A Biblical Theology, Andrew Whitney Perkins

Masters Theses

Advances in biblical linguistics, especially in the Greek of the New Testament, have provided a means for a better understanding of the text of Scripture. Advances in Greek lexicography, syntax, verbal aspect, discourse analysis, exegetical and hermeneutical methods, and the historical background behind the gospels and letters of the New Testament have greatly increased interpreters’ ability to determine what the text meant from both the writers and to the recipients of those documents. However, Christian theology, especially Systematic Theology, has remained mostly static, unaffected by these advances, and by a more accurate understanding of the biblical text. This thesis affirms …

Desegregated Goals: Integrating Literacy And Behavioral Health In A Community Mental Health Setting To Improve Outcomes For Middle School Students, Donna M. Reed

Masters Theses

Despite an understanding that many at-risk students lack the reading and writing skills to navigate high school and post-secondary education successfully, current interventions are often inadequate. Schools are forced to focus on academic requirements, while other needs of the student are overlooked, and it is those overlooked needs that contribute to the educational failures of the student. This thesis presents an argument for holistic support of the at-risk student when remediating academics, specifically reading and writing skills, focusing on the middle school students of a rural middle school in central Kansas. It develops a curriculum that integrates physical and mental …

Robin Hoods Of The Revolution: A Great American Outlaw Myth, Erin K. Levy

Masters Theses

Historians have depicted the Doan Gang of Bucks County as either heroes or villains and, thus, distorting the more truthful history of the notorious outlaws. To a great extent, aspects of oral tradition, contemporary accounts, and even descendants of the Doan Gang themselves have greatly contributed to the outlaw mythology. Interestingly, Robin Hood motifs have attributed to the mythical elements of the Doan Gang legend, especially the classic theme of philanthropic justice. In reality, historical evidence refutes such claims. Instead, the Doan Gang’s membership was comprised of everyday men and women who were driven to a life of outlawry for …

Why Christians Should Read And Write Science Fiction An Examination Of The Benefits Of Using Science Fiction To Spread The Gospel, Matthew Ryan Tompkins

Masters Theses

Science fiction is a form of literature that faces many objections from the church that many people may not be aware. Many Christians assume that science fiction is about worlds and technologies that challenge the nature of God’s creation. This assumption is largely because these opposing Christians have neither read or written science fiction. What this Christian opposition doesn’t realize is that whether it be movies, books or television, science fiction continues to grow in popularity as a genre in mainstream media. This growth has created a unique evangelical opportunity to use science fiction to preach to unbelievers. If Christians …

With Love From The Front: Exploring Authenticity In Historical Fiction, Sarah E. Ray

Masters Theses

This MFA thesis is comprised of an artist statement, a scholarly essay on authenticity in WWII historical fiction, and a novel set during World War II. The artist statement outlines personal experiences, faith perspective, and writing aesthetics that shape the approach to historical storytelling, examining how a history-oriented upbringing and Christ-centered worldview inform a writing philosophy centered on crafting emotion through authentic character development and vivid sensory details. The scholarly component argues that authentic WWII fiction requires both meticulous historical accuracy and genuine emotional truth. Drawing on primary sources including interviews with former WWII Army members, wartime diaries, and period …

Autism Spectrum Disorder In The Music Classroom: An Undergraduate Curriculum, Hannah Warren

Masters Theses

The purpose of this applied research curriculum project is to prepare preservice music teachers to teach music to students with autism. It is vital to provide preservice music teachers with experience and knowledge about teaching music to students on the autism spectrum to better serve this population in schools. The setting of this study was college undergraduate music programs. The sample included 30 in-service K-12 music teachers. Qualitative questionnaires and quantitative surveys were collected via Google Forms. Quantitative data was analyzed for means of central tendency including mean, median, and mode. Quantitative data was displayed using Pearson product-moment correlation graph …

The Dinosaur Trials, Ashley Brooke Allen

Masters Theses

This thesis presents dinosaurs as a thematic craft element in fiction. The research portion of the thesis project describes dinosaur fiction as a genre and surveys key works of dinosaur fiction. It focuses on how the genre’s literary tradition established thematic precedent for fictional dinosaurs. The thesis highlights dinosaurs as characters and symbols while tracing the development of tropes and expectations within dinosaur fiction. It also acknowledges a potential limitation in the genre where science fiction elements constrain the creative and thematic potential of fictional dinosaurs. In response to this limitation, the thesis argues for new fantasy genre installments of …

Examining Factors Influencing Ultra- Processed Food Consumption Among Liberty University Students Aged 18 And Older, Ginika Rosemary Muomah

Masters Theses

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are widely consumed among college students and are linked to adverse health outcomes including obesity, poor mental health, and cardiometabolic disease. Despite their rising prevalence, limited research has examined psychosocial and behavioral factors influencing UPF intake within Christian university settings. This study investigated demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial predictors of UPF consumption among Liberty University students, guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM). A cross-sectional survey of students aged 18 and older (N = 337) was conducted. After excluding incomplete or invalid responses, 276 cases remained. The 25-item survey assessed UPF intake, HBM constructs, and demographics. Descriptive statistics …

The Intersection Of Ethnomusicology And Special Education: An Exploration Of Aba-Infused World Music Play Facilitation In The Social-Emotional Development Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jean-Pierre Ervelt Leroy

Masters Theses

Inspired by experiences across disciplines, this mixed-method study peered into a possible intersection of ethnomusicology and special education. An innovative ABA-infused world music play facilitation program for children was created to examine how culturally diverse musical intervention in combination with Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) principles could enhance the social-emotional development in children diagnosed with ASD. To gain an informed context on worldview and structure, this research was conducted within both sacred and secular communities. To gain a comprehensive understanding of how interdisciplinary intervention can impact the self-expression, self-regulation skills, and cultural awareness of children, both quantitative assessments and qualitative observations …

Design Of Non-Invasive Device To Measure Differential Flow In The Carotid Arteries, Rachel Elisabeth Jacquay

Masters Theses

A stroke is categorized as quickly developing symptoms of cerebral function loss with no apparent cause other than that of vascular origin. Stroke detection in prehospital settings, such as an ambulance, is subjective and often requires additional imaging methods to obtain a definitive conclusion. Common non-invasive methods for stroke detection include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) scans. Still, these techniques can be expensive, time-consuming, and dangerous due to exposure to strong magnetic fields and radiation. Two additional methods have been proposed for quick, inexpensive, and non-invasive stroke detection, namely Ultrasound Doppler and Pressure Transducer. A simplified physical …

Cyberbullying Defensive Strategy In Social Media Sessions Via Machine Learning And Cyber Deception, Mohammad Shafiqul Islam

Masters Theses

Cyberbullying poses a significant challenge on social media, where traditional detection systems struggle with the nuanced and dynamic nature of online abuse. This thesis proposes an integrated framework that combines large language model (LLM)-based detection with generative decoy responses to enable real-time protection for victims on platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp. Using models such as Mistral 7B, GPT-3.5 Turbo, and Phi-3 Mini, prompt-based one-shot learning achieved 87% detection accuracy and a 5% F1-score improvement over zero-shot approaches, demonstrating robust identification of text-based bullying. A novel synthetic dataset of 98 multi-turn conversations, designed with diverse subtypes and evaluated for realism, addressed …