Digital Commons Network^™

A Cosmic Conflict In Covenantal Literature, Lisa Marie Martinez-Leeper

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines the cosmic conflict that God declared in Genesis 3:15 in the Garden of Eden, and that will not come to fruition until the final judgment articulated in Revelation 20. This raging spiritual warfare can be seen through the lens of the covenants God made with Israel and the administration of God’s purposes through His people. Through God’s sovereign hand over Israel, His providence and grace can be seen throughout the whole of Holy Scriptures. The unfolding spiritual conflict to prevent the “seed of the woman” can be clandestinely observed in the outworking of God’s relationship with His …

Exploring The Impact Of Cultural Event Attendance On Undergraduate Students' Perceived Sense Of Community At A Dual-Mission University, Post Covid: A Predictive Correlational Study, Jared Stephenson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative predictive correlational study was to determine how accurately a sense of community (the criterion variable) can be predicted from cultural event attendance (predictor variable) for undergraduate students at a dual-mission university, post-COVID. This study is grounded in the Sense of Community Theory and is significant to students and other higher education stakeholders in determining where to focus efforts regarding student involvement that promotes a sense of community. This research utilized the Sense of Community Index-2 to gather data through a convenience sampling method, recruiting 84 participants from a large dual-mission university in the western United …

Creating And Implementing A Mentorship Ministry For New Believers, Moses Aleman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A major spiritual crisis exists in the Christian church due to the lack of care and attention given to new believers. Although many churches provide conversion opportunities, they may not prioritize discipleship and support for those who are new to the faith. Consequently, some new believers resign their faith when faced with difficulties, while others may struggle without crucial elements of their faith and doctrine, causing obstacles in their future spiritual journeys. This thesis project argues that having a New Believers Mentorship Ministry is vital and effective in addressing these issues. The project coordinator has three specific expectations for the …

Intentional Discipleship: Implementing A Theology Of Discipleship For Spiritual Growth, Sheina L. Rivera

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

One of the greatest needs for the church today is to equip believers to become biblically informed, fully developed disciples so that they are prepared to carry out the mission of Christ. Without fully understanding mature discipleship practices, believers cannot fulfill the Great Commission to “go, teach and baptize” to make other disciples. The failure to understand and teach these practices has led to complacency, lack of interest, and the inability to become disciples among long-term church laity. This dissertation implemented biblical discipleship teachings and practices in a local church through a Sunday School curriculum and was evaluated through participant …

Exploring 21st Century Learning In Virginia Secondary School Technology And Engineering Classrooms: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, George Nicholas Cornwell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine how integrative STEM teachers utilize the Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy (STEL) to foster and assess 21st-century learning in technology and engineering classes at multiple Virginia public secondary schools. The theory guiding this study was Kolb’s experiential learning theory, which integrates nine learning theories into an innovative cyclical learning process that is like the engineering design loop. This hermeneutic phenomenology included 15 Virginia technology and engineering schoolteachers (Grades 6-12) who purposefully taught multiple academic disciplines and utilized the eight practices of the STEL in the context of their curriculum to …

African American Women's Posttraumatic Growth After Infidelity, Thelma J. Carpenter-Ellis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological study aims to examine African American women’s posttraumatic growth experience after infidelity without compromising health-related issues. This phenomenon of PTG after cheating needs to be thoroughly analyzed and added to the literature. The research questions are: (1) How do African American women describe their personal growth experiences after marital infidelity? (2) How do African American women describe characteristics that were [e.g., personality, character, fortitude, sense of identity] vital for their resiliency post-infidelity? and (3) How do African American women describe the changes in their assumptive worldview [e.g., trust, safety, attachment, religious faith] because of marital betrayal? Some …

A Qualitative Research Study Exploring The Lived Experiences Of K-12 School Teachers Who Serve African American Students Who Speak African American Vernacular English, Kayla K. Davies

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the proposed transcendental phenomenological study will be to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of k-12 schoolteachers working with African American students and their usage of AAVE in the State of Maryland. The theories guiding this study are critical race theory and Krashen’s second language acquisition theory. This qualitative transcendental phenomenological study will collect data from 12 participants in the state of Maryland using individual interviews, focus groups, and letters. The data will then be analyzed using Braun and Clarke's qualitative descriptive research data analysis plan. The data showed that k-12 schoolteachers mainly perceived AAVE as a …

Extended Reality In Flight Attendant Training: Perception And Acceptance, Levi L. Breeding

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study aimed to understand the perception of extended reality (XR) technology in flight attendant training. Comparing and contrasting current approaches to flight attendant training in the United States and XR technology yields similarities and many differences. Two common methods require flight attendants to demonstrate proficiency in several areas, such as aircraft familiarization, emergency procedures, and security procedures, to qualify as a working crew member of commercial aircraft. This study examines the views of flight attendants. The data analysis compares demographic information, technology use, and understanding of the technology. Results of the study indicated no significant effects or relationships between …

A Qualitative Study Of A Stepfather’S Perceptions Of Their Role In A Successful Second Marriage In A Blended Family, Kathy Barbee Thornton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study aimed to comprehensively understand the unique perspective of remarried men as stepfathers within the context of second marriages in blended families. The research delved into the lived experiences of these individuals to shed light on their roles, challenges, and contributions to the dynamic of blended households. By applying Bowen’s family systems theory (FST) to the constructs relevant to blended families, this study offers a resource to the professional counseling community and support for blended families facing various issues. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews focused on the stepfather’s role and responsibilities within the blended family structure. The narratives …

Authentic Adolescent Education: A Phenomenological Study About Adolescent Emotional Development And Its Relationship To Meaningful Learning Community Engagement And Transformative Education That Values Adolescent Leadership, Edwin R. Diaz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of high school teachers who teach high school students to determine if, through their experience with the current curriculum, adolescents develop feelings of emotional disconnect with public education at a Bronx high school. The central research question guiding the study is: What are the reasons high school teachers are content or discontent with the current curriculum at a public high school in the Bronx? The guiding questions are: How is the current state of our current public education affecting the adolescent’s emotional well-being and identity identification …

Qualitative Case Study Regarding Experiences Of Freedom Of Speech On College And University Campuses In The United States, Jeffrey Dana Ward

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine how suppression of free speech on college and university campuses in Southtown, USA affects student self-efficacy. The theory guiding my study is Bandura’s social cognitive theory as it will evaluate the interplay between the system and environment sources of influence at Secular university Christian university in Southtown, USA. How has freedom of speech on college and university campuses affected the self-efficacy of college students in faith-based organizations? Interviews and focus groups were utilized to collect data for this central research question. Thematic analysis and coding was utilized to analyze the data collected. …

Collaborative Decision Making Improves Interpersonal Psychotherapy Efficiency: A Randomized Clinical Trial With Postpartum Women, Scott Stuart, Rebecca L. Brock, Erin Ramsdell, Stephan Arndt, Michael W. O’Hara

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background: Randomized controlled trials of Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) and other psychotherapies for depression have required strict adherence to protocol and do not allow for clinical judgment in deciding frequency of sessions. To determine if such protocols were more effective than allowing therapists to use their clinical judgment, we compared “Clinician-Managed” IPT (CM-IPT), in which clinicians and patients with postpartum depression were allotted 12 sessions and determined collaboratively when to use them, to a once weekly 12 session protocol (“Standard IPT”). We hypothesized that CM-IPT would be more efficient, requiring fewer sessions to reach an equivalent acute outcome, and that …

“Every Nation Except Our Own”: The Social Gospel, Anti-Immigrant Sentiments, And U.S. Foreign Policy, Andrea Darmawan

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This thesis concerns the social gospel, a liberal Protestant movement that enjoyed its heyday in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The thesis argues that the movement’s two most prominent figures, Washington Gladden and Walter Rauschenbusch, expressed an antipathy toward immigrants and a paternalistic attitude toward foreign nations and cultures. These attitudes then laid the foundation for contemporary anti-immigrant sentiments and US foreign policy. Gladden and Rauschenbusch’s rhetoric contains sentiments which act as a precursor to various elements of American exceptionalism, from missionary activity abroad to liberal attitudes toward the Middle East after 9/11. These links have …

Conceptualizing First-Year Writing Agency: The Transfer-Rhetorical Genre-Voice Triad As An Enactment Of Rhetorical Agency, Amanda Kerr

English Department Theses

In First-Year Composition, Teaching for Transfer is an evidence-based pedagogy that teaches students to write across contexts, a goal specified in the WPA Outcomes Statements for First-Year Composition (3.0). However, the implicit relationships shared between Teaching for Transfer, expressivism, and Rhetorical Genre Studies pedagogies are an underexplored area in the teaching of first-year composition. Given the presence of an implicit relationship between transfer, proficiency in rhetorical genres, and student voice in the WPA Outcomes, this thesis defines a dynamic interrelationship between pedagogies of transfer, expressivism, and Rhetorical Genre Studies. In an effort to foreground a comprehensive first-year composition pedagogy that …

Let The Music Play:Using Community Engagement To Develop A New Sustainable Audience, Leslie D. Wilcher

Nonprofit and NGO Studies Student Projects

Abstract

The Symphony is a dying breed of live music. The lack of classical music education and interest has left barriers to the symphony. Around the country, nonprofit symphonies are adapting to build a sustainable audience. So, how do we stop the closures of the orchestras? How does the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra engage the community through programming and events to accommodate a new sustainable audience for the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra (KSO)? My research will show that new audience members are waiting to be introduced to the symphony.

This research shows that community engagement is the key to bringing a sustainable …

Comparison Of Methods For Estimating Instantaneous Turn Radius Of Ackermann Steering Vehicles, Kenneth Gennaro Stutts

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The instantaneous turn radius of an Ackermann steering vehicle is the distance to a point in space about which the vehicle will travel in an arc during a turn. There are at least six ways to estimate instantaneous turn radius and each method uses different inputs and has distinct advantages and disadvantages. In this thesis, six different methods will be used to estimate the instantaneous turn radius of a vehicle traveling on a closed circuit. This testing will clarify similarities and differences between the methods. This thesis clarifies which method will be the most appropriate for a given set of …

Isolation Of The Toxic Principle Of Senecio Latifolius By Means Of The Sensory Receptors Of Sheep, Leendert D. Snyman

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

The aversive substance of Senecio latifolius was isolated by means of the sensory receptors of sheep averted to S. latifolius. Chemical fractions refused due to the presence of the aversive substance sensed by the sheep were fractionated until a purified substance had been isolated. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis of the purified substance showed it to be sceleratine nitrogen oxide, the toxic principle of S. latifolius.

The Grizzly, December 7, 2023, Marie Sykes, Erin Corcoran, Georgia Gardner, Hannah Conley, Kate Horan, Sean Mcginley, Amelia Kunko, Dominic Minicozzi

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Spring 2023 Recap • Fall 2023 Recap • Farewell From the News Editor • Farewell From the Web Editor • Students Surprise With Spotify Wrapped Lists • 2023 Crossword • Reflections From Ursinus' December Graduates • Ursinus Athletics Fall 2023 Recap: Men's • Ursinus Athletics Fall 2023 Recap: Women's

Evaluating A Video Peer-Modeling Intervention On The Acquisition And Maintenance Of Social Skills For Adults With Autism In A Transition Setting, Adam K. Hammond

Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the use of a peer video modeling and prompting intervention used to teach three adults with autism to give a specified verbal and physical response when greeted. This intervention used a six-step task analysis to verify correct completion of the target behavior. At baseline, each of the three participants gave little to no response when greeted but after the video modeling and prompting intervention all three had acquired at least five out of six (83%) of the target behavior steps. Follow-up probes demonstrated that all three of the participants had maintained at least 4 out of 6 …

Characterizing Stress Granule Regulation By Pas Kinase, Ataxin-2 And Ptc6 And Investigating The Lifespan Of Covid-19 Virus On Currency, Colleen R. Newey

Theses and Dissertations

The protein Ataxin-2 is a known positive regulator of stress granules in humans, mice and yeast (known as yeast PBP1). Due to the role that stress granules play in diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and cancer, this thesis investigates the role of Ataxin-2 and its protein binding partners in stress granule development and its effects on various metabolic phenotypes of the cell. PAS kinase is a sensory protein kinase, conserved from yeast to man, which regulates respiration and lipid biosynthesis. Our lab discovered that PAS kinase phosphorylates and activates Ataxin-2 in yeast, and that PAS kinase overexpression enhances localization …

A Series Of Improved And Novel Methods In Computer Vision Estimation, James J. Adams

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, findings in three areas of computer vision estimation are presented. First, an improvement to the Kanade-Lucas-Tomasi (KLT) feature tracking algorithm is presented in which gyroscope data is incorporated to compensate for camera rotation. This improved algorithm is then compared with the original algorithm and shown to be more effective at tracking features in the presence of large rotational motion. Next, a deep neural network approach to depth estimation is presented. Equations are derived relating camera and feature motion to depth. The information necessary for depth estimation is given as inputs to a deep neural network, which is …

Effectiveness Of Intelligent Transportation Systems On Utah Roadways, Matthew Cline Davis

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the findings of a comprehensive research study conducted for the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) to evaluate the effectiveness of commonly deployed Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) treatments in Utah, with a focus on Variable Message Signs (VMS), traffic cameras, and Road Weather Information System(s) (RWIS) sites. The study aimed to determine the impact of these ITS treatments on mobility and safety for Utah's unique road conditions and configurations. Three primary analyses were performed: a diversion rates analysis to assess the effectiveness of VMS on Utah freeways during incidents; a weather analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of VMS …

Advancements In Levitated Optomechanics: Exploring Plasmon-Enhanced Light-Matter Interactions In Optical Trapping, Siavash Mirzaei Ghormish

Theses and Dissertations

Optical trapping of metallic nanoparticles investigates phenomena at the interface of plasmonics and optical micromanipulation. This thesis combines ideas from the optical properties of metals, originating in solid-state physics, with the force mechanisms resulting from optical trapping. I explore the influence of enhanced light-matter interaction due to the plasmon resonances of gold particles on their trapping properties. I present theories for trapping mechanisms of gold metallic particles and then verify these theories through experiments. Optical trapping of metallic nanoparticles is considered challenging, especially in air, as they are highly absorbing and reflecting at optical wavelengths. Yet the optical levitation of …

Evaluating Strategic Leadership Development Programs, Felicia Littlejohn

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Companies that lack an in-depth understanding of leadership development program evaluation may invest in a program that achieves suboptimal results. However, there is no generally prescribed framework for the evaluation of leadership development programs. Thus, the purpose of this action research paper is to provide the basis for vetting leadership development programs based on their organizational fit and investment value, training methodologies, workplace development approaches, coaching and development support, and targeted business outcomes.

More Than Just Drums: Examining The Effectiveness Of Percussion Methods Curriculum In Preparing Instrumental Music Teachers To Develop Successful Percussion Programs, Thomas Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The typical instrumental music education major at the university level is required to take hours of methods courses on each of the standard instrument families. These courses are too broad to fit into the timeline of a semester and degree path. Many of these courses include the vast array of techniques and pedagogy that the percussion family includes. Percussion students must learn proper techniques for an infinite number of instruments. This task can be challenging to non-percussionists. This qualitative study examines the existing percussion curriculum at major universities within the state of Georgia as well as the perspectives of new …

The Road To Armageddon: American Culture And Politics During The Late Cold War, 1970-1991, David Lee Denham Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Bible prophecy has long engaged the American mind. By the late Cold War, Biblical prophecy increasingly shaped the political beliefs of millions of Americans within the evangelical community. The group most impacted were dispensationalist Christians who interpreted the Atomic Age through the lens of end-time prophecies. Dating as far back as the seventeenth-century, American colonists living on the frontier of the British empire in North America embraced millennialism and, at times, interpreted current events through the lens of Bible prophecy while anticipating the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Battle of Armageddon. Through the centuries, Bible prophecy became a …

The Causal-Comparative Analysis Of Academic Performance Of High School Students With And Without Disabilities In The Face-To-Face And Online Educational Settings, Marina V. Clayton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this non-experimental causal-comparative study was to determine whether there is a statistically significant difference in the academic performance of high school students with and without disabilities who received math instructions in face-to-face and online educational settings during the 2020-2021 school year. During that year, educational establishments worldwide transitioned from traditional face-to-face to online delivery mode, complying with the social distancing requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemics. The current study employed a convenience sample that consisted of 588 high school students from Georgia. Participants took the Georgia Milestones End-of-Course Test in Algebra I in the spring of 2021 …

Health Care Organizations’ Research Capacity And Culture’S Effect On Nurses’ Evidence-Based Practice Implementation, Tamela Marie Fonseca

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Strategies For Reducing Employee Turnover In The Construction Industry, Daniel Lee Brewster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Montclarion, December 7, 2023, The Montclarion

The Montclarion

Student Newspaper of Montclair State University