Digital Commons Network^™

Purposes For Sacred Song In Eighteenth-Century British Colonial America, Merrily Kelsey

Liberty University Research Week

In eighteenth-century colonial America, the colonists sang sacred songs for several reasons which they identified in song text, song book introductions, journals, sermons, and several other places.

The Lakota Sioux And The U.S.: What Went Wrong?, Blake Rackley

Liberty University Research Week

No abstract provided.

Transnational Beings: Corner Store Entrepreneurship Of Mena Immigrants Of The Third Wave, Gabriel Al-Shaer

Liberty University Research Week

No abstract provided.

Taming The Spirits: How Late Antiquity Domesticated The Bible's Supernatural World, Brian Pepin

Liberty University Research Week

This study examines a major hermeneutical shift in the interpretation of the Bible’s supernatural worldview, arguing that a decisive transition occurred during late antiquity (ca. AD 250–430). The biblical text presents a cosmos populated by active spiritual beings, including angels, demons, and divine agents influencing nations and history, and early Christian readers largely accepted these elements as real. However, as Christianity increasingly engaged with Greco-Roman intellectual culture, pressures to present the faith as rational and philosophically credible led to growing discomfort with literal readings of supernatural texts.

Through historical-theological analysis of patristic literature, this study traces how influential figures such …

Recovering Children's Choirs: Bonhoeffer's Musical Pneumatology And The Formation Of Polyphonic Fellowship, Dee Tackitt

Liberty University Research Week

This textual-investigative study explores how Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s musical pneumatology and his theology of polyphony provide a framework for recovering children’s choirs as practices of Spirit-formed communal discipleship. In Bonhoeffer’s writings—especially Life Together, Ethics, and Letters and Papers from Prison—polyphony becomes a theological metaphor in which “distinct voices sound together” under a unifying center without collapsing differences. Recent scholarship, particularly by Joanna Tarassenko, identifies this polyphonic imagery as a form of implicit pneumatology: the Holy Spirit harmonizes plurality into a fellowship where unity does not require uniformity, and difference does not result in division. This project applies that framework to the …

A Historical Study Of The Nursing Role, Kristen Montgomery, Jessica Aranda Bsn, Rn, Amanda Dalton Bsn, Rn, Machea Scott Bsn, Rn, Lisa Desantis Bsn, Rn, Halle Hilton Bsn, Rn

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Purpose: Historically, nurses have been at the bedside simply following the direction of physicians, but much has changed since then.

Aims: The purpose of this study is to examine how the roles of nurses have changed over the decades, from pre-professional caregiving to advanced practice. This study focuses on the birth of nursing as a profession, the direct experiences of nurses from different generations, the shift in physician-directed care to collaborative care, how nurses interpret the impact of major healthcare transformations on their role, and the emergence and development of the nurse practitioner role.

Methods: The study was conducted using …

Myth In Service Of Sin: Theology And Mythology In Dante's Inferno, Holly Staggs

Liberty University Research Week

Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy has been a central focus in medieval poetic scholarship. As a distinctly allegorical work, Dante's epic poem perfectly situates Christian teachings alongside paganism to reinforce a Christian moral order. One of the cornerstone teachings of the 14th century became Bishop John Thorseby's Seven Deadly Sins. While the Seven Deadly Sins teachings were obviously present in Purgatorio, the second part of Dante's poem, they also appear in Inferno. Dante positions them alongside pagan mythological figures in Inferno to strengthen his allegory for Christian moral order.

Using Path Analysis To Examine The Psychological Well-Being Model For U.S. College Students, Pi-Ming Yeh, Cheng-Huei Chiao, Gavin Waters

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Background: College students’ psychological well-being and mental health issues are very important in this society. Little is known about a comprehensive psychological well-being model for college students.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was using Path Analysis to examine the Development of Personality and Psychological Well-Being Model among US college students.

Methods: This was a cross sectional, descriptive design. The 481 participants were recruited from nursing and business college students in the United States. After IRB approval, the trained researchers explained this study to college students. After agreeing to participate, they signed an informed consent form. Upon completion of a …

In Vitro Vs. In Vivo Studies On The Interaction Of Natural Products With The Gut Microbiota: The Example Of Stw 5, Olaf Kelber

Oxford ICSB

Background: Recent evidence suggests that natural products can modulate microbiome composition, offering health benefits. This study evaluates the effects of STW 5 (Iberogast) on microbiota in functional dyspepsia (FD) and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) through a comparison of in vitro and in vivo data. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted using PubMed and other scientific databases to collate data on STW 5's impact on the gut microbiome at phyla and genera levels. Results: In vitro studies demonstrated an increase in Enterococcus and a decrease in Clostridium and Bacteroides. Further in vitro research confirmed an increase in Firmicutes and a …

To Loot Or Not To Loot: The Rise And Fall Of The Louvre (1793-1815), Rebecca Felton

Liberty University Research Week

The recent break-in at the Musée du Louvre resurrected centuries-old questions having to do with conquest, colonialism, and—above all—culture. The ease with which a group of criminals walked into the Galerie d’Apollon and walked out again with priceless artifacts in tow undercuts one of the primary justifications for the creation of the museum in the first place—that only a nation as civilized as France could safeguard the cultural inheritance of the West. The robbery thus begs the question: if France cannot even do that, why should she be allowed to keep the artwork she acquired through dubious means in the …

Just One More Thing, S'Il Vous Plaît: The Use Of Affective Presentation In Fictional Detectives Hercule Poirot And Lt. Columbo, Rachel Smith

Liberty University Research Week

No abstract provided.

A Parlamente Of Liberté, Égalité, And Fraternité: Gender Inequality In The Heptameron, Gabriella Wiehe

Liberty University Research Week

Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptameron emerges from the cultural and religious upheaval of sixteenth-century France as a sophisticated critique of patriarchal society. This research argues that through her use of “truthful” nouvelles, Marguerite transforms narrative into a tool of social reform, exposing systemic abuses against women while advocating for female liberty, equality, and fraternity. Unlike its model, Boccaccio’s Decameron, the Heptameron insists upon the veracity of its stories, positioning them as reflections of lived female experience and thereby legitimizing women’s testimony within a culture that routinely silenced it. By dramatizing issues such as sexual coercion, marital inequality, and moral double standards, …

The Assessment Of Women: A Study Of The Recruitment, Assessment, And Training Of Female Personnel In The Oss, Adaline Brenning

Liberty University Research Week

This study of the recruitment, assessment, and training of female OSS personnel sheds light on often overlooked aspects of the employment process within OSS. Through primary and secondary source research, including the study of undigitized archival material at the National Archives II, this research presents the earliest stages of the employment of female personnel as the first chapter of a broader M.A. thesis study of the women of the OSS. Key findings include an understanding of the rapid and effective development of the whole organization visible through the expansion and improvement of onboarding processes, contributions to scholarly understandings of women's …

Amplifying The Issues Of Colorism: How Literature Challenges Colorist Beauty Standards, Wytinsea Jones

Liberty University Research Week

Colorism is a major concern in our society, including literature. Colorism excludes darker-complexioned people and perceives lighter complexion as more desired, favorable, and acceptable. In Alice Walker’s book, In Search of our Mothers’ Gardens, she defined colorism as, “preferential treatment of same-race people based solely on the color of their skin” (Myers, n.d.). This research presentation aims to explore how damaging colorism has been to ethnic communities and its impact on literature. Analyzing data on colorism found in Hispanic, Asian, Black, and Native American families will help provide context on the global phenomenon. Additionally, examining the correlation colorism has in …

Yun Dongju And The Effects Of Colonization On Literature, Grace C. Shields

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

Tucked away in a small room, in a country he used to recognize, poet Yun Dongju (1917-1945) drafted nineteen poems that would become the foundation of his legacy: Sky, Wind, Stars, and Poetry. Growing up during the Japanese annexation of Korea, Yun drafted his poetry during a time where Korean language and cultural practices were banned by Imperial Japan. In my essay, I will use Yun’s poetry as a viewpoint for dissecting the negative effects of literary censorship brought about by colonization. Additionally, I will discuss the significance of how Yun – one of Korea’s most famous poets – …

Beyond Memorization: Ai Chatbots For Smarter Retrieval Practice, Marcy A. Faircloth, Patrick G. Paulson, Lawrence Schrenk

Essays in Education

This paper explores the integration of artificial intelligence chatbots as tools for implementing retrieval practice – an evidence-based learning technique that significantly enhances long-term memory retention – in business education contexts. We present four distinct implementation strategies that vary in sophistication and resource requirements: the standard AI model approach, which allows students to upload materials and use custom prompts for flexible, self-directed practice; the course-specific chatbot, which provides immediate access to preloaded curriculum content; the dedicated retrieval practice chatbot, which incorporates systematic algorithms for spaced repetition and interleaved practice; and the course-specific chatbot with integrated retrieval practice module, which combines …

Didactic Aspects Of Education Of Primary Teachers With A Focus On Strengthening Their Media Literacy And Fighting Disinformation. Experience From The Czech Republic, Kamil Kopecký, Veronika Krejčí

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The paper describes specific experiences with educational activities aimed at strengthening media literacy in the field of combating disinformation among primary and secondary school teachers, which were implemented in 2022-2023 through the Central European Digital Media Observatory. A total of 3633 primary and secondary school teachers from all over the Czech Republic participated in the education and evaluated the educational events. The article presents examples of specific educational activities oriented to the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes of students through teaching in primary or secondary school.

Leveraging Critical Social Media Literacy To Safeguard Youth Against Violent Radicalization And Extremism, Muhammad Akram, Adeela Arshad-Ayaz, Muhammad Ayaz Naseem

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Social media is inundated with radical and extreme propaganda. Such information is often left unfiltered due to platform algorithms that are economically driven and socially unethical in design. It puts social media users, mostly youth, in danger of becoming radicalized and vulnerable to supporting and engaging with extremist beliefs. When young people lack sufficient critical social media literacy (CSML), radical and extremist information impacts their perspectives, affecting behavior in the real world. A PRISMA-guided systematic review of the Web of Science core collections and the Scopus database was used to find peer-reviewed articles about how CSML skills can be used …

From Consumers To Creators: Social Media Information Literacy Of University Students., Thuy Thanh Bui, Quyen Trang Mai Nguyen, Tu Thi Thanh Nguyen, Minh Cao Luu

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Social Media Information Literacy (SMIL) is increasingly important as social media platforms evolve. SMIL includes skills for navigating, evaluating, managing, creating, and engaging with social media content, aimed at effective information use and critical thinking. Using Heiss, Nanz and Matthes (2023) framework, this study surveyed 410 students via a self-assessment on a 5-point Likert scale. Results indicate students rated their SMIL as average, with the highest scores in appraisal and comprehension, and the lowest in digital creation. Female and senior students, as well as those in Education majors, rated themselves higher. Longer internet usage correlated with better SMIL, especially in …

From Y To Z: A Cross-Generational Examination Of New Media Literacy And Online Information Searching Strategy, Taibe Kulaksız, Ali Geriş, Sena Özşirin

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study aims to explore the relationship between new media literacy (NML) and online information searching strategy (OISS), focusing on the comparative analysis of Generation Y and Z in terms of gender, educational level, daily internet usage and the most used social media platforms. This research was designed as a cross-sectional survey study. Using a convenience sample method, the participants were composed of Turkish adults representing Generation Y and Z. Demographic Information Form, New Media Literacy Scale, and Online Information Searching Strategy Inventory were conducted. Two-way MANOVA was utilized for analysis. The results indicate the main effects of generation on …

Teacher Reflections On Media And Information Literacy In Vietnamese K-12 Schools: Current Practices, Challenges, And Pathways For Improvement, Tinh T.T Le, Minh Tran, Anh Dương, Huong T. Pham, Vy Tran, Daniel Jackson

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Media and Information Literacy (MIL) education is widely recognized as essential, yet its adoption in Vietnamese K-12 schools is still at the early stages. This study examines the current state of MIL education in Vietnam from the perspective of teachers. Drawing on insights from a trial online MIL teacher training program, which includes teachers’ learning journals, lesson plans, and an open survey using SWOT forms, we explore the approaches they use, the challenges they face, and the opportunities in promoting MIL education in their school setting. Additionally, the findings highlight specific professional development needs to enhance teachers’ MIL instruction quality. …

The Creative Participation Pedagogical Approach To Media Literacy Education, Amanda Levido

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Approaches to media literacy education have developed over time in response to cultural understandings and the development of new media digital technologies. One approach that extends on current Media Arts approaches to media literacy is the Creative Participation approach. Underpinning this approach is an emphasis on how young people work together to make meaning through the process of production. The Creative Participation approach draws on the theory of Communities of Practice (Wenger, 1998) and the concept of participatory culture (Jenkins, 2006) to support the assertion that young people, through shared practices, the generation of meaning through media artworks, and through …

Productive Disruptions: An Equityoriented Framework For Civic Media Literacy In The Digital Era, Carlos Jimenez, Lynn Schofield Clark, Johnny Ramirez

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This article introduces Productive Disruptions as a framework for civic media literacy that centers equity and social justice. Past scholarship has emphasized understanding media content and gaining competence in media production. To center equity as a structural concern beyond individual behaviors, we argue for media literacy interventions that support disrupting racism in content, production, and digital media distribution systems themselves. Drawing on an ethnographic case study with young people experiencing marginalization, we examine how youth productively disrupted instances of systemic racism via TikTok and Instagram. We identify three distinct modes of intervention: creating counter-narratives that disrupt racist discourses, subverting adult-led …

Don’T Tell Me How To Fact-Check; Show Me, And Let Me Try! A Media Literacy Intervention With Sixth-Graders, Thomas Nygren, Carl-Anton Werner Axelsson

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study examines how different educational approaches related to "Fria Ordets Dag" (Free Speech Day), a media literacy program by the Swedish public service, affect the ability of 859 sixth-graders to evaluate news and misinformation. Findings indicate that verbal instructions from a professional fact-checker and animations to model online fact-checking were less effective than demonstrative, authentic video tutorials. Feedback and practice were also important. The intervention yielded mixed outcomes on students’ attitudes towards credible news sources, pointing to the necessity for educational designs that bolster fact-checking and source trust. The research emphasizes how large-scale school interventions to promote students’ navigation …

Promoting News Literacy With Epistemological Beliefs, Ifla Checklist And Ai: Insights From A Teacher Training Program In Italy, Flavio Manganello

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study examines the integration of epistemological beliefs, the IFLA checklist for evaluating news credibility, and the News Verifier, an AI tool powered by GPT-4, within a teacher training program aimed at enhancing news literacy. It explores the relationship between educators’ epistemological profiles and their ability to classify news using the IFLA checklist. The study also evaluates alignment between human classifications and those generated by the News Verifier, examining the potential of AI as a complementary resource for supporting practice and reflection in news literacy education. Results indicate that consistent application of the checklist improves alignment with AI outputs, although …

Building Resilience: The Influence Of The Format On The Effectiveness Of News Literacy Messages, Patrick F. A. Van Erkel, Peter Van Aelst, David N. Hopmann, Claes H. De Vreese, Joren Van Nieuwenborgh

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Although academic interest in news literacy messages (NLM) has grown, many questions about them remain unresolved. First, it remains unclear how the format of the NLM influences its effectiveness. Second, we still know little about their long-term effectiveness. To answer these questions, this study conducted a two-wave experiment in Belgium. We compared NLMs in the format of a text, an infographic, and video. We also manipulated elements in the false news article that participants had to evaluate. Our findings show that NLMs are effective and that the effects remain over a middle-long period of two weeks. Second, we find that …

Smart Wearable Plasma Healing Patch With Adaptive Electronic Control And Integrated Biosensors, Zainab Hussam Al-Araji

Engineering and Technology Journal

Traditional healthcare for chronic wounds and Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) treatments relies on passive dressings and large-volume stationary equipment operating with open-loop systems, which severely limits their use and confines it to specialized clinical environments. To address the lack of active thermal safety mechanisms in mobile devices, this research proposes a wearable smart plasma patch equipped with a closed-loop adaptive electronic control system to ensure safe patient care and treatment at home. The smart patch integrates real-time analog biosensors to continuously monitor skin temperature and relative humidity. An algorithm running on a microcontroller dynamically adjusts the high-voltage plasma parameters using …

Ganti Rugi Dan Tanggung Gugat Produk, Ibrahim Idham

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Spring 2026 Excellence In Research And Creative Inquiry And Incite Award Ceremony, Office Of Student Research, Longwood University

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

No abstract provided.

The Perceived Impact Of Gifs, Emojis, And Photo Comments On Digital Community Building, Katherine G. Hartman

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This study examines how GIFs, emojis, and photo comments influence users’ sense of belonging within digital communities. Drawing on theories of digital rhetoric and sociocultural relativism, it argues that these visual elements function as rhetorical tools that convey tone, emotion, and shared cultural knowledge. Using a qualitative, survey-based approach, data was collected from 51 participants aged 18–24 about their use, interpretation, and perception of digital texts across social media platforms. Findings indicate that recognition and shared interpretation of digital texts are strongly associated with increased feelings of inclusion, while unfamiliarity can lead to exclusion or confusion. Emojis were found to …