Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Exploring The Relationship Between Trauma, Motivation, Current Stress, And Immigrant Elementary Students, Jayme Branagh Landon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The current study explored the relationship between past trauma of immigrant students and motivation in a group of public-school elementary students in Washington state. Additionally, this study explored how stress affects academic motivation. It was hypothesized that past trauma would significantly affect immigrant student motivation and that current stress would moderate motivation in school. Only students with past trauma experience and who qualify as an immigrant, were included in this study. Participants completed The Cameron Complex Trauma Interview (CCTI), Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), and The Perceived Stress Scale for Children (PSS-C). While motivation has been studied, the factors …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Impact Of The Extrovert Ideal On Introverted Senior Pastors, Shawn Patrick Liebegott

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Susan Cain (2012) coins the term Extrovert Ideal. According to her, this ideal is the notion that extroversion is the preferred personality type in North American culture. This ideal extends to leadership where the best leaders are expected to exhibit extroverted personality traits. The Extrovert Ideal can be problematic for introverted leaders who may not fit the typical stereotype of the ideal leader. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the impact of the Extrovert Ideal for introverted senior pastors who lead churches within the NorthStar Church Network located in northern Virginia. The data collection for this study …

Developing An Intentional Disciple Making Strategy For Fathers To Lead Their Families In Spiritual Transformation, Michael Cauthorne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Do current student ministries produce disciples that can stand the test of the current culture? Has creating a separate ministry worked against God’s plan for making disciples? Statistics from across the Church would suggest the American Church is in decline. Within the Southern Baptist Convention there has been a continual decline in baptisms over the past few years. This project will seek to determine if there is a correlation between how student ministries are led in the modern church to how effectively the church has been in making disciples. With research and data collected from current and former student ministries, …

An Exploration Of Military Spouse Mental Health: Religion/Spirituality, Resilience, Social Support, Deployment, And Rank, Sharita Gwen Knobloch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Military spouses (MLSPs) are a vital component of military readiness and resilience, yet they are highly understudied, particularly within the realm of mental health. This study was grounded in resilience theory, investigating relationship interactions between religion/spirituality (R/S) on mental health through resilience (mediator) conditioned at levels of social support, deployment, and rank (moderators). An online survey was distributed via social media, open to MLSPs of all branches and all components (N = 1079). This quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional correlational research design utilized PROCESS Model 58, which found that two R/S subscales, Daily Spiritual Experiences and Religious Coping, exerted indirect effects on …

Implementing Christlike Love In The Johnson Grove Baptist Church, Robert Lee Sullivan Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research project was paramount, the title expressed the vision and purpose of the researcher as an under-shepherd of Christ. Implementing Christlike Love was not just designed for this church, but the key principle that was used in this project can inspire others. The problem addressed was a lack of true Christlike love in this church. Believers assumed that loving others would be automatic but loving like Christ requires God’s help. The purpose of this project was to appraise and resolve the perceived lack of Christlike love within the Johnson Grove Baptist Church. This researcher sought to provide a remedy …

Intervention: Helping The Rural Baptist Church Identify Areas Of Strength And Weakness For Greater Kingdom Service, Anthony Jerome Baylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The rural Baptist Church has historically been a place of tradition, cultural importance, and refuge. It has been led by a wealth of great leaders who have served generations of faithful members. Over time, many rural Baptist Churches have seen a gradual decline, and some are on the verge of extinction. This decline may be a direct result of those churches attempting to continue unnecessary traditions and unproductive ministries. These churches also sacrifice future interests and prospects for institutional practices that do not fulfill the Great Commission and promote destructive practices. To initiate an intervention into the destructive practices of …

Teaching Intentional Discipleship In An Age Of Moral Relativism, David Cruz Martinez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Teaching Intentional Discipleship in an Age of Moral Relativism is essential to counteracting the downward trend of morality, religious affiliation, and church growth in America. In the church where discipleship and fulfilling the Great Commission is becoming more of an option versus a necessity, the fruit of unintentional discipleship has contributed to the transformation of America into an age of moral relativism with no end in sight unless the church reverts to its first love of the Great Commission. The project will accentuate the statistics that demonstrate the current statistical decline of church attendance in the western world and explain …

A Study Of Hunger Relief-Based Outreach As A Model Of Church Growth For The Unattractional Church: The Gospel Grocery Wagon, Jerry Wayne Vineyard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the research project is to create a strategy for Under Over Fellowship to engage the immediate low socio-economic, cross-cultural, and multi-racial community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to see those who make professions of faith in Jesus Christ become active members of Under Over Fellowship. This model of church growth will be facilitated through the combination of servant evangelism and long-term hunger relief. This method will provide a comfortable and non-confrontational way for members of Under Over Fellowship to build relationships and share the gospel with the residents of the low-income apartment complexes and trailer …

The Effectiveness Of Christian Accommodative Mindfulness To Reduce Burnout Of Parents And Educators Of Disabled Children, Donna M. Weston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research project utilized a four-week Christian accommodated mindfulness protocol with parents and educators of disabled children as a dissertation in completion of the author’s doctoral studies. Chapter one provides an introduction to the need for the study, both in terms of the gap in research and the needs of the population to be studied, as well as the problem, purpose, and significance of the study, research questions and definitions. Chapter two discusses the relevant literature regarding the stressors and mental health challenges facing parents and educators of disabled children, especially in light of the increased risks and challenges posed …

Chaplaincy: A Practical Approach To Caring For The Human Spirit, Susan Fair

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This DMIN project is based on the Pastoral Ministry program at Nyack College, which publicly promotes that it leads the student to become a professional in the ministry context. The problem is that the academic curriculum does not include components of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). The project facilitator reasons that the current environment demands that spiritual care providers possess a specific skill set extending beyond pulpit preaching, reading scriptures, and prayer. The literature review contains articles, journals, and books that explore caring for the human spirit within the physical, spiritual, emotional, financial, religious, and holistic context. The research methodology designed …

Autocratic Leadership Within West African Pentecostal Denomination, Ezekiel Olaleye

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to determine whether autocratic leadership theory best explains the nature of leadership in the West African Pentecostal/Charismatic Denomination (PCD) across West Africa and to compare the current leadership practices within the PCD to a biblical and theological framework. Since Africa is the fastest growing Christian continent in the world, it is important to give careful attention to matters arising within the church leadership. The researcher believes that this study helped shed light on leadership challenges within African Christianity, Christian education, and most importantly within the Pentecostal/Charismatic denomination. It also provides information that …

Commercial Violin: Creating A Hybrid Twenty-First Century Collegiate Violin Curriculum, Ryan Joseph Ogrodny

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the stylistically diverse professional music opportunities available to twenty-first century violinists, modern collegiate violin students are most often exclusively trained through traditional classical pedagogy. Conversely, violinists who perform commercial music often do not experience formal classical training, which provides functional foundational skills required of the professional violinist. There has yet to be a collegiate violin curriculum developed that incorporates elements of both classical and commercial music, allowing for diverse musical opportunities through structured and sequential pedagogy. This qualitative research study identifies, examines, and compares current classical and commercial collegiate violin methodologies simultaneously as a framework for the development of …

Understanding Eschatology Leads To A More Fruitful Christian Life, John Michael Mendola

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The evangelical church cannot fulfill its mission to facilitate the return of Jesus unless its membership’s studies eschatology. Too many relegate biblical prophecies to the past without recognizing their fulfillment in the here and now. This study investigates the contemporary belief structure of church members and aims to develop an effective corrective measure in order to improve the spiritual life of its members while advancing the church’s central mission of evangelizing. This study aims to determine what members know about church viewpoints on eschatology and deliver an educational remedy. The 15-person sample received a six-week course on eschatology developed and …

Measuring The Effectiveness Of Large-Scale Discipleship Methods In Adult Believers: A Study Of The Southwest Church Rooted Experience, Kim Walton Harrell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Spiritually mature believers bear the burden of responsibility for an early-stage believer’s discipleship development. As a believer matures over time, the weight of responsibility shifts from the church corporately to the individual believer’s responsibility to disciple himself and others. Southwest Church has approximately 3,500 adult attendees on an average weekend and has the responsibility to disciple large numbers of early-stage believers in their faith journey. This research of large-scale programmatic discipleship methods centers on the Rooted experience recently adopted at Southwest Church. The purpose of this DMIN action research thesis is to positively affect the early discipleship development of adult …

Analysis Of Texas Collegiate Mariachi Ensembles: Standard Repertoire And Genres, Angela Michelle Morgan-Thornton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A standard prescribed music list exists for band, orchestra, and choral music ensembles in Texas K-12 music education. Presently, no prescribed music list exists for mariachi ensembles or degree plans in Texas at the collegiate level. This study used explanatory sequential mixed methods to examine the differences in seven Texas collegiate mariachi programs’ standard teaching and performance repertoire. The study explored the commonalities and differences in repertoire and balance of mariachi genres in instruction. The repertoire of diverse genres reflects influences associated with European, Caribbean, and Indigenous cultures and musical forms. Related issues of this study included music literacy, college …

The Flourishing Life Of The Leader Who Makes God The Top Priority, Frank Owusu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Thesis Project that is undertaken in Richmond, Virginia, is addressing the issues in the leaders of churches’ lack of understanding, when it comes to prioritizing their relationship with God. The purpose of the thesis is to train the men and women in leadership, so that they seek and reach forth onto that highest priority of relationship with Christ. The interventions that are designed to help in the development of the spiritually healthy leaders include the practices that the Lord Jesus Christ mentions in His speech, the Sermon on the Mount. Through mentoring and the participants’ initiative in fasting, prayer, …

Texas Administrators' Perspective Of Music Educators In Classroom Evaluations In Regards To T-Tess, Thomas C. Kennedy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the perspectives of music educators in classroom evaluation processes, the perspectives of Texas administrators using the newest teacher evaluation process, the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS), have yet to be examined. The administrators’ perspectives matter because the complexity of the T-TESS process coupled with the uncertainty of music educational knowledge may lead to inconsistency in evaluation. This qualitative study aims to examine the perspectives of Texas administrators concerning their preparation in music teacher evaluation. Current research fails to identify the perspectives of Texas administrators in the evaluation of music educators in classroom instruction. Views on evaluation training, …

The Moderating Effect Of Shame Proneness On Avoidant God Attachment And On Anxious God Attachment, Tamika Andrews Sirmons

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study’s focus was on examining both anxious and avoidant God attachment and the correlation of each to both positive and negative religious coping as moderated by shame proneness. Participants were 158 individuals ages 18 to 70 years across the United States who proclaim Christianity. They were assessed on their attachment relationship with God, religious coping strategies, and proneness to shame. Correlation analysis already established the relationship between God attachment and religious coping. Regression analysis revealed shame proneness as a moderator of the relationship between the two attachment styles and both positive and negative religious coping. This study had limitations …

Assessing The Views Of Haitian Evangelical Leaders Regarding Christ-Centered Preaching From The Old Testament, Stevenson Dorcélus-Cetoute

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Preaching is an absolute necessity, great preaching more so to transform society and advance God’s kingdom. Great preaching is that what points to Christ in every text from Scripture New Testament as well as Old Testament. Based on Luke 24 and other fundamental texts this study shows preaching Christ from the Old Testament is warranted. The purpose of the study however was to find out the attitude of Haitian leaders/pastors/preachers regarding Christocentric preaching and also ascertain if they are willing to know more whatever their knowledge is currently on the issue. This quantitative study uses the survey method, and we …

An Effective Online Training Strategy For Worship Leaders In Korea, Dong Hyun Kwon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A trained worship leader plays a significant role in a modern church's proper worship experience. It is hard to find well-prepared worship leaders, and most local churches need to train those who are or will be leading their worship services. There have been various courses for this purpose by several organizations in Korea. However, these programs have usually been limited to those who are able to attend at a certain time and place set by the organization. Those who do not live in large cities or cannot afford time off during those hours have been excluded from the opportunity to …

A Study Of Support For The Bereaved In The Local Congregation, Ngoy Nadine Ilunga

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The bereaved often face the ongoing challenges of grief with little support from the Church. This study aimed to resource the Church with practical methodologies to help congregants cope with grief. The study examined the troubling issues the bereaved experience after the death of a loved one. Survey data was collected from ten United Methodist members and had lost an immediate family member within the past five years. The measure consisted of interviews and questionnaires. An email and a verbal announcement during church worship service built the sample. Findings reveal that approximately 90% of participants experienced grief and emotional effects …

A Study On Bible Study Group To Improve Expository Preaching Preparation: The Case Of 701 Korean Church Bible Study Group, Young Shik Choi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The rapid growth in number of Korean churches have led the period of quantitative revival. However, at same time, diverse problem emerged such as materialism and secularization. The main reason was due to the lack of spiritual growth of the church members. In this regard, expository preaching which provides clear understanding of the scripture and applications to live as healthy Christians is inevitable. Many preachers in the past have had interest in and tried expository preaching but they could not write down their script with elements of expository preaching due to the lack of understanding and training in this field. …

Exegesis: Mark 6:30-44, Younggwang Kim

Masters Theses

Jesus’ feeding the five thousand is the only miracle that the four Gospels commonly recorded among the miracles Jesus Himself performed. The feeding miracle episode is like the gem, which changes light colors slightly depending on how people see it. However, some scholars try to approach it only in a particular direction and partially understand it. Based on the literary-historical-theological methodology, this thesis has a focal point to disclose the compressive and multi-dimensional implications. The exegesis of Mark 6:30-44 begins with the refinement of interpretive methodology. The methodology of this thesis prudently considers both the traditional perspective and recent research. …

Reflip Type: Developing Visual Strategies For Teaching Typography To Collegiate Students With Dyslexia, Brittany D. Strozzo

Masters Theses

In educational facilities today, the approaches to teaching typography to college students with dyslexia are limited. This thesis provides a research-based pedagogy for teaching typography to students in a way that accommodates the visual, processing, and auditory differences present in students with dyslexia. Through the analysis of the learning disability itself, existing material for graphic designers with dyslexia, and current accessibility standards for those with dyslexia, this thesis offers a practical solution to provide a more balanced learning experience for all students, especially those with dyslexia. The aim of this study was to examine the current graphic design standards and …

And The Lord Added To Their Number Daily: A Historical Overview Of The Growth Of The American Evangelical Church, Erica Morgan Wrench

Masters Theses

Serving Special Education Students In The Music Classroom: Accommodating And Advocating For Learners With Exceptionalities, Kathryn Lambert

Masters Theses

Music education programs positively impact the lives of students both socially and emotionally. As the following research suggests, music may have an even greater impact on students with disabilities or exceptionalities. Due to the lack of accessibility, funding, time, training, and other issues, opportunities in music education programs may be limited to groups of students who may not fit the standard music education student profile. As teachers of common core classes may struggle to accommodate students with exceptionalities and may feel as if they are lacking in resources or other needed preparation to adequately serve these students, these struggles are …

Tomb And Temple : The Poet’S Use Of Positive Body Imagery To Communicate Messages Of Psychological Wellbeing, Shelby Elizabeth Poulin

Masters Theses

Mary Oliver writes that imagery is the texture of a poem, and the “detailed, sensory language incorporating images . . . gives the poem dash and tenderness” (Oliver 92). Imagery brings poetry to life, offering the reader a whole-body experience over simple description. Oliver cautions, however, that imagery is powerful and should be used responsibility, further implying that this texture can also become jolting, harsh, or offensive if used incorrectly (Oliver 107-108). With this caution in mind, the purpose of my forty-six poem collection—Tomb and Temple: Letters to the Body—is to use images of the body responsibly, in a way …

Curriculum Framework For Composing And Arranging For Contemporary A Cappella Choirs, Hillary Nicole Goodson-Spear

Masters Theses

As vocalists, it is important for us to understand techniques regarding current styles of vocal composing and arranging including voicing, beat boxing, and body percussion. The success of several mainstream television programs such as Glee and The Sing-Off, popular movies franchises like Pitch Perfect, and groups like Pentatonix and Straight No Chaser, demonstrate the rising popularity of contemporary a cappella music. It also reflects the need to be able to write unique arrangements of traditional or popular songs to keep up with recent trends. Current research suggests that there are very few resources available for music educators to teach this …

Patrick Henry And John Jay: True Patriots And Advocates For Civil And Religious Liberty, Nancy Lynn Greenwood

Masters Theses

Patrick Henry and John Jay had a significant impact in the founding of the United States of America as two of the principal and most influential Founders. They were also among the most public Christians of all the Founding Fathers. Their dedication in their fight for civic and religious freedom as a means to maintaining liberty was well-known. Despite these similarities, they opposed each other on most every major issue. Each envisioned different governments in which to obtain liberty and to keep the American republic. This thesis seeks to explore the differences and similarities between Henry, as a leader of …

Eldre65: Creating A Website For Senior Adults Based Upon User Experience, Rebecca Joy Bozarth

Masters Theses

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote, “Time and tide wait for no man.” He was correct. Aging is universal. It affects all humans in positive and negative ways. From children becoming teens to adults becoming senior adults, each stage of life brings changes and challenges. In one’s forties, menus can become harder to read, hair can fall out, hearing in loud environments can become difficult. Then, in one’s mid-sixties, more difficult challenges can arrive. Health issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, lung disease can become a regular part of one’s life. Cognition slowness, vision and hearing loss can create difficulties not only …