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Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

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The Decline In Attendance At Local Churches In Queens, New York: A Biblically Based Strategic Revitalization Plan To Bring Local Churches Back To Spiritual Health, Marilyn A. Dolloway Jun 2023

The Decline In Attendance At Local Churches In Queens, New York: A Biblically Based Strategic Revitalization Plan To Bring Local Churches Back To Spiritual Health, Marilyn A. Dolloway

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The decline in church attendance is not a new phenomenon. Historical evidence shows that God has intervened to revitalize and restore the church to a healthy state. Unfortunately, attendance at churches in contemporary times worldwide has declined, as congregations at approximately ninety percent of churches have shrunk. This trend is evident in the United States, where upwards of fifty congregations close their doors permanently each week, resulting in an annual attendance decline of one to two percent. The decline is remarkable in the New York borough of Queens. Churches have been declining for decades, with only fifteen to twenty-five members …


The Intellectual And Diplomatic Discourse Of American Progressives And The Late Ottomans, 1830–1930, Brigitte Maricich Powell May 2023

The Intellectual And Diplomatic Discourse Of American Progressives And The Late Ottomans, 1830–1930, Brigitte Maricich Powell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The American intellectual and diplomatic discourse with the late Ottoman Empire is an understudied field of history. Major works to date are primarily focused on the US relations with the Turkish Republic starting in 1924, which at best may highlight the Barbary Wars and the Treaties of 1830 and 1862 as a precursor. Few works offer, if any, a comprehensive insight into the diplomatic relationship that evolved between the US and the Near East from 1830 to 1930. This research is meant to fill the absence by probing into the service of key American diplomats and intellectuals who visited and …


The Veneration Of Charlemagne In Divine Kingship: From Charlemagne To The Last Crusade, Lindsay Michelle Olson May 2023

The Veneration Of Charlemagne In Divine Kingship: From Charlemagne To The Last Crusade, Lindsay Michelle Olson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The current scholarship on medieval European sacral kingship does not address the significance of Charlemagne’s legacy on the practice but rather it enshrines him in the public imagination. This dissertation explores the means by which Charlemagne influenced the development of sacral kingship, thereby contributing to both focused and broad scholarship. Charlemagne’s legacy, primarily reflected in romanticized literature, impacted the development and practices of sacral kingship in France and England most explicitly demonstrated during the period spanning from the Norman Conquest to the 15th century. The research is based, in part, on the interpretation of contemporary fantastic, preferential, and romanticized literature …


A Jus In Bello Comparison Of Lee’S Gettysburg Campaign And Sheridan’S Valley Campaign, Jonathan Scott Thomas May 2023

A Jus In Bello Comparison Of Lee’S Gettysburg Campaign And Sheridan’S Valley Campaign, Jonathan Scott Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Just War Theory distinguishes between two levels of war, including jus ad bellum, or the just reasons for which the war is waged, and jus in bello, or just actions within the conduct of the war. This research paper focuses on jus in bello aspects of war, including non-combatant immunity, military necessity, and proportionality, in application to an understanding of history, that of the American Civil War. A significant question in this regard is how did commanders and their armies lead and conduct themselves in concern and adherence to the rules of warfare during campaigns in enemy territory? While the …


Making And Meaning In The Study Of Biblical Stories: A Case For A Unified Approach To Narrative Criticism, Todd Michael Oakes May 2023

Making And Meaning In The Study Of Biblical Stories: A Case For A Unified Approach To Narrative Criticism, Todd Michael Oakes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is threefold and involves looking across the disciplines of literary theory and criticism, hermeneutics, exegesis, and theology in the analysis of biblical literature. In the areas of literary theory and criticism this involves looking at poetics, modern linguistic theory, structuralist criticism, mimetic theory, and the elements of narrative storytelling. For hermeneutics we will measure how one might best interpret a story comparing the differences between text-centered, reader-centered, and author-centered approaches. Regarding exegesis we will advance an argument for the adoption of the grammatical-historical method over any other. This will allow us to make a case …


Restoration Of Key Middle Age Demographic Can Save The African Methodist Episcopal Church, Geromy D. Johnson May 2023

Restoration Of Key Middle Age Demographic Can Save The African Methodist Episcopal Church, Geromy D. Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

St. Luke faced years of struggles resulting in a dwindling ministry and membership with specific impacts resulting in missing generations within the church. The missing generations include Generation X who were born between 1965-1980, Generation Y who were born between 1981-1996, and generation Z who were born between 1997-2012. There are many methods used to combat church decline and incentivize membership growth including evangelism, mega facilities, appealing ministry, and church legacy attracting the community. This research sought to prove that if ministries were developed specifically targeting the wants and needs of the missing generations souls would be won for Christ …


Exploring The Semblant Effects Of Covid-19 On Minnesota High School Band Programs, Matthew Glen Marsolek May 2023

Exploring The Semblant Effects Of Covid-19 On Minnesota High School Band Programs, Matthew Glen Marsolek

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

At the time of this writing, the impact of the recent COVID-19 pandemic on music education at the secondary level is yet unknown. This study aims to collect and review available data to determine if the COVID-19 pandemic may have had an effect on participation in high school band in Minnesota. This convergent parallel mixed methods research study examines statistical data available through the Freedom of Information Act from a sampling of 167 out of a possible 476 public high schools in Minnesota to determine a potential impact between the COVID-19 pandemic and enrollment in high school band. This is …


Embedding The Theology And Principles Of Worship In Pastoral Training And Sermon Preparation, Janicka E. Newbill May 2023

Embedding The Theology And Principles Of Worship In Pastoral Training And Sermon Preparation, Janicka E. Newbill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A current literature investigation exposes a deficit in encouraging pastors and preachers to embed theology and principles of worship in their sermon preparation and pastoral training. This presents a concern when churchgoers gather in person or virtually to hear a sermon to strengthen their Christian walk each week. In addition, each year, seminary students and local church organizations graduate ministry leaders trained and prepared to deliver sermons designed to meet the spiritual needs of churchgoers. Yet, upon closer examination, there exist underpinning issues. Churchgoers are lacking in their understanding of worship. The Association of Theological Schools exposes a noticeable gap …


Dealing With The Problem Of Lack Of Interest In Evangelism At Freedom Hill Community Church, Max Prudent Jr. May 2023

Dealing With The Problem Of Lack Of Interest In Evangelism At Freedom Hill Community Church, Max Prudent Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

To deal with the problem of lack of interest in evangelism at Freedom Hill Community Church, a curriculum was designed as an intervention. Given the existence of many barriers to evangelism, this curriculum aimed at addressing only two of them, namely fear and biblical illiteracy. The curriculum was taught to ten participants over the course of six weeks over Zoom. Data collection tools that were used include a pre-course survey, a post-course survey, and a feedback survey. Analysis of the data has shown a positive change in attitude post-intervention in the areas of the relevancy of the intervention to participants’ …


Rediscovering The Protestant Reformation In African American Worship, Eddie Anthony Robinson May 2023

Rediscovering The Protestant Reformation In African American Worship, Eddie Anthony Robinson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Foundations are fundamental. Whether in the structure of a building, developing the mind, or establishing the faith, foundations are critical. The five solas of the Protestant Reformation are foundational to the Christian faith. When thinking of the Reformation and the five solas it produced, Psalm 11:3 comes to mind. This passage reads, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do” (Psalm 11:3, King James Version)? Today’s church needs to return to its foundations. This study argues that the five solas are a firm and solid foundation for the church. During the turbulent times of the Reformation, they held …


Parental Perspectives On The Role Of Music As A Core Subject, Justine M. Hansen May 2023

Parental Perspectives On The Role Of Music As A Core Subject, Justine M. Hansen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the designation of music as a core subject by federal and many state education policies, instructional time for elementary music classes is disproportionately less than that allocated to other core subjects. The perceptions held by parents of elementary school children may indicate the extent to which elementary general music education is valued by the public, affecting the allocation of instructional time. At present, no research exists examining the views held by parents concerning the designation of music as a core subject and its role in a well-rounded education. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions held …


The Declining Enrollment Of San Diego County High School Music Programs From 2006-2021, Charles James Jirkovsky May 2023

The Declining Enrollment Of San Diego County High School Music Programs From 2006-2021, Charles James Jirkovsky

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Since 2006, many San Diego County High Schools have experienced a dramatic decline in music program enrollment. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the new teaching paradigm served as catalysts that caused some San Diego County high schools to discontinue their music programs entirely. The enrollment statistics for San Diego County high school music programs during the fifteen years from 2006-2021 fall far below the national average. The effects of these changes have left many students and communities with either a struggling music program or without a music program at all. This case study examined a set of San …


The Historical And Modern Significance Of The Choctaw Hymnody, Angela M. Boatner May 2023

The Historical And Modern Significance Of The Choctaw Hymnody, Angela M. Boatner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Working with the Native Choctaw populations of early America, missionaries did much in the way of music and composition. One result was a compilation of original hymns written by English missionaries in the native Choctaw tongue, but there were also Choctaw composers and contributions. Singing these hymns in church services, gatherings, and social situations remains an activity where the Oklahoma and Mississippi tribal members participate today. The recorded history of the known hymns and composers is scarce and is disappearing daily in favor of teaching the ancient cultures rather than the religion of the white colonists. The research chose a …


A Case Study On Leadership And Digital Media Strategy For Prolonged Absences, Blake Michael Harcup May 2023

A Case Study On Leadership And Digital Media Strategy For Prolonged Absences, Blake Michael Harcup

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic created difficulties for the Western Church to meet together as it had normally done for generations. The question that arises is, “How is the church to continue its mission of reaching people with the Gospel and make disciples that make disciples when it is not able to gather together in the same manner as before?” This project will seek to determine the best strategies and tools that the modern Western Church can use to fulfill its mission through an online digital media strategy during these prolonged absences. A case study of Bedrock Church Sarasota and the strategies …


Commissioned: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Evangelism Beliefs, Practices, And Results, Shane Redding May 2023

Commissioned: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Evangelism Beliefs, Practices, And Results, Shane Redding

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although Jesus clearly commanded His Church to spread His gospel to the world and make disciples of all nations, the modern American Church has struggled to evangelize effectively, resulting in declining church attendance. While many churches claim to value evangelism, the results indicate a need for churches to reevaluate their current evangelism approaches. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine if a relationship exists between the levels of importance that churches place on evangelism, the churches’ tangible evangelism practices, and their new believer baptisms. The target population for the study was lead pastors from non-denomination, baptistic, evangelistic, Christian …


Jena And Auerstadt: Reorganization Of The German Military From 1807-1945, Blake Cole Lucy May 2023

Jena And Auerstadt: Reorganization Of The German Military From 1807-1945, Blake Cole Lucy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The twin battles of Jena and Auerstadt in 1806 and the defeat of the Prussian army by Napoleon I set in motion a series of reforms that transitioned Prussia into a modern state both economically and militarily. From these reforms and key reformers, the Prussian state established itself amongst other European powers of the time helping defeat Napoleon in 1815 ending the Napoleonic period. After the Napoleonic age, the Prussian state again faced a dire situation during the 1848 revolutions and whether it would continue the reforms through a conservative or liberal approach. The military reforms of the 1850s during …


The Effects Of Socioeconomic Status And Administrator Support On Middle School All-County Chorus Selections, Celeste Rae Cruz May 2023

The Effects Of Socioeconomic Status And Administrator Support On Middle School All-County Chorus Selections, Celeste Rae Cruz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Achieving equal opportunity in vocal music instruction for middle school students in their classrooms is possible. Unequal practices can occur for middle school choral students who live in low socioeconomic areas. Students in middle or high socioeconomic areas can frequently take private music instruction and receive instruction from their public-school music teacher. Students with private music instruction may be selected for the All-County festival selections over students who cannot afford private music instruction. Student selections for all-county are based on ranking according to NYSSMA scores. Therefore, students from middle and high socioeconomic areas can rank higher than those who do …


Sel And Community Engagement Strategies For The Recruitment And Retention Of Suburban Middle School Band Students, Gina Marie Vingara May 2023

Sel And Community Engagement Strategies For The Recruitment And Retention Of Suburban Middle School Band Students, Gina Marie Vingara

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research has not yet found a correlation between community engagement and social-emotional learning (SEL) in a manner that benefits the recruitment and retention of suburban middle school band students. Teachers who create community engagement initiatives can boost the number of student recruits as the program becomes more widely recognized as a valuable asset of the school. This explanatory sequential mixed methods design study examined strategies regarding community engagement and SEL for recruiting and retaining middle school instrumental music education students. Perspectives on community engagement and SEL benefiting recruitment and retention of middle school band students emerged. Research revealed a connection …


Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Black Males Who Have Participated In A Black Male Initiative Program At A Historically Black College Or University, Jenard Darrell Moore May 2023

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Black Males Who Have Participated In A Black Male Initiative Program At A Historically Black College Or University, Jenard Darrell Moore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological was to identify and understand how Black Male Initiative programs contributed to the completion of an undergraduate degree for Black males at HBCUs. The study's central research question was: What role does the Black Male Initiative (BMI) play in Black male undergraduate degree completion at HBCUs in the U.S.? Shaun Harper’s anti-deficit achievement framework (ADAF) served as the conceptual framework for this study. Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory (SCT) served as the guiding theoretical framework for this study. The design of this study was a transcendental phenomenological design with multiple units of analysis. The sample …


Worship Leadership From The Beginning: A Comparative Study Of Exodus 15:1-21 And Judges 5, Vivian Ann Petties May 2023

Worship Leadership From The Beginning: A Comparative Study Of Exodus 15:1-21 And Judges 5, Vivian Ann Petties

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although many excellent books, commentaries, and journal articles have been written on worship leadership, no framework for worship leadership has been developed based upon Exodus 15:1-21 or Judges 5. The purpose of previous research has not been to discover principles of leadership, praise, and worship, or composition of music for use in ministry nor to develop a consensus about the roles played by the males and females in these texts. To develop a proposal for filling this lacuna, the present thesis will study Exodus 15:1-21 and (comparatively) Judges 5. This qualitative study will employ the exegetical methods of socio-rhetorical analysis …


A Phenomenological Examination Of Church Leaders' Perceived Impact Of Executive Coaching On Organizational Culture, Jerrell Stokley May 2023

A Phenomenological Examination Of Church Leaders' Perceived Impact Of Executive Coaching On Organizational Culture, Jerrell Stokley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The trajectory of the seminary training curriculum has evolved pedagogically at projecting adequate church leadership education and hands-on development. However, empirical research reveals that the seminary struggles with preparing generations of church leaders for modern church responsibilities including executive leadership, tactical performance, administration, and church organizational culture (Crowson, 2021; Costin, 2008). Hicks (2012), as cited by Smith (2017) states, “Recent studies have begun to explore the need for management training for pastors” (p. 2). Graduates as well as current church leaders report feeling ill-equipped for the increasing duties for today’s church culture. This qualitative, phenomenological study evaluated mid-to-senior level Christian …


A Case Study Of Racial Reconciliation In An Antebellum Multiracial Christian Church, Ossie X. Mckinney May 2023

A Case Study Of Racial Reconciliation In An Antebellum Multiracial Christian Church, Ossie X. Mckinney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It has been fifty-eight years since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation in public places in the United States of America. Yet, in the twenty-first century, a racial divide still exists in the American church. The American church has not been able to mend the rift that occurred within the antebellum biracial church after the end of slavery. This study examines the actions of a biracial antebellum church that was inspired by its antislavery leaders and the Second Great Awakening to join social activism with worship to foster Christian unity and racial reconciliation. An examination of autobiographies, journals, …


The Effects Of The Orff Approach On Language Acquisition For Spanish Foreign Language Students, Kimberly Jean Clare Chimento-Tichacek May 2023

The Effects Of The Orff Approach On Language Acquisition For Spanish Foreign Language Students, Kimberly Jean Clare Chimento-Tichacek

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the abundance of literature that supports music education connecting to language learning, limited research evaluates the effectiveness of elementary music methodologies, such as the Orff approach, in helping foreign language students in their language learning. The Orff approach develops musicianship in every student through music, movement, speech, and drama. Guided by Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, the researcher implemented a quasi-experimental research study to measure the language fluency of 100 elementary students participating in general music and learning Spanish as a foreign language. The researcher placed half of the students in the treatment group exploring the Orff approach in …


Tsenacommacah’S Role In The Survival Of Jamestown, Brandon J. Hewitt May 2023

Tsenacommacah’S Role In The Survival Of Jamestown, Brandon J. Hewitt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

How was a small, unprepared, sick group of 105 English settlers in 1607 able to settle squarely in the middle of a native confederacy whose numbers surpassed 15,000 individuals? This work will attempt to answer this question. At the same time, it will explain how a small group of Englishmen could quickly expand and become the first thriving English colony in North America despite being in the middle of Tsenacommacah, home of the Chesapeake Algonquian chiefdom. This research will place the focus on the Powhatan chief's decision-making processes regarding economics and politics as the reasons the English were able to …


How Lifestyle Worship Develops The Qualities Of Effective Leadership In Sacred And Secular Leaders, Pervis Omar Blake May 2023

How Lifestyle Worship Develops The Qualities Of Effective Leadership In Sacred And Secular Leaders, Pervis Omar Blake

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study will examine how lifestyle worship develops the qualities of effective leadership in sacred and secular leaders. The study will use descriptive research regarding leaders from the sacred and secular fields. This study will prove the benefit of the approach of developing leaders through the lifestyle worship model to be impactful in both. The study shows there are common themes and qualities of leaders in different levels of leadership and varying years of leadership. Although there are separate studies on the qualities of effective leadership in both the sacred and secular worlds, there is currently little to no …


The Perception Of K-12 Instrumental Directors In Low-Income Areas On Virtual Learning With Skill Development And Retention, Anthony Lewis Hunt May 2023

The Perception Of K-12 Instrumental Directors In Low-Income Areas On Virtual Learning With Skill Development And Retention, Anthony Lewis Hunt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Due to the extreme measures taken to protect students from COVID-19 during the pandemic, schools closed their doors, and educators struggled to continue teaching through virtual learning platforms. Performance-based classrooms were encouraged to discover new methods and strategies to motivate students to thrive even though face-to-face rehearsals were restricted. This study examined the experiences secondary music education instrumentalists faced while attempting to utilize synchronous and asynchronous instruction in a 100 percent virtual performance-based environment. This study aimed to understand the negative and positive effects placed on secondary instrumentalists’ performance abilities, fundamental development, and participation/retention since the introduction of virtual learning …


Pastors With Mission And Purpose Perceptions Of Strategic Leadership For The Church--A Multi-Case Study, Nancy Brown Smith May 2023

Pastors With Mission And Purpose Perceptions Of Strategic Leadership For The Church--A Multi-Case Study, Nancy Brown Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative multiple-case study aimed to explore pastors’ perceptions of strategic leadership at churches in Virginia. This researcher sought to understand the strategic leadership of pastors with mission and purpose ways of growing thriving churches. This research defined strategic leadership as “the capacity to learn, change, and have managerial wisdom” (Boal & Hooijberg, 2001, p. 515) based on the Strategic Leadership Theory (Finkelstein & Hambrick, 1996). Declining church membership, attendance at services, or even closures is alarming (Felicetti, 2021), and this research may help churches facing such problems. A rationale for this study was to explore pastors’ viable avenues that …


The Impact Of Classroom And Behavioral Management On The Quality And Level Of Learning In Music Education, Matthew Nicholas Farr May 2023

The Impact Of Classroom And Behavioral Management On The Quality And Level Of Learning In Music Education, Matthew Nicholas Farr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Music classrooms are often larger in class size than other subject areas. Larger class sizes affect discipline, especially in areas where there is only one teacher for the class or where classroom and behavior management is a point of concern. While little research will support the idea that effective classroom and behavior management can impact learning in music education, research does support the idea that lower discipline infractions in a classroom have higher academic achievement results. Classroom management in the band room can be well maintained when there are limited distractions that take the focus off of the instruction. If …


Seeking Biblical Clarity Through Blended Worship In Georgia Baptist Churches, Angelia Weide Mcleroy May 2023

Seeking Biblical Clarity Through Blended Worship In Georgia Baptist Churches, Angelia Weide Mcleroy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite worship training, many leaders in Georgia Baptist churches struggle to combine music styles cohesively to produce biblical worship. Because of the musical “worship wars” regarding traditional, contemporary, and blended styles, many leaders encounter congregations that lack an understanding of blended worship that marries varied music styles. Guided by survey findings of Georgia Baptist music leaders, this qualitative research case study may identify challenges leaders face concerning stylistic music selections while striving to achieve biblical worship. By evaluating the educational and training process and biblical content, the methodological selection of music can be assessed through this study as documented worship …


Preparing Pre-Service Music Educators To More Effectively Teach Students With Special Needs, James Patrick Tully May 2023

Preparing Pre-Service Music Educators To More Effectively Teach Students With Special Needs, James Patrick Tully

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study analyzed the current required coursework of pre-service music educators to prepare for teaching students with special needs at Pennsylvania degree-granting institutions. It surveyed graduates of Pennsylvania degree-granting institutions on their experience in preparing teaching students with special needs and the challenges and barriers faced as in-service teachers. An additional survey targeted the perceptions of current Pennsylvania music education professors and their thoughts on preparing pre-service music educators for teaching students with special needs. The surveys explore the answers to whether coursework designed for pre-service music educators to teach students with special needs successfully are adequate. The current …