Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Non-Denominational Female Ministry Leaders' Disciple-Making Experience Using Digital Platforms: A Phenomenological Study, Vorlea C. Chaney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A global pandemic in the winter of 2020 forced the faith community to close its doors in the interest of public safety. Due to the closings, the faith community resorted to digital platforms to continue to make disciples, according to Matthew 28:19-20 (King James Version, 1991). Jun (2020) asserts the current digital age is poised to be the next industrial revolution used by the church to make disciples. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate female ministry leader’s digital disciple-making experience. According to Leedy and Ormrod (2019), “the term phenomenology refers to a person’s perception of the …

Using Environmental Scans To Help Direct And Sustain Local Best Practices, Emily Lapworth, Carol Kussmann

Joseph P. Healey Library Publications

The digital landscape is in a state of constant change, and there is no one-size-fits-all formula for managing your digital assets, so understanding your local context is crucial to planning an effective digital stewardship strategy. Whether you are just starting out or have been at the same institution for 10 years, conducting an environmental scan can help. What are the internal and external changes you need to manage? What kind of stuff are you dealing with, and who are the stakeholders? Where is it located, and what systems are you using? What tools are available, and how have best practices …

From Agroecology To Democratic Resilience: Community-Based Food Security And Climate Adaptation In West Sumatra, Dina Yulianti, Virtuous Setyaka, Arry Bainus, Deasy Silvya Sari, Akim Akim

Jurnal Wacana Politik

The West Sumatra has a high index of food security and because of its dependence on modern farming systems that are chemical based, farmers are susceptible to environmental degradation and market forces worldwide. Through the Critical International Relations (CIR) approach of Robert W. Cox, this paper analyzes how community-based agroecological practices can be the solution to a transition between climate change adaptation and democratic resilience in West Sumatra. The current study is dedicated to the case of Cheap Staple Rice Fields (Sawah Pokok Murah - SPM) an agroecological farming system, a grassroots movement that helps to break free of the …

Exploring Adaptability In Military Leadership: Challenges And Responses During Crisis, Adam M. Gray

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

United States military leaders frequently operate in environments where predefined strategies and standard operating procedures may be insufficient for responding to crises. The study addressed a leadership problem: a decline in adaptability among military leaders over the last 10 years. The specific problem addressed in the study focused on how military leaders adapt non-predefined strategies in crisis situations when predefined strategies are insufficient. A qualitative single-case study design was used. Using purposeful sampling and an IRB-approved semi-structured interview protocol, 19 military leaders with crisis leadership experience at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels participated in the study. The study sought …

The S.A.V.E. Model Of Biblically-Based Existential Therapy For Residents Of The Assisted Living Facility Casa Di Riposo Sardara In Sardinia, Italy, Gregory K. Cherven

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Christian gerontological counseling, a traditionally non-progressive field, is a crucial area of ministry, particularly for older adults in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. At Casa di Riposo Sardara in Sardinia, Italy, many residents aged 70 and older lacked a solid biblical understanding of existence and eternal life, contributing to widespread existential anxiety among this population. To address this issue, the researcher developed the S.A.V.E. (solitude, autonomy, value, eternity) model of biblically based existential therapy. This model targets the four main pillars of existential therapy: meaninglessness, isolation, freedom, and death, offering biblical solutions for each. The approach incorporates positive imagery …

Anchored In The Shifting Tides: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study Of Paramedic Resilience And Worldviews, David Eric Wolff

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of paramedics in Western society, who self-report sustaining positive psychological well-being despite their emotionally and psychologically demanding work, examining the interplay of their narrative identity, spirituality, worldviews, and social connections. The stories paramedics construct about their realities can reveal the underlying meanings and how their role has molded who they are, best viewed through a threefold constructivist theoretical framework: narrative identity theory to understand how paramedics make sense of their experiences, transformational learning theory to identify how paramedics adjust their worldviews to while coping, and posttraumatic growth theory …

Exploring Nonresident African American Fathers’ Experiences Of Fatherhood, Jennifer Juanita Occil

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore nonresident African American fathers’ experiences of fatherhood. Although research has examined the influence of father involvement on children’s social, educational, and psychological outcomes, limited qualitative research has focused on the lived experiences of nonresident African American fathers, particularly those with higher levels of education and from the fathers’ perspectives. Family systems theory guided this study, focusing on differentiation of self, interdependency, and boundary setting. The central research question was, how do nonresident African American fathers describe their experiences of fatherhood? For this study, six nonresident African American fathers who had …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Spouses Of Veterans With Ptsd And Nightmares In Coastal Georgia, Heather Evans

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of spouses of veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with recurring nightmares in coastal Georgia. Since the experience of the spouse of a veteran is a unique experience, the theories that guided this study were Bowen’s family systems theory and Lazarus and Folkman’s stress theory. These theories guided this study in comprehending the complexities of this role and the family dynamics and stress of a spouse of a veteran with PTSD and nightmares. Thematic analysis was used in this study to analyze the data. The literature on …

Becoming Resilient: The Lived Experiences Of African American Women Who Were Raised By Single Mothers While Pursuing Higher Education, La'quita Shaunae Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore the lived experiences of African American women ages 18–45 who were raised exclusively by single mothers while pursuing higher education. The purpose of the study was to examine how participants interpreted and made meaning of resilience within the context of their academic journeys. Nine participants met inclusion criteria following an initial screening process. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using IPA’s iterative, idiographic approach, allowing for in-depth exploration of individual narratives prior to cross-case thematic synthesis. Findings revealed resilience as relational, intergenerational, and culturally grounded. Themes reflected maternal modeling, adaptive persistence, …

Beyond "Bad Apples": Political Identity, Moral Interpretation, And Institutional Response To Abuse, Laura Werner

Student Theses

This thesis examines how psychological explanatory frameworks and structural institutional response interact to shape how domestic violence and sexual abuse are understood and addressed. Drawing on behavioral design theory and John Dewey's transactional approach to experience, I argue that harm is interpreted through mental models that simultaneously shape both individual perception and institutional action. Using survey data from 736 participants, I demonstrate that endorsement of the "bad apples" explanatory framework, attributing abuse primarily to a small group of deviant individuals, is predicted by psychological essentialism, belief in a just world, social dominance orientation, and political conservatism. These findings suggest that …

Project Future: Turner Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church Leadership Development And Success Planning Project, Tonya Renee Mcclure

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study found that adaptive, relational, and vision-centered leadership approaches significantly enhance emerging leader development and engagement at Turner Chapel AME Church. Grounded in contingency theory (Fiedler, 1967), decision-making theory (Vroom & Yetton, 1973), and Northouse's (2022) transformational and servant leadership concepts, the mixed-methods research integrated quantitative and qualitative data. The findings underscore the essential roles of coaching, strategic organizational design, and spiritual formation in cultivating authentic leaders. Integrating transformational and servant leadership creates a lasting framework for emerging leader development, pointing to the value of intentional, data-driven leadership pipelines within faith-based organizations.

Understanding Intergenerational Relationships Of Asian Immigrants And Their Adult Children: A Phenomenology, Christine Yiu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many studies have examined the challenges U.S. immigrants face during acculturation, but few have examined Asian immigrants’ intergenerational relationships with their adult children. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of Asian American adults in intergenerational relationships with their first-generation immigrant parents. The theoretical frameworks were Berry’s Acculturation Theory, Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, and the Christian Worldview. The central research question was: How do Asian American adults describe and make meaning of their intergenerational relationships with first-generation immigrant parents? Participants were nine Asian Americans, aged 23 to 35, with at least one first-generation Asian immigrant …

The Challenge Of Leaders Within The Public Sector Organization To Adapt Their Leadership Skills To Reflect The Changing External Environment, Leading To Poor Quality Production And Resulting In The Inability To Improve Performance, Kingsford Agyemang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research examined the influence of leadership adaptation, leadership competencies, and strategic decision-making on organizational productivity and performance in the United States public sector. It addressed the challenge of leaders’ limited capacity to adapt effectively to evolving organizational environments, which may lead to diminished production quality and lower employee performance. The objective of this mixed-methods study was to investigate how leadership behaviors can be modified to improve organizational outcomes and to identify essential competencies that enhance performance. A convergent mixed-methods design was employed to integrate qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative component consisted of semi-structured interviews with eight leaders. The …

The Impact Of Property Tax Exemptions On The Hospital Real Estate Utilization, Howard Allen Levine

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation analyzes the effects of property tax exemptions on real estate utilization by hospitals in the production of medical services. Economic theory suggests that differential taxing creates inefficiencies causing destruction of wealth from deadweight loss. Property taxation is done by state and local governments. State and local governments spend 4.5 trillion dollars annually in the United States (Pustejovsky & Little, 2023, p. 2). Although only spending on services using real estate has efficiency effects due to real estate taxes, every 1% gain in overall efficiency is 45 billion dollars saved annually if the results can be generalized to all …

The Role Of Leadership Style On Perceived Effective Communication And Job Satisfaction In The Community College Virtual Workplace, Julie I. White

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Advances in technology enable the creation of virtual workspaces, allowing geographically dispersed virtual employees to collaborate in teams and complete tasks. We must understand the advantages and challenges that virtual teams encounter. This research examines the relationships among leadership styles, perceived effective communication, and job satisfaction within virtual teams, specifically in community colleges. Transformational, servant, and authentic leadership styles of virtual leaders in higher education were evaluated. Participants include full-time and part-time virtual faculty from community college institutions. Data was collected through online surveys. A quantitative correlation research design was employed to explore the experiences of virtual faculty working at …

Constitutionality Of Gender Pay Disparities In New York, Kevin Dean Moton, Sr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Does Enrollment In A Career, Technical, And Agricultural Education (Ctae) Program Predict Students’ Maladaptive Behaviors And High School Graduation Rates In A Rural Georgia High School: A Descriptive And Correlational Analysis, Breanna M. Strickland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examines the effectiveness of the Career, Technical, and Agricultural (CTAE) program in a rural Georgia high school and its effectiveness on high school graduation rates and maladaptive behaviors in the setting. Grounded in both the Social Learning Theory and Happenstance Theory, this study explores how structured and unplanned experiences influence student outcomes. A quantitative, non-experimental correlational design was used to analyze archivable data from approximately 512 students across six cohorts spanning the 2015-2016 school year through the 2024-2025 school year. Variables in the study include CTAE participation, behavioral referrals, and graduation rates.

Findings from the study reveal positive …

Police Officers Perceptions And Attitudes Towards Responding To Mental Health Crises: A Phenomenological Study, Kenderlette Necosha Gibson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The increasing prevalence of mental health issues and their connection to law enforcement creates a need to understand the perceptions and attitudes of police officers toward mental health. Through this qualitative phenomenological study, the lived experiences of police officers from multiple local law enforcement agencies located in Southeast Texas Region were examined, with a focus on how they perceived mental health issues, how they responded to crises involving mental health issues, and how their perceptions influenced their decision-making during these crises. It is estimated that at least 52.9 million people in the United States have experienced mental health issues since …

Canine And Equine Behaviors In Therapy: An Exploratory Multiple Case Study, Sarah E. Montano

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) utilizes animals in the treatment of clients with mental health disorders. Dogs and horses are often used in this modality, but studies have not explored the use of these two types of animals in AAT to discover if there are similarities and differences in the behaviors the animals display during therapeutic sessions. The present study utilized interviews with clinicians providing canine-assisted therapy or equine-assisted therapy to investigate similarities and differences. The interviews were audio and video recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes regarding the behaviors of the animals. The analysis showed …

Living In The Shadows: Men Who Suffer Domestic Violence: A Phenomenological Study, Sharon R. Blackmon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Domestic violence (DV) among male victims is increasingly prevalent today, and it has a tremendous effect on both male and female victims. DV has had a lasting negative impact on the overall well-being of the male victims, and it has caused them to experience physical, emotional, and psychological distress. DV does not discriminate against race, gender, cultural background, economic or educational status. While there are a vast number of studies on DV, male victims are considered perpetrators instead of victims. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe male domestic violence victims' experiences with domestic violence in rural West …

Exploring The Uses And Gratifications Of Digital Ministry: A Qualitative Case Study Of Christian Engagement With Jonathan Pokluda’S Instagram, Lashalle A. Schornberg

Masters Theses

This study explores the uses and gratifications of Christian social media engagement through a qualitative content analysis of Instagram posts and user comments from digital ministry figure Jonathan Pokluda. While online ministries reach millions daily, limited research has examined how this content meets the spiritual, emotional, and relational needs of young audiences within a social media context. Grounded in uses and gratifications theory, this study analyzes 1,534 publicly available Instagram comments to identify patterns of engagement and user motivation. Through thematic analysis, eight primary forms of engagement emerged: brief encouragement and affirmation, emotional resonance, personal testimony and life disclosure, conversational …

Family Is Forever: A Qualitative Study Of The Impacts Of Adoption On Adoptees, Rebekah Mei Hedlund

Masters Theses

This study explores the lived experiences of adoptees and the ways in which adoption has impacted them. Grounded in communication theory of identity (CTI), this research examines how adoptees express their identities throughout their lives via communication. Using a qualitative approach, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with adoptees over the age of 18 from diverse backgrounds. The findings revealed three key themes from adoptees: identity, education, and opportunity. Participants described identity to be an ongoing and evolving process throughout life, often influenced by biological origins and family dynamics.

The theme of education emerged through participants’ desire for educating potential adoptive …

A Quantitative Case Study Of Family Communication Patterns Theory And Parental Awareness Of Divine Rivals, Calista Coletti

Masters Theses

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine how parents of different family communication pattern types are aware of the connect of the books their teens read. The problem is that parents have different awareness levels of the content of teens’ books or the books their teens read and it is unknown why they differ and what factors influence differences in awareness. This study focuses on the book Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. The findings show that families with a high conversation orientation have parents who know more about the content in the books their teens read. The results …

War Stories: A Rhetorical Criticism Of How The War Stories In Extreme Ownership Are Used To Teach And Reinforce Leadership Principles., Landon Roseberry

Masters Theses

This rhetorical criticism examines how military combat narratives, or war stories, exhibit distinct narrative elements that communicate leadership principles. This study operationalizes Walter Fisher’s (1984; 1989) narrative paradigm for rhetorical criticism to examine how narrative rationality (narrative fidelity and narrative coherence) is created in four war stories from the New York Times bestselling book Extreme Ownership, written by Jocko Willink and Lief Babin. This study views the narrative elements and leadership values through the lens of Generation Y values and norms. This study found that war stories create an extreme setting in which narrative consequences are heightened, and leadership values …

The Accuracy Of Free Ai Generated Image Detection Tools Compared To Human Judgment, Rachel Tsai

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

The rise of artificial intelligence has led to a surge in AI-generated images, creating new obstacles for forensic investigations. As synthetic images become increasingly realistic, distinguishing them from authentic content becomes more difficult. In forensic investigations, it is essential to prove the authenticity and integrity of digital evidence to maintain admissibility in court. Currently, there are various AI detection tools on the market; however, their accuracy and reliability remain uncertain. This study evaluates the effectiveness of several free AI-generated image-detection tools compared with judgments from unaided college students or recent graduates. Participants were asked to analyze a set of 30 …

Operational Responsibility In Ai Governance: A User-Centric Liability Framework, Zhengyang Chen

Faculty Publications

Who bears responsibility when artificial intelligence systems cause harm? This question has become central to AI ethics and governance. Most existing approaches focus on developers, yet this faces serious practical and theoretical problems. Drawing on tort law, agency law, and philosophy of technology, this paper argues that AI should be understood as an instrument whose outputs remain the responsibility of human operators rather than developers. We call this 'user-centric governance.' Placing accountability with deployers promotes public trust by creating clear lines of responsibility, a concern that governance approaches have often overlooked. It preserves democratic accountability by keeping human actors answerable …

Who Gets To Be Taken Seriously? Three Atypical Scholars Navigate Doctoral Education At The Intersections Of Race, Neurodivergence, And Veteran Identity, Sr. Richard De La Garza

Dissertations

As a first-generation, neurodivergent, Mexican American/Chicano veteran, I entered the University of San Diego's doctoral program having had experiences that most institutional intake processes would label as risk factors. The Findings chapter of this dissertation begins by describing those experiences—not as a confession, but as the foundation for a systematic inquiry into how doctoral legitimacy is produced, withheld, and defended. The description of my life experiences is followed by a discussion of the doctoral journeys of two other study participants who also were atypical doctoral candidates.

The central argument being advanced is this: What higher education calls "fit," "rigor," and …

Employee Engagement And Its Motivational Drivers: Lived Experiences Of Generation Y Employees In The Workplace, Ololade Dorcas Afolabi

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This qualitative study sought to explore the meaning of employee engagement among Generation Y employees in the United States. Specifically, this research aimed to understand how Generation Y employees described their lived experiences of engagement and the motivational drivers that influence their engagement at work. The researcher interviewed five Generation Y employees. Two of them work in retail industry, two work in healthcare technology, and one works in higher education. The findings show that the participants have a shared meaning of engagement, defining engagement as alignment between their personal goals and organizational goals. In addition, participants shared lived experiences of …

China’S S&T Think Tank Transformation For Building A World-Class Science And Technology Power: Trends And Prospects, Dongmei Liu, Ning Huang, Yangxu Lu, Zhe Li

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

To address the strategic demands of establishing China as a world-class science and technology power, the transformation of its S&T think tanks has become an urgent priority. The unique knowledge products generated by these think tanks in supporting decision-making for national S&T advancement constitute a vital component of China’s independent knowledge system. Consequently, the transformation of S&T think tanks and the development of this domain’s independent knowledge system form a mutually reinforcing and coupling process. This study analyzes the imperatives and positioning of think tank transformation and independent knowledge system development through the renewal of intellectual foundations, the articulation of …

Construction Of New-Type Think Tanks With Chinese Characteristics Calls For Innovation In Think Tank Theories And Methodologies—Review, Summary, And Prospect Based On 10th Anniversary Of National High-End Think Tank Pilot Program At Institutes Of Science And Development, Chinese Academy Of Sciences, Jiaofeng Pan, Yijun Liu, Wuyun Qiqige, Mingxi Liu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Since China launched the pilot program for the construction of high-end think tanks in 2015, the Institutes of Science and Development, Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as CASISD), as the core carrier of the CAS National High-End Think Tank Pilot Program, has forged an exploratory path from specialization and scientization to disciplinization.Over the past decade, committing to the fundamental purpose of serving the scientific decision-making of the Party and the country and taking theoretical and methodological innovation as its core engine, CASISD has originally proposed the DIIS Process IntegrationMethod　and the Think Tank Double Helix Methodology, taken the …