21867 research outputs found
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The Christmas Sisters, A Screenplay
No full textThe Christmas Sisters is a screenplay about the Snow sisters and their father and how love, faith, and family can accomplish to save a beloved tree farm. A Hallmark staple, The Christmas Sisters offers all the comforts of a good Christmas movie but through the lens of a family and sisterly dynamic. By getting to know Holly, Eve, Joy, and Noelle, the true spirit of Christmas shines through, showing the audience that the miracle of the holiday season is found in each other
Perceptions of Defund the Police
No full textThis research delves into contemporary literature on the Defund the Police movement in the United States, a significant force shaping law enforcement practices and the future landscape of policing and criminal justice. Stemming from the aftermath of the 2020 George Floyd protests, this movement has spurred transformations in policing methodologies and resource distribution. With its expansion across the nation, law enforcement agencies are grappling with high turnover rates and a dwindling pool of qualified applicants. The Defund the Police movement, originally aimed at abolishing police departments due to perceived systemic issues, underscores the need for progressive law enforcement reforms, particularly in addressing institutionalized racism. However, interpretations of what defunding entails vary widely. Employing a quantitative approach, this study initially examines crime data from the Austin Police Department from 2018 to 2022, comparing trends before and after the emergence of the Defund the Police movement. Subsequently, it conducts a survey of Austin residents to explore perspectives and identify prevalent themes regarding the movement. Through an exploratory research design, the study aims to guide future investigations into evidence-based policing. By synthesizing current literature, the paper analyzes the ongoing impact of the Defund the Police movement on law enforcement practices nationwide and seeks to understand its effects on communities that have undergone budgetary reallocations away from traditional policing. Key questions addressed include understanding individual attitudes toward the Defund the Police movement, assessing structural changes within communities, reallocating funds from police departments, and determining priority areas for social services over traditional police functions
Investigating the Reliability and Validity of the Social Connectedness Instrument Among U.S. Adults
No full textGrowing evidence shows that poor social connectedness is becoming a public health threat, with rising prevalence and connections to poor mental and physical health across the lifespan. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop feasible and effective social connectedness interventions. There is limited evidence for the effectiveness of current interventions, with studies recommending tailoring the intervention to an individual’s specific social connection needs. However, previous measures of social connectedness provide little information about potentially modifiable contributors of poor connection. Thus, the Social Connectedness Instrument (SCI) was developed to fill in this gap by proposing two novel latent constructs of perceived social disconnectedness: Psychoemotional Disconnectedness (PED), which consists of feelings of disconnectedness based on emotional contributors (e.g., fear of rejection, social anxiety) and Psychosocial Disconnectedness (PSD), which consists of feelings of disconnectedness based on social contributors (e.g., poor social skills, social exclusion). The initial validation study on the SCI only contained homogenous university students, limiting the generalizability of the tool. To fill in this gap, the current study examined the psychometric properties of the SCI among a sample of 919 U.S. adults. Results demonstrated that the SCI performed adequately on model fit indices, measurement invariance across sex, age, race/ethnicity, education level, and religious affiliation, internal reliability, internal convergent validity (only PED), discriminant validity, concurrent validity, and external convergent validity. Overall, these findings support the reliability and validity of the SCI in the population of U.S. adults. However, evidence for the use of the SCI to inform and improve social connectedness interventions is still needed
Resiliency among Service Industry Workers: A Biopsychosocial-spiritual Assessment
No full textThe purpose of this study was to quantify service industry workers’ resiliency’s relationships with their emotional intelligence, understanding of differing personality types, spiritual resiliency, and substance abuse, as these are all applicable to the biopsychosocial-spiritual model, which served as the theoretical framework. The study included administering the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SEIT), a self-reporting of employees’ understanding of differing personality types, a self-reporting of employees’ spiritual resiliency, and the Substance Use Brief Screen (SUBS) to social science graduate students working in the service industry. Resiliency was identified as the predictor variable and the other variables were recognized as the criterion variables. There were no statistically significant differences shown. Nevertheless, the predicted effects for each dependent variable were all clearly demonstrated in the observed trends. Thus, these results suggested that while not proven to be significant in the study at hand, these dependent variables may nevertheless still in fact have at least an indirect impact on these workers’ overall resiliency. Recommendations for further research included using the Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Conscientiousness (DiSC) tool to assess various personality types or more precisely, behavioral styles, and how they relate to resiliency among service industry workers; assessing coping using the Religious Coping Options Inventory to measure how religious and spiritual coping relate to resiliency; recruiting students from more male-academic majors and the commercial sector; assessing alternate dependent variables related to the biopsychosocial-spiritual model; and soliciting feedback from service industry leadership
The Effectiveness of Praying and Fasting
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Fostering Worship in a Countercultural Setting: An Ethnodoxological Approach to Secular Heavy Music
No full textDespite stylistic musical diversity within the evangelical church, many secular musicians and music fans have little to no desire to participate in corporate worship music. Specifically, those that engage in “countercultural heavy music (CHM);” namely, hard rock, punk rock, and heavy metal. Music that is often played for the purpose of corporate worship in the local church fails to resonate with many musicians in the corresponding local community. In addition, most evangelical worship ministries do not strive to reach the music communities outside of their local church. This study examines the reasons for this disconnectedness. “Worship as missions” is not a new concept when it comes to international and cross-cultural outreach, and there is a corresponding wealth of literature regarding worship and outreach in America as well. However, the end goal of such literature strategizes to bring secular musicians into the church by adapting corporate worship styles to match the assumed preferences of the secular music community. Unfortunately, very little research has been conducted to evaluate an effective strategy that mobilizes worship leaders to go outside of the church and inform pre-worship in a secular countercultural setting using the musical genres, stylistic preferences, and skills of the targeted community. In this study, at least fifteen evangelical worship leaders and fifteen secular musicians will be interviewed in an effort to understand both the stylistic preferences of countercultural heavy musicians in America and the reasons for the apparent lack of worship ministry outreach into countercultural heavy music communities
The Missed Education of MTSS: A Phenomenological Study of Cross-Cultural Counseling with African American Students
No full textThe purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how secondary school counselors experience and implement cross-cultural counseling practices with African American students during the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) process. African American students disproportionately face systemic barriers that influence their academic, behavioral, and social-emotional outcomes, and counselors are often underprepared to provide culturally responsive and trauma-informed care within the constraints of MTSS. Guided by Ecological Systems Theory, Intersectionality Theory, and the Trauma-Informed Practice Framework, this transcendental phenomenological study examined how counselors understood and carried out their roles across MTSS tiers while navigating issues of trust, culture, trauma, and equity. Data was collected from 12 secondary school counselors through semi-structured Zoom interviews and post-interview journal prompts designed to capture participants’ reflective insights. Participants were sampled based on MTSS involvement and a minimum of five years of experience. Braun and Clarke’s (2021) reflexive thematic analysis guided the analysis of both data sources. Four themes emerged from the interviews: (a) trusting relationships, (b) representation and culturally responsive practice, (c) systemic barriers and bias, and (d) counselor reflexivity and care. Counselors described reframing deficit narratives, advocating for equitable supports, and encouraging teams to look beyond trauma-related data points. These insights emphasize the need for trauma-informed and culturally responsive professional learning, leadership support, and accountability within MTSS framework
Understanding School Board Members\u27 Perspectives on Governance, Policymaking, and Training in Florida: A Phenomenological Study
No full textThis hermeneutic phenomenology study was conducted to explore Florida school board members’ perspectives on onboarding and ongoing training in governance and policymaking, emphasizing reflective interpretation to analyze participants\u27 life experiences. The guiding theory for this study was Bass\u27s theory of transformational leadership, which was relevant to school board governance and policymaking as it provided insights into democratic principles and leadership in public education. The central research question was: What were the lived experiences of school board members with onboarding and ongoing training in preparation for governance and policymaking in Florida? The data collection methods used triangulation through a questionnaire, an interview, and observation to obtain valuable insights. Data analysis involved coding to identify common themes until thematic saturation was achieved. Participant recruitment used a criterion sampling process open to all school districts. The study included 12 school board members who met the experience criteria until thematic saturation was reached. This study’s results underscore the need to improve onboarding and ongoing training for Florida school board members. Consistent, structured, and interactive programs aligned with the practical, political, and ethical demands of governance are essential for effective leadership. A comprehensive framework should include written guidelines, governance training, mentoring, quarterly sessions, and oversight by neutral statewide entities
The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Decision-Making
No full textThis qualitative phenomenological study explores how leaders with high emotional intelligence (EI) experience and describe decision-making in personal, organizational, and leadership contexts. Guided by Rational Choice Theory (RCT), Behavioral Decision Theory (BDT), and Moon’s (2021) emotional intelligence framework, the study integrates psychological perspectives with biblical principles to examine how self-awareness, emotional regulation, and interpersonal awareness contribute to ethical and effective decision-making. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten to fifteen purposively selected participants identified as possessing high levels of emotional intelligence. The findings indicate that leaders with high EI view emotions as informational resources rather than obstacles and intentionally integrate emotional awareness into their decision-making processes. Participants demonstrated the use of emotional regulation to reduce impulsivity, self-awareness to identify and correct metacognitive biases, and interpersonal awareness to incorporate relational understanding into cooperative and ethically grounded decisions. Biblical principles drawn from Proverbs 16:32 and James 1:19 further supported the importance of self-control, patience, and deliberate response in ethical leadership decision-making. This study contributes to the literature by connecting psychological decision-making theories with biblical integration within a leadership context. Implications include applications for leadership development, organizational training, and faith-based communities. Although the findings are limited by purposive sampling and reliance on self-reported data, the study offers meaningful insight into the interaction of cognition, emotion, and spirituality in decision-making and provides directions for future empirical and cross-cultural research
Investigating the Impact of Childhood Trauma on Marital Satisfaction: A Moderated Multiple Regression Analysis
No full textChildhood trauma and its negative impact on adult life is well documented as a growing global concern and has been a focus of research for many years. A growing body of literature has demonstrated its impact on psychological and physical health, as well as emotional and social well-being. However, research on how it affects marital satisfaction and variables that moderate this relationship is unexplored. Using the Adverse Childhood Experience questionnaire (ACE) and Pearson correlation, the study examined the relationship between childhood trauma and marital satisfaction. Furthermore, a linear multiple linear regression was used to examine whether Experience in Close Relationship (ECR) and Religious Commitment (RCI) moderate the relationship between ACEs and marital satisfaction. Results showed that number of childhood traumatic events experienced was positively correlated with marital satisfaction (r =0.228, p \u3c 0.01). Regression results revealed that religious belief did not moderate the relationship between ACEs and marital satisfaction (β = 0.094, p =.273). Additionally, regression results also showed that while adult secure attachment did not moderate the relationship between ACEs and marital satisfaction, it was negatively correlated with marital satisfaction (β = -0.064, p =.459). These results suggest that there might be unexplored contextual variables between childhood trauma and marital satisfaction. These results also challenge current models of trauma and provide insights for future studies