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Christian Nationalism: Comparing Sociological Critiques to Christian Political Theologies
Get PDFThe definition of Christian Nationalism which attempts to link White Nationalism to Christian appeals to God as the basis for justice is not reflective of any prominent, contemporary version of Christian political theology. This is demonstrated through an analysis of the prominent definition of Christian Nationalism used by sociologists such as Samuel L. Perry, Andrew L. Whitehead, and Joshua B. Grubbs as well as an analysis of three prominent Christian approaches to Christian Nationalism and their respective approaches to the basis for civil law in the public square
School Counselors’ Lived Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFThe purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how school counselor perceptions of their roles may have been permanently impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) Ecological Systems Theory, which relates to the interactions of an individual and the environment around them, guided the study. The study’s central research was: What are public school counselors’ lived experiences regarding their role perception during the COVID-19 pandemic? Data was collected through virtual semi-structured interviews and photo elicitation with 10 school counselors who were members of the Kentucky School Counselor Association. The data collected from the interviews was analyzed using bracketing to ensure phenomenological reduction. Furthermore, the researcher implemented self-coding, Atlas.ti software, and a secondary coder to triangulate the data and identify the themes that emerged. The findings of the study determined that there were role perception changes for school counselors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
The Burden of Care: A Phenomenological Inquiry Into the Lived Experiences of Homeless Shelter Administrators Leading Through the Pandemic and Lasting Implications on Program Operations
Get PDFThe theories guiding this study are Maslow\u27s Hierarchy of Needs, conflict theory, and complex systems theory, which explain the relationship between the theory and resource limitations and acquisition, systems, and nature of acquiring human needs. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe homeless shelter administrators\u27/directors\u27 experiences delivering services during the COVID-19 pandemic on the Eastern Coast of the United States and Texas. It further seeks to unravel how the pandemic informed the delivery of services and program administration related to homeless shelters and its impacts. The research questions sought to understand the impact of COVID-19 on delivering services and how the homeless shelters\u27 administrators/directors describe their experiences during the pandemic. The semi-structured interviews took place online via Microsoft Teams. Participants were selected from shelters on the East Coast and from the Dallas, Texas, area. Ten to fifteen program administrators and directors who served in leadership positions of homeless programs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and still serving in those roles during the post-pandemic era were recruited. Purposeful sampling strategies guided the recruitment process, including homogeneous, criterion, and snowball approaches. Recruitment occurs after Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, and semi-interviews are scheduled. NVIVO was used for the data analysis, and the findings presented thematic data. The results demonstrate how the data answers the research questions and contributes to the current body of literature. Presentation of the results. Eliciting participants for the study, collecting data, and recording
Lived Experiences of Older Adults after Involuntary Work Separation
Get PDFThe purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of those subjected to involuntary work separation at age 50+ in the United States. The literature concerning involuntary job loss is lacking in research pertaining to the 50+ age demographic. This research is important in the aspect that older workers face specific challenges that their younger counterparts may not after involuntary work separation. Understanding the psychological responses, positive aspects, and negative aspects of involuntary job separation in older adults added to the literature for those aged 50+. The research design was qualitative inquiry using virtual recorded interviewing of 13 participants later transcribed to text for analysis in NVivo. Key findings in this study included participants\u27 feelings about job loss, primarily upset, shock, and concern for their responsibilities. While financial worries were common, many participants found new freedom, less stress, or better work after involuntary separation. Exit processes were inadequate, with few receiving assistance or severance pay. Many participants had other revenue streams, preparing them for future unemployment. Age discrimination was evident, especially for those who faced difficulties finding new jobs. Resilience emerged as a key finding, with participants demonstrating adaptability, awareness, proactivity, and problem-solving skills to overcome job loss. Implications are that organizations. Lack of exit process for involuntarily separated age 50+ was a disturbing finding along with evidence of age discrimination in the job search process among the participants
Attachment Barriers to a Relationship with God; A Phenomenological Study of Women with the Lived Experience of Adolescent Sexual Assault
Get PDFAmong victims of sexual assault, it is significantly common for maladaptive attachment behaviors to manifest from this type of trauma which can transcend not just human relationships but their relationship with God as well. The problem is that sexual assault brutally attacks the core of a woman’s worth and value creating barriers that drastically affect her ability to develop healthy attachment with others which subsequently affects her ability to form and develop a positive relationship with God. The resulting attachment behaviors of sexual assault victims are important to study to be able to understand the root components of this trauma that negatively affect the individual’s ability to form healthy attachments. By discovering these connections, a theory can be implemented to reconstruct these effects with positive attachments that can then be transferred onto the individual’s ability to form a healthy attachment and fulfilling relationship with God. Attachment theory provides a useful framework for understanding the association between sexual violence and adult romantic relationship functioning. However, current research does not address the adolescent experience of sexual assault to understand the impact on pubescent girls and how that differs from the impact of the same experience during a different stage of life, and how those shape adult attachment behaviors and barriers to healthy attachment with others and with God. Through the qualitative analysis of 7 women with the lived experience of adolescent sexual assault a deeper understanding of changes in attachment behaviors in adult relationships and ultimately in wavering relationships with God was developed. Emerging themes of mistrust, guilt, shame, and cultural and religious pressures gave insight into the impact and subsequent barriers that survivors of sexual assault battle when trying to form and maintain attachments to others and to their spirituality
A Phenomenological Study of String Teacher Perceptions of Professional Development at Three Career Stages
Get PDFThis hermeneutic phenomenological study aims to understand the perceptions of elementary and secondary string teachers’ experiences with quality professional development from early-, middle-, and late-career stages. This study analyzes perceptions of quality professional development for music teachers, including content-related, evidence-based, applicable, relevant, collaborative, providing feedback, actively involving teachers in learning, longitudinal, coherent, and allowing for reflection. It follows a hermeneutic phenomenological research design guided by the theory of human motivation and aims to understand how professional development affects teacher needs. Participants include elementary and secondary string teachers across the United States from early-, middle-, and late-career stages. String teachers sampled for this study must currently teach at least one violin, viola, cello, or string bass class in heterogeneous or homogenous settings as full-time instructors in elementary, middle, or high schools. Participants must have experience participating in professional development either within or outside the school district. The researcher uses interviews, reflection journals, and professional development artifacts to understand the participants’ perspectives and experiences with professional development. The final analysis and coding of the second interview provide data for the researcher to develop significant themes in response to the research questions. The researcher gives the study results and discusses the emerging themes to establish conclusions. Finally, the researcher provides recommendations for future research based on the study results
The Rise of the Soviet Economy: How American Capitalist Corporations Helped Build the Soviet Communist Economic System
Get PDFThe aim of this dissertation is to examine the depth and scope of the relationship between American capitalism and Soviet socialism during the period of Soviet industrialization in the timeframe around the First Five-Year Plan. The research focuses on the significance of American involvement and how American corporations, personnel, and methods of innovation provided the Soviet Union a comprehensive and robust foundation to build a competitive economy not only to Europe, but to the U.S. as well. An important question of the research examines how two diametrically opposed economic concepts embodied by these respective nations partnered to achieve the goals of each enterprise while risking labels of hypocrisy and contradiction. This study does not intend to depreciate the involvement and contributions of other European contributions to Soviet industrialization, but does intend to expound on the completeness of American contributions throughout various aspects of Soviet society beyond a quantitative measure of capital investment. Limitations to research existed from the Russian perspective with limited access to specific primary sources of the period due to Soviet historical revisionism and evolving biases of the period and current geopolitical events in Eastern Europe affecting U.S./Russia relations. The study analyzes archival financial data and biographical historical accounts from key players from a political and economic historical perspective. The results will show how American innovation, technology, capital, educational and training concepts, and personnel provided the means to propel the Soviet economy through a controlled industrial capitalist phase to a socialist phase, achieving the goals of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin of rapid industrialization to survive and compete against capitalist nations. The Soviet government failed to ensure these gains were self-sustaining, creating a dependency on capitalism through its fall in 1991 and on to the Russian government. The significance of this study shows positive economic effects of oppositional ideological systems and explains the pattern of relationships the Soviets, and now Russians, had with the West for survival
The Use of Intellectual Humility as a Framework for Elementary School Teachers in the Development of Positive Parent-Teacher Relationships
Get PDFAlthough the educational and psychological communities have identified the importance of the parent-teacher relationship to the academic success and social benefit of students, difficulties continue to persist in identifying specific strategies for building positive relationships between parents and teachers. This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of seven elementary school teachers in public schools to examine whether intellectual humility manifested in their reported ability to develop positive relationships with parents. A semi-structured interview with participants revealed seven overarching themes evident in their experiences with parents which align with the construct of intellectual humility. These themes include Proactive Communication, Openness to Feedback, Collaboration as a Goal, Perspective Taking, Administrative Support, Lack of Formal Training, and Identity Representation. The interview data affirmatively supports the question of whether teachers who operate from a framework of intellectual humility are able to create and maintain positive relationships with parents. The results of this study provide a basis for continued research regarding the use of intellectual humility in developing strategies for creating positive relationships between parents and teachers
Teacher Perceptions on the Influence of Note-taking in the Military-Connected Middle School Classroom
Get PDFThe purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the influence of note-taking strategies on student writing for teachers in the military-connected middle school classroom. The guiding theories for this study were Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of cognitive development and its influence on note-taking instruction and student writing in the military-connected middle school classroom. The central question for the study stated: What are teachers’ perceptions regarding the influence note-taking strategies have on writing in the military-connected middle school classroom? The participants were middle school teachers with at least three years of experience teaching in military-connected middle school classrooms. Participants had a valid and current teaching certificate and implemented at least one consistent note-taking strategy. The recruitment method included word-of-mouth convenience sampling and snowball sampling. Data collection methods followed van Manen\u27s collection methods, including individual interviews, a focus group, and a letter-writing activity. The collected data was analyzed using the first cycle analysis with a line-by-line open coding process, followed by a second read with cross-referencing and development of themes. Then, a third read took place, utilizing a second cycle of axial coding. The credibility of the data synthesis included data triangulation, peer debriefing, and member checks. Results indicated a shared desire by all participants for teacher training for teaching note-taking and writing. Future studies were suggested, and additional policy changes were also shared
The Grand Narratives: The Rise and Fall of Universal Philosophical Systems
Get PDFThis thesis reviews the development of narrative and systematic methods of argumentative legitimation in the Western tradition of philosophy from its conception until the present day. Utilizing both primary sources from central figures in key movements within this development process and supplementary secondary sources, this analysis notes which systems were used as appeals to higher authority and the trends in the adoption and transformation of new models. It is demonstrated that the Enlightenment era punctuated a progression begun in the premodern era from simple, cultural narratives to individualized, subjective, and self-perpetuating Grand Narrative systems, and that it generated the preconditions for the postmodern era\u27s generalized skepticism towards systematic legitimation as a model for approaching truth. The findings suggest that the Enlightenment movement, consisting of the spontaneous generation of universal philosophical systems of legitimation (the Grand Narratives), was the final and most intense iteration of a crucial trend in the history of philosophy, in which attempts to arrive at more abstract and fundamental groundings for truth ultimately led to greater subjectivity rather than less