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Emotional Health as a Preventive Measure to Reduce Abuse in Evangelical Ministries
No full textThis study addressed the relationship between emotional health and abuse in Evangelical ministry contexts in the United States. A mixed-methods design explored how the emotional health of leaders contributed to organizational dynamics within ecclesiastical and nonprofit ministry settings. The theological review examined Pauline epistles, emphasizing emotion’s role in leadership and the biblical expectation that Christian leaders exhibit Spirit-led, Christlike character and emotional maturity. A conceptual heuristic was developed to interpret Pauline teachings on emotionally unhealthy dispositions such as selfishness, domineering tendencies, and irascibility. While not labeled as abuse in Paul’s context, these traits correspond to emotional patterns that often underlie abuse in contemporary ministry settings. The literature review synthesized research on emotional health in leadership, highlighting how emotional health promotes organizational wellbeing, and emotional unhealth leads to dysfunction and harm. Special attention was given to structural vulnerabilities and nuances unique to ministry contexts. A survey instrument gathered data from participants with ministry experience, integrating Likert-scale items with open-ended narrative responses to provide an empirical snapshot of how emotional dynamics manifested within ministry contexts. The findings revealed a consistent pattern in which emotionally unhealthy leadership contributed to environments that enabled abuse and organizational dysfunction. Conversely, emotionally healthy leadership was found to lead to organizational and individual wellbeing. Key conclusions emphasized that emotional health is not a tangential issue but a central component of biblically faithful and spiritually mature leadership. Furthermore, Evangelical ministries may be uniquely vulnerable to abuse due to theological and cultural dynamics that lead to power asymmetry and hinder accountability. The research surfaced a need for training in emotional skills, implementation of clear accountability structures, and theological reframing of leadership expectations. The study contributes to the emerging conversation about abuse in ministry by offering a biblically sound, emotionally literate framework for healthier leadership and organizational reform within Evangelical contexts
Navigating the Crossroads: Peer Academic Support, On-Campus Work Experiences, and the Journey Toward Self-Authorship
No full textLeaders of higher education institutions often articulate goals for undergraduate students’ academic and social development that correspond with the essential learning outcomes identified by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. The achievement of these objectives requires students to hone skills, abilities, and ways of thinking that align with the development of self-authorship. To assist students’ development, universities often provide an array of services and opportunities for engagement, including academic support services and on-campus work experiences. Until this research, the impact of the intersection of these elements remained unexamined. Astin’s input-environment-outcome model and Baxter Magolda’s theory of self-authorship served as the theoretical framework for this research. This cross-sectional quantitative study explored the associations between undergraduate students’ on-campus employment experiences relative to peer academic support and their levels of campus cultural fit, academic capital, and school-family integration, based on their length and type of employment. The College Social-Emotional Crossroads Inventory (C-SECI) was used to collect responses from a sample of 176 undergraduate students, and data were analyzed through a series of multiple linear regressions. The results suggest that engagement in on-campus work experiences may positively contribute to students’ levels of campus cultural fit and academic capital, although no significant associations for employment length or job type were identified for levels of school-family integration. The researcher discusses the varied benefits of each type of position and provides suggestions for higher education professionals to enhance students’ employment experiences. Keywords: undergraduate students, on-campus employment, self-authorship, campus cultural fit, academic capital, school-family integration.https://spark.bethel.edu/edd-showcase-2021/1013/thumbnail.jp
Overidentification of Learning Disabilities Among African Immigrants English Language Learners
No full textThis thesis explores the over-identification of learning disabilities among African immigrant English Language Learners (ELLs) in U.S. schools, examining both the individual and systemic factors contributing to disproportionality. By reviewing existing literature, the study identified five major factors: assessment and diagnostic bias, teacher knowledge and beliefs, contextual and school-level factors, structural inequities, and evidence gaps in research, revealing that overidentification often arises from the intersection of these factors. The review also highlights evidence-based solutions, including culturally and linguistically responsive assessment, continuous teacher professional development, family and community engagement, structural and policy reforms, and improved research practices. While limited by the scarcity of literature focused specifically on African immigrant populations, this thesis highlights the urgent need for inclusive, data-driven, and equity-oriented practices in special education identification and policy
Disrupting Problematic Smartphone Use in the Classroom Setting: Addressing Student Need for Autonomy, Relatedness, and Competency
No full textThis literature review investigates the causes, effects, and intervention of Problematic Smartphone Use (PSU) in students. Teachers and leadership at the district and state levels concur that strategies and policies must be formulated to address students’ needs as they wade through a social world altered by technology. The matter, at its core, is the antecedents for technology misuse and how the addiction to technology might be interrupted. This thesis provides a review of 31 articles on PSU within the context of school and academia. PSU can be predicted by needs not being met, specifically needs pertaining to choice, self-efficacy, and relationships, which closely align with Self Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 1985). In lieu or even in the event of a full zero-tolerance policy for personal technology in schools, the students at risk for problematic smartphone use are at risk because of needs not being met. This thesis reports a number of strategies stakeholders can utilize to help meet these needs in all manner of ways from encouraging a student to join a sport or club, to providing choices in the classroom, and to building student self-efficacy through peer work and strong student-teacher relationships
Ethics and Boundaries: Compassion Fatigue, Burnout and Self-Care
No full textSelf-care and the prevention of compassion fatigue and burnout are important pieces of ethical practice in mental health fields. Since taking care of ourselves as clinicians is mandated by ethics codes across mental health fields, it is essential for mental health professionals to consider their self-care practices on an ongoing basis, not only as new professionals but also along one\u27s professional journey. Clinicians must take care of themselves in order to provide competent services to clients
Face Recognition Impairments in Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders
No full textDevelopmental Prosopagnosia (DP) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs face recognition. Much of the research on this condition has focused on whether DP is specific to faces, or additionally affects other visual domains, such as object recognition. However, a broader investigation of the overlap between DP and other neurodevelopmental conditions (outside of autism spectrum disorder) and psychiatric conditions has only recently been explored. This research explored the incidence of comorbidity among people with and without developmental prosopagnosia. Those with DP were more likely (
Mental Health Disparities by Race/Ethnicity in Elementary School Populations
No full textThe study aimed to better understand elementary students’ mental health and well-being before and after the COVID-19 pandemic as well as whether there are differences in elementary students’ self-reported mental health between racial groups. Minnesota Student Survey results were analyzed, and the results of Bonferroni post-hoc tests found significant differences in worrying a lot and feeling sad between racial groups. Hispanic or Latino/Latina students are significantly more likely to worry a lot than all other racial/ethnic groups. Black, African, or African American students are significantly less likely to feel sad than all other racial/ethnic groups except White students. Elementary students’ emotional well-being and distress in 2019 was compared to elementary students’ emotional well-being and distress in 2022. Hispanic or Latino/Latina students reported the largest increases in worrying and feeling sad. Study findings hold implications for practice, including building educators’ cultural responsiveness, increasing mental health support in the schools, and implementing social emotional learning in elementary schools. Future research should be conducted to determine if the increase in mental health challenges are sustained over time, the long-term effects of increased distress, and strategies and systems that successfully mediate mental health challenges
The Impact of a Label: The Relationship Between Perception of Care and Outlook of Future Aspirations as Influences of Identity for Students Who Receive Special Education Services
No full textThis study examines the relationship between students who receive special education services and students who do not, their perception of care from adults and peers, and their future outlook. Students want to feel care from adults and peers. Positive relationships lead to increased confidence and a stronger sense of self. The culmination of interactions with others forms an individual’s identity. A healthy identity and strong sense of self lead to a positive outlook for the future. This study analyzed the perception of care from adults and peers and the future outlook between middle school students who do and do not receive special education services. Students’ self-reported race and gender were considered when analyzing student responses. This study employed a quantitative analysis of the 2022 Minnesota Student Survey data, which focused on fifth- and eighth-grade students’ responses to perceived care from adults and peers and the students’ thoughts on their future outlook. The results of two different independent samples’ t-tests showed significant differences in perception of care and future outlook between students who receive special education services and those who do not. The results of 16 different independent samples’ t-tests showed significant differences in perception of care and future outlook among different races between students who receive special education services and those who do not. The results of 22 different independent samples’ t-tests showed significant differences in perception of care and future outlook among different genders between students who receive special education services and those who do not
Assessing the long-term impact of goat grazing on the abundance of Rhamnus cathartica
No full textIn years past, high levels of biodiversity and herds of roaming grazing animals maintained a delicate balance between species of plants. More recently due to globalization and deforestation foreign species like Rhamnus cathartica have been able to grow unchecked. Our study uses long term data from periodically goat-grazed areas near Bethel University, MN to evaluate the effectiveness of goat grazing to manage invasive plant species. Random one square meter quadrats were established in 2018 (n=70) to compare the differences in R. cathartica stem density between three height categories (0-30 cm, 30-150 cm, \u3e150 cm), as well as other plant species present in each plot. These data were consolidated into a large database and analyzed. Since 2018, R. cathartica stems of length 30 cm-150 cm in grazed plots show a marked decrease in density when compared with ungrazed control plots. Additionally, stems of length greater than 150 cm show a downward trend in grazed plots over time, suggesting a decrease in new large bush growth in grazed plots. These findings suggest that goat grazing is an effective and efficient method to manage the overgrowth of single species like R. cathartica, and prevent overcrowding of endemic species. Further research will investigate different patterns of grazing over time and the impact of other plant species on R. cathartica abundance
Understanding the Lived Experiences of Minnesota\u27s PSEO Students: A Qualitative Exploration
No full textIn my dissertation, Understanding the Lived Experiences of Minnesota\u27s PSEO Students: A Qualitative Exploration, I explored students’ experiences of the transition from high school to college via Minnesota’s PSEO program. As a Bethel University faculty member with 19 years of prior experience as a high school English teacher, I have watched the number of PSEO students increase year after year from both sides of the secondary/post-secondary divide. This subtle undoing of the traditional high school to college progression significantly impacts not only the economic outlook for public high schools and colleges, but it also significantly impacts the educational experiences and outcomes of the students themselves. In this phenomenological study, I sought to inductively construct a more nuanced understanding of the lived experiences of high school students who transitioned to college by way of PSEO. Through a combination of purposeful selection and snowball sampling, I identified eight veterans of the PSEO program, interviewed them, compiled the interview data, and discerned four key thematic ideas: Readiness and Opportunity, Social and Psychological Ripples, Transactional vs. Transformational Educational Experiences, and Unexpected Insights. While the participants in the study shared both positive and negative experiences associated with PSEO, they all endorsed the program and reported that their participation in the program benefited them psychologically and academically. Within the broader scope of concurrent enrollment in Minnesota, the study results suggested that PSEO programming in colleges and universities could be broadened to serve increasing numbers of students who feel underserved and disaffected by high school curriculum and have matured beyond the rigid adherence to rules and structure necessary in public high schools. Additionally, the study results highlight the peculiar gray space occupied by PSEO students and may provide insight into how to better address their unique educational needs. Finally, the study results suggest that although younger than traditional college freshmen, PSEO students can flourish socially and academically in the constructivist environment of the college setting