Faculty Dissertations

Jesus in an Ethnically Rich Environment: A Multi-Cultural Study in the Requirements for Effective, Consistent Gospel Communication in Southeast Renton, Washington

2021-01-14T23:14:32Z

Jesus in an Ethnically Rich Environment: A Multi-Cultural Study in the Requirements for Effective, Consistent Gospel Communication in Southeast Renton, Washington Chambers, Jeremy This project arose from the desire to minister in the dominantly multicultural community of Renton, Washington. The project utilized interviews to reveal common factors that would enable gospel communication across several cultures: Filipino, Caucasian, African American, and Chinese. The scale used to develop the common factors included disquieting experiences, amorphous cultural zones, conception of “beyondness,” phenomenological triggers, soteriological metaphors, second faith, thickness of the cultural border, and the Hofstede cultural typology.; A variety of techniques were used to conceptualize the research such as cultural analysis, sociological and psychological approaches, and human resource theory in order to drive a multi-disciplinary understanding of the topic. Additionally, Meyer’s Culture Map provided a business perspective on communicating, evaluating, persuading, leading, deciding, trusting, disagreeing and scheduling. The combination of the data gathered from the interview transcripts and the models allowed for a variety of conclusions, including that multicultural gospel communication is possible so long as the gospel communicator remains sensitive to differences among people. The project also yielded a set of eight best practices for effective multicultural gospel communication. A project submitted to the Doctor of Ministry committee in candidacy for the degree of Doctor of Ministry.

A Phenomenological Exploration of the Experiences of Counselor Education Doctoral Student Mothers with Young Children

2021-01-14T23:14:41Z

A Phenomenological Exploration of the Experiences of Counselor Education Doctoral Student Mothers with Young Children Lundquist, Brooke The number of women in doctoral programs is increasing each year and women now comprise the majority of doctoral students in America (U.S. Department of Education, 2015). Previous research has shown the high levels of complexities and stresses that female doctoral students face during their studies (Mallinckrodt & Leong, 1992) and this has found to be even more so for doctoral student mothers (Brown & Watson, 2010). Of the studies that have been done on counselor education doctoral student mothers, no studies were found to have specifically explored the experiences of counselor education doctoral student mothers who have young children. Being that young children have unique needs from their mothers or primary caregivers, and many doctoral students are of prime childbearing years (Hoffer et al., 2006), it is important to understand the experiences of these doctoral student mothers in order to better support this population during their doctoral studies. It is also important to give voice to these student mothers through research methods that value their lived experiences. Through two phenomenological studies, this dissertation is an exploration of (a) the mothering experience and (b) the student experience of counselor education doctoral student mothers with children under the age of five. There were 11 participants interviewed and the same 11 participated in both phenomenological research studies.; The first study is an exploration of the mothering experience of counselor education doctoral student mothers with a child or children under the age of five. The results of Study 1 identified six major common themes that described the experience of the 11 women who participated in the research study. These themes included: (a) ambivalence, where the priority of the mothering role meets that of the strong desire to be a successful doctoral student and professional in the counselor education field; (b) increasing and accepting give and take: negotiating expectations while increasing coping mechanisms; (c) the teeter-totter of mothering-student roles; (d) “Superwoman syndrome”; (e) indistinguishable roles (those of mother and student) combine together to create identity; and (f) the importance of leading by example.; The second study is an exploration of the student experience of counselor education doctoral student mothers with a child or children under five years of age. The findings from Study 2 resulted in five common themes that existed for the participants, including (a) experiencing ambivalence about being a doctoral student while mothering a young child/children; (b) experiencing constant pressures due to responsibilities that can be conflicting, complimentary, or both; (c) responding by increasing coping mechanisms to accommodate the doctoral student role; (d) believing in the importance of leading by example; and (e) acknowledging and accepting that they have a different experience than their doctoral student peers.; Despite findings in Study 1 and Study 2 that were similar or overlapped, there were differences found between the experiences of the participants in their different roles. These results provided insights into the experiences that counselor education doctoral student mothers with children under the age of five have during their doctoral programs. It is hoped that this information will help doctoral program administrators, faculty, student peers, and even doctoral student mothers gain a better understanding of the unique experiences that these students face. It is important that doctoral program faculty and administration not only better understand this population of students, but also realize the importance of engaging with these students as “whole people” (Springer et al., 2009, p. 453) which includes who they are outside of their student roles. University departmental systems and programs should be evaluated, enhanced, or put into place for these students to help support them during their doctoral studies. This could include family-friendly policies, child care options, parental support groups, and further educating faculty and staff about the unique experiences that these students face while in their doctoral programs (Lester, 2013). A dissertation submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Characteristics of Higher Education Environments Conducive to Adaptive Change

2020-08-26T15:47:55Z

Characteristics of Higher Education Environments Conducive to Adaptive Change Thomas, Ben L. Multiple factors, including affordability and expected outcomes, have converged to cause unusual pressure on higher education administrators and faculty and prompt the need for change (Kezar, 2009; Selingo, 2013; Zemsky, 2013). This situation aligns with the adaptive change model because of the focus on identifying innovative solutions for significant challenges (Heifetz, Grashow, & Linsky, 2009; Heifetz & Laurie, 1997). However, the research on successful adaptive change at colleges and universities is limited. This study was initiated to identify environmental characteristics at two exemplar institutions that have been able to implement successful adaptive change on an ongoing basis. For this research, a comparative case analysis methodology was used to study two institutions identified as leaders in higher education in relation to creating and implementing solutions to significant challenges. The research question guiding this study was the following: What are the environmental characteristics within a higher education institution that consistently produce adaptive change? Research was v conducted during a 1-week visit to each campus, with a total of 44 interviews conducted with employees of the 2 institutions. Coding and analysis of the data utilized the NVIVO 10 software to categorize related words and phrases into unit groupings. Themes were then developed to explain how participants described the characteristics of their institution’s environment. Each case was analyzed separately before cross-case synthesis was applied to identify common characteristics as well as themes unique to the institution. The findings indicated that change occurred during 3 distinct phases at each institution: motivating, implementing, and sustaining change. A dissertation submitted to Asuza Pacific University's School of Behavioral and Applied Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education

Replicating Predictors of Spirituality and Happiness in Children

2021-01-14T23:14:39Z

Replicating Predictors of Spirituality and Happiness in Children Quick, Molly Positive psychology provides the theoretical framework for this replication and extension study of Holder, Coleman, and Wallace (2010). Their results indicated that spirituality (especially the domains of communal and personal) predicted students’ (N = 307) happiness (across three dependent measures), even after controlling for temperament (Faces Scale (communal, r =.45, personal, r = .44; p < .05), Oxford Happiness Questionnaire-Short Form (communal, r = .44, personal, r = .48; p < .05), and the Subjective Happiness Scale (communal, r = .34, personal, r =.38; p < .05). The present study used archival data drawn from students in grades 4 through 6 (approximately 8 to 12 years old) attending private (faith-based) schools in Western Washington. Similar to the Holder et al. results, this study revealed positive correlations between spirituality and happiness, even after controlling for gender, grade level, and temperament. Extending the work of Holder et al., participant grade level was included in the regression model in order to account for developmental differences among children, but grade level did not contribute significantly to the overall prediction of students’ happiness levels. Gender was also of little predicative value. Implications for theory, research, and practice are included. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the degree of Doctor of Education, Seattle Pacific University.