Dissertations and Theses
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Item A GENERATIONAL PERSPECTIVE OF WHETHER ALL EX-CONVICTS SHOULD RETAIN VOTING RIGHTS IN THE USA(ProQuest, 2021-05-05) Billy, IrisAs per an article written by the criminal justice reform group the Sentencing Project, an approximated 6.1 million convicts were not allowed to vote in the United States in 2016 elections. These 6.1 million convicts were approximately 2.5 percent of the total populace who are of voting age in the United States. The main topic of an ongoing debate is whether voting rights should be consequentially reinstated to all ex-convicts and whether those individuals ought to be able to vote after completing their sentences for their crimes. As per Sentencing Project voting rights for imprisoned offenders can be different substantively from state to state. A total of 48 states as of August 2020, as well as Washington, D.C. bar convicted felons from voting while incarcerated, however ex-convicts can resume their voting rights when they are released or at some point thereafter release. As reported by the Sentencing Project two states Maine and Vermont allow ex-convicts retain their voting rights during their imprisonment. In the Commonwealth of Kentucky ex-convicts with some extreme verdicts such as murder will never resume the right to vote. United States governors may implement their executive authority to reinstate the right to vote for ex-convicts on an individual basis.Item A Qualitative Study on The Leadership Traits Most Common Among Pastors of Growing Churches in Central Ky(ProQuest, 2020-11-18) Sergent, Brandon ChoeThis study used a qualitative research methodology to explore what leadership characteristics are present among pastors of numerically growing churches. The research question asked: What leadership traits are most common among pastors of growing churches in Central Ky? The research setting was focused on the geographic area of Central, Ky. The research analyzed 15 pastors that were leading growing churches. The research utilized the qualitative method design. The data was collected using semi-structured interviews. Thematic coding was utilized to categorize the themes of the findings. The leadership of the pastors was examined and through this exploration it revealed the framework of the four elements of transformational leadership; individualized consideration, idealized influence, inspirational motivation, and intellectual stimulation. The researcher discovered that all four elements of transformational leadership were practiced by the pastors. However, the surprise unintended finding was that all the pastors shared an additional leadership characteristic in common; determination, also referred to as perseverance. This study was limited in scope to the geographic region of Central, Ky and needs further research in expanded locations. Furthermore, a quantitative study is needed to determine statistical significance. Specifically, a regression model would denote the impact of each independent variable of leadership characteristics on church growth. By discovering what leadership traits were present among pastors of numerically growing churches the positive implications come with utilizing the knowledge to enable more churches to experience numerical growth. This would be accomplished by developing leadership training that focuses on the key leadership characteristics found among pastors of numerically growing churches.Item CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: DO SUBSTANCE USERS RECEIVE FAIR TREATMENT?(ProQuest, 2022-09-22) Gilliam-Cassell, CarliDrug use in the United States of America is continuing to increase every day. Providing research on the publics opinion of this matter can be a benefit for the future when it comes to public policy changes. There are numerous studies that examines the unfair treatment within the Criminal Justice system, but not many on this specific topic. The purpose of this study was to determine if the public perceives that drug users receive fair treatment within the Criminal Justice system. This quantitative study was designed to see if there is a relationship between whether or not the public feels that substance abusers receive unfair treatment by the Criminal Justice system. There were six independent variables for this study that cover various concepts related to the drug user status. The dependent variable for this study was the public’s perception of drug users receiving unfair treatment received from the Criminal Justice system. There was a total of six hypothesis tested to evaluate the problem statement. The researcher used an online survey to collect the data. The participants were obtained through email and social media outlets. Additionally, the study looked at relationships between alternative to incarceration programs and whether or not the public felt that these were beneficial to substance users or not. The participants were asked whether offering substance users drug court, alternative programs, were beneficial rather than being incarcerated. The data collected demonstrates that the public feels that there is unfair treatment for substance users within the Criminal Justice system. Overall implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.Item Quantitative Analysis of Factors Affecting International Student Success Among Graduate Students From India(ProQuest, 2020-11-17) Cecil, Rebecca J.This study uses Astin’s I-E-O Model to analyze the relationship between the admissions criteria and student success among graduate level international students from India studying Information Technology at a small, private U.S. university. This is a unique opportunity to study a homogeneous student population, as most international student populations are geographically and culturally diverse. Student success is measured by GPA and graduation rate. Criteria analyzed are Indian Bachelor’s degree merit rank, three-year vs. four-year Bachelor’s degree, previous U.S. Master’s degree GPA, and previous U.S. university accreditation. In this non-experimental quantitative analysis, secondary data from the university admissions and transcript databases were analyzed via ANOVA and other statistical tools. Results showed that students with a three-year Bachelor’s degree performed as well as those with a four-year Bachelor’s degree. This finding has important implications for accepting international students into Master’s programs. Results also showed that while top students seem to perform well in any environment, there is some correlation between previous and current academic performance among the lower performers. This finding provides opportunity for proactive intervention. In addition, results showed that students with prior education at regionally accredited institutions outperformed students with prior education at nationally accredited institutions. This finding supports the importance and rigor of regional accreditation. Other results showed that for students who meet the minimum admissions criteria, there is little ability to use these metrics to determine the likelihood of future success, which points to more subjective factors. These factors are discussed and suggestions for further research are presented.Item Reentry as Opposed to Recidivism(ProQuest, 2021-10-19) Scrimager, ElizabethReducing recidivism is critical to lowering jail and prison populations, as well as saving taxpayer dollars and money within the corrections system. Identifying key issues that exist for individuals who are incarcerated is first and foremost. Beginning the transition process of addressing those key issues and building the framework around them that alleviates their existence or eases the process of obtaining the essential elements shared is the next step. Most importantly, recognizing primary challenges, goals, and potential solutions should start as early as possible during an inmate’s incarceration. Although some factors such as housing, transportation, or employment are difficult to establish prior to release, those are some of the greatest obstacles ex-offenders face once no longer incarcerated. Other potential challenges often include family relationships, substance abuse and drug treatment, addiction, mental health disorders, financial support, education, and so much more. However, the latter can be included in reentry and release planning long before an inmate is released. Substantially, there is an obligatory importance of implementing reentry programming that is strictly designed to focus on the major discrepancies one is confronted with prior to and upon release of jail or prison. If these are not addressed accordingly, individuals who continuously reoffend, communities they return to, taxpayers who fund recidivism, correctional facilities who house these offenders, and society will suffer consequences from the lack of mandatory care provided by Department of Corrections to those in need. Therefore, a purpose-driven secondary data analysis of original mixed-methods research conducted from surveys of 100 state inmates participating in a reentry program known as Re-Entering American Communities with Hope (REACH) at a local jail can provide substantial feedback and insight regarding their entry level needs, self-identified strengths and weaknesses, greatest release challenges, and biggest fears. Being aware of first-hand issues state inmates face prior to and upon release from correctional agencies can aid in establishing and improving effective reentry-based programming and availability of beneficial resources to ultimately reduce the likelihood of recidivism and improve the wellbeing of individuals post-incarceration.Item The Effects of String Playing on the Attentiveness, Classroom Behavioral Performance, and Musical Achievement on Third-Grade Students with ADHD(ProQuest, 2023-05-13) Tedesco, ElizabethThis study aimed to investigate the effects of classroom string playing on the Attentiveness, Classroom Behavioral Performance, and Musical Achievement of children with ADHD in third-grade. Three research questions were used to observe the Inattentiveness, Classroom Behavioral Performance, and Musical Achievement of third-grade students in orchestra class with ADHD. Three instruments were used. Two were taken from the Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Teacher Rating Scale, focusing on Inattention and Classroom Behavioral Performance. The third instrument was the researcher-developed Musical Achievement rubric to weekly assess the learning of 4 beginner-level string-playing criteria, namely, Rhythm Accuracy, Intonation, Posture and Bow Hold. All the data observed and recorded was anonymous.Item The Impact of Portfolios on Mastery Experiences of Middle School Band Students(ProQuest, 2023-05-11) Hopper, JoshuaRyan & Deci (2000) state: “Motivation produces. It is therefore of preeminent concern to those in roles such as manager, teacher, religious leader, coach, health care provider, and parent that involve mobilizing others to act” (p. 69). Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), which was added to his Self-Efficacy Theory (SET) in 1977, explores motivation through the lens of four unique sources, including mastery experiences. This study looked at whether or not portfolios could impact mastery experiences. Though the quantitative impact was not significant, qualitative data revealed some promising findings that may lead to an improved effectiveness of portfolios on mastery experiences.Item The Role of Relationship Marketing in Supporting Student Retention Efforts of Private Non-Profit Liberal Arts Institutions in Higher Education(ProQuest, 2016-07-10) Jeffrey, ThomasInstitutions in higher education are facing increased competition. A consumer-oriented business perspective is necessary because of shifts in expectations and accountability occurring throughout the internal and external market forces of higher education. This is a paradigm shift in how higher education has traditionally viewed the student-institution relationship and has created a need to better understand the marketing concepts that focus on the student as a customer. Low student retention rates is one area of concern where marketing can be of benefit to private, four year, non-profit liberal arts institutions. The purpose of this study is to explore whether the value proposition of a liberal education is being communicated to existing students and what types of relationship marketing strategies are used for retention efforts at such institutions. In particular, the study seeks to understand how institutions are communicating the value of a liberal education by utilizing the core elements of relationship marketing, such as, co-creation of value, personalization of messages, and the development of commitment among existing students. This study finds that all participating institutions communicate the holistic and epistemic value of a liberal education through all of its various constructs to existing students. This result appears to be contradicted by the finding that significantly fewer institutions communicated with existing students as a means of instilling pride in attending a liberal arts institution. Other findings from this study show that institutions do communicate with existing students as a means of showcasing institutional quality and developing emotional commitment. In terms of relationship marketing with existing students, participating institutions indicated that they created channels for interaction, used customized messages, and made assurances that the student’s needs would be heard and responded to appropriately. This finding, however, appears less positive in light of further findings which indicate participating institutions are much more likely to use methods of mass distribution of messages in traditional mediums. Findings from this study may be useful for informing administrators and marketing directors in higher education about the potential of relationship marketing as a tool to create awareness and develop expectations among existing students about the value of a liberal arts education as they progress towards their academic and career goals.Item The Understanding and Practice of Community Policing(ProQuest, 2021-04-21) Fegett, DavidDivision between the police and the communities they serve is growing at an alarming rate. Cities throughout this country are calling to defund the police and police officers are cast as villains even when their actions are warranted. The Community Policing philosophy was developed in an effort to bridge the gap between these two entities and create an atmosphere of mutual trust but the philosophy has had little impact. This exploratory study was designed to find relationships between an officer’s rank and their level of agreement toward this philosophy. Additionally, this study looked for relationships regarding the organizational size and the level of agreement with both the practice and concepts of Community Policing. Last, this study looked for relationships involving the officer’s level of agreement with Community Policing and their engagement in Community Policing activities. For this study, 234 certified Kentucky law enforcement officers were provided a 22 item survey. The results of this study provided statistical evidence that three of the four objectives merit further examination. Evidence suggests that a relationship exists between an officer’s rank and their agreement with Community Policing practices. In fact, 30.8 percent indicated making arrests are the best way to solve problems. While this study is not suggesting enforcement of criminal codes is not necessary, making an arrest is not always the best or preferred option. Additionally, 25.6 percent indicated they want to be left alone to do their job but as the officer’s rank increased this belief decreased. Leaders of organizations understand the positive impact this philosophy can have on their community, but this understanding must be filtered down to the line officers. Police officers perform heroically on a daily basis, but law enforcement and the community must come together to bridge this gap