The Impact of the Digital Divide on Rural Community College Students

Abstract This qualitative case study investigated the perceived impact of the digital divide on rural U.S. community college students. An online survey was conducted of adult community college students at a rural community college. In addition, volunteer faculty at the same institution were interviewed through Zoom. The purpose of the student surveys and faculty interviews was to determine the impact of the digital divide on rural community college students and the ways in which these students seek to overcome the divide. This study used a theoretical framework that combined aspects of the situational theory of problem solving (STOPS) with the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) to understand the factors that influence a student’s ability to overcome the digital divide. This study used census data from the county where the college is located and surrounding counties to demonstrate the current availability of high-speed internet access in the area. This study found that the digital divide remains a challenge for rural community college students. The first-level digital divide, or the access divide, and the second-level digital divide, or the digital literacy divide, are barriers to student success at rural community colleges. These students employ a variety of methods to overcome the challenges they face because of the digital divide. Keywords: digital divide, high-speed Internet access, computer ownership, smartphones, first-level digital divide, second-level digital divid

The Emotional Intelligence and Conflict Management Relationship in Black Women Leaders

This study examined the relationship between emotional intelligence and conflict management styles in Black women leaders in the United States. The lack of literature surrounding Black women leaders\u27 emotional intelligence or conflict management styles presented an opportunity to offer quantitative data connected to these constructs. A cross-sectional survey design was used to administer three surveys the Situational Test of Emotional Management- B, the Kraybill Conflict Style Inventory, and a modified version the Multidimensional Inventory of Black of Identity, that focused on Black female identity. Data from 124 participants were analyzed to learn if identity mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and conflict management. Pearson correlations, linear regressions, and a test of the mediation of identity were conducted. Results established that identity did not mediate any of the variables; however, the findings showed that Black women leaders with higher levels of emotional intelligence will employ conflict management styles with higher concern for others and with lower levels of emotional intelligence decreased concern for others. Finally, this study showed that Black women with weaker intersectional identities have lower levels of emotional intelligence

A Divine Assignment: Church Supports for Caretakers and Children Impacted by Disabilities

How can the church provide leadership in the area of inclusion and offer families a place of refuge and support? How does the church care for and teach children with disabilities? As a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst, I have partnered with congregations to start programs for families impacted by disabilities. Here, we show how a family affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder challenged their church to provide a sustainable program. There is hope that the church can lead inclusion efforts and develop special needs support for caretakers. The article reveals one family’s journey in returning to worship with their autistic son and the church’s response

A Phenomenological Study Examining Job Embeddedness of Direct Support Professionals in Community-Based Services Programs: Why Do They Stay?

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) live in the community in apartments, group home settings, and host home environments. They need support in all aspects of adaptive living skills to live independently. Direct support professionals (DSPs) provide support in areas of grooming, oral hygiene, toileting, laundry, housekeeping, meal planning, meal preparation, medication administration, mobility, recreation, shopping, and grocery shopping. This qualitative phenomenological study examined why DSPs remain in the position despite experiencing low wages, inadequate benefits, lack of adequate training, and lack of opportunities for upward mobility. Using the theoretical framework of job embeddedness, this research was conducted to understand the lived experiences of DSPs working in home and community-based long-term care services. Purposive sampling of 10 DSPs allowed participants to engage in semistructured interview questions. The participants shared their experiences and responded to questions identified in the interview protocol. The procedures of initial coding and the Otter transcription service were utilized to transcribe the data. Four themes were identified, including love, joy, empathy, and service. The study provided unique perspectives on DSPs and their unwavering commitment to serve individuals with IDD. The study provides insights into how intrinsic values embed employees in their jobs and influence motivations to stay

Disability, Difference, and Inclusion in the Church: A Special Issue

This introductory article sets the context for the conversations in this special issue of Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry on disability, difference, and inclusion in the church

Intergenerational Factors That Contribute to Millennial Church Engagement

Millennial church attendance has declined since the beginning of the new millennium. Intergenerational ambivalence has been known to contribute to this phenomenon. Through this action research, the researcher sought to determine what intergenerational factors have led to millennials’ continued or discontinued attendance within churches. A phenomenological qualitative approach centered around interviews for this study was used to determine these intergenerational factors. The sample was taken from a 1,100-member church in a major Texas metropolitan area. The goal was to help church leaders decrease relational distancing and reduce ambivalent factors to increase millennial engagement in this local congregation

Moral Objections to Pornography: Does the Reason for Opposition Affect Consumption?

Recent literature has suggested a link between self-described “problematic” pornography usage or pornography addiction and moral incongruence (Grubbs et al., 2022; Guidry et al., 2019). That is, when someone is morally opposed to pornography, they feel worse about their use of it. As of yet, however, no link has been established between specific reasons for objecting to pornography and their effects on consumption. Participants were 54 adults selected randomly using Amazon’s MTurk survey distribution platform. Respondents completed demographic questions and 6 scales measuring frequency of pornography use, objections to pornography, self-perceived problematic porn use, external and internal shame, God representations, and relationship with God. The hypothesis that distinct reasons for objecting to pornography would be negatively correlated with consumption was supported. Implications of the findings, limitations, and future directions are also discussed

Book Review: Disability: Living into the Diversity of Christ\u27s Body

Disability: Living into the Diversity of Christ’s Body, by Brian Brock. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic. 180 pages, $21.99

Effective Leader Development Within a Church-Planting Organization for a Changing and Chaotic World

A challenge in cross-cultural church planting is developing leaders. Cross-cultural church-planting organizations like Latin American Mission (LAM; pseudonym) that lack a leadership development strategy struggle to form lasting leaders, sending missionaries with Biblical training but not leader development training. Additionally, developing leaders in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment creates specific challenges that missionaries must address. The purpose of this qualitative, Delphi method study was to investigate the leadership development perceptions and experiences among existing LAM missionaries in the regions of Latin America (Colombia, Cuba, Mexico City, Peru, Brazil, and Ecuador) to provide suggestions for improving effective leadership development within a VUCA environment. Understanding the LAM missionaries’ perceptions and experiences provided insight into best practices and strategies for developing leaders. Thus, the problem was that LAM needed to further understand the realities of their missionaries to better equip them to effectively train new church leaders for a VUCA environment. Concepts of positive leadership, vertical leadership development, cross-cultural leadership, followership, and coaching influenced this investigation. This qualitative Delphi method study proved effective in gathering collective wisdom, using consensus data from a panel of experts within a context. Using a three-round modified Delphi method, a panel of 17 participants who lived and worked as missionaries in a Latin American context with the LAM church-planting organization provided wisdom for best practices in leadership development within a VUCA context. Five themes emerged from the panel’s experience that endorsed many tenets of the conceptual framework, specifically within positive leadership, vertical leadership development, and coaching. The panel confirmed that a VUCA environment affected their experience in developing leaders. Other themes included influences vi on leader development like positive organizational climates, both the developer’s and new leader’s mindset, trusting relationships between developers and new leaders, and positive feedback. The conclusions were that missionaries desiring to develop new leaders in a VUCA world could use the key tenets of positive leadership and vertical leadership development; also, coaching was an effective development tool for a VUCA context