Date of Award

12-2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Behavioral Analysis

First Advisor

Mark T. Harvey, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Second Advisor

Elbert Blakely, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Third Advisor

Bryon Neff, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Fourth Advisor

Felipa T. Chavez, Ph.D.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of electronic transactions for many churches. Churches which were more inclined to establish online giving platforms weathered the disruption of the pandemic more successfully. Electronic transactions proved to be an efficacious modality for churches to maximize tithing and offering. Behavioral Systems Analysis (BSA) is an evidence-based framework which can inform decision-making, starting with macro-level assessments of the effects of external variables on adaptive systems and systematically funneling down to focus on processes and individuals. This study examined the effects of a process and performer-based intervention, through automation, to increase the percentage of online giving occurrences within churches, as well as the selection of online giving amongst individual church members across three churches. Using a concurrent multiple baseline design across churches, results showed notable increases in procedural fidelity amongst church leadership in implementing automation into the giving portion of church services, the percentage of online giving occurrences, as well as the number of new online givers. Results also showed demographics of church membership (i.e., age, socioeconomic range, community setting) affected the magnitude of acceptance of the treatment package. Future research in Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) should consider participant demographics and culture, customizing interventions across traditional and nontraditional OBM settings.

Comments

Copyright is held by author.

Download

Share

COinS