Education Commons^™

"Shut Down And Closed Off": A Routine Activity Approach To Investigating The Relationship Between Covid-19 School Closures And Child Sexual Abuse Report Characteristics In Georgia, Spencer E. Riner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 created a public health crisis that led to an unprecedented number of school closures. A major concern raised by child advocates, law enforcement, and social service providers was the possible increase in undetected child abuse and maltreatment. Undergirding this concern was the belief that this mitigation effort might place child abuse victims and offenders within proximity for extended periods of time. While this was a significant concern, it has rarely been analyzed empirically. To address this gap in the literature, this thesis investigates how school closures impacted the characteristics of child sexual abuse (CSA) reports …

Survey On Current Interventions For Childhood Problem Behavior And Their Link To Future Criminal Behavior, Jada N. Stevens

Honors College Theses

Criminal behavior is a prevalent concern for many communities. As such, researchers and clinicians often look for core causes of criminal behavior to address them early. Some theorize that childhood problem behavior is a common predictor of adult criminal behavior. As a result, emphasis is often placed on addressing childhood problem behavior early in order to prevent future criminal behavior. The current study explores the link between childhood problem behavior and adult criminal behavior. Specifically, we will look at how middle school teachers are addressing childhood problem behavior and how that relates to future predictions of criminal behavior. Data will …

Middle Savannah River: An A/R/Tographic Ecopedagogical Ethnography Experimenting With Rhizomatic Perspectives, Lisa Augustine-Chizmar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research is an experiment in perspective. Using the four commonplaces (Schwab, 1978), I practiced letting the Savannah River teach me what there is to know about the water, the land, the people, and the other entities that depend on ki through artistic, ethnographic, and ecopedagogical lenses. The ethnographic findings describe the social actors that depend on ki and give a voice to the River. The a/r/tographic findings display the River on a canvas map through two hundred years using paint, clay, photography, video, abstract acrylics, and fabric. Together, these methods contribute to a unique ecopedagogical journey. This word cloud …

The Correlation Between The Covid-19 Pandemic And Nursing Students’ Academic And Professional Engagement And Performance., Jolie Mathilde Komlan

Honors College Theses

Even without the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, nursing schools are recognized as a stressful environment "that often exert a negative effect on the academic performances and psychological well-being of the students" (Gomathi et al., 2017). Exploring the changes this ongoing pandemic has on nursing students' views and perspectives, along with their perceived threats, failures, and successes brought on by this pandemic will provide good insight into further changes that need to be implemented to better prepare nursing students through their programs. To accomplish this, participants within the nursing program were surveyed via a 21-question survey on Qualtrics. A retrospective analysis …

An Examination Of Hierarchical Leisure Constraint Effects On Sport Participation And Sport Preference From Adolescence Into Early Adulthood, Crystal A. Fields

Honors College Theses

The aim of this study was to understand how hierarchical leisure constraints prohibited sport participation and influenced sport preferences during individuals’ adolescent years, and how these constraint effects may change during their early twenties. A sequential quantitative-qualitative mixed methods design was employed to (1) identify general changes in constraint effects on participation (i.e., quantitative) and then (2) better understand how sport preferences may be impacted by these constraint effects on participation (i.e., qualitative). A sample (n=70) of female (n= 26) and male (n=44) Georgia residents between the ages of 20-25 representing various ethnicities, backgrounds, and income levels participated in the …

The Role Of Motivation In Community Partner Perceptions Of Service-Learning, Jayda P. Felder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study sought to determine how community partners’ varying motivations for participating in collegiate service-learning programs relates to their perceptions of service-learning. Prior research has demonstrated a plethora of positive outcomes for students who partake in courses with service-learning requirements, but research investigating the outcomes for the organizations that host these students is less common, and research investigating the link between their motives and perceptions is nonexistent. Based on this gap in the literature, the quantitative, evidence-based Perceptions of Service-Learning Scale was developed for the current study to assess how community partners perceive their experiences with service-learning across four …

Using Ai-Enabled Gaze Tracking System To Understand Comprehension Patterns Of Computer Science Students, Bradley Boswell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academic institutions and instructors lack the ability to accurately assess the moment-to-moment attentiveness of students in classrooms where students’ faces are obscured by computer monitors. This can cause the lectures of Computer Science, Information Technology, or other lab-based courses to be incorrectly-paced, which can lead to students having an overall poorer grasp of the subject material. We propose a system for real-time accurate detection of classroom attentiveness using monitor-mounted webcams and eye trackers, along with a Convolutional Neural Network machine learning model (NiCATS). Through the use of a neural network, we produce an initial attentiveness score based on student webcam …

A Secondary Data Analysis Exploring The Impacts Of Synchronous And Asynchronous Sexual Assault Bystander Intervention Training: A Pilot Study, Jacquelyn A. Mesenbrink

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Campus sexual assault has been recognized as one of the most pressing issues on college campuses and an epidemic across the U.S. The purpose of this study is to explore perceived prosocial behavior change of one bystander intervention training in two different modalities: synchronous virtual via Zoom and asynchronous online training via a learning management system (LMS). To date, there is no research study that evaluates the same bystander intervention program across different intervention delivery modalities. This research is the first of its kind to examine the relationship between intervention delivery modality and post-evaluation questions and serves as a pilot …

Pipeline To The Casket: Counter-Stories Of Black K-12 Teachers In Georgia Against The Decision To Arm Teachers, Latoya D. Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Across the country, policies that allow teachers to carry guns in K-12 schools have become more prevalent. Despite opposition from teachers, parents, and other stakeholders, conservative-minded lawmakers, supported by the National Rifle Association, insist without evidence that arming teachers prevents gun violence in schools (Crews et al., 2013; Keller, 2014; Weiler & Armenta, 2014). Additionally, these policies do not consider the effects of systemic racism on the safety and security of Black students. Supporting such policies does not take into account the insights and perspectives of the communities most affected by these types of policies. The purpose of this study …

Athletics As A Life Curriculum: Lessons Learned Through Different Aspects Of Athletics, Thomas J. Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For my dissertation, I decided to write a memoir to have the opportunity to go through the self-reflection process and learn more about my inner self. I wanted to learn how the life experiences I write about have affected me as a student-athlete, coach, teacher, parent, and how they have shaped me into who I am today. I took instances from my life in athletics that I believe are significant in the development of my overall being. Educational scholars such as William Pinar (1995, 2004), John Dewey (1916/2019, 1933), Frederic Gros (2011), Immanuel Kant (1908/2015), Nel Noddings (2005), and Paulo …

Southern Ways: One Girl’S Experience With Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, And Neglect, Merry Trammell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This autobiographical inquiry will explore my own experiences with physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. Using the method of currere as a lead theory. The four-step process – regressive, progressive, analytical, synthetic – helped me work towards understanding the parts of myself affected by these traumas. Investigation of my own family’s generations of abuse as well as reflecting on these experiences helped me deconstruct my own story as I search for my own meaning and purpose. This study utilized aesthetics, depth psychology, and place as central themes in this work. I learned the valued of active imagination and the role …

Mothering Through Our Pain: Single Black Mothers’ Narratives, Yolanda E. Surrency

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black women’s voices and historical contributions have been dismissed, and even excluded, making it difficult for their cultural knowledge to be transmitted to future generations. Black women battle with an unsettled consciousness from subscribing to the normalization of what dominant culture defines as good mothering. This study uses Black feminism to examine single Black mothers who navigate the negative images of the welfare queen and the matriarch. This narrative study uses Black feminism to examine the stories of single, Black mothers and their daughters. The purpose is to investigate Black mothers’ lived experiences to understand their struggles and resistance. Purposeful …

Rey-Ifying A New Heroine: Interrogating The Curriculum Of Femininity In Star Wars Films, Rebekah S. Morgan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Star Wars film trilogies are a cross-generational phenomenon. Due to its powerful and pervasive nature, the messages within Star War’s films must be problematized. As a cultural artifact, Star Wars was used to explore the representations of women across time and three generations. Using a conceptual framework based on cultural curriculum studies and feminist theory, this study explored the significance of Star Wars as gender text by interrogating the representations of women in the Star Wars film saga and what these representations teach about gender and femininity. By focusing on the themes of agency, empowerment, and identity, this work …

Examining The Effects Of Energy Drinks On Academic Performance, Alyssa P. Roberson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reports of energy drink (ED) consumption have grown among the United States population. Research suggests reasons for consumption vary across populations, including increased attention and enhanced endurance performance. However, ED consumers could suffer from negative effects of ED, including health problems, caffeine overdose, and death. Energy drink consumption is also linked to substance use. Despite risks of consuming ED, heavy use of EDs remains among college students, often to help with academic performance; however, research has not examined effects of ED consumption on perceived and actual academic performance. This study evaluated relationships among ED consumption, self-efficacy, and academic performance in …

The Multicultural Center's Role In Black Male Success At A Predominantly White Institution, Stephan Tramaine Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many scholarly works have focused on the problems that Black males face in higher education at predominantly White institutions (PWI). However, few have explored specific factors that lead to the success of Black males. This study focuses on the Multicultural Center’s role in Black male success a PWI. There are a myriad of issues that Black men face when pursuing higher education ranging from a lack of financial resources to “invisibility” in the collegial environment. These challenges are further exacerbated for Black men who are enrolled at a PWI. The Multicultural Center (MC) is among the essential modalities that can …

Collegiate Recreation Participation And Student Retention, Progression, And Graduation, Gabriela Mccollum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between collegiate recreation participation and students’ retention, progression, and graduation (RPG) rates. This study employed a quantitative, ex post facto research design along with descriptive analyses of two research questions. Archival data were gathered for an incoming first-year cohort of 3,516 students at a research-intensive university in the Southeast United States. The present study found that participants within the cohort who were classified as high participation in collegiate recreation were more likely to be retained from the first to the second year. Evidence of this finding was presented with statistical …

Deviating From The Standard: The Relationship Between Archaeology And Public Education, Rhianna M. Bennett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies of the public perception of archaeology shows that while it is a popular and valued discipline, it is still greatly misunderstood. Over the last few decades, archaeologists have sought new and innovative ways to establish archaeological literacy, promote community engagement, and conduct outreach, with the K-12 classroom being one such avenue of focus. Archaeology’s mysterious and exciting reputation among the general public, along with its interdisciplinary applicability, allows educators to draw interest in students and teach a variety of lessons through the lens of archaeology. This thesis outlines survey results of educators and archaeologists on their method, frequency, …

Predicting Student Learning: The Roles Of Rapport, Immediacy, Learning Alliance, And Citizenship Behavior, Susan A. Talley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rapport, immediacy, learning alliance, classroom citizenship behavior, and observed classroom citizenship behavior were examined for their prediction of both affective and cognitive learning. The measure of observed classroom citizenship behavior was created for the purposes of the current study. Observed classroom citizenship behavior positively correlated with classroom citizenship behavior. Specifically, the involvement, affiliation, and courtesy subscales correlated with overall classroom citizenship behavior and their respective subscales but not with other citizenship behavior subscales. This suggests that only certain types of citizenship behaviors relate to the engagement or observation of those behaviors. Observed citizenship behavior was also found to be correlated …

I, Too, Am A Woman: An Emancipatory Text On The Intersections Of Race, Gender, And Sexuality, Michelle M. Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This inquiry builds upon Black Feminism and Critical Race Feminist frameworks by exploring the juxtaposition between Black Women and Queer Black Women. It is also an exploration of the similarities between Queer Black Women and Black Women and how they interact with femininity and masculinity, patriarchy, and heteronormativity. Claiming digital space through podcasting, it honors the power of counter narratives by employing autoethnographical story telling. It examines the multivalent ways in which critical geographies, safe spaces, and homeplaces nurture or alienate Black Women on the basis of sexual orientation, gender performance, race, and social class. Employing tenets of Black Feminist …

The Effects Of Preceding Stimuli Formats On Proportional Reasoning Ability In Elementary School Students, Natalie D. Branch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008) described fraction knowledge as the most important, yet most underdeveloped foundational skill among students. Due to the complex nature of fraction education, this study sought to understand the underlying fraction problem-solving skill of proportional reasoning in the hopes of gaining insight into children’s problem-solving strategies in order to implement more focused educational designs. The current study examined the effects of stimuli formats on children’s proportional reasoning ability by presenting four conditions involving two formats (continuous and discrete). Previous research indicates that students perform better on continuous stimuli and the goal of this study was …

A Study Exploring Parents’ And Occupational Therapists Views On Facilitating Social And Emotional Development, Salena C. Neuwar

Honors College Theses

This study examined how parents of a child with a disability and the child's occupational therapist each facilitate social and emotional development among children who have or are currently receiving occupational therapy services. This study first served to identify, through interviews, what social and emotional skills are important individually to the parent and the occupational therapist that the child gains. Through interviews, the researcher investigated the perceptions of how parents and occupational therapists facilitate social and emotional skills. The location of the therapy session was found to be a vital component among parent and occupational therapist interaction. Finally, this research …

Exploring Job Satisfaction And Preceptorship Capacity Among Applied Epidemiologists, Jessica C. Arrazola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Job satisfaction is important to consider when developing strategies for recruitment and retention. The Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS) conducted in 2014 was the first nationally representative assessment of the state public health workforce. Prior to this assessment, the job satisfaction of state agency public health workers and preceptor capacity had not been measured. This study fills the current research gaps by studying the job satisfaction among the applied epidemiology workforce, identifying factors influencing job satisfaction, and the describing the preceptorship capacity among epidemiologists. This research is based on the 2014 PH WINS data. The analysis …

In Search Of Financial Literacy: A Qualitative Analysis Of Student Money Management Centers In The U.S., Jenny E. Cotton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Financial stress and obligations have been identified as the number one reason students leave college. In an effort to address this, colleges and universities have begun to reevaluate their role and responsibility as it pertains to financial education. This has led some institutions to create student money management centers. These centers serve as a resource for students to receive financial counseling and education.

This research explores how administrators within college money management centers perceive and meet the needs of college students on issues of personal finance. Charmaz’ Constructivist Grounded Theory (2006) approach to qualitative research was utilized as the theoretical …

Assessment Of Phonological And Orthographic Differences In Adults With Reading Disabilities, Christina P. Hyers Mrs.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is debate surrounding how to effectively identify and distinguish reading disabilities from other deficits in college populations. Although several theories have proposed a positive relationship between nonword decoding weaknesses and higher intelligence levels, currently there is no conclusive evidence supporting these claims. The primary purpose of the current study was to determine if individuals of diverging levels of verbal intellectual functioning display profile differences with regard to accuracy for spelling and single word reading of regular words and nonwords. Identifying the specific deficits displayed in populations with reading disabilities assists in formulating interventions targeted at areas of weakness and …

The Obama Effect On African American High School Males, Aundra Simmons Vaughn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

“Of all the challenges in education today, I can think of none greater than the challenge of motivating, educating, and empowering black male learners” (Kafele, 2012, p. 67). Research documents the struggles of African American males in society and education. There is concern among educators for role models for young people to emulate (Lines, 2001). To explore President Obama as a role model and the impact of his historic election on African American recent high school male graduates, a qualitative research study was used. A phenomenological design helped described the “essence” of the phenomenon— the election of an African American …

Project Reconnect Program: Engaging Truant Adolescents Through Pre-Court Diversion, Trevis C. Killen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current literature on truancy diversion court programs has failed to examine middle and high school truants’ perceptions regarding how well truancy diversion court programs improve school attendance and performance. As a result, the purpose of this study was to examine participants’ perceptions regarding how well the Project Reconnect Diversion Program empowered their improved school attendance, compliance with school rules, and completion of classroom assignments. The researcher used a case study design to investigate the participants’ perceptions of the Project Reconnect Diversion Program. Purposive sampling was employed to select the participants who completed the Project Reconnect Diversionary Program during the …

The Impact Of Religious Commitment And Motivation On African American Male Academic Achievement, Beverly Cabble Logan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed method, pragmatic, research study was to determine, from successful African American college age students, what influences have contributed to their academic success. Quantitative data were collected using two survey instruments, the Religious Commitment Inventory (RCI-10) and a researcher created demographic instrument for data collection. Qualitative data were collected through five researcherconducted focus group discussions with 10 African American students enrolled in a four year university located in the southeast region of the United States. The guiding questions were: How does religious commitment impact academic achievement among minority male college students? What relationship exists between religious …

"A Song For You" As Tribute To The Daughters Of The South: Illuminating The Work Of Black Women Principals, Beverly Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Curriculum can be understood as a place of both struggle and possibility, where curriculum workers engage in complicated conversations about self, society, and the purposes of education (Pinar, 2004). Although curriculum theorists have contributed much to discussions of how to improve the current state of education, little attention in the field is given to the role that leadership can play in educational transformation (Ylimaki, 2011). This study contributes to the field of curriculum studies by exploring the ethics of care of Black women public school principals in the South.

By exploring the life experiences of Black female principals from the …

Housing Patterns, Academic Performance And School Choice: An Inquiry Into The Relocation Experiences Of African-American Families, Courtney Jones-Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative inquiry explored the educational relocation experiences of AfricanAmerican families residing in predominately-White and northern Gwinnett County, Georgia, who relocated to pursue improved educational opportunities for their children. For poor families or African- American families with limited resources, school choice is determined largely by where one lives. Historical oppression at the local, state and federal level has encouraged the concentration of African-American families into segregated communities and segregated housing patterns (Massey & Denton, 1998; Rice, 2009; Squires & Kim, 1995), which are often associated with educational inequality (Royce, 2009). The historical oppression and racial injustices in society challenges us …

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder And Bronfenbrenner's Ecology Of Human Development, Carol Medders Denis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the norms associated with this condition in the United States have evolved over time. Culturally established beliefs control how the disorder is defined and treated. This study will explore the idea that ADHD is a socially constructed disorder that impacts multiple levels of society. These levels include the child, the family, the school, the medical community, and the advertising agencies. Social construction theory will be used to establish a framework for this study. Urie Bronfenbrenner’s (1977) system theory describing the ecology of human development will also be used to investigate the impact that different …