Digital Commons Network^™

Holding Space For Teachers: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Social-Emotional Competence And School Climate In Title I Schools, Zsa Zsa B. Davis

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Teacher retention remains a critical concern in education, particularly within Title I schools, where educators face elevated stress levels, emotional exhaustion, and burnout due to the complex needs of students and limited institutional resources. Addressing teachers’ social-emotional competence (SEC) can mitigate the adverse effects of stress by enhancing emotional regulation, well-being, and relational trust which in turn promote job satisfaction and professional fulfillment. Likewise, a positive school climate plays a crucial role in sustaining teachers’ long-term commitment to the profession. This qualitative study employed a descriptive phenomenological design to explore the lived experiences of Title I elementary teachers as they …

Community Care During Austerity: Mutual Aid And Online Connection Among Disabled Americans, Maeve J. King

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Amidst a mental health epidemic and rising inequality, online communities offer a medium for peer support networks for disabled Americans. Community care, especially in the form of mutual aid, has increased in popularity since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering troubling increases in eugenics-based messaging and disproportionate economic inequality, disabled Americans in particular have leaned into community care. Previous research establishes social media as a hub for resource mobilization and safe space for members of marginalized communities to connect. This research aims to explore the impacts of social, political, and economic unrest on the development of community care and …

Emotion Regulation: The Effectiveness Of Reappraisal And Potential Benefit Of Music, Ezra J. Greidinger

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Literature has supported potential benefits to cognitive reappraisal as a method of emotion regulation, as well as intentional music usage as an enhancer of these effects. It has been suggested that instruction be provided to individuals to use these methods, especially in highly stressed populations (Sakka et al., 2018). However, there has not been an experimental study to follow up on these claims. When instruction is provided, is cognitive reappraisal more effective than naturally developed habits in regulating anxiety, and would music enhance these effects? College students (N = 170) were randomly assigned to three treatment conditions: control, cognitive reappraisal, …

Fur-Ever In Memory: College Student Grief And Coping After Pet Loss, Rohit Paruchuri

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Pet loss is a significant yet often overlooked form of bereavement, particularly among college students who are navigating emerging adulthood. Pets play an important role serving as a source of emotional support and are often viewed as family members; however, grief following pet loss is a type of disenfranchised grief, meaning it is not accepted by the society as something significant and often overlooked when compared to grief following human loss (Spain et al., 2019). Research suggests that grief following pet loss can mirror responses to human loss including sadness, guilt, loneliness, and disruption of daily routines (Eckerd et al., …

Mirroring Memory: Material, Reflection, And Becoming, Nila Mojaveri

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This thesis explores how memory shapes identity through material, reflection, and tactile processes. Drawing from my personal experience of migration from Iran and the emotional distance from home, the work examines memory as a shifting, layered, and embodied phenomenon rather than a fixed narrative. Through the use of mirror, clay, fabric, and paint, I investigate how materials can hold, reflect, and transform lived experience. Each material carries specific meaning: mirrors introduce fragmentation and reflection, clay records touch and grounding, fabric evokes softness and domestic memory, and paint creates atmosphere through layering and tone. Together, these materials form a visual …

Sexual Dimorphism In The Immune Defense Mechanisms Against A Systemic Bacterial Infection In The Cat Flea (Ctenocephalides Felis), Ashley Lynch

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Fleas defend against infection through the activation of both humoral and cellular innate immune responses. Previous research in female cat fleas demonstrated increased immune activity following a systemic bacterial infection. However, comparable data for males and sex-based comparisons are limited. In this study, we investigated differences in innate cellular immune responses between male and female cat fleas following systemic infection with Gram-negative Escherichia coli. Bacterial load was quantified using colony-forming units 24 h post-infection. Immune function was assessed via phagocytic index and capacity. Survival and total circulating hemocyte counts were evaluated across infected, sterile-injected, and untreated groups. Male fleas …

Sociodemographic Differences In Sepsis-Related Medicare Hospitalizations: A State-Level Analysis Of Diagnosis-Related Groups For Severe Sepsis In 2019 And 2022, Alba Kuqi

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: This state-level ecological repeated cross-sectional study examined sociodemographic differences in sepsis-related Medicare hospitalizations assigned to Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Groups (MS-DRGs) 871 and 872 in 2019 and 2022.

Objective: The study focused on three outcomes: changes in sepsis-related Medicare discharge volume, changes in average Medicare payment per sepsis discharge, and changes in the proportion of MS-DRG 871 discharges relative to MS-DRG 872 discharges.

Methods: Publicly available Medicare inpatient hospital data and state-level demographic data were used to evaluate whether age, race, gender composition, and median household income were associated with these changes across the 50 U.S. states and …

Validity Of The Polar Verity Sense Optical Armband And Iphone Accelerometer For Heart Rate Variability Assessment, Chinelo C. Chukwuma

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test the validity of the Polar Verity Sense optical armband and iPhone accelerometer (Kubois seismocardiography, SCG) against the Polar H10 across different body positions (for both devices) and measurement durations (for Verity Sense only) while accounting for skin pigmentation. Healthy young adults (n = 46) participated in simultaneous recordings in the supine, seated, and standing positions using the Kubios mobile application on separate devices. Verity Sense measurements were collected for both 1‑ and 5‑min durations, whereas accelerometer measures were 1 min. Skin pigmentation was quantified with the melanin index (M-index). For resting heart …

2025-2026 Georgia Southern University Women's Swimming And Diving Roster, Georgia Southern University

Women's Swimming Records

No abstract provided.

Negotiating Disability Stigma In Undergraduate Students With Academic Accommodations, Demetruis Leonard, Pietro A. Sasso

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

To understand how undergraduate students diagnosed with a disability who receive academic accommodations negotiate stigma, this phenomenological qualitative study was conducted at a midwestern private university using Gibson's (2006) Disability Identity Development Model. Findings from this study of six undergraduates receiving academic accommodations suggest they qualified for reasonable accommodations to guarantee equal access and mitigate the impact of their diagnosed ADHD, depression, and/or anxiety and were granted academic accommodations such as extended time for testing and assignments. These students also used family, friends, and peers to support the navigation of the negative stigma of being perceived as “lazy” or “taking …

Comparing Gpas Of First-Time Students Based On Admissions Decision Date, John M. Adkins

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

With the upcoming demographic shift, higher education administrators are aiming to enroll and retain as many students as possible. With this increased focus on enrollment and retention, a question that can be asked is whether students admitted late (two weeks prior to the start of the full term) will be less academically successful after their first full academic year? To study this question, the first-time, full-term cohorts for the fall 2020, 2021, and 2022 were obtained from Georgia Southern University. The data collected were the admissions decisions and registration dates, fall term GPA, spring term GPA, and cumulative GPA. The …

Conceptualizations Of Hazing: An Exploratory Study Using Lukes’ Three Dimensions Of Power, David James Kerschner, Emily Feuer, Elizabeth J. Allan

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

Building on connections between hazing and power in the literature, we analyzed data generated from campus hazing climate interviews with 308 participants (209 staff members, 99 students) at nine research universities in the United States. Our analysis draws on Lukes’ (1974, 2005) three dimensions of power as a conceptual framework and highlights how each of these dimensions is embedded in staff member and student definitions, conceptualizations, and understandings of hazing. Findings and subthemes for each of Lukes’ dimensions are shared and described, illuminating sources of power associated with each dimension. This investigation reveals important nuances associated with hazing, aligning with …

Racial Discrimination And Racial Identity Among Asian College Students: The Moderating Role Of Interdependent Self-Construal, Foong Yan Lee, Qianyi Wang, Eunseon Gong

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

The current study examined the moderating role of interdependent self-construal in the relationship between perceived racial discrimination and racial group identification among 130 Asian college students at a U.S. institution. Using moderation regression analyses, results indicated that perceived racial discrimination was associated with lower racial group identification, and this relationship was significantly moderated by interdependent self-construal. Specifically, racial discrimination was negatively associated with racial group identification among students reporting lower levels of interdependent self-construal, whereas this association was not significant among those with higher interdependent self-construal. These findings suggest that individual differences in self-construal shape how Asian college students interpret …

The Impact Of Belonging To Identity-Based Student Organizations On Minority Stress In A Midwestern Predominantly White University, Mallory Millet, Akanksha Das, Christian C. Garcia, Rose Marie Ward

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

Minoritized students are exposed to additional unique stressors due to the systematic devaluation of their identities (i.e., minority stress). Additionally, minoritized students report higher levels of mental health concerns than their peers (e.g., anxiety, depression). Identity-based student organizations can be one avenue that universities could use to support these students. These organizations, designed to build social connections among students with shared experiences, may reduce minority stress through fostering students’ sense of belonging. However, the relationship between sense of belonging, minority stress, and identity-based student organizations has yet to be studied. The present study used quantitative and qualitative methods to understand …

Where You Work Still Matters: A Content Analysis, Catherine E. Gonzalez, Ramona Meraz Lewis, Brianne Steele

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

This qualitative content analysis examines institutional differences in student affairs work through 234 articles from JCSD and JSARP (2006-2023). The study explores the relevance of Hirt's (2006) original framework and identifies emerging themes. Findings reveal research imbalances across institutional types and growing attention to diversity, equity, inclusion, and Professional Competencies. Gaps exist in reward structures, career transitions, and research on institutional fit. Implications for scholarship, graduate preparation, and practice are discussed.

Financial Stress And Academic Disruption Among U.S. Postsecondary Students: The Mediating Role Of Anxiety, Tania Akter

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

Given the growing mental health challenges among students in the United States, this study examines how financial stress is associated with anxiety and assesses whether anxiety mediates the relationship between financial stress and academic disruption among U.S. postsecondary students. Data from the 2023–2024 Healthy Minds Study were analyzed using survey-weighted linear regression models to assess the association between financial stress and anxiety, and a generalized structural equation model (GSEM) to test whether anxiety mediates the relationship between financial stress and academic disruption. Results showed that financial stress was significantly associated with anxiety. Mediation analysis indicated that anxiety significantly mediated the …

“Maybe I’M Not Valued Here”: Organizational Toxins In Student Affairs, William R. Bowey Jr

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

Organizations of student affairs are dynamic entities that are situated to support the learning, growth, development, and wellbeing of students. However, like any organization, they may contain toxins that detract from these goals. This study situates ambiguity and exploitation as organizational toxins faced by individuals in student affairs. The conceptualization of organizational toxins is novel to the student affairs literature, and the findings provide fertile ground for future research and the implementation of strategies to mitigate toxins in student affairs.

More Than Just Multiculturally Competent: Doctoral Student Competency And Preparedness To Work With Individuals With Disabilities, Kristen N. Dickens, Chantrelle Varnado-Johnson, Synthia Best

Georgia Educational Researcher

Phenomenological inquiry was used to interview counselor education doctoral students about their experiences and perceived competency and preparedness to counsel individuals with disabilities. Three overarching themes emerged: (1) continuous self-directed learning, (2) disability is multifaceted, misunderstood, and evolving, and (3) influential learning factors. Implications and recommendations for counselor educators and training programs are provided.

Using Culturally Familiar Readings In A Predominantly Latinx Middle School To Bolster Self-Efficacy, Heather M. Kelley Ph.D., Morgan Adams, Meagan Chisholm, Kate Warner

Georgia Educational Researcher

Twenty-eight seventh graders from a predominantly Latinx middle school participated in an instructional intervention involving both a culturally familiar and unfamiliar reading task. Immediately after reading, students joined focus groups to discuss their experiences. These sessions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a discourse analysis framework. The analysis revealed that students based their reading self-efficacy on three key factors: their ability to relate to the text, their interest in the story, and the perceived difficulty of the task. The findings suggest that implementing culturally sustaining pedagogy—through the use of culturally relevant texts—can enhance reading self-efficacy and support academic achievement for …

Advancing Interoperability Through Governance And Sustainability: A Qualitative Comparative Case Study Of State Health Information Exchanges In The United States, Karterria Finkley

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of state-level Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) across all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, examining how governance structures, consent frameworks, funding models, and technical infrastructure influence interoperability maturity, sustainability, and adoption. Guided by Systems Theory and Donabedian’s Structure Process Outcome framework, the research employs a mixed-methods comparative case design integrating systematic documentary review, qualitative thematic analysis, and a policy-anchored analytic scoring methodology. Structural and policy characteristics were operationalized through standardized ordinal (1-5) metrics and aggregated into composite indices representing governance capacity, consent inclusivity, financial sustainability, and technical readiness. This approach enabled …

Extracurricular Activities' Influence On High School Students' Academic Achievement, Michael Jones Jr

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This quantitative study investigates the relationship between participation in extracurricular activities and academic achievement among high school students, as measured by Grade Point Average (GPA). This study uses a cross-sectional research design to analyze GPA data from Greenbrier High School in Evans, Georgia. Greenbrier is a part of the Columbia County School District and serves approximately 2,000 students. Historical data were collected from 2024-2025 school records and analyzed using t-tests and ANOVA to compare the impact of ECAs on academic achievement. The study analyzed differences in academic performance based on (a) participation versus non‑participation in ECAs, (b) the type of …

The Impact Of A Nf-Κb Signaling Inhibitor On The Antibacterial Activity Immune Response In The Cat Flea (Ctenocephalides Felis), Caroline M. Singer

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Ctenocephalides felis are vectors of several bacterial pathogens that cause disease in humans and animals, including Bartonella henselae and Rickettsia felis. Successful pathogen transmission requires that microbes survive the immune defenses of the flea digestive tract following blood feeding. In insects, humoral immune responses are regulated primarily by the Toll and immune deficiency (IMD) signaling pathways, with the IMD pathway serving as the principal defense against Gram-negative bacteria. Although genomic and transcriptional evidence indicate that cat fleas encode and express components of the IMD signaling pathway, the functional roles of individual pathway components within the flea digestive tract remain …

Experiencing Followership: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of Executive Assistants In Higher Education, Trina R. Smith

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The burgeoning study of followership needs more follower-centric qualitative research that describes follower beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, and experiences. The traditional view of leadership is that a single person is responsible for the success or failure of a project, team, or organization. However, scholars have suggested that 80% of the success of a team or organization may be attributed to followership. Followership research is rapidly expanding, and scholars are calling for more empirical follower-centric research to add to the discipline. Likewise, the executive assistant (EA) position is one of increasing responsibility, but there are few empirical studies on EAs' experiences across …

Independent And Interactive Effects Of Stack Height And Heel Width On Spatiotemporal Parameters, Knee Joint Kinetics, And Ground Reaction Forces During Running, Hao Cai

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the independent and interactive effects of stack height (SH) and heel width (HW) on lower-extremity biomechanics during running. Specifically, the study examined how variations in midsole geometry influenced spatiotemporal parameters, knee joint kinetics, and ground reaction forces (GRF). Twelve recreational runners (8 males, 4 females) completed treadmill running trials at 16 km/h under nine shoe conditions that systematically varied in SH (25, 45, and 65 mm) and HW (81, 93, and 105 mm). Lower-extremity kinematics were collected using a Theia3D markerless motion capture system, and GRF data were recorded using an instrumented treadmill. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA …

Influence Of Footwear Geometry On Lower Limb Stiffness During Running, Hongjiao Duan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study examined how footwear geometry, specifically stack height and heel width, influences lower-limb stiffness during treadmill running. Twelve recreationally active runners completed treadmill running trials at 4.44 m/s in nine prototype shoe conditions that differed in stack height (25, 45, and 65 mm) and heel width (81, 93, and 105 mm). Vertical stiffness, leg stiffness, and sagittal-plane hip, knee, and ankle joint stiffness were calculated from synchronized markerless motion capture and force data. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA (stack height X heel width) was used to test footwear effects. Leg stiffness was not significantly affected by stack height or heel …

Assessing Climate-Driven Shifts In Floral Resource Availability For Bees On Barrier Islands In The Southeastern U.S., Hannah Brown

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Climate change can alter the timing of bee and angiosperm phenology, potentially reshaping the seasonal availability of floral resources for bee species. Although plant-pollinator phenology has been widely studied in temperate systems, less is known about these dynamics in subtropical coastal ecosystems, such as barrier islands in the southeastern United States. In this study, we examined climate-driven changes in bee activity and floral resource availability across 16 barrier-island sites spanning from Florida to Virginia. Using museum bee occurrence records, herbarium-derived flowering phenology models, site-specific floristic inventories, and published bee-plant interaction data, we estimated species-specific bee activity periods and daily floral …

Ni De Aqui, Nor There. Pero As The In-Between, Vanessa Franquez

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores first-generation Mexican American identity as a lived experience of translation and survival. Drawing from Judith Butler, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Jack Burnham, the work frames identity as performative, embodied, and shaped by overlapping cultural systems. Insects function as models of adaptation, camouflage, and defense, paralleling survival strategies such as code-switching and cultural hybridity. Through sculptural processes including tufting, felting, sewing, layering, and the inscription of Spanglish text, repetition and puncture become material metaphors for pressure, repair, and resilience. Language operates as both subject and substance, resisting grammatical purity in favor of hybridity. The work ultimately positions the in-between …

When The Gorenstein Projective Modules Are Precovering: A Survey On The Existence Of The Gorenstein Projective Precovers, Alexis L. Mcburney

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis surveys known results on the existence of Gorenstein projective precovers and studies conditions under which the class of Gorenstein projective modules is precovering. In classical homological algebra, projective resolutions are used to study modules, while relative homological algebra replaces projective modules with a different class that must be precovering for resolutions to exist. Gorenstein homological algebra extends these ideas using Gorenstein projective modules. We review key developments by Jorgensen, Murfet and Salarian, Estrada, Iacob, and Yeomans, and Cortés and Saroch. We discuss the strongest known existence result, showing that Gorenstein projective precovers exist under suitable conditions; in particular, …

Effects Of The Menstrual Cycle Phase On Rpe, And Symptom Characteristics In Pre-Professional Female Soccer Players, Emily Potts

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Hormonal fluctuations across the distinct phases of the menstrual cycle have been shown to influence physiological and psychological responses to exercise, with some evidence suggesting phase-dependent changes in symptom presentation and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE); however, findings remain inconsistent, and few studies have examined these relationships across an entire competitive season in female soccer players. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in RPE and menstrual symptoms across cycle phases, as well as the relationships between RPE and symptom reporting in pre-professional female soccer players. A total of 22 female soccer players (age 22± 1.85) were recruited …

I Am Because We Are: A Narrative Inquiry Of Waiver Teachers’ Sense Of Belonging In Title I High Schools, Bernard Young

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative narrative inquiry examined how former waiver teachers in low-performing Title I high schools in Georgia experienced a sense of belonging within their school communities and how that sense of belonging influenced their engagement in professional learning and their perceived effectiveness in supporting student achievement. Grounded in the Belongingness Hypothesis and guided by narrative inquiry methodology, the study framed participants’ experiences through the Bildungsroman structure to explore their journeys of professional becoming. Data were collected using a life-story interview protocol that combined open-ended narrative invitations with responsive follow-up questioning and were analyzed through a multi-phase narrative inquiry process informed …