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Female Athletes’ Mental Health Help-Seeking Experiences: Understanding The Impact Of The Coach-Athlete Relationship And Coach Sex, Verena Zaisberger

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Mental health help-seeking remains stigmatized in the world of sports (Cosh et al., 2024). Evidence suggests that female athletes may prefer to disclose vulnerable topics to individuals of the same sex (Keil et al., 2023), including help-seeking (O’Keeffe et al., 2022). However, no investigations have explored how coach sex or the coach-athlete relationship may influence female athletes help-seeking experiences. This is despite the importance of coaches in promoting and facilitating mental health services utilization (Bissett et al., 2020). To further understand this topic, the aim of this study was to explore what female athletes’ mental health help-seeking experiences are under …

Grade Assessment Types, And Student Performance In An Online Marketing Course, Vivek Madupu

AMTP Proceedings 2026

These days, asynchronous online courses are very common in business schools at universities. Online courses are attractive as they offer flexibility for students, especially working and non-traditional students. Even though online courses are widely popular, assessment design is often based more on instructor experience and intuition rather than on research evidence. In many cases, faculty rely on exams or participation-based activities without knowing how different assessment types relate to student learning and performance.

Learning analytics (LA) refers to the collection and analysis of data generated by students through Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, etc. These data include grades, quiz scores, discussion forums, …

Moral Outrage To Market Impact: A Multi-Level Analysis Of Corporate Cancel Culture, Sayan Gupta, T. Andrew Poehlman

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Corporate cancel culture is often dismissed as “just social media noise,” but for managers the real stakes show up in markets. This paper develops and tests a three-level framework linking moralized social-media discourse, online brand reputation, and firm-level financial outcomes. Using three canonical cancellations—Dolce & Gabbana’s China controversy, Tesla’s politicization via Elon Musk, and Bud Light’s backlash after its transgender influencer partnership—we first show that these events are organized around spikes in moral-emotional language and structural virality, not generic negativity. We then document how this moral outrage predicts shifts in brand sentiment, associations, and engagement across platforms, before examining corresponding …

Undergraduate Voice Students’ Understanding Of The Vocalize And Its Purpose, Natalie H. Bazemore

Honors College Theses

This research discusses undergraduate voice students' understanding of vocalizes and their purpose. To discuss this subject, a vocalize has been defined along with its purpose analyzed. By discovering what methods voice teachers are using to prescribe vocalizes tells us how they are educating their singers on developing technical singing skills. This research was collected through a survey conducted in Qualtrics and was shared via social media voice teacher forums and collegiate music settings. This 5-10 minute long survey included participants that are either undergraduate voice students or undergraduate voice teachers. The teachers and students completed different surveys, both asking about …

The Relationship Between U.S. Presidents And Governors From Opposing Political Parties: Policy Implementation And Crisis Management, Adam Richey

Honors College Theses

This thesis studies the impact of partisan divisions between U.S. presidents and state governors in regard to policy implementation and crisis management of the American federal system. While previous research has mainly addressed congressional polarization, executive relationships across different levels of government have received comparatively less scholarly focus.  Particularism theory argues that electoral incentives shape executive behavior, and this study finds that political alignment significantly affects cooperation, coordination, and responsiveness during times of crises. Focusing on qualitative comparative case study methods, the analysis examines Hurricane Katrina (2005) and the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021). The results show that partisan division most often …

Perinatal Inflammation And Oxidative Stress Alter Adult Rat (Rattus Norvegicus) Motor Behavior, Alexander Young

Honors College Theses

Recent evidence in comparative animal models suggests that early life exposure to elevated inflammation (via LPS exposure) and oxidative stress (via acetaminophen exposure) may synergistically interact to alter typical neurodevelopmental trajectories, resulting in lasting effects on both behavior and gut-brain neurochemistry. The current study observed emotional and motor behaviors and collected fecal-boli to measure Tyrosine (TE) levels in male and female Long-Evans (Rattus norvegicus) rats. Subjects were either treated with [1] saline [2] lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to introduce an inflammatory state, [3] acetaminophen (APAP) to introduce oxidative stress, or [4] a dual-hit of both LPS + APAP on postnatal day (PD) …

Exploring The Effects Of Mindset And Mood On Cognitive Performance, Pamela Kplivi

Honors College Theses

Individual and situational factors such as mindset and mood can shape performance on creative problem solving tasks. This study examined the potential effects of mindset (growth vs. fixed) and mood (positive, neutral, negative) on performance. Performance was measured using a shortened 60-item version of the Compound Remote Associates Task (CRAT; Bowden & Jung- Beeman, 2003). 92 undergraduate students completed self report measures of mindset (ITIS; Dweck, 1999) and self-efficacy (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1995). Participants were randomly assigned to a video-based mood induction condition and completed a self-reported mood survey (PANAS; Watson et al., 1988). Manipulation checks confirmed the effectiveness of …

The Role Of Mentorship In Reducing Burnout In New Nurses And Nursing Students, Omari Andry

Honors College Theses

Burnout among new nurses and nursing students is a consistent issue affecting the healthcare system by adding to early career turnover, emotional exhaustion, and decreased quality of patient care. Structured mentorship programs have emerged as a promising intervention to alleviate burnout by giving emotional support, professional development, and coping strategies. This proposal explores the role of mentorship in reducing burnout symptoms, improving job satisfaction, and promoting emotional resilience among new nurses and nursing students alike. Based on existing scholarly articles, the project will investigate how structured versus informal mentorship affects burnout rates, the qualities of effective mentors, and the outcomes …

What Is The Evolving Role Of Nurses In Telehealth As Future Healthcare Professionals?, Emma G. Lowry

Honors College Theses

Telehealth has evolved into an essential component of healthcare delivery in today's world, something that occurred alongside the COVID-19 pandemic. As healthcare professionals, nurses must be adequately prepared and equipped to use the tools for telehealth. This paper examines the evolving role of nurses in telehealth by assessing undergraduate nursing students’ and practicing nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceived competencies. Data will be collected through a Qualtrics survey utilizing the Awareness, Knowledge, Attitude, and Skills (AKAS) Scale for Telemedicine, supplemented by interviews with telehealth practitioners to provide qualitative context. It is expected that variations in proficiency and attitudes, from previous biased …

Short Time, Lasting Impact: Teaching Pediatric End-Of-Life Care In One Day, Mckenzie Taliaferro

Honors College Theses

Background: Pediatric nurses working in specialties that experience terminal diagnoses, death, and post-mortem care, often feel unprepared for the emotional toll and lack adequate support systems (Camera et al., 2024). Nurses report feeling under prepared due to a lack of hands-on opportunities before graduation (Richoux, et al., 2022). Pediatric death is a traumatic experience for families and nurses. Previous studies have shown that hands-on education increases nurses' confidence in caring for patients at the end of their lives (Cole & Foito, 2019; Noyes et al., 2023). Method: A one-day, hands-on multidisciplinary workshop on pediatric end-of-life (EOL) was created and offered …

Development Of Tunable Rose Bengal Based-Nanogumbos As Potential Selective Chemotherapeutic Agents, William J.A. Russell

Honors College Theses

As cancer remains one of the greatest threats to the global population, the development of chemotherapeutic agents that are selective and tunable is of critical importance. Herein, a series of Rose Bengal (RB)-based GUMBOS, a group of uniform materials based on organic salts, were synthesized via counterion exchange between [Na]₂[RB] and three organic cations: tetrabutylphosphonium bromide [TBP][Br], tetraphenylphosphonium chloride [TPP][Cl], and 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [C₁₂MIm][Cl]. The resulting GUMBOS were characterized through FT-IR, ESI-MS, NMR, and UV-Vis Spectroscopy. Partition coefficient studies indicated all GUMBOS exhibited hydrophobic physiochemical characteristics. These hydrophobic RB-based GUMBOS …

Effects Of Dietary Perfluorobutane Sulfonate (Pfbs) On Adipose Tissue, Hannah Olofintuyi, Eric Gato

Honors College Theses

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemical substances used in a variety of industrial applications and consumer products. Perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) is often used as a replacement for the more harmful (Perfluoroalkyl sulfonate) PFAS chemicals that have been around longer. It is believed that PFBS does not remain in the body as long as other PFAS compounds; however, there is a rising concern that it has the potential to cause damage to human health. This study focused on understanding how dietary PFBS exposure affects metabolism-related processes in adipose tissues in rats. To accomplish study objectives, Sprague Dawley rats were exposed …

From The Classroom To The Workplace: The Role Of Internships In Shaping Student Values, Jasmine Williams

Honors College Theses

A significant degree of research on workplace values has been conducted to better understand how employees are motivated in the hopes of reducing turnover. There also exists a significant body of literature on how internships impact career outcome and can effectively prepare students for the workforce. However, previous studies have not explored the differences between students who have completed internships in comparison to those who have not. The goal of this research is to determine whether internships create a significant impact on students’ workplace values (e.g. intrinsic, extrinsic, altruistic, and social) when compared to students who have not completed an …

Preventing Coccus Longulus Infestation, Nicholas Wellls

Honors College Theses

In the Armstrong greenhouse, the Coccus longulus scale insect is a prevalent problem on a specific species of Begonia known as Begonia ‘Richmondensis’. Inside the greenhouse there are several types of begonias with very similar characteristics to the Richmondensis begonia. However, none of these other begonias are infested by C. longulus, despite similar leaf thickness and environmental conditions such as humidity and light. This project examined whether differences in the chemical composition of the Begonia leaves can explain this pattern. Results were not statistically significant, but they showed that the chemicals had a noticeable impact on the scale, and …

Crisis Communication In The Influencer Era: A Crisis Response Analysis Of Poppi And Alani Nu, Meredith E. Staley

Honors College Theses

As social media continues to reshape modern public relations practice, beverage brands like Alani Nu and Poppi offer relevant examples of influencer-driven communication and crisis response. This honors thesis compares and contrasts these brands following two major crises: Poppi’s influencer vending machine campaign and the health concerns and backlash surrounding Alani Nu’s energy drinks. Despite the well-known prevalence of these brands, there is little scholarly research examining their crisis communication strategies. Guided by Situational Crisis Communication Theory, this study uses a combination of social and news media content analysis to evaluate how each brand responded to its respective crisis. Each …

How Is The Use Of Ai Impacting Nursing Students Education?, Lorna H. Strain

Honors College Theses

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education is rapidly increasing and reshaping how nursing students learn and engage with content. This thesis proposal looks at the impact of AI on the education of nursing students and explores students' perceptions of its use in their learning and education. As AI becomes more prevalent, many students are using it for study aids and content personalization, while schools are using it in simulations and textbook platforms. Many recognize its benefits, such as enhanced critical thinking, improved accessibility of materials, and more immersive learning. Concerns persist around ethical use, academic integrity, and the …

The Open Secret: Drugs And Fishing In Georgia, Makala L. Collins

Honors College Theses

Substance use and overdose deaths have been disproportionally disrupting families and communities in rural America. Increasing rates of drug use in these areas can be traced to the outsourcing of blue-collar work to outside of the United States, which economically restructured these areas by decreasing the profitability of generational industries. This is the story playing out in Georgia’s commercial shrimping industry and the communities it used to support. This research uses qualitative data collected over the past ten years to understand the perceptions and impacts of drug use on Georgia’s shrimping community. Using a lens of critical medical anthropology, environmental …

Validity Assessment Of Resting Heart Rate Variability From The Garmin Health Snapshot, Kayla M. Porter, Andrew Flatt

Honors College Theses

Purpose: To assess the agreement between the Garmin Forerunner 265 (a commercially available sports watch) and a single-channel electrocardiographic (ECG) chest strap for determining resting heart rate variability (HRV). Secondary aims were to assess the impact of skin tone and body position on measurement accuracy.

Methods: Young adults (n = 30, 57% women) aged 18–39 years without known cardiovascular conditions and without tattooing or scarring on the dorsal left wrist were recruited. HRV was recorded simultaneously using ECG and the Forerunner 265’s optical sensor during Garmin’s 2-minute “Health Snapshot.” Measurements were obtained in three standardized positions: supine, seated, and standing. …

The Sting Of The Women Airforce Service Pilots: The Fight For Militarization And Recognition, Cassandra Cates

Honors College Theses

The Women Airforce Service Pilots, commonly known as the WASPs, were the first women to fly military planes for the United States. Serving during World War II, the main goal of the WASPs was to relieve the men flying planes domestically, so the men could serve overseas. But despite their dedicated wartime service, negative press and an unfavorable Congressional investigation prevented the WASPs from being fully recognized in 1944, and consequently militarized. Once they were disbanded near war’s end, the WASPs returned to civilian life. Not until the 1970s did the WASPs start to speak out about their service and …

Perception Of Bsn Nursing Students On Theory-Practice Gap, Emmalyn G. Siclare

Honors College Theses

Nursing students obtain valuable experience and are greatly influenced by their clinical experience in nursing school. The continuity and translation of lecture content learned in nursing school to the clinical part of nursing school is known as the theory-practice gap, and it is a vital part of nursing students’ education that is suffering. A perceivable theory-practice gap has a profound effect on students’ readiness for entering the nursing profession. This study examines how the theory-practice gap is understood by Bachelor of Science in Nursing students, and solutions for how it can be remedied. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted to …

Exploring Academic Burnout In Georgia Southern University Nursing Students, Gwyneth A. Green

Honors College Theses

This project aims to explore the burnout that nursing students experience while going through nursing school. There are plenty of stressors that affect nursing students and their performance in the classroom, so the goal is to identify these stressors and find ways to cope with them to improve classroom performance and decrease the number of students who quit while in school. Finding ways to make nursing school a better experience overall will help improve the outcomes coming out of school and starting to work. A survey was given to research multiple cohorts in the Georgia Southern University Nursing program to …

Digital Twinning To Advance Effluent Water Treatment For Pulp And Paper Mills: A Data-Driven Approach For Process Optimization, Fatima Iqbal, Fatemeh Naeijian, Christopher Page, George Fu, Francisco Cubas-Suazo, Stetson Rowles

Civil Engineering & Construction: Faculty Publications

The pulp and paper industry is the third largest freshwater consumer and faces pressure to minimize water usage and environmental impact. Aerated stabilization basins (ASBs) play a crucial role in treating their wastewater, yet existing open-source models often fail to accurately predict treatment efficiency across varying conditions. This study addresses this gap by advancing ASB modeling for ultimate oxygen demand prediction. Specifically, we improved accuracy with variable temperature corrections and incorporating uncertainty to capture the variability in outputs. The models demonstrated strong predictive performance for ultimate oxygen demand (mainly carbonaceous and nitrogenous biochemical oxygen demand) with R2 values ranging from …

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Your Information Zodiac: An Information Evaluation Framework For The Age Of Generative Ai, Kevin J. Reagan, Kay Coates, Jessica Swaringen

University Libraries: Faculty Publications

Building on information evaluation mnemonics like the CRAAP Test, SIFT, and ACT UP, among others, the authors propose the ZODIAC of information evaluation for an AI-dominated information environment: Zooming in, Other opinions, Dataset, Intent, Authenticity, and Consistency. Each letter introduces students to considerations unique to the critical thinking considerations of AI-generated information, such as datasets and their large language models, evaluating the purpose of a given generative AI, and questioning the authenticity and consistency of generative AI output. Additionally, as an introductory framework geared toward first-year students, the ZODIAC evaluation method does not fully address all aspects of information literacy; …

Covid-19 Vaccine Acceptance Among People Who Smoke In Rural Southwest Georgia: Perspectives And Influencing Factors, Shadé Owolabi, Helen Singer, Katherine Reilly, Łucja T. Bundy Ma-Edm, J.K. Veluswamy, Carla Berg, Regine Haardörfer, James Hotz, Ajay Gehlot, Michelle Kegler

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: The COVID-19 vaccine is a critical tool in reducing COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, vaccine hesitancy is an ongoing public health challenge, especially in certain geographic areas and sub-populations. This study assessed factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake and hesitancy among individuals who smoke in rural communities in southwest Georgia, one of the first COVID-19 “hot spots” in the U.S.

Methods: We conducted qualitative interviews (n=23) using a semi-structured interview guide, informed by the Integrated Behavioral Model (IBM), that assessed vaccine-related behavior, intention to be vaccinated, perceived risk, social norms, attitudes, and environmental barriers and facilitators …

White Nose Syndrome In Bats And Infant Mortality In Georgia, Rhys Medcalfe, Sean Medcalfe, Simon Medcalfe

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: White nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease in bats caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans that can result in bat mortality rates of over 90%. WNS was discovered in Georgia in 2012 in 3 counties but has continued to spread to 14 counties as of 2023, with P. destructans detected in a further seven. Biodiversity loss has been linked to human health outcomes including infant mortality. Understanding the link between WNS, biodiversity loss, and infant mortality in Georgia is important because Georgia ranks 42^nd out of the 50 states for infant mortality rate.

Methods: Using panel data from …

The Mosaic, Georgia Southern University

George-Anne Media Group: Newsletters & Magazines

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Motion Picture Reviews As Determinants Of Box Office Revenue In The Post-Covid Environment, Fernando Comiran, Velitchka D. Kaltcheva, Anthony Patino

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

The decline in motion picture box office receipts and shortened release windows following the COVID-19 pandemic have placed heightened pressure on early performance as a critical determinant of commercial viability. Building upon earlier research suggesting that, as moviegoing frequency decreases, consumers are more likely to rely on audience reviews than critics’ reviews when making a decision to see a movie (Chakravarty et al., 2010), we examine which source of early reviews—professional critics reviews or audience reviews (WOM)—has an impact on early performance following the COVID-19 pandemic. We estimate a linear regression model using actual behavioral data—namely, eight years of motion …