Digital Commons Network^™

Contextual Augmentation In Artificial Intelligence, Emmanuel Joshua Balogun

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Contextual understanding is a significant challenge of Large Language Models (LLMs), which are typically trained on general-purpose datasets. Due to this, LLMs fail to capture nuanced or domain-specific information and may struggle to interpret user queries accurately. Consequently, prompt engineering can become complex in automating, and LLMs are prone to “hallucinating”—generating random or irrelevant texts—when they lack sufficient context. This undermines their ability to provide focused, accurate responses. Accordingly, this thesis seeks to enhance the contextual understanding capabilities of Artificial Intelligence systems to facilitate more precise and relevant answer generation. Study A looks into a new approach to combating misinformation …

Perceptions Of Agricultural Careers In African American School-Age Students Implications For Public Health Workforce, Brittany M. Prince

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study evaluated a six-week enriched agricultural education curriculum on African American students’ knowledge and perceptions of agriculture and agricultural careers in two selected populations. The study aimed to expand awareness about agriculture and diverse agricultural career opportunities in an effort to reduce perceived stereotypes. The study employed a pre-post-test design, implemented at one middle school and one high school that were intentionally selected based on their population demographics. Participants included 108 students across both schools, with the majority identifying as African American. Data analysis included paired-sample t-tests and One-Way ANOVAs and revealed statistically significant increases in knowledge for middle …

The School Of Becoming: Speculative Essays On Existential Possibility And Humanity In Education, Timothy A. Holman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation reimagines public education through an existential lens, advocating for a humanitarian approach that resists the prevailing dominance of standardized, data-driven systems. Drawing primarily from the philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre (1936, 1940, 1943, 1947, 1965, 1992), it contends that education should honor freedom, nurture authenticity, embrace encounters with others, and cultivate imagination as essential to human development. Influenced by the works of William Ayers (1998, 2004, 2008, 2016, 2024), Maxine Greene (1967, 1973, 1978, 1988, 2000, 2001), Paulo Freire (1970, 2001, 2004), Christopher Emdin (2010, 2016, 2021), and Byung-Chul Han (2018, 2024), speculative essays—each focused on an existential theme—are …

Principal Perceptions Of Leadership Preparedness To Promote Family Engagement In Urban Title I Elementary Schools, Marcus Kimber

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative research examines urban Title I elementary school principals’ perceptions of their family engagement readiness based on university leadership preparation and/or district-level professional development. Based on Epstein's Theory of Overlapping Spheres of Influence, this research examines how educational leaders overcome socioeconomic inequities, trust problems, and communication failures to develop equitable relationships with families. Themes that revealed preparation deficiencies and prospective high-impact family engagement methods emerged from semi-structured interviews and ongoing comparison analysis. Principals value family engagement and recognize its impact on student achievement and school climate, but most feel unprepared to implement systematic, sustainable student engagement strategies. Leadership training …

Science, Students, And Self: An Autoethnography Of One Middle School Science Teacher’S Experiences And Challenges With Implementing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Alexandra Dalton

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation is an autoethnographic inquiry into how the implementation of culturally relevant pedagogy into the middle school classroom is filled with challenges and wins. In this dissertation I explore how implementing culturally relevant pedagogy helped me connect more with my students which in turn increased their academic success, cultural competence, and critical consciousness. I was able to accomplish this by using the research within my own classroom and reflecting on how my students reacted to the changes in my pedagogy. Using the methodology of autoethnography, I was able to incorporate my own personal experiences as research. I also include …

Translanguaging In Middle Level Education, Helen Brandon, Ellis Hurd

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

This case study explores the experiences of two teacher candidates (TCs) in professional development school (PDS) settings with multilingual learners. While valuing multilingual learner’s diverse linguistic backgrounds and language repertoires by drawing from a toolkit of responsive practices, the TCs embraced but struggled with layering translanguaging into their classroom practices. It also examines the middle grades program that these TCs attended while centering asset-based thinking and culturally responsive practices. Overall, this study shows that teacher education programs must include another critical layer to TCs’ experiences: building the toolkit of middle school cooperating teachers (CTs). This study also serves as a …

Embodied Cognition And Teaching Stem: Tenets To Explain And Enhance A Middle School Science Project, Jonathan E. Roberts, Joshua L. Williams, Robert A. Hodgdon, Caroline Payne, Gabriela Ruiz Emmanuelli

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

STEM pedagogy is a popular area for research and discussion. The empirical literature on this topic supports a variety of approaches (e.g., inquiry-based) to help instructors spark student interest create an effective learning environment, and foster long-term retention and transfer of information related to STEM topics. One potential approach is to use tenets of embodied cognition, in which behavior and cognition emerge out of real-time sensorimotor behavior of the individual situated within a particular context, to implement strategies to enhance STEM pedagogy. We applied the six lessons of embodied cognition to understand the beneficial aspects of a middle-school project on …

Faculty Senate Agenda, Georgia Southern University, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Exploitation, Gentrification, And Commercialization: The Evolution Of Third Spaces For Marginalized People In Post-Democratization Cape Town, Nicole Overbay

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This paper explores the impact of high-cost leisure spaces that are emerging in low-income marginalized communities within the Cape Town metropolitan area of South Africa after democratization. The resilience and cultural significance of unregulated third spaces, like shebeens, despite governmental suppression demonstrates the importance of these venues to marginalized South Africans. Through the examination of the gentrification of Bo Kaap and Khayelitsha, this paper argues that the pervasive trend of commercialization (which is supposedly for economic empowerment of said areas), can exclude non-White residents and corrode the generations-long cultural significance created in third spaces. This barrier disproportionately harms Black and …

Using Young Adult Literature And Visual Commentary With Multilingual Learners In Middle Grades Social Studies, Malorie Noles

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

In this article, I share how I used young adult literature with my seventh grade students to foster critical thinking and curiosity and deepen students’ understanding of different cultures. The specific focus is the young adult novel, Brothers’ Keeper, and how I utilized a visual commentary project to support multilingual learners in my classroom. The purpose of the lesson is to model how young adult novels can not only tie to the curriculum, but how visual commentary can support the language development of multilingual learners through multimodal means.

Teaching Literacy: The Intersection Of Social Studies And Language Arts Through Integration, Christopher D. Moore, Jennifer Shiers, Pamela Mccabe, Jeremy Nix

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

Social studies education has always been an important component of K-5 education; however, as dedicated, content-specific instructional time has steadily decreased over the past two decades to give more time to mathematics and specifically English Language Arts, literacy scores have also decreased. Partnering ELA and social studies in the K-5 space allows for students to build their background knowledge in social studies, while increasing their literacy by using instructional resources connected to social studies during the ELA block, and then teaching social studies thinking skills during devoted social studies class time.

The Legacy Of Oscarville: Using Critical Participatory Action Research And Learning Teaching As An Interpretive Process To Sustain A Placeless Place, Leah Panther, Kristie Smith, Mary Mitchelson, Robert Bonner Jr.

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

The history of Oscarville, Georgia, nestled within the Lake Lanier region of North Georgia, remains both known and unknown, existing as a significant yet elusive part of local lore and historical retellings. This article delves into the innovative approach of a place-based critical participatory action research program, "Historicizing Oscarville," which engaged teacher candidates and educators in exploring the obscured history of Oscarville. The narrative uncovers the complex layers of settler colonialism, slavery, racial cleansing, and subsequent erasure that characterize Oscarville's past. By employing the framework of Learning Teaching as an Interpretive Process (LTIP) within a place-based education model, the project …

Bridging Gaps In Special Education: Jclel's Focus On Diverse Case Studies And Inclusive Practices, Jeongae Kang, Aftynne E. Cheek, Kathryn L. Haughney

Journal of Case Learning & Exceptional Learners

No abstract provided.

Dei Corner: Introducing The Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee: Our Purpose And What It Means For Manuscript Submissions & Reviews, Victoria Vanuitert, Lauren Zepp, Stacy Mcguire, Gwendolyn Deger, Jennifer Malone

Journal of Case Learning & Exceptional Learners

Toward the goal of publishing high-quality case studies and related research, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee of the Journal of Case Learning and Exceptional Learners (JCLEL) created guidelines for authors and reviewers. These guidelines focus on presenting cases with clear and balanced descriptions, as well as utilizing bias-free language so that students from traditionally marginalized backgrounds are represented in respectful and inclusive ways. Additional components specific to intervention-based case studies are also addressed, including the social validity of the intervention. Rubrics are included to be used by prospective authors as they prepare manuscripts for submission, as well as …

Check-In-Check-Out Intervention For Jose: A Collaborative Approach To Behavioral Intervention For A Student From A Cld Background, Robai N. Werunga Phd

Journal of Case Learning & Exceptional Learners

Engaging families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds has been found to yield collateral effects that include positive school outcomes for CLD students with disabilities. However, fostering active CLD family engagement, including those of immigrant status has historically posed some challenges. Additionally, when the student in question has a diagnosis that involves behavioral challenges, school and family interactions tend to be adversarial in nature. In this case study, the author describes the procedures undertaken to implement an intervention that not only addresses targeted behaviors of a student from CLD background, but also solicits and fosters parental involvement.

Understanding Course Success In Mandated Online Learning: The Role Of Computer And Computer- Mediated Communication Anxiety, Chris Zimmer

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, many universities shifted to fully online learning. This study contributes to the existing online learning literature by examining the connection between course success, student engagement, and levels of computer and computer-mediated communication anxiety. The research delves into understanding the impact of anxiety on course engagement and the relationship between engagement and overall course success. Regression analyses were used to test hypotheses, revealing an interaction between computer anxiety and computer-mediated communication anxiety. The study underscores the importance of student engagement with course materials, particularly for assignments that require higher-order thinking. In contrast, objective quizzes and tests that …

Enhancing Contractor Selection Through Fuzzy Topsis And Fuzzy Saw Techniques, Mohammadsoroush Tafazzoli, Ayoub Hazrati, Kishor Shrestha, Krishna Kisi

Civil Engineering & Construction: Faculty Publications

Contractors play an integral role in construction projects, and their qualifications directly impact various aspects of a project’s success. The unbiased selection of contractors is a challenge in the construction industry worldwide, particularly in public projects where impartiality in the final selection is essential. Numerous factors must be considered when evaluating contractors, making the selection process challenging for the human brain. This paper introduces and compares two methods for assessing contractor prequalification by applying the fuzzy theory. The idea is to facilitate using human judgments in a mathematical system for decision-making with regard to selecting contractors. The method is based …

Shadowing Students And Schools In The Time Of Covid: One Teacher Education Program's Solution, Janel Janiczek Smith, Taylor Norman

The Curriculum Studies Collaborative Journal

No abstract provided.

Decolonizing Classrooms In Remote Learning: Rehumanizing Ourselves And Our Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Nadia Khan-Roopnarine

The Curriculum Studies Collaborative Journal

No abstract provided.

A Nlp Approach To Automating The Generation Of Surveys For Market Research, Anav Chug

Honors College Theses

Market Research is vital but includes activities that are often laborious and time consuming. Survey questionnaires are one possible output of the process and market researchers spend a lot of time manually developing questions for focus groups. The proposed research aims to develop a software prototype that utilizes Natural Language Processing (NLP) to automate the process of generating survey questions for market research. The software uses a pre-trained Open AI language model to generate multiple choice survey questions based on a given product prompt, send it to a targeted email list, and also provides a real-time analysis of the responses …

Faculty Senate Agenda, Georgia Southern University, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Identity In Kievan Rus’: An Inquiry Into Staraya Ladoga’S Ethnic Composition, Sutton Patterson

CURIO Symposium

No abstract provided.

2024 Conference Program, Georgia Southern University

South East Coastal Conference on Languages & Literatures (SECCLL)

2024 Conference Program

Bearing The Benefit: An Evolution Of Passing To Trespassing & How We Got Here, Kennedi J. Williams

Honors College Theses

In recent years, we have seen a shift in the social treatment of white people in America. The desire to be politically correct at all times, in hopes of avoiding becoming the next viral “Karen” or racist has become imperative. The following thesis will explore the latest trend of white women buying racial capital by producing mixed-race children. At first glance, this idea can be a bit problematic. How can we assume the reasoning behind a woman choosing to bear a child? With this in mind, I would like to emphasize that individuals do not have to consciously be racist …

Mapping Collaboration: Examining State-Government Alliance In Addressing Specific Child Sexual Offenses, Allison R. Lair

Honors College Theses

Amidst our society, a harrowing reality persists: one in ten children bear the burden of enduring sexual abuse before reaching the tender age of eighteen. Alas, this issue often remains hidden from the societal spotlight due to limitations in offense-specific statistical crime data. Since 1930, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Report (UCR) has been the primary resource for annual state-level law enforcement data collection. However, the voluntary nature of participation and the mass categorization of offenses within the UCR methodology, lead to the exclusion of crucial data concerning child sexual offenses. This research explores the dynamics of state …

Experts-Driven Design: A Framework For Measuring Social Influence In Online Social Networks, Shyamala N. Chalakudi, Dildar Hussain Dr., Gnana Bharathy Dr, Dakshinamurthy Kolluru Dr

AMTP Proceedings 2024

In our interconnected and ever-changing social landscape, influence is pivotal in molding individuals’ decisions, perspectives, and behaviors. Measuring Social Influence (SI) in Online Social Networks (OSNs) faces significant gaps, notably needing more integration with human behaviors. Our literature review has unveiled twelve psychological theories rooted in human behavior that are fundamental for assessing SI in OSNs. We have further elucidated how human behaviors interact in shaping the influence potential of social media users through exploratory interviews with experts from consulting, industry, and academia. Our study culminated in developing a novel framework designed to encompass the intricacies that not only nurture …

A Trauma Responsive Approach To Fostering Resilience, Addressing Equity Issues And Improving Student Wellness And Academic Success, Mark Harrington, Joe Thompson, Catherine Stone, Kim Witeck

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

. The REO (re-entry option) Program was created in response to an overwhelming need to address severe disciplinary referral patterns and the disproportionate impact on students of color. It is rare that the underlying issue that may have precipitated the undesirable behavior is considered, and even rarer that a referral to clinical staff is the response. In the REO program is an intervention designed to be initiated by a teacher who recognizes or experiences a student in pre-crisis or a student a student who believes they need to a safe place to self-regulate to prevent escalating behavior. The student is …

Radical Youth Work: A Community Based Approach To Working With Youth, Young Adults And Families, Weston J. Robins

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Radical Youth Work: A Community Based Approach to Working with Youth, Young Adults and Families

A focus on experiential mentoring, humanistic counseling and community engagement as a way to work with youth, young adults and families to provide true holistic therapeutic support and guidance.

Faculty Senate Agenda, Georgia Southern University, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

The George-Anne Inkwell Edition, Georgia Southern University

The Inkwell

No abstract provided.