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A Different World: The Experiences Of Black Women At A Southern Predominantly White Institution, Latoya Stackhouse

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The present study investigated the lived experiences of Black women on a predominantly White institution (PWI) campus in the South as they relate to the core themes of Patricia Hill Collins’ Black Feminist Thought (BFT). The core themes of BFT that were the focus of the research were Self-Definition/Empowerment, Safe Space, Controlling Images, Invisibility/Sense of Belonging. Sista circle methodology was used as the form of inquiry with two 60-minute sessions over a two-month span. This methodology was chosen because its focus centers the lived narratives of Black women within a safe space unlike traditional focus groups. Findings from the sista …

The Relationships Between Sleep Quality, Health-Related Quality Of Life, And Injury In High School Student Athletes, Karleigh Kirsch

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Various physiological and lifestyle factors make shorter sleep durations more prevalent in young people, leaving them at risk of sleep deprivation. In addition to overall poorer health outcomes and decreases in well-being, lack of sleep has known effects on performance, neurocognitive functioning, and recovery from exercise. This creates a greater potential for sport-related injury to occur. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between sleep quality, health-related quality of life, and injury in high school student athletes. The sample consisted of 100 high school athletes (M age = 15.86, SD = 1.25 years). Participants completed a …

Examining Practitioners’ Perspectives On Access To Professional Psychological Help For Division I Male Athletes, Nicole Vana

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Male athletes are less likely than female athletes to seek out support services (Barnard, 2016) despite experiencing a myriad of clinical and subclinical concerns including depression (Davoren & Hwang, 2014; Wolanin et al., 2016), anxiety (Davoren & Hwang, 2014), eating disorders (Joy et al., 2016; Sundgot-Borgen & Torstveit, 2004), and substance use (NCAA, 2018). To combat the increasing rates of mental health concerns, support services are becoming more readily available for collegiate athletes (Moore, 2016). However, despite the recent effort in increasing athlete mental health support, many male athletes in particular remain reluctant to seek out such services (Barnard, 2016). …

Crippling Stagnation: Disability Imagery And The Handicapped South, Amber L. Stickney

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Southern literature is well-known for its disabled characters due to the proliferation of the Southern Gothic genre. Many scholars have identified these disabled characters as metaphors for the failure of the Lost Cause, but less attention has been placed on how the internalization of the Lost Cause mythology has caused Southerners to become disabled. Hence, this study aims at understanding the relationship between grand narratives and Southerners through a cultural studies approach. This thesis focuses on short stories, specifically Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People” (1955), Breece D’J Pancake’s “Time and Again” (1983), and Bobbie Ann Mason’s “Shiloh” (1982). The research …

The Impact Of Gloves And Simulated Occupational Tasks On Handgrip Strength In Structural Firefighters, Sarah Lanham

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Adequate handgrip strength (HGS) is important to safely and effectively perform fireground tasks. However, there is limited research describing the deleterious impact of glove use and fatigue from occupational tasks on HGS. Therefore, the aims of this investigation were to quantify the impact of glove use and occupational tasks on HGS, to explore the relationship between HGS versus the glove and task-induced decrement in HGS, and to evaluate the relationship between HGS and decrement in HGS versus occupational performance. Fourteen (Males: n=13) career structural firefighters performed a maximal isometric HGS assessment with and without gloves before and immediately following completion …

Religion And Meaning: Its Moderating Effects On Stressful Life Events And Mental Health, Kalie B. Chambless

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The present study was designed to examine the relationship among religion, mental health, stressful life events, and people’s sense of meaning and purpose in life using data from the 2017 Baylor Religion Survey (BRS), a publicly available dataset. This survey obtained data from a nationwide study of 1,501 United States adults, 1,402 of whom are included in the current analyses. The first three hypotheses of this study were that (1) religion is positively associated with meaning to an individual’s life, that (2) meaning is positively associated with mental health, and that (3) stress is negatively associated with mental health. Finally, …

Correlates Of Risky Sexual Behaviors Among African American Females In Juvenile Detention Centers, Eghosa E. Asemota

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: In comparison to other demographics, research shows that African American female adolescents are over-represented in the United States Juvenile Justice System. Studies in this vulnerable population demonstrate higher rates of engagement in unsafe sex, and its attendant negative consequences of HIV infections, sexually transmitted diseases, and mistimed pregnancies. There is a paucity of studies that have specifically examined risky sexual behaviors amongst African American females in Juvenile Detention Centers. Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between the individual, family, peer, and societal factors, and engagement in risky sex among Black female detainees in Juvenile …

Developing And Validating A Machine Learning-Based Student Attentiveness Tracking System, Andrew L. Sanders

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Academic instructors and institutions desire the ability to accurately and autonomously measure the attentiveness of students in the classroom. Generally, college departments use unreliable direct communication from students (i.e. emails, phone calls), distracting and Hawthorne effect-inducing observational sit-ins, and end-of-semester surveys to collect feedback regarding their courses. Each of these methods of collecting feedback is useful but does not provide automatic feedback regarding the pace and direction of lectures. Young et al. discuss that attention levels during passive classroom lectures generally drop after about ten to thirty minutes and can be restored to normal levels with regular breaks, novel activities, …

Coping Self-Efficacy As A Moderator In The Relationship Between Trauma And Disordered Eating, Bethany Owens Raymond

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Disordered eating behaviors are associated with a myriad of detrimental health and mental health consequences (Ackard et al., 2003; Bryla, 2003; Karkkainen et al., 2018; Quick & Byrd-Bredbenner, 2013). Previous research identifies trauma as a risk factor for disordered eating behaviors and eating disorders (Brewerton, 2007). For instance, individuals with eating disorders are more likely to report trauma than individuals with no such history (Lejonclou et al., 2014). However, because not all individuals with a history of trauma exhibit disordered eating, it is important to identify what factors might moderate this relationship. The current study aims to investigate coping-self efficacy …

Relationship Between Participation In A Dual Enrollment Program, Students’ Race And Socioeconomic Status And Their Retention And Graduation, Nicholas Urquhart

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

As of 2019, all 50 states have an official dual enrollment policy or program that allows high school students to enroll in college to earn both high school and college credits. Dual enrollment programs have been around since 1990, and much of the research has shown a positive relationship between dual enrollment participation, college retention, and graduating; however, research is limited on college retention beyond the first year and graduation. Access to dual enrollment programs is limited for minoritized and low-income students. This study utilized archival data from the University System of Georgia in an ex post facto research design …

Impostorism On Campus: The Effects Of Stereotype Threat On State Inauthenticity And State Anxiety In Two Samples Of African American College Women, Gabrielle Y. Johnson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Despite the growing education levels of Black women, negative stereotypes of Black women persist and undermine the confidence of African American/Black college women in the classroom. Experimental evidence supports that stereotype threat, the fear of confirming a negative stereotype about one’s group when being evaluated by others, undermines the performance of high achieving Black students (Steele & Aronson, 1995). Research has found the impostor phenomenon to be experienced as thoughts of inauthenticity, in conjunction with fear of failure and being exposed as a fraud (Ibrahim et al., 2020). Therefore, being continuously exposed to situations that create feelings of state inauthenticity, …

Barriers To Musculoskeletal Injury Reporting In High School Athletes: A Qualitative Study, Mikayla Talak

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: There are a substantial amount of sport related injuries recorded at the high school age and it has been recorded as a public health concern in a vast amount of health literature. Although participating in sports has a risk of injury associated with it, it is common for high school athletes to underreport injuries. But there is no known literature on injury reporting behaviors of musculoskeletal injuries in the high school athletic population. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the barriers and facilitators to musculoskeletal injury reporting and towards playing injured in athletes that attend a …

Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, And Mood Disorder Symptoms: The Moderating Role Of Parent-Child Religious Congruence, Jasmine Swann

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study sought to understand the factors related to increased symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression among Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) individuals. It is common for religious beliefs and Sexual and Gender minority ideals to clash. In the case of parent-child relationships, it is important to determine how the congruence of beliefs between parent and child may moderate mood disorder symptoms. A convenience sample of 271 individuals (46.5% identifying as a Gender and/or Sexual minority) completed an online survey. Participants provided information about their religious congruence with their closest parental or guardian figure and completed measures of current depression, …

The Development Of A Novel Throwing Assessment For Children With Cerebral Palsy, Cory Cribb

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Cerebral palsy is one of childhood's most common developmental disabilities. Cerebral palsy leads to dysfunction in the upper extremities due to symptoms such as low muscle power, spasticity, and increased tone. A modified throwing assessment was constructed to examine throwing performance as a measure of upper extremity function. Purpose: To determine if the modified throwing assessment is a reliable measure of throwing performance and if the modified throwing assessment is a valid measure of upper extremity power in children with CP. Methods: The study employed a test-retest design aimed at determining the reliability of a modified throwing assessment. Seven …

The Effect Of Magnitude And Probability On Plea Bargain Decision-Making, Megan L. Small

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Decision-making is studied in various aspects of life and can be especially vital in the context of the criminal justice system, such as plea bargains. Previous research in this area used a less commonly used task (fill-in-the-blank) in addition to a student sample (Falligant & Pence, 2019). The current study uses probability discounting to study the choice between accepting a plea bargain for a shorter incarceration sentence or risking a trial with a longer sentence on a sample of adults with experience in the criminal justice system. Three sentence durations, or magnitudes, were used (1 year, 5 years, and 25 …

A Form Of Our Own: An Examination Of Black Sonnet-Samplers, Lavonna D. Wright

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study responds to the need for understanding and terminology regarding Black poets’ engagement with the sonnet form. Referring to sampling strategies in Hip-Hop to analyze Black sonnets, this study disputes limiting ideas about sonnets as ineffective mediums to portray Black narratives and honors strategies maintained in Hip-Hop culture that define Black narrative expression, resistance to assimilation, and social reflection. Black sonnets are an ever-evolving vehicle of resistance to elitist ideas about traditional forms, Black aesthetics, and the ways that poetic strategies can be defined. This study names past and present Black sonneteers’ adherence to, remixing in, and rejection of …

Sexual Minority Stress And Mental Health: An Investigation Of Rural-Urban Differences In Social Support, Justin T. Miller

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

As mental health disparities and discrimination facing the LGB (sexual minority) community continues to come into public focus, researchers and clinicians are moving toward identifying LGB-specific mental health interventions to support well-being efforts within this population. Furthermore, much of the current literature on sexual minority mental health is focused on predominantly urban samples failing to consider the sociocultural impacts of living in low resourced and geographically isolated regions of the United States (US). To this end, social support is a promising prevention factor, but few studies to date examine its influence on different minority stress models. As such, the current …

Neosublime, Reframing The Philosophical, Kathy Varadi

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Why have the sunsets and sunrises become so amazingly colorful and awe inspiring recently? Eighteenth century philosophers said such events were examples of the sublime. They defined the sublime as that which is the most absolutely great combined with an underlying element of fear usually caused by the actions of God. This infers that the sublime is something that you can’t fully understand or wrap your head around and leaves you speechless and spell bound. Contemporary art critics say that the sublime is no longer applicable to art because it has been overused. I disagree, and in my art, I …

Instinct, Eric Sanders

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

There is a convergence point of my interests that I explore in this body of work. As a service member and wildlife enthusiast, I pursue not only an outlet for my own creative expression and illustrative ambitions, but a platform to support creative advocacy for military service members and their families. With the principles of relational aesthetics and art as social practice supporting illustrative and design-centric work, I have found that convergence. This dream continues to manifest in Noble Instinct Artworks, a creative-based company I founded that incorporates the fine art methodology, business practices, and artistic collaboration with outreach potential …

Should Self-Breast Awareness Be Part Of Self-Care?, Omolola Okunromade, Yelena Tarasenko

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.

Substance Use & Mental Health: Challenges And Way Forward Amidst Covid-19 Pandemic, Aishat Adewoye, Jennifer E. Akpo

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.

2022 Spring Commencement, Georgia Southern University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

2022 Fall Commencement, Georgia Southern University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

An Autoethnographic Reflection Of My Academic Privileges While Working With High School Interns, Eric Hogan

Curriculum, Foundations & Reading: Faculty Publications

In this article, I explore my academic privileges through using the autoethnographic method while working in an alternative school and with interns hired for an agricultural internship. Academic privilege is contextualized as those factors in an education setting that benefit some and not all; with consideration of various personal and social factors including, but not limited to, skin color, aspects of identity, economic disparity, resource availability, social relationships, social settings, etcetera. Data collection involved observations within the school and when working with the interns. There were also informal conversations. The observations and informal conversations were documented as field notes to …

Changing My Language And Understanding: An Autoethnography Of My Dumb-Upness, Eric Hogan

Curriculum, Foundations & Reading: Faculty Publications

Education, in its many forms, is an institution that mirrors the society around it, including its patterns of privilege and marginalization (Marx, et al., 2017). The purpose of this article is to provide a reflection of my experiences while working alongside four interns from an alternative school hired to work for an agricultural internship. I highlight my shifting perspectives through an autoethnography. Autoethnographic projects use selfhood, subjectivity, and personal experience (“auto”) to describe, interpret, and represent (“graphy”) beliefs, practices, and identities of a group or culture (“ethno”). (Adams and Herrmann 2020). After working with four interns, I was confronted with …

2021-2022 Georgia Southern University Women's Rifle Statistics, Georgia Southern University

Women's Rifle Records

• Georgia Southern 2021-22 Women's Rifle Statistics

2022 Georgia Southern University Women's Soccer Roster, Georgia Southern University

Women's Soccer Records

• 2022 Women's Soccer Roster

2022 Georgia Southern University Women's Soccer Media Guide, Georgia Southern University

Women's Soccer Records

No abstract provided.

2021-2022 Georgia Southern University Women's Swimming And Diving Roster, Georgia Southern University

Women's Swimming Records

• 2021-22 Swimming and Diving Roster

Georgia Southern Magazine, Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern Magazine

• News and events
• True Blue Spotlight
• Remember When?
• Same Time Next Month
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