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Changing Minds: A Pilot Feasibility Study Of Mindfulness Training For At-Risk Adolescents, Hanna Culang, Elizabeth R. Davis, Laura Egan, Akeesha Simmons, David R. Vago, Susan Finley, Tracy Dennis-Tiwary

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Journal

Abstract

Youth at risk for negative health outcomes due to reduced access to social, mental health, and educational support systems are in particular need of resources promoting social-emotional resilience and positive educational outcomes. A growing body of research documents the positive benefits of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), but few studies have examined the impact of MBIs for at-risk adolescents, particularly in school settings where barriers to access can be minimized. This pilot feasibility study examined the effects of a nine-week school-based MBI, augmented by cross-course curricular material, in a group of high school students attending a transfer school, designed to re-engage …

Finding Support & Significance At School- Program Evaluation Of A Chronic Absenteeism Reduction Initiative, Heather Bundshuh, Matthew Ohlson, Anne Swanson

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Journal

The impact of chronic absenteeism is devastating nationally as it can lead to poor academic achievement, increased dropout rates, and the school-to-prison pipeline (Balfanz & Cornfeld, 2016). The purpose of this program evaluation is to examine the attendance program at large suburban high school in the southeast United States. This program evaluation uses longitudinal data over six years, retrieved from the Department of Education’s website, to show the impact of the attendance program on rates of absenteeism, specifically the percentage of students that were absent 21 or more days. Findings show that the chronic absenteeism prevention program was successful as …

Sun Belt Conference Honors A Record 213 Eagle Student-Athletes For Work In Classroom, Georgia Southern University

Athletics: News & Publications

• Sun Belt Conference Honors A Record 213 Eagle Student-Athletes For Work In Classroom

College Of Education News, Georgia Southern University

College of Education: News & Publications (2003-2023)

• College of Education welcomes new faculty members
• Dunbar receives the 2021 Betty-Ware Wray Staff Award

College Of Education News, Georgia Southern University

College of Education: News & Publications (2003-2023)

• Call for presenters for 2021 Trauma Informed Education Symposium
• Three faculty awarded research assistance in competitive selection process
• College of Education 2021 Jack Miller Award winners announced
• Georgia Southern education faculty receives 2021 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity

Points Of Pride, Georgia Southern University

Points of Pride (2013-2023)

• Rankings
• Academics
• Athletics
• Facilities
• Outreach
• Research

Integrating Video Evidence In Mixed Methods Research: Innovations, Benefits, And Challenges For Research Exploring How Beliefs Shape Actions, Tashane K. Haynes-Brown, Peggy Shannon-Baker

Curriculum, Foundations & Reading: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the benefits of using video evidence as a catalyst for innovative integration in mixed methods research. We illustrate how video data were used in the elicitation interviews of three teachers to understand their interpretations of how their beliefs align with their observed practices and how they attempted to reduce cognitive dissonance that became apparent during the video elicitation interviews. This article draws from the mixed methods case study phase of a larger explanatory sequential mixed methods study conducted in Jamaica with 248 secondary school teachers. A subsample of eight teachers participated …

Newsroom, Georgia Southern University

Newsroom (2006-2023)

• Sharon Subreenduth joins as Georgia Southern’s new Dean of the College of Education
• 2021 Averitt Award winners champion research, teaching experiences
• Georgia Southern University named Gold Campus by Exercise is Medicine

Evidence-Based Leadership Preparation Program Practices: From The Perceptions Of Georgia Rural School Leaders, Kristen N. Dickens, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Summer Pannell, Katherine Fallon

Georgia Educational Researcher

Phenomenological analysis was used to explore Georgia rural school principals’ lived experiences of effective school leadership preparedness. Four overarching themes were found: productive/favorable leadership preparation program culture, bridge theory and practice in educational leadership preparation program, multicultural competencies for practice, and recommendations for effective principal preparation. The findings revealed that school leaders need increased experiential learning opportunities, increased assignments applicable to daily leader tasks, and increased cultural awareness and diversity training in their preparation programs. Principal preparation programs should work with school districts to provide purposeful, collaborative, and sustainable professional learning to prepare competent school leaders. Further research includes recruiting …

Observation Of Field Practice Rubric: Establishing Content Validity And Reliability, Ruchi Bhatnagar, Carla L. Tanguay, Caroline Sullivan, Joyce E. Many

Georgia Educational Researcher

Most teacher education assessments are criticized for lacking validity and reliability. This study describes the process of developing the Observation of Field Performance rubric to assess initial teacher candidates’ classroom performance and establishing the content validity as well as reliability of the rubric. A panel of content area experts determined that 10 out of 12 items of the rubric were essential and the CVR was above the acceptable range for all 12 items, indicating that the rubric had a strong content validity. Additionally, the analysis of instructors’ ratings on the rubric showed that the rubric had good level of internal …

Teacher Awareness Of Trauma Informed Practice: Raising Awareness In Southeast Georgia, Regina Rahimi, Delores D. Liston, Amee Adkins, Jamie Nourzad

Georgia Educational Researcher

While the concept of trauma-informed care has been developed in other fields, its development within the field of Education is relatively new (Thomas, Crosby, & Vanderhaar, 2019), However, as the educational field is becoming more and more aware of this approach, we recognize there is a critical need for teachers and other educational professionals to recognize the symptoms of trauma in students, the associated behaviors of trauma-affected students, and instructional and environmental strategies for addressing these to support student success (trauma informed pedagogy). This paper outlines a study examining the extent to which teachers in the region of southeast Georgia …

Student Discipline And Teacher Job Satisfaction: A Dual District Analysis, David G. Buckman, Joshua T. Pittman

Georgia Educational Researcher

This study aimed to contribute to the empirical literature related to student discipline's influence on teacher job satisfaction. Further, this research aimed to explore the correlation between student discipline and teacher job satisfaction while controlling for the contributing factors of job satisfaction). Also, this research study's results were interpreted through the lens of the Affective Events Theory indicating a person's emotions and behaviors for the workplace may influence their job satisfaction. An Ordinary Least Squares regression found that the correlation between student discipline and teacher job satisfaction was not statistically significant. However, the directionality of the relationship between student discipline …

Teacher Awareness Of Trauma Informed Practice: Raising Awareness In Southeast Georgia, Regina Rahimi, Delores D. Liston, Amee Adkins, Jamie Nourzad

Middle Grades & Secondary Education: Faculty Publications

While the concept of trauma-informed care has been developed in other fields, its development within the field of Education is relatively new (Thomas, Crosby, & Vanderhaar, 2019), However, as the educational field is becoming more and more aware of this approach, we recognize there is a critical need for teachers and other educational professionals to recognize the symptoms of trauma in students, the associated behaviors of trauma-affected students, and instructional and environmental strategies for addressing these to support student success (trauma informed pedagogy). This paper outlines a study examining the extent to which teachers in the region of southeast Georgia …

Personal Mastery And All-Cause Mortality Among Older Americans Living With Diabetes, Ho-Jui Tung, Ming-Chin Yeh, Randall Ford, Gulzar H. Shah

Health Policy & Community Health: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Higher personal mastery is associated with better physical functioning, wellbeing, and longevity among older populations. However, few studies have focused on whether personal mastery is protective against mortality among older adults living with diabetes over time.
Methods: A total of 1,779 participants were identified from an off-year survey of the Health and Retirement Study. Proportional Hazard Models were used to evaluate the significance of selected variables in predicting the survival of participants over a 13-year period.
Results: A substantial proportion (46.7%) of the diabetic patients had survived by the end of 2016. Adults with lower mastery …

Student Affairs Newsletter, Georgia Southern University

Division of Student Affairs Newsletter (2020-2023)

• Student Affairs Connection
• COVID Support
• Mental Health Initiatives
• Eagle Engage

College Of Education News, Georgia Southern University

College of Education: News & Publications (2003-2023)

• COE staff member mentors creation of rural high school robotics team
• Project GAME brings teachers to Statesboro Campus, prepares for classroom integration
• COE recognizes six retirees in 2021

Trauma-Sensitive Social And Emotional Learning Strategies For The Classroom, Gregory J. Benner

Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference

Coercive interactions contribute to social, emotional, and health challenges across the lifespan; whereas sustained positive interactions contribute to the building of youth and adult social and emotional learning (SEL) competence. The purpose of this presentation is to build your capacity to integrate and infuse trauma-sensitive social and emotional learning strategies into your classroom. You will come away with doable and simple strategies to establish the positive classroom culture you envision and to keep it going all year. Strategies for building youth social and emotional learning competencies while maintaining an engaging classroom learning environment will be demonstrated. Techniques for ending power …

The Use Of Mobile Apps To Increase Physical Activity Level: A Systematic Review, Dziyana Nazaruk, Kelli Rouser

Health Policy & Community Health: Faculty Publications

Background: About 82% of the U.S. adult population owns a smartphone. More than half of that population downloaded a fitness or health app to increase the physical activity level. The current review included studies that have utilized mobile apps in conjunction with other intervention strategies to increase physical activity levels. Methods: The search was conducted in five electronic databases. Studies were included if they were randomized controlled trials, utilized mobile apps, physical activity was the primary outcome, written in English, and conducted between the years of 2007 and 2019. Results: Thirteen studies were included in the final review. Results indicated …

Wagemaker Selected For 2021 Sun Belt Postgraduate Scholarship, Georgia Southern University

Athletics: News & Publications

• Wagemaker Selected for 2021 Sun Belt Postgraduate Scholarship

The Effects Of Racial Discrimination On Black, Indigenous, And People Of Color (Bipoc) Students’ Mental Health, Alana M. Hall Ms.

Honors College Theses

Racial discrimination and its relationship with mental health outcomes in BIPOC students, specifically psychological distress, the focus of this study. This was deemed important because these students may have responded by using certain coping strategies that could be harmful to their mental health and overall health, in the long term. It is already known that racism has been a problem in the world, but has morphed over the years to that of subtle, and often more harmful, forms of racism (e.g. microaggressions). The goal of this study was to examine the discriminatory experiences of BIPOC students at a predominantly white …

Active Measures Of Spatial Cognition, Sarah H. Noonan

Honors College Theses

Spatial cognition is how we navigate and perceive the space around us. Distance estimation is one of the elements of spatial cognition. A previous study was done to test if the presence of boundaries has an effect of distance estimation. In the present study, this same phenomenon was tested using an action-based task to examine how this affected distance estimation. Participants were asked to stand at the end of three runners and throw bean bags at a target on the other end of the runner. One runner had an open throwing path, another runner had a doorway in the throwing …

College Of Education News, College Of Education, Georgia Southern University

College of Education: News & Publications (2003-2023)

• Always looking for the next adventure
• For the love of math: COE grad pursues teacher education degree to help others understand math
• First-generation college student overcomes medical barriers, graduates with honors
• Student organization gives back to local elementary SPED teachers
• Police officer to middle grades teacher: A graduate help children from the ground up

Synesthetic Perception: Exploring The Senses Of A Synesthete Through Theatrical Art-Wear, Makenna Trujillo

Honors College Theses

The neurological condition known as Synesthesia is a condition that changes the way that the world is perceived for the affected individual. Altering the brain’s interpretations of sensory input means that when one sense is triggered, it can create a neuro-domino effect and trigger an otherwise completely unrelated sense. It comes in many forms, and no two are exactly alike. While there is a possibility of two Synesthetes having the same trigger and response senses, Synesthesia is so unpredictable that it is nearly impossible for two synesthetes to have the exact same experience. In this work, the researcher possesses a …

Faculty Senate Agenda

Faculty Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Media Representations Of Lgbt People, Christian Marrero

Honors College Theses

LGBT people of color (POC) and White LGBT people have different experiences when it comes to accepting their sexuality and coming out experience, thus affecting their mental health and interactions with the community. The coming out process is a step towards a healthier and happier life, revealing an internal acceptance of oneself while expressing the desire to be open to others. However, LGBT people consider coming out a stressful and emotionally daunting process due to the uncertainty of responses from family, friends, and classmates (Charbonnier & Graziani, 2016). Media representations of LGBT interactions may also influence feelings about the coming …

Newsroom, Georgia Southern University

Newsroom (2006-2023)

• Medical, military, educational leaders, pro athlete performance trainers and actor to speak at Spring 2021 Commencement ceremonies
• Georgia Southern SARC researching salt marsh habitat loss with new aquaponics garden

Allyship Development Program Newsletter, Georgia Southern University, Allyship Development Program

Office of Organizational Effectiveness, Leadership Development & Engagement

• May Edition: Mental Health Awareness And Celebrating Diversity
• Featured: Eagle of the Month
• Articles and Readings
• Book Recommendations
• Mental Health: Resources for Education and Awareness
• Mental Health: Resources On- and Off-Campus

Pandemic Emotions: The Extent, Correlates And Mental Health Consequences Of Personal And Altruistic Fear Of Covid-19, Melissa M. Sloan, Murat Haner, Amanda K. Graham, Francis T. Cullen, Justine T. Pickett, Cheryl L. Jonson

Criminal Justice & Criminology: Faculty Publications

COVID-19 has had unprecedented effects on populations around the world. Given the political context of the pandemic and the nation’s response to it, this study sought to assess the extent of Americans’ personal fear about the virus as well as their fear for others (altruistic fear), identify potential predictors of these fears, and examine the mental health impact of heightened COVID-19 fears. Overall, a majority of respondents worried about various aspects of the virus, from being exposed to dying, and reported often worrying about others, including family, the elderly, and healthcare professionals. Building on the fear of crime literature, we …

The Perception Of Motherhood Through The Smiles And The Spit-Up, Sydney M. Forsythe

Honors College Theses

This research examines how motherhood is viewed by women, particularly mothers, in the southeast of the United States today. The treatment of women compared to men in women's studies has been a popular topic, but there is less research on mothers. This qualitative study is designed to hear personal stories from mothers and potential mothers, both employed and unemployed, describing how they feel mothers are perceived in the southeast of the United States. Facing the overwhelming literature that describes motherhood as associated with numerous negative impacts on women’s lives, this study explores the weight of joy or the paucity of …

Unlearning Myths One Question At A Time, Jessica K. Kolman

Honors College Theses

People may believe in myths such as “you only use 10% of your brain” that are related to psychology. Additionally, belief in these myths may prevail despite education, or in some cases, because of education. Indeed, some research suggests students acquired false memories by remembering the wrong answers instead of the correct information (Nitschke et al., 2019). However, research on how leading questions affects memory can provide insight to this problem. Specifically, research shows that subjects who are presented with leading questions or content are more likely to recall an event consistent with that question (Miller & Loftus, 1976). Such …