Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

The Gender Binary And Its Effects On Athletes And Society At Large As Described In Newspaper Accounts Of Competitors In The Summer 2024 Olympics, Neo Zheng

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this paper is to look at the impact of gendered language and gender rhetoric on the continued social maintenance of gender, especially as it relates to athletes. This project focuses on the patterns that arise in language of news articles on two female athletes participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics who are accused of being transgender or male, shedding light on how media outlets talk about the topic of gender in athletes specifically, and society itself more generally.

From Panels To Power: Empowering Middle Schoolers Through Comics, Ali Geigerman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores how craftivism, grounded in feminist theory and informed by multiliteracies, can be used to disrupt and reclaim the traditionally male-dominated genre of comics for girls and non-binary students. While the New London Group’s concept of multiliteracies expands definitions of literacy to include visual, spatial, and multimodal forms of meaning-making, it does not fully address questions of power, representation, and voice. Drawing specifically on the work of bell hooks as a theoretical anchor, this study positions comics not only as legitimate multiliterate texts but also as sites of feminist intervention. By blending multiliteracies, feminism, and craftivism, this research …

Subliminal Nature: Dialogues In Performance, Carlos A. Carvajal

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

I will discuss how my artwork sets for the development of various layers of experience within the same context and space, to stimulate the subconscious of the audience. This layering is a combination of stimuli of senses (the inclusion of sound and active participation) and the syntax of the dynamics of audience interaction. Sound and visuals create a performance to acknowledge and read, while also pertaining to participation by a sort of instruction for the viewer to partake in the work. These are all different layers of experience that happen simultaneously within a piece, setting up different possible outcomes from …

Impact Of Tactical Breathing On Marksmanship And Cognitive Function After Anaerobic Fatigue In Law Enforcement Personnel, Jackson D. Gilleland

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Background: Tactical breathing is commonly used in law enforcement training to regulate stress, yet limited evidence exists regarding its acute effectiveness following physical fatigue. Purpose: To examine whether a brief tactical breathing intervention improves shooting performance and heart rate variability (HRV) following anaerobic fatigue in law enforcement officers. Methods: Thirty-eight officers completed baseline HR/HRV and a shoot/no-shoot scenario, followed by a maximal 500-m row and post-fatigue shooting. Participants were assigned to either a control group or a tactical breathing group, which received brief instruction and coaching before post-testing. Results: No significant between-group differences were observed for A-zone accuracy, shot time, …

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 …

Exploring The Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Preventive Healthcare Utilization In Rural Georgia, Ryan R. Traylor

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and preventive healthcare use among adults in Georgia, specifically within rural populations facing structural barriers. Using 2023 Georgia Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data, the research analyzes associations between ACE exposure, rural residence, and preventive care outcomes, including physical exams and flu vaccinations. Guided by an intersectionally adapted version of Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Services Use, the study evaluates how predisposing factors, enabling resources, and perceived barriers relate to healthcare engagement. Logistic regression analyses assess the correlation of ACE exposure, cost barriers, provider access, and sociodemographics with preventive …

Swimming In Uncertainty: Filling Data Gaps And Providing An Educational Platform For Beach Water Quality At Tybee Island, Georgia, Lukas Roberson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

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Swimming in beaches water contaminated with high levels of bacteria can make you sick. Current monitoring at the public beaches on Tybee Island consists of weekly monitoring and enumeration of fecal indicator bacteria that takes 24 hours for results. If the number of bacteria exceed regulatory limits, a public health advisory is issued, and affected waters are retested until …

Examining Firefighter Perceptions Of Stress And Recovery Across A Shift And Engagement In Recovery Activities, Nathan T. Ebersole

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The occupational demands of firefighting, such as fire suppression and rescue tasks, working in hazardous conditions, inconsistent sleep patterns, and exposure to traumatic events, can lead to work-related injuries, burnout, and feelings of isolation. To date, there is limited research on the impact of a single work-shift on firefighter perceptions of stress and recovery and the recovery activities that may influence these perceptions. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a single work-shift on firefighter perceptions of stress and recovery status as well as the recovery activities firefighters choose to engage in. Forty-three firefighters across …

The Influence Of Localized Water Quality On Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica) And Their Internal Microbiome Under Changing Environmental Conditions, Jessie Rivera Lafreniere

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Oysters are found ubiquitously in estuaries along the Georgia coast, where marsh morphology and large daily tidal fluctuations create dynamic and stressful conditions to which oysters may be locally adapted. Based on water quality data from the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve, it is evident that changing climatic conditions are rapidly causing shifts in water quality that may be adversely affecting oyster health, especially as ocean acidification alters the carbonate buffering capacity, increasing the amplitude of daily pH variations. Importantly, the rate of change of conditions are not uniform within estuaries, varying on spatial and temporal scales. The symbiotic …

Security-Oriented Voice Authentication Using Machine Learning, Ifeoluwa Stella Elegbe

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study develops and evaluates a machine learning and deep learning-based voice authentication system for secure identity verification. As traditional authentication methods such as passwords, PINs, and security tokens continue to face challenges, including identity theft, forgetting, and unauthorized access, voice biometrics offers a more secure, convenient, and user-friendly alternative, especially for remote, hands-free, and accessibility-focused applications. The study adopts a closed-set speaker identification framework, where the system determines the most likely speaker from a predefined group of enrolled users. A structured methodology is implemented, beginning with audio preprocessing and feature extraction. Key acoustic features, including Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCCs), …

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 …

Cytonuclear Incompatibilities In Hybrid Systems: Oxidative Phosphorylation Capacity And Nuclear Marker Transmission Ratio Distortion In Hybrids Of An Introgressed Strain Of Parasitoid Wasp, Julie Kessler

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Speciation is an evolutionary process resulting in the divergence of populations into reproductively isolated species, a key concept that supplies our planet with an abundance of biodiversity. Mechanisms for speciation center on obstacles to fertilization and include post-zygotic barriers, such as intrinsic deleterious interactions, that arise in hybrid systems where genetic variants are combined. Genes from separate parent lineages are often incompatible due to the co-evolution of paired genes within a singular species not matching their complement genes in another species, and the result is a reduction in fitness of the hybrid when these genes come together. The mitochondrial OXPHOS …

Flexible Membrane Electrodes For Use In High-Capacity Lithium-Ion Batteries, David A. Denemark

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Wearable electronic devices require high-capacity flexible batteries to improve user comfort and increase usage time per charge. In this thesis, flexible lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrodes are prepared using a novel and scalable phase inversion method, embedding one-dimensional SnO₂ nanowires and double-walled carbon nanotubes within a porous polyacrylonitrile asymmetric membrane. The optimized electrode delivered an initial specific discharge capacity of 915.93 mAh g⁻¹, approximately 2.5 times greater than conventional graphite anodes, with 61.99% capacity retention after 45 cycles. The incorporation of a carbon mesh substrate further enhanced both electrochemical and mechanical performance, achieving 89.46% capacity retention after 45 cycles and a …

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 …

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 …

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

• Applaud
• Remember
• Share
• Experience
• Around the Nest

Message From The President, Georgia Southern University

Messages from the President

No abstract provided.

Faculty Senate Agenda, Georgia Southern University, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

A Multi-Case Study Of Peer Tutoring Programs: Program Structure, Faculty-Tutor Partnerships, And Access To Instructional Knowledge, Becky W. Packard, Amanda Xu, Teah Shi

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Peer tutors make important contributions within higher education institutions, yet the tutoring program structures vary widely with regard to how tutors are positioned, which in turn, affords and constrains access to instructional knowledge. Using a multi-case method, this study contrasts the structures of four tutoring programs: two programs within a private four-year college and two programs within a public two-year college. Two primary factors, the nature of faculty-tutor partnership and connection to a peer mentoring community, were examined and found to shape access to instructional knowledge. In addition, the results suggested that tutor prior experience as students in courses, experience …

Community College Students' Experiences With The Syllabus: A Qualitative Study, Diego Pliego, Abby Kaplan

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Most existing literature on college students’ use of the course syllabus has been conducted in artificial settings, collected a limited range of data, or both. This study addresses this gap in the literature with a series of in-depth qualitative interviews with students at a community college about how they interact with a syllabus from one of their current classes. We find that most students report reading at least part of the syllabus, most often the calendar and information on grading. Students are most likely to read information specific to the class and are least likely to read general college information …

Beyond The Mic: Fostering Critical Consciousness Through Podcasting In A Social Foundations Of Education Course, Jacob Kelley

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This article contributes to the scholarship of teaching and learning by examining the ways in which a podcast project facilitated the development of critical consciousness among pre-service teachers in an undergraduate social foundations of education course at a research university in the southeastern United States. It draws on data generated using semi-structured interviews with 10 pre-service teachers across two semesters of the course who completed the podcast project. Using inductive thematic analysis, I identified four themes in this case study: (1) Personal Experiences as Catalysts for Critical Consciousness, (2) Dialogical Learning as a Pathway to Critical Consciousness, (3) Grappling with …

Georgia Southern Marketing Plan, Charles R. Herman

Honors College Theses

The Georgia Southern Botanic Garden Marketing plan details what the future marketing of the garden looks like. The plan shows the potential of the garden as a space for relaxation and education as well as a one-of-a-kind event space. Using this as the platform the goal of the plan is to show that the community and greater Statesboro area using social media and reaching out through events. Through an overhaul of the marketing of the garden it would allow it to expand its current markets and increase its contributed and earned revenue.

Intimate Partner Violence, Covid, Bullying, The K-12 Connection: A Collaborative 21st Century Call For Action!, Irma Gibson

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Journal

No abstract provided.

Immortality, The Philosophical Discussion Group

The Philosopher's Stone

• Immortality

The George-Anne Deep Dive, Georgia Southern University

George-Anne Media Group: Newsletters & Magazines

No abstract provided.

Qisas: The Incremental Formation Of Jihad Amidst The Islamic Mujahideen Across The Middle And Near East, Jenny N. Liang

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

Since its inception in seventh-century Arabia, Islamic thought and the concept of jihad have been present among Islamic scholars. Nevertheless, despite a history of conflict with Western nations through religious wars in the Near and Middle East, the rapid transformation of Islamic extremism by means of global terrorism in the late twentieth- and early twenty-first century ultimately traces to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the rise of the Mujahideen. Islamic yearning for retribution through strategic retaliation began after December 1979, when Soviet Red Army troops invaded Afghanistan. Following the resolution of World War II and the emergence of a …

The George-Anne Inkwell Edition, Georgia Southern University

The Inkwell

No abstract provided.

Use Of Artificial Intelligence (Ai) In Academic Contexts

Academic Affairs Policies

This policy establishes guidance for the responsible, ethical, and transparent use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools at Georgia Southern University (University) including in teaching, learning, assessment, classroom activities, University community service, research, creative activity, scholarly communication, and administrative activities, while encouraging innovation, academic freedom, and appropriate autonomy while maintaining compliance with all data security and privacy regulations. This policy ensures that the University complies with Board of Regents (BOR) Policy 6.28 Artificial Intelligence in Academic Context; federal, state, and international laws; and industry standards and best practices.

Faculty Senate Agenda, Georgia Southern University, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.