Digital Commons Network^™

Bridging The Gap: An Analysis Of Elementary Literacy Instruction, And Proposed Solutions To Exponentiate Literacy Skills, Avery E. Gray

Honors College Theses

The reading achievement gap is generally identified as the increasing disparity between higher-level students and lower-level students within the same grade or school level. Student data presented in the form of secondary reading assessment scores were analyzed for the state of Georgia, as well as nationally, for student achievement regarding reading skills in public schools from grades 3-5. Interviews conducted with educational professionals were conducted to reveal anecdotal manifestations of what the presented data looks like in terms of student ability, and how the teaching practice has reacted to such manifestations. The evaluation of these consistencies and explanations given to …

Effect Of Esol Co-Teacher Certification On Student Achievement In High School Core Content Areas In A Georgia Suburban School District, Megan Devoss, Robert A. Griffin, Diana Mindrila

Georgia Educational Researcher

This quantitative study investigated the relationship between ESOL co-teacher content certification and student achievement in secondary classrooms. The sample consisted of English Learners (ELs; N = 185) in a suburban district in Georgia. The study focused on three core content subjects: Algebra, Biology, and Economics. Content certification was verified through a state agency, and student achievement was assessed using Georgia Milestones test scores. A range of statistical tests, including descriptive and multilevel regression analyses, were employed to analyze the data. The results indicated that Milestones grade conversion scores were higher when teachers had dual certification (M = 65.63, SD …

Internal And Social Sources Shape Judgments About The Mental And Physical Nature Of An Experience, Jacinth Jia Xin Tan, Alexander Karan, Dolores Albarracin

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Although humans are intuitive dualists, little is known about whether they hold lay beliefs about the origins or sources of their intuitive perceptions of what is physical and what is mental. Drawing on theories of the sources of phenomenological experiences, we examined if people hold beliefs about the internal and social origins of judments that their experiences are physical or mental. In Study 1, participants provided physical or mental judgments about a range of personal experiences, and reported relying on both internal (i.e., examining own body and thoughts) and social (i.e., observing others) sources as information for their judgments. To …

Rethinking The Inclusionary Potential Of Religious Institutions: The Case Of Gurdwaras In Singapore, Siew Ying Shee, Orlando Woods

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Whilst Singapore’s Sikh community is relatively small, it is also heterogeneous. Its diversity reflects differences in ancestral and socio-economic backgrounds. As spaces of worship that regularly bring together the Sikh community in space and time, Sikh temples—gurdwaras––are often conceived as important places through which a shared sense of religiously-defined community is reproduced. Yet, as much as religion can provide a bridge that integrates people of different ethnic, racial, national, and linguistic groups into a single faith community, so too can it act as a buttress through which differences and divisions are enforced within the community. We argue that whilst gurdwaras …

2024 Spring Commencement, Georgia Southern University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

2024 Fall Commencement, Georgia Southern University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Analysis Of The Interpretability Of Lda And Llm For Topic Modeling: The Case Of Healthcare Apps, Omar El-Gayar, Mohammad A. Al-Ramahi, Abdullah Wahbeh, Tareq Nasralah, Ahmed El Noshokaty

All Faculty Scholarship (Archived)

This study compares the interpretability of the topics resulting from three topic modeling techniques, namely, LDA, BERTopic, and RoBERTa. Using a case study of three healthcare apps (MyChart, Replika, and Teladoc), we collected 39,999, 52,255, and 27,462 reviews from each app, respectively. Topics were generated for each app using the three topic models and labels were assigned to the resulting topics. Comparative qualitative analysis showed that BERTopic, RoBERTa, and LDA have relatively similar performance in terms of the final list of resulting topics concerning human interpretability. The LDA topic model achieved the highest rate of assigning labels to topics, but …

Cultural Competency And “The Space Between Spaces”, Charles Wright, Ho-Jui Tung

Eagles Talking About the Public’s Health

No abstract provided.

I Didn’T Write This For You! Using Translanguaging In Pages And In The Classroom, Elena Foulis

Spanish Faculty Publications (Archived)

A folklorist addresses the legacy of Spanish language loss and the devaluing of people’s language practices by asserting the value of bicultural and biliterate ways of knowing and being by presenting and analyzing the poetry of Eddie Vega.

Beyond Borders: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of International Migrant Women In Nigeria, A Deep Dive Into Healthcare Realities And Utilization, Juliet Nwafor, Rowland Edet, Ezebunwa Nwokoch

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This study explored access to and utilization of healthcare facilities among migrant women in an urban slum community in Nigeria, focusing on factors influencing healthcare-seeking behaviors and the implications for public health interventions. A qualitative case study-oriented research design was employed, involving in-depth interviews with 21 migrant women of reproductive age and 4 key informant interviews with healthcare workers in the Ayobo community of Lagos State, Nigeria. Data collection occurred from June to September 2018, and thematic analysis was used to interpret the findings. Three main themes emerged: living conditions, pattern of healthcare utilization, and factors influencing accessibility and utilization …

Factors Affecting Users’ Satisfaction With Telehealth Apps: Analysis Of Users Reviews Using Bert, Abdullah Wahbeh, Tyler Howes, Omar El-Gayar, Raed Seetan, Mohammad A. Al-Ramahi, Ahmed Al-Omari

All Faculty Scholarship (Archived)

Telehealth mobile apps and telehealth services are increasingly used by patients, particularly, post-COVID-19. This study examines factors related to users’ satisfaction with these apps and services by analyzing reviews from actual telehealth app users. A total of 53,209 reviews were collected from nine telehealth apps on the Google Play store. Using BERT embeddings, UMAP, and HDBSCAN, topics were generated and labeled to identify these factors. Results showed that telehealth app users expressed several factors related to satisfaction with telehealth apps, which could impact the acceptability and adoption of such apps. These include usability (ease of use), usefulness, convenience and efficiency, …

The Visible Hand Of Lawyers: Attorneys’ Selection, White-Collar Fraud, And Criminal Sentences, Jesus R. Jimenez-Andrade

All Faculty Scholarship (Archived)

In the American white-collar fraud prosecution system, attorneys stand between fraudsters and criminal justice. Based on the theory of access literature, this manuscript explores whether attorneys’ selection moderates the relationship between severity of crime and criminal sentence. Collected data from 1,872 white-collar crimes between 2002 and 2020 prosecuted in San Antonio, Texas, test this hypothesis. Findings evidence that attorneys’ selection influences up to 10 percent of the criminal sentence (+,- 64 days). Socioeconomic control variables result in statistical significance, while demographics lack this condition. These findings suggest that fraudsters have incentives to maximize the defrauded amount to gain higher-quality legal …

Editors’ Introduction: June 2024, Thalia R. Goldstein, Amy M. Belfi

Psychological Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Centering Intersectional Breast Cancer Screening Experiences Among Black, Latina, And White Women: A Qualitative Analysis, Sienna Ruiz, Kamilah Abdur-Rashid, Rachel L Mintz, Maggie Britton, Ana A Baumann, Graham A Colditz, Ashley J Housten

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Mammography screening guidelines in the United States highlight the importance of informing and involving women when making their breast cancer screening decisions. However, the complexity of interpreting and applying these population-level guidelines can contribute to patient burden. Patient-centered communication strategies can alleviate patient burden, but few consider perspectives from racially and ethnically marginalized populations. We examine diverse women's perspectives on screening to characterize patient-centered experiences.

METHODS: We conducted 28 focus groups with 134 non-Latina Black (

RESULTS: We identified three themes: (1) personal relationships with primary care providers, (2) potential impacts of cancer on families, and (3) interactions with …

The Influence Of Visual Perspective On The Cognitive Effort Required For Mental Representation, Jeffrey P. Hong

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Mental representation is the process by which an individual simulates an event in their mind’s eye. This process is the foundation of the ability to remember the past, engage in prospective thinking, or imagine fictitious scenarios. An individual can mentally represent any event through their own eyes—the first-person perspective or from the viewpoint of an external observer—the third-person perspective. The perspective of representation influences outcomes related to memory, visuospatial processing, affect, social cognition, clinical diagnoses, and language processing. In turn, an individual’s tendency to favour either perspective is shaped by related factors.

The current research consists of four experiments, designed …

Language Acquisition, Mental Health, And Acculturation Among Migrants In Canada, Ali Jasemi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation examines the integration of first-generation migrants in Canada, focusing on the constructs of acculturation, language proficiency, and mental health. With nearly a quarter of Canada's population comprising migrants (Statistics Canada, 2022), understanding their adjustment is critical. Acculturation, language proficiency, and mental health can all have an impact on the success of migrants in their new country (Balidemaj et al. 2019; Brance et al. 2023; Iversen et al. 2014; Rousseau et al. 2019; Rashtchi et al. 2012; Salami et al. 2019). There are a limited number of studies examining these variables in relation to certain migrant groups, such as …

Protecting Not Protesting: Indigenous People’S Experience, Perceptions, And Motivations Of Land Defending In Canada, Krystene Green

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Indigenous people hold a respectful and reciprocal relationship with the land, which is central to their cultures and societies. However, the appropriation of traditional lands lies at the heart of settler colonialism. This has resulted in a prolonged struggle by Indigenous people and their allies against land dispossession for settler occupation and resource extraction that has shaped historical and contemporary Indigenous land defence movements. This research explores the experiences and challenges faced by Indigenous people who engage in land defence in Canada, focusing on their strategies, resilience and motivations in protecting the land. The study draws on Absolon’s (2010) Indigenous …

Cyberbullying: Media Construction And Framing Tactics In Pakistan, Asma Jamal

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis critically examines the portrayal of cyberbullying within Pakistan's top three newspapers, focusing on how these media outlets shape public discourse over the past five years. Employing an integrated approach using framing analysis and Fairclough’s Three-Dimensional Model, my research deconstructs how these newspapers utilize specific framing strategies to construct a narrative that not only informs but also subtly influences public perception and policy responses. The findings show that while the media highlights the roles of parents, educators, and law enforcement in combating cyberbullying, it also tends to reinforce traditional gender roles and overlook systemic solutions. I argue that the …

Language As Power: How Lgbtqia+ Gen-Z Use Language For Identity And Liberation, Kayci Resende-Abbott

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Generation Z LGBTQIA+ individuals are tasked with challenging and overcoming generations of social and systemic oppression related to their identities. One of the primary methods they use to achieve this is through the language and labels they use in their daily lives. From the inception of new acronyms to new labels and language, this new generation of LGBTQIA+ individuals is looking to break out of the mold that was set for them by past generations. This study aims to investigate how LGBTQIA+ Gen-Z individuals utilize language in their everyday interactions to articulate and affirm their gender and sexuality. Through qualitative …

Toward A More Inclusive English Major: Current Realities, Especially For Students From The Black Diaspora In The United States, Isabelle L. N. Belice

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This paper aims to research the inclusivity of the English major. This paper will answer whether the major is inclusive, specifically for students from the Black diaspora in the United States, through the use of multiple sources. My paper focuses on four subtopics: the lack of diversity among materials used in English courses, the treatment of Black culture in the classroom, projected salaries after graduation, and lack of general knowledge about the English major. Through my research, my paper will assess the inclusivity of the English major and propose solutions to this problem based on my personal experiences and the …

Empowering Latino Immigrant Parents: Navigating Challenges And Fostering Child Well-Being Ina New Culture, Alexandra M. Vera

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This study aims to investigate the challenges faced by Latino immigrant parents in facilitating the adaptation, mental health, and educational success of their children in the United States. The research will also explore what support or resources would be helpful and empowering for these parents as they navigate raising their children in a new cultural environment. Particular attention will be given to understanding how cultural values and norms between the home environment and the new society create complex dynamics that affect child development and well-being. The findings from this research will inform the development of culturally sensitive interventions and support …

Is Chunking Multimodal?: Music Reading Expertise Effects On Eye Movements During A Cross-Modal Visual Search Paradigm, Nicole Arco

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Experts show performance advantages during visual search due to their extensive experience with domain-specific stimuli. Experts form memory representations for meaningful visual patterns, called chunks, that group together multiple chess features. Prior work suggests that the ability for experts to precisely encode a search template facilitates visual search performance (e.g. Hout & Goldinger, 2015). In music, expert musicians might also form chunks (see e.g., Maturi & Sheridan, 2020), although it is unclear what constitutes a chunk in music. The current study addressed the possibility that chunks are multimodal by introducing a new auditory-visual cross-modal version of the visual search paradigm …

Remedying Educational Opportunity Program Freshmen's Knowledge Of Fractions And Views Of Mathematics Learning With Serious Video Games, Yan Tian

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Well-designed serious video games have great potential in mathematics education. This study aims to enrich our understanding of Slice Fractions and Slice Fractions 2 as remedy tools for college freshmen in an educational opportunities program. Specifically, drawing on resources-based epistemic cognition theory and scheme theory, the study investigated fourteen participants’ perspectives and experiences of playing these games, the impacts of the gameplay on their fraction schemes/operations and explicit conceptions of fractions, practices in fraction problem-solving, and views of mathematics learning. With a quasi-experimental design, each participant finished a pre-game interview and assessment, played SF1 or SF2, and completed a post-game …

Deconstructing Whiteness In Teacher Education, Allison Karcher

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This study sets out to understand how five teacher educators deconstruct whiteness in their courses and how their institutions support or hinder their work. Undergirding the study is the silence of whiteness residing in education and the urgency to notice, name, and disrupt it (Kohli et. al, 2021; Sleeter, 2017). The racial demographics in K-12 is 80% White for educators, and 54% students of color (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021). Therefore, most educators are teaching from experiences or identities that differ than their students. Since teaching is a personal endeavor, bringing our identities and experiences into the classroom, (Ahmed, …

The Retention Of Urban Secondary Special Education Teachers: Why Stay?, Chelsea Quezada

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Utilizing interview data collected from six urban secondary special education teachers (SETs), this qualitative study explored why these individuals chose a teaching position in special education in urban secondary schools and why they remained in those positions despite the challenges inherent to that setting. From role and organizational theory, we know that retention is the result of a complex set of socialization factors that either support successful integration into the SET role or impede the individual’s efforts to achieve fit within the given organization. This study sought to understand how these six SETS experienced the socialization process and which factors …

Re-Globalizing Yorkville: The Languages On Shop Signs In A Non-Migrant Neighborhood, Lisabeth G. Dashman

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The term “linguistic landscape” is used to describe the usage and placement of language in public places of a specific geographic area, such as on buildings, street names, pedestrian notices, vehicular warnings, and advertising billboards. Studies of a space’s linguistic landscape typically involve an accounting and analysis of the visible signs and/or the presentation of bystanders’ or researchers’ thoughts and observations. This study instead probes the intentions of the sign creators: the owners of the façade sign and the business it advertises. The façade sign, often called the shop sign, is frequently the first image for a business that a …

Equipping Middle School Teachers With Culturally Responsive Pedagogy In Teaching Computer Science Through Professional Learning: A Longitudinal Case Study, Xintong Bausch

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) is an effective way to foster equitable and meaningful computer science (CS) learning experience for historically marginalized students. This dissertation study employed longitudinal data to investigate five middle school teachers’ development of CRP understandings and enactments over many years participating in the CS Pathways Research Practitioner Partnership (RPP) project. Grounded in conceptual change theory (knowledge-in-pieces perspective), the study explored the five teachers’ CRP conceptual change trajectories as indicated by their definitions and enactments of the pedagogy over time. From the epistemological perspective, the findings presented how teachers reflected, refined, and revised their naïve knowledge of CRP …

Stakeholders’ Participation In Pcaob Audit Standard Setting, Xiaoshuai Yang

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Lobbying is an integral part of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s standard-setting process. Although the PCAOB has been drafting auditing standards for over 20 years, there is still much to learn about how stakeholder behavior in submitting comment letters to the PCAOB varies by interest group, comment period (concept release, proposal, and reproposal), the stakeholder’s position on the proposal, arguments used, and emotional strategies. This paper examines PCAOB Docket 034, which proposed audit report reforms, including the auditor’s disclosure of critical audit matters (CAMs). There was strong stakeholder participation and conflicting opinions when this standard was under discussion. To …

Sails Symposium Launch On International Law Scholarship: What We Write, Where We Publish, And Why It Matters, Kathleen Claussen, Melissa J. Durkee, Rebecca Ingber, Steven Arrigg Koh

Articles

No abstract provided.

Extra-Legal Uses Of Tm, Clark Asay, Lareina Hingson, Stephanie Plamondon

Faculty Scholarship

Theoretical accounts of trademark law suggest that trademarks serve multiple marketplace functions, including protecting consumers and producers from unfair dealing, reducing consumer search costs, and incentivizing higher quality goods and services. Producers of goods and services often use the ‘TM’ symbol to signal their assertion of legal rights in a mark, arguably helping advance these goals. But recently, an interesting phenomenon has arisen in which individuals not engaged in typical commercial activities have been using the TM signifier in ways that don’t necessarily correspond to the symbol’s legal function. These so-called “extra-legal” uses of the TM symbol can offer insights …