Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Complexity Of Expert Testimony And The Presence Of A Defensive Rebuttal On Jurors' Decisions In Criminal Trials, Shelby E. Madden

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Forensic science plays a critical role in criminal trials, yet forensic techniques vary in their reliability. Expert testimony, often held in high regard by jurors, can be a decisive factor in verdicts, but its influence is complicated by factors such as technical complexity, adversarial bias, and heuristic processing. The present study examined how the complexity of prosecution expert testimony and the presence of a defensive rebuttal influenced jurors’ decisions when presented with faulty forensic evidence. Participants (N = 142) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 (testimony complexity: high v. low) x 2 (defensive rebuttal …

Eagle Accountant - 2026, Georgia Southern University

Eagle Accountant

• Accounting Advisory Council
• Accreditation & Rankings
• Eagles on Pennsylvania Avenue
• Accounting Quiz Bowl
• Discover Accounting Day
• Cover Story: Tammie Williams
• Advisory Council Spotlight: Mike Lamberth
• Georgia Society of CPAs
• Janice Brown
• Accounting Day 
• High School STEM Event 
• VITA 
• New Faculty
• Faculty Research Spotlight: Colin Tipton
• Fraud Story: Ghost Runner 
• GS4 Research Symposium 
• Graduate Spotlight: Matthew Mitchell
• Undergraduate Spotlight: Gabriela Mendoza
• 2026 Southern Regional Honors Council
• Recent Changes to the MAcc Program
• Student Organizations & Activities
• Faculty Retirements
• Faculty Awards, Service, & Publications
• Alumni Notes 
• In Memoriam 

The Evolution Of Match-Play In Major League Soccer From 2018 To 2023, Callum J. Mccaskie, Christopher Wing

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Major League Soccer (MLS) has experienced significant growth since its establishment 30 years ago. However, no research has investigated the on-field performance trends. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the evolution of MLS match-play via technical and tactical key performance indicators, and investigate the differences between teams according to league finishing position. MLS on-field performance indicators were obtained across six seasons from open-source website FBref. Mean game values were collected from 21 match performance indicators for every MLS team over six seasons. Teams were also classified according to their league finishing position at the conclusion of each …

Will They Be More Honest With An (External) Proctor? Evaluating Ufc Match Performance Before And After The Adoption Of The Usada Doping Program, Moonsup Hyun, Wonsok (Frank) Jee, Sehwon Kang, Yohan Lee

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Over the eight years from 2015 to 2023, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) partnered with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to institute comprehensive external oversight of doping controls. This study investigates the effects of transitioning from internally administered anti-doping protocols to exclusive external governance by comparing UFC performance metrics before and during the USADA partnership. Using a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) approach with data from 2012 to 2018, we find that match duration significantly increased, while the likelihood of extreme outcomes, knockouts (KO), technical knockouts (TKO), and submissions, decreased during the USADA period. These results suggest that performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) could …

Leadership Perceptions In Mid-Major Ncaa Athletics: Exploring Women's Teams Head Coaches' Experiences With Athletic Department Senior Staff, Sydnie A. Steele

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Leadership practices within NCAA Division I athletic departments can shape the professional climate, well-being, and stability of the coaching staff. Yet, limited research has explored how senior administrators influence the experiences of coaches who lead women’s teams at mid-major institutions. This phenomenological inquiry study explored how head coaches interpret their interactions with senior athletic department staff and how these relational dynamics inform perceptions of support.

Twelve Division I head coaches participated in semi-structured Zoom interviews about their experiences at former institutions. The interview protocol integrated the LMX-7 framework with open-ended questions to capture the significance of the head coaches’ lived …

Critical Discourse Analysis Of Nil Policies: Examining Institutional Control And Economic Opportunities For Division I Football Athletes In Power Four Universities, Allen T. Alvarez

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

The adoption of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policies has redefined the economic landscape of collegiate athletics, expanding opportunities for student-athletes and reshaping institutional authority. This dissertation nvestigates how NIL policy language at Division I universities frames economic possibilities for football student-athletes and sustains systems of governance. Through a Critical Discourse Analysis of policy documents from Power Four and mid-major institutions, this study reveals that NIL participation is persistently conditioned by institutional approval, compliance monitoring, and ambiguous definitions, especially regarding boosters and collectives.

Policy language presents NIL as an opportunity but embeds institutional control through oversight structures. The analysis further …

Chinese Athletes’ And Parents’ Motivations For U.S. Collegiate Sports Participation, Wenting Sun, Russell D. Ravert, Simran Kaur Sethi

Kinesiology and Health Promotion Faculty Publications

To gain an understanding of international student recruitment and retention in collegiate athletics, this study examines the motivations and decision-making processes of Chinese high school athletes and their parents in pursuing U.S. collegiate sport opportunities. Using the push–pull framework and an ecological perspective, it explores how individual aspirations, family priorities, institutional resources, and national policies shape transnational mobility. Semistructured focus group discussions with 10 athletes and eight parents revealed six key motivational themes and highlighted the influence of recent collegiate sport-related policy changes in China. The findings suggest that while both groups value U.S. sport pathways, athletes and parents may …