Digital Commons Network^™

2023 Spring Commencement, Georgia Southern University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

“The Ice Is Melting And I Don’T Want Santa To Drown!”: Reflections On Childhood, Climate Action, And Futurity, Lucy Hopkins

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper’s reading of a specific cultural artifact to emerge from children’s climate activism in contemporary Australia enacts an argument that children themselves can be seen to be redefining childhood and futurity through their climate activism and demonstrates how their placards are evidence of this. It argues that we as critical childhood scholars can follow their lead by uncovering the discourses that underpin their activist slogans. In doing so, we can set about contesting the limiting and disempowering discourses of childhood that would dismiss the very idea of children as political participants in the fight to save the planet.

The Digital Environmental Humanities (Deh) In The Anthropocene: Challenges And Opportunities In An Era Of Ecological Precarity, John Ryan, Lydia Hearn, Paul Arthur

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Researchers in the complementary fields of the digital humanities and the environmental humanities have begun to collaborate under the auspices of the digital environmental humanities (DEH). The overarching aim of this emerging field is to leverage digital technologies in understanding and addressing the urgencies of the Anthropocene. Emphasizing DEH’s focus on natural and cultural vitality, this article begins with a historical overview of the field. Crafting an account of the field’s emergence, we argue that the present momentum toward DEH exhibits four broad thematic strains including perennial eco-archiving; Anthropocene narratives of loss; citizen ecohumanities; and human-plant-environment relations. Within each of …

Development Of A Scoring Tool For Australian Rural Food Retail Environments, Tracy L. Schumacher, Carissa A. Alderton, Leanne J. Brown, Susan Heaney, Laura Alston, Katherine Kent, Stephanie L. Godrich

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Current tools scoring the healthiness of food retail outlets do not reflect outlets found in rural locations. This study aimed to adapt pre-existing Australian scoring tools to represent non-metropolitan areas. Rural nutrition experts were identified, and a modified Delphi technique was used to adapt two pre-existing, food-scoring tools in five iterative stages. Stages included identifying all relevant outlets, providing a description and score for each, ensuring consistency between outlet scores and pre-existing, metro-centric tools, and providing instructions for correct use. Six rural nutrition experts were identified and engaged in the modified Delphi technique. The final tool consisted of 12 categories …

Do Children Have A Right To Do Nothing? Exploring The Place Of Passive Leisure In Australian School Age Care, Jennifer Cartmel, Bruce Hurst, Francis Bobongie-Harris, Fay Hadley, Lennie Barblett, Linda Harrison, Susan Irvine

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In 2021, the Australian Government commissioned a review and update of My Time Our Place, its curriculum framework for School-Age Care services for primary-age children. One update trialled was the introduction of passive leisure. Whilst children’s passive use of leisure time is recognised as a right, it is often problematised and associated with negative health outcomes. This article explores a trial of passive leisure provision. It provides hopeful evidence that passive leisure spaces can be interactive, conversational and restful.

Exploring Perceptions Of Travel-Eligible Individuals With Dementia And Hotel Operators, Jun Wen, Danni Zheng, Yangyang Jiang, Haifeng Hou, Ian Phau, Wei Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Although people with dementia have leisure travel needs, no scholars appear to have empirically explored how to meet this group’s needs as hotel guests. To bridge this research gap in tourism literature, the current study employed in-depth interviews to collect first-hand data from 15 travel-eligible tourists with early-stage dementia and 15 senior luxury hotel managers in China. Specifically, six key themes were extracted from Chinese hotel guests with dementia. Hotel managers’ commentary on meeting travel-eligible tourists with dementia’ needs during leisure travel led to three themes. Innovatively, this study further sheds light on possible contributions the tourism and hospitality industry …

Leadership As A Challenging Opportunity: Nepali Secondary Principals’ Contextual Understandings And Perception Of Their Roles, Shankar Dhakal, Andrew Jones, Geoffrey W. Lummis

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This qualitative case study explores the perceptions of three Nepali secondary principals regarding their leadership roles, behaviors, and experiences. By employing semi-structured interviews in both physical and virtual school contexts, it emphasizes the importance of understanding the specific contexts, critically evaluating global leadership trends, and adopting approaches that enhance student wellbeing. The study highlights the influence of sociocultural structures shaped by societal values and beliefs. Spiritual attributes like humility, compassion, and connectedness are identified as contextual knowledge for Nepali principals. The research identifies a gap in Nepali school leadership literature, providing practical insights for their future career pathways.

Walking Journeys Into Everyday Climatic-Affective Atmospheres: The Emotional Labour Of Balancing Grief And Hope, Petra Tschakert, Chantal B. Du Coudray, Pierre Horwitz

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The postapocalypse as a mobilising discourse for climate action operates largely out of anger over experienced and anticipated injustices as well as paradoxical hope that fuses loss and grief with freed-up solidarities in support of liveable futures. However, negotiating this emotional tension can be both draining and isolating. Here, we examine how white settler populations in Western Australia balance grief and hope in places they hold dear and the role emotions such as sadness, worry, disappointment, joy, and pride play in relational place making. Through an innovative in situ and mobile methodology we call Walking Journeys, we trace how participants …

Conversations With Rain: Proposing Poetic And Non-Linear Interpretation Strategies In The Art Gallery, Lilly Blue, Jo Pollitt, Mindy Blaise

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Conversations with Rain aims to disrupt conventional socio-constructivist and cognitive notions of the child familiar in museum settings by rethinking children’s relations with art objects and weather worlds. Our rationale suggests that poetic and non-linear interpretation strategies, combined with artist studio practices that heighten presence and attention, expand the potential of more porous entanglements for children with the world, and potentially transform our climate futures. Disrupting didactic Gallery programming and environmental ‘learning about’ practices, we propose responsive, participatory, multisensory, open-ended, and poetic opportunities that recognise the unfixed, iterative, and tacit knowledges of the child. Building a body of research through …

Kind Regards: Negotiating Connection To Country And Place Through Collective Storying, Wendy Somerville, Vahri Mckenzie, Lisa Fuller, Naomi Joy Godden, Ashley Harrison, Renae Isaacs-Guthridge, Bethaney Turner

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Within this paper we explore the process and outcomes of a year-long exchange that investigates how active learning can emerge through collective place-based storying. Beginning with Country as our guide, we shared, responded, yarned, listened and revisited one another's contributions. Using the "threads"of an extended email exchange and online yarning sessions, we wove together this collaborative work to present findings generated from the creative practice of storying and sharing knowledge. This work required ongoing openness to vulnerability; we resisted the urge to remain silent and risked being wrong. Our responses, and the writing styles reflecting them, incorporate both academic and …

Perceived Destination Image Cohesion: A Comparison Study Of Attractions On The Grand Canal, China, Shan Jiang, Noel Scott, Li Tao, Shiqi Xiong, Yuan Qin

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The Grand Canal is located in the north-eastern and central-eastern plains of China, running from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang province in the south, and is the longest canal in the world (1800 km) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From a tourism perspective, the Grand Canal can be considered as a linear heritage attraction linking many individual heritage sites. This research was conducted with a mixed qualitative–quantitative method in the 2021–2022 period. First, in-depth interviews with an unstructured methodology of image measurements were conducted to determine attributes of the perceived destination image (PDI) of the Grand Canal as …

A Comprehensive Examination Of The Evidence For Whole Of Diet Patterns In Parkinson's Disease: A Scoping Review, Joanna Rees, Jillian Ryan, Manja Laws, Amanda Devine

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Both motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), a progressive neurological condition, have broad-ranging impacts on nutritional intake and dietary behaviour. Historically studies focused on individual dietary components, but evidence demonstrating ameliorative outcomes with whole-of-diet patterns such as Mediterranean and Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) is emerging. These diets provide plenty of antioxidant rich fruits, vegetables, nuts, wholegrains and healthy fats. Paradoxically, the ketogenic diet, high fat and very low carbohydrate, is also proving to be beneficial. Within the PD community, it is well advertised that nutritional intake is associated with disease progression and symptom severity but understandably, …

Data From An International Multi-Centre Study Of Statistics And Mathematics Anxieties And Related Variables In University Students (The Smarvus Dataset), Jenny Terry, Robert M. Ross, Tamás Nagy, Mauricio Salgado, Patricia Garrido-Vásquez, Jacob O. Sarfo, Susan Cooper, Anke C. Buttner, Tiago J. S. Lima, İbrahim Öztürk, Nazli Akay, Flavia H. Santos, Christina Artemenko, Lee T. Copping, Mahmoud M. Elsherif, Ilija Milovanović, Robert A. Cribbie, Marina G. Drushlyak, Katherine Swainston, Yiyun Shou, Juan D. Leongómez, Nicola Palena, Fitri A. Abidin, Maria F. Reyes-Rodríguez, Yunfeng He, Juneman Abraham, Argiro Vatakis, Kristin Jankowsky, Stephanie N. L. Schmidt, Elise Grimm, Desirée González, Philipp Schmid, Roberto A. Ferreira, Dmitri Rozgonjuk, Neslihan Özhan, Patrick A. O'Connor, Andras N. Zsido, Gregor Stiglic, Darren Rhodes, Cristina Rodríguez, Ivan Ropovik, Violeta Enea, Ratri Nurwanti, Alejandro J. Estudillo, Nataly Beribisky, Karel K. Himawan, Linda M. Geven, Anne H. Van Hoogmoed, Amélie Bret, Jodie E. Chapman, Udi Alter, Zoe M. Flack, Donncha Hanna, Mojtaba Soltanlou, Gabriel Banik, Matúš Adamkovič, Sanne H. G. Van Der Ven, Jochen A. Mosbacher, Hilal H. Şen, Joel R. Anderson, Michael Batashvili, Kristel De Groot, Matthew O. Parker, Mai Helmy, Mariia M. Ostroha, Katie A. Gilligan-Lee, Felix O. Egara, Martin J. Barwood, Karuna Thomas, Grace Mcmahon, Siobhán M. Griffin, Hans-Christoph Nuerk, Alyssa Counsell, Oliver Lindemann, Dirk Van Rooy, Theresa E. Wege, Joanna E. Lewis, Balazs Aczel, Conal Monaghan, Ali H. Al-Hoorie, Julia F. Huber, Saadet Yapan, Mauricio E. Garrido Vásquez, Antonino Callea, Tolga Ergiyen, James M. Clay, Gaetan Mertens, Feyza Topçu, Merve G. Tutlu, Karin Täht, Kristel Mikkor, Letizia Caso, Alexander Karner, Maxine M. C. Storm, Gabriella Daroczy, Rizqy A. Zein, Andrea Greco, Erin M. Buchanan, Katharina Schmid, Thomas E. Hunt, Jonas De Keersmaecker, Peter E. Branney, Jordan Randell, Oliver J. Clark, Crystal N. Steltenpohl, Bhasker Malu, Burcu Tekeş, Tamilselvan Ramis, Stefan Agrigoroaei, Nicholas A. Badcock, Kareena Mcaloney-Kocaman, Olena V. Semenikhina, Erich W. Graf, Charlie Lea, Kalu T. U. Ogba, Fergus M. Guppy, Amy C. Warhurst, Shane Lindsay, Ahmed A. Khateeb, Frank Scharnowski, Leontien De Kwaadsteniet, Kathryn B. Francis, Mariah Lecompte, Lisa A. D. Webster, Kinga Morsanyi, Suzanna E. Forwood, Elizabeth R. Walters, Linda K. Tip, Jordan R. Wagge, Ho Y. Lai, Deborah S. Crossland, Kohinoor M. Darda, Tessa R. Flack, Zoe Leviston, Matthew Brolly, Samuel P. Hills, Elizabeth Collins, Andrew J. Roberts, Wing-Yee Cheung, Sophie Leonard, Bruno Verschuere, Samantha K. Stanley, Iro Xenidou-Dervou, Omid Ghasemi, Timothy Liew, Daniel Ansari, Johnrev Guilaran, Samuel G. Penny, Julia Bahnmueller, Christopher J. Hand, Unita W. Rahajeng, Dar Peterburg, Zsofia K. Takacs, Michael J. Platow, Andy P. Field

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This large, international dataset contains survey responses from N = 12,570 students from 100 universities in 35 countries, collected in 21 languages. We measured anxieties (statistics, mathematics, test, trait, social interaction, performance, creativity, intolerance of uncertainty, and fear of negative evaluation), self-efficacy, persistence, and the cognitive reflection test, and collected demographics, previous mathematics grades, self-reported and official statistics grades, and statistics module details. Data reuse potential is broad, including testing links between anxieties and statistics/mathematics education factors, and examining instruments’ psychometric properties across different languages and contexts.

Benefits Of Work-Integrated Learning For Students, Denise Jackson, Elizabeth J. Cook

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The authors aim to assist work-integrated learning (WIL) stakeholders in identifying and understanding the broad range of evidenced benefits for engaging in WIL. The chapter features a synthesis of empirical higher education research on the benefits of WIL across various dimensions of student employability. The introduction briefly considers the meaning of WIL and employability, as both are considered in this chapter, and discusses the scope and framing of the synthesis informed by a review of the relevant literature. The gathered literature is summarized in tabular form across the dimensions of employability and then discussed through the lens of Tomlinson’s graduate …

Staffing Up For A Pandemic And Beyond: Utilizing A Prn Nursing Pool, Leyna Mashburn, James Watkins

Georgia Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Conference

The COVID-19 pandemic’s early vaccination stage required health department staff to work long, odd hours to accommodate the needs of Georgia residents. This presented a challenge since some health departments only have 2-3 full-time nurses. District 2 hired a pool of PRN nurses to cover significant gaps in workforce throughout multiple vaccination phases of the pandemic response. This additional workforce allowed District 2 to maximize number of vaccine doses given.

During later COVID vaccination phases (summer 2021 – present), PRNs allowed health departments to resume regular services alongside high vaccination capacity. With various funding sources, District 2 used the PRNs …

Exploring The College Enrollment Of Students From Rural Areas: Considerations For Scholarly Practitioners, Elise J. Cain, Samantha Class

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

Rural students graduate high school at a rate comparable to their urban and suburban peers; however, people from rural areas attend college at the lowest rate. Due to this discrepancy and the ever-growing importance of postsecondary education, this article summarizes and synthesizes works on the college enrollment of students from rural areas. The article begins with background information on the benefits of postsecondary education, definitions of rurality, the educational attainment of rural people, as well as institutional type and attendance patterns of rural students. Next, using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of human development as a guiding framework, literature about the individual, …

Does Parent Report Of Child Physical Abuse And Supervisory Neglect Differ By Method Of Study Recruitment Or Mode Of Survey Administration?, Bridget Freisthler, Christiana Kranich, Jennifer Price Wolf

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

General population studies find that rates of child maltreatment are higher than those identified in the child welfare system. Some modes of administration may result in higher disclosure rates of child maltreatment by respondents. This study assesses differences in characteristics of parents who are recruited using telephone sampling techniques or via the internet and whether the survey was administered by telephone or the web. We have 1599 parent respondents recruited from listed samples and Craigslist advertisements. Surveys were administered via the telephone or online. Survey included measures of parenting behaviours, psychosocial characteristics and demographics for the parent, child and family. …

Editorial: The Governance Of Artificial Intelligence In The “Autonomous City”, Federico Cugurullo, Sarah Barns, Vincent J. Del Casino, Natalie M. Gulsrud, Tan Yigitcanlar, Xiaoling Zhang

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Exploring The College Enrollment Of Students From Rural Areas: Considerations For Scholarly Practitioners, Elise J. Cain, Samantha Class

Leadership, Technology & Human Development: Faculty Publications

Rural students graduate high school at a rate comparable to their urban and suburban peers; however, people from rural areas attend college at the lowest rate. Due to this discrepancy and the ever-growing importance of postsecondary education, this article summarizes and synthesizes works on the college enrollment of students from rural areas. The article begins with background information on the benefits of postsecondary education, definitions of rurality, the educational attainment of rural people, as well as institutional type and attendance patterns of rural students. Next, using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of human development as a guiding framework, literature about the individual, …

Educators’ And Administrators’ Perceptions, Challenges, And Changes Associated With School District Consolidation, Candace L. Gillespie

Theses and Dissertations

School district consolidation has been a trend throughout the United States as state departments of education are mandating that nearby school districts consolidate with other nearby districts. This trend is being mandated in an effort to decrease funds being spent by having many small districts. This includes funds being spent on salaries and schools, as schools consolidate due to districts consolidating. Schools, central offices, parent centers, and other buildings that are related to having multiple central offices close. Jobs are lost, policies change, and sometimes leadership changes. However, change is inevitable. With change comes different concepts, policies, and in some …

Professional Development And Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Regarding Research-Based Practices For English Language Learners In Middle School, Lydia R. Escobar

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to describe the research-based practices used by middle school teachers of multilingual or ELL students in the subject area courses and the teachers’ self-efficacy to implement those research-based practices while teaching. Also, this study aimed to describe the impact of professional development regarding research-based teaching practices on the implementation of these practices and to compare the teachers’ practices, their perceptions of self-efficacy, and the impact of professional development had on their teaching.

This study followed a quantitative methodology with a survey design. A non-probabilistic sampling was used for the selection of the participants. The sample …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of African American Female Educators Becoming Urban School Principals, Tondra Bailey-Collins

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the problem of why there are so few African American women in urban school principal roles in comparison to other racial groups. African American educators have a significant impact on African American students. Additionally, the need for diversity is not exclusive to African American educators and children, but diverse staff overall impacts student achievement levels and improves equity in disciplinary practices. The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of African American women who are currently or were previously urban school principals. Through the theoretical lenses of critical race theory and social inclusion theory, …

Human Trafficking: The Impact Of Covid-19 On Labor Trafficking In The Us, Anthony A. Mottola

Theses and Dissertations

Human trafficking is a global phenomenon where traffickers prey upon their victims without discriminating against age, gender, ethnic background, or nationality. The United States (US) is not immune to the human rights violations of human trafficking. The victims of human trafficking are coerced into a life of exploitation through forced labor or sexual exploitation. Many victims are migrants from disadvantaged countries that travel to the US seeking employment but end up the victims of abuse, both physically and mentally, at the hands of traffickers. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the global economy, forcing quarantines, travel bans, and social distancing. …

Evaluating Higher Education In Prison Effectiveness By Modality Through Student Success And Retention Rates In California Community Colleges, Peter Michael Fulks

Theses and Dissertations

There is a strident body of empirical research evidence that Higher Education in Prison (HEP) has a direct impact on reducing recidivism. Additionally for participants, it also increases the economic mobility and employability post-release. However, the ability to conduct randomly controlled trials with a distal measurement of recidivism is hindered due to the inconsistent industry definitions of recidivism. Considering the implementation of credit bearing college programs from California Community Colleges since Senate Bill 1391 in 2014, the study conducts statistical analysis through independent and paired t tests to determine which modality of delivery, face-to-face (F2F) or correspondence (COR), to provide …

Review; Cooking Danish: A Taste Of Denmark, David Hendee, Polly Hendee

The Bridge

More than three decades after arriving in America, Danish immigrant and chef Stig Hansen published his first and only cookbook. Cooking Danish: A Taste of Denmark was the self-proclaimed Viking Chef’s gift to his family, his adopted countrymen, and all who love cooking and eating Danish foods. Although out of print since its 2007 publication, after selling out an initial print run of 10,000 copies, the award-winning, English-language cookbook is a staple of many Danish American kitchens. It remains available through the secondhand market.

Exploring Faculty Perspectives On Open Access At A Medium-Sized, American Doctoral University, Rachel E. Scott, Julie Murphy, Cassie Thayer-Styes, Chad E. Buckley, Anne Shelley

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

Faculty hold widely varying perspectives on the benefits and challenges afforded by open access (OA) publishing. In the United States, conversations on OA models and strategy have been dominated by scholars affiliated with Carnegie R1 institutions. This article reports findings from interviews conducted with faculty at a Carnegie R2 institution, highlighting disciplinary and individual perspectives on the high costs and rich rewards afforded by OA. The results reiterate the persistence of a high degree of skepticism regarding the quality of peer review and business models associated with OA publishing. By exploring scholars’ perceptions of and experiences with OA publishing and …

The Impact Of Artisanal Fishers On Food Security And Socio-Ecological Systems In Rhode Island, Jami Marie Miller

Open Access Master's Theses

While on-shore fishers in Rhode Island fish recreationally, a large portion also fish for food, and many are fishers from marginalized racial and ethnic backgrounds. However, communities of color are significantly underrepresented in environmental studies in Rhode Island, particularly in coastal and marine research, so there is little known about these groups’ uses, behaviors, and perceptions towards coastal and marine resources. Through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and photography, this ethnographic study investigated the impact of artisanal fishers on food security and socio-ecological systems in Rhode Island. The findings show that the top three reasons to fish are to relax, to …

Assessing Well-Being Impacts Of Sargassum Events In Puerto Rico, Patricia Valentin

Open Access Master's Theses

Since 2011, Sargassum events have become larger and more recurrent in Puerto Rico and appear to have come to stay. While some studies have described economic and ecological impacts on the archipelago, studies of Sargassum impact on human well-being are lacking. However, in the context of Puerto Rico, only a few studies have been conducted in terms of general impacts of sargassum events and its management. Puerto Rico, like most territories of the region, lacks an efficient strategy for sargassum management. Currently, only one set of protocols or guidelines has been produced since sargassum accumulations have become an issue for …

An Analysis Of The Iranian Post-Earthquake Management And Structural Assessment System, Nirvan Razaghi-Kashani

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis investigated the theory and practice of structural assessment, as a component in a more extensive post-earthquake disaster management system. The research focused on Iran as a case study, and in particular the capital city of Iran (Tehran). This study aimed overview of the system used for post-earthquake disaster management and structural assessment in Tehran. This thesis examined three specific sub-components of the system, namely: The Earthquake Information Management System (EIMS), seismic hazard education programs, and initiatives to engage communities in the disaster management process. A blended phenomenological and ethnographic approach provided the basis for the analysis of collected …

Quantifying Farm-To-Fork Greenhouse Gas Emissions For Five Dietary Patterns Across Europe And North America: A Pooled Analysis From 2009 To 2020, Daniel Burke, Paul Hynds, Anushree Priyadarshini

Articles

Dietary patterns are inherently related to greenhouse (GHG) emissions via agricultural practices and food production systems. As the global population is predicted to increase from 8 billion (current) to 9.6 billion by 2050 added pressure will be placed on existing agricultural systems, resulting in increased GHG emissions thus exacerbating climate change. Therefore, there is an urgent need to understand present-day dietary patterns to shift to sustainable and healthy diets to mitigate GHG emissions and meet future climate targets. However, no review or pooled analyses of dietary pattern emissions from a farm-to-fork perspective has been undertaken to date. The current study …