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Teacher Leadership in Georgia: Results from a Scoping Survey
No full textResearchers solicited responses to a survey on Teacher Leadership opportunities and conceptualizations from educators and administrators around the state of Georgia in the spring of 2024. The quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data collected through this venture revealed important differences between how teachers and their supervisors perceived teacher leadership as well as insight into how teacher leaders are being utilized in their schools.
Using responses to a validated instrument - the Teacher Leader Inventory - researchers find that teachers perceive there is significantly less opportunity for leadership than do their principals and also perceive that principals are more influential to opening those doors to leadership than principals themselves do. Responses to open-ended items clarify what teacher leaders are doing and also discuss the impact of credentialing in that area on their work at schools
Expanding Qualitative Research: Exploring Children\u27s Perspectives on Robotics Through Visual Methods
No full textUnderstanding children\u27s conceptualizations of robotics is essential for developing child-friendly robots that align with their perspectives. This study uses visual research methods, specifically drawing analysis, to examine children\u27s perceptions of robotics. By applying visual semiotics and Cultural-Historical Action Theory (CHAT), the research explores common themes in children\u27s robot drawings. The CHAT framework helps analyze how cultural and social contexts influence children\u27s interpretations of robots. The study involves video analysis of a 6-year-old participant, focusing on her robot drawing and reflections. CHAT provides insights into the cultural impact on children\u27s understanding of robotics, revealing how they assign meaning through symbols and colors. The findings show that semiotic analysis, guided by CHAT, highlights the child’s enthusiasm and positive perception of robots, reflected in her use of bright primary colors like red and yellow. Carefully selected references further support the study’s insights
Examining How Limited Access to Academic Support Tools Affects College Student Retention and Successful Degree Completion
No full textThis study demonstrates how the limited availability of scholarly aid tools influences student persistence and degree completion in higher education institutions. Drawing on four empirical studies, this research tests institutional responses, including centralized advising systems and early-alert technologies, students’ capacity to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) in scholarly support, technology platforms for collaborative learning, and the effectiveness of field facilitation in distance learning settings where resources are scarce. Together, these studies indicate that student persistence is crucial to the effectiveness of academic support tools, but their success hinges on equal access, student readiness, institutional integration, and the commitment of resources. Even though the data indicated improvements in course completion, perseverance, and student motivation, student groups still vary between resource-rich and resource-constrained learning environments. Based on the findings, to sustain student success outcomes beyond the short term, faculty and facilitator professional development must be intentional, and support materials and professional practices that advocate for digital equity must be institutionalized
Ms. Armetta Rich
No full textProgram for the funeral of Ms. Armetta Rich, held at Harmony Missionary Baptist Church on January 3, 2026.https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/willowhillheritage-obituaries/12362/thumbnail.jp
Preparing Tomorrow’s Educators: Investigating Instructional Factors Affecting University Systems of Georgia First-Year Teachers’ Classroom Management Self-Efficacy
No full textClassroom management is a crucial skill for new teachers, yet many enter the profession feeling unprepared to handle student behavior effectively. My research aims to examine instructional factors from University Systems of Georgia (USG) Teacher Preparation Programs (TPPs) that affect first-year teachers’ classroom management self-efficacy (CMSE). Understanding these instructional factors will allow USG TPPs to improve CSME in pre-service and newly graduated teacher candidates. The study has not been completed. No data has been collected. The rationale for the study will be presented
A Reflective Exploration From Doctoral Professionals of an Educational Leadership Internship Selection and Matriculation Journey: Implications for Active Learning Environments
No full textThe rigorous path to completing a doctoral degree within a professional educational program often necessitates candidates to successfully navigate a series of academic courses, all meticulously designed to fulfill the ultimate requirements for the coveted doctorate. Within the structured curriculum of many institutional settings, particularly those focused on educational leadership, a year-long internship frequently stands as a pivotal component of these demanding requirements. Reflectively, the doctoral candidates and professionals whose experiences inform this paper presentation are mandated to undertake a comprehensive internship spanning one summer semester followed by an entire academic year. This extensive practical engagement is not merely a standalone requirement but is strategically integrated to concurrently initiate the crucial process of developing a research agenda, which subsequently culminates in the comprehensive examination. The action research paper is informed by elements of reflective inquiry, drawing on a hybrid conceptual framework that combines active learning and Phenomenology
Students as Partners: Supporting College Students’ Conference Attendance
No full textThere is a growing body of research in which students collaborate with faculty on research projects called Students as Partners. Students pose questions, identify research topics, and determine ways in which to answer those questions. This research study built on that idea, where the faculty took more of a backseat to this with students leading the project. Throughout this project we collected data from students and faculty at different conferences to determine whether student goals and faculty goals for bringing students to conferences were aligned. In this poster, we continue to collect data by following a similar process as the Grand Challenges of Engineering (NAE, 2008) and the Grand Challenges of SoTL (Scharff & Hampshire, 2022) to gather input from faculty and students attending different conferences
How Does Language Influence Interest in Psychological Treatment?
Full text linkIn 2022, approximately 59 million adults in the United States were diagnosed with a mental health disorder, and approximately half received mental health services (NIMH, 2023). Given the number of individuals whose mental health concerns remain untreated, it is vital to investigate mechanisms predicting treatment-seeking behaviors. Health literacy, which influences treatment-seeking, is largely absent from research on barriers to mental health treatment. Health literacy is related to readability, the ease of reading (Adkins & Singh, 2001), and jargon, the technical language used by professionals in a field (Shulman et al., 2020). Health materials are often written at a high reading level with complex writing style (Adkins & Singh, 2001; King et al., 2023). Similarly, jargon use decreases comprehension, increases perceived difficulty of information, and elicits adverse emotional reactions, such as apprehension (Bullock et al., 2019; Davis et al., 2017; Shulman et al., 2020). The effects of readability and jargon in mental health settings, however, are largely unknown. The present study aimed to fill these gaps by scientifically testing the relationship among health literacy, jargon/readability, and treatment-seeking interests. The responses of 430 participants were analyzed to explore these relationships. Contrary to expectations, health literacy was not associated with treatment-seeking attitudes, comfort, and willingness to refer a friend. There was also no significant effect of the vignette condition (varying reading levels and jargon) on participants’ perceptions of difficulty (measuring readability) and familiarity with the terms (measuring jargon). There was, however, a positive association between treatment-seeking attitudes, comfort with a provider, and willingness to refer a friend. This study aimed to advance research on the impact of jargon in therapy contexts.
INDEX WORDS: Health literacy, Treatment-seeking attitudes, Jargon, Readability/reading leve