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A Voucher Flora of Diatoms from Fens in the Tanana River Floodplain, Alaska
No full textClimate change and human activities may alter the structure and function of boreal peatlands by warming waters and changing their hydrology. Diatoms can be used to assess or track these changes. However, effective biomonitoring requires consistent, reliable identification. To address this need, this study developed a diatom voucher flora of species found across a boreal fen gradient (e.g., vegetation) in interior Alaskan peatlands. Composite diatom samples were collected bi-weekly from three peatland complexes over the 2017 summer. The morphological range of each taxon was imaged. The fens contained 184 taxa across 38 genera. Eunotia (45), Gomphonema (23), and Pinnularia (20) commonly occurred in each peatland. Tabellaria was common in the rich and moderate fen but sparse in the poor fen. Eunotia showed the opposite trend. Approximately 11% of species are potentially novel and 25% percent matched those at risk or declining in status on the diatom Red List (developed in Germany), highlighting the conservation value of boreal wetlands. This voucher flora expands knowledge of regional diatom biodiversity and provides updated, verifiable taxonomic information for inland Alaskan diatoms, building on Foged’s 1981 treatment. This flora strengthens the potential to effectively track changes in boreal waterways sensitive to climate change and anthropogenic stressors
Effects of roadways on seasonal movement strategies and mate location success in an imperiled pit viper (Crotalus horridus)
Get PDFUnderstanding animal movement behavior is fundamental to effective conservation and management. Within populations, various movement strategies can be displayed in search of critical resources, and these strategies are influenced by multiple factors related to individuals and the environment. Mating partners are one critical resource that affect movement during mating seasons. For many large-bodied snakes, male mate-searching movements are the primary determinant of mate location success, however, males incur significant risks associated with elevated movement. In an increasingly human-modified world, this often includes increased interactions with anthropogenic landscape features. A recent range-wide status assessment for Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) identified roadways among the leading threats to population persistence, and more specifically in the Piedmont ecoregion of Georgia, USA. Before effective management can be developed, it is critical to identify behavioral mechanisms that mediate the relative risk that roads pose to populations and individuals. Beyond road mortality, the sub-lethal effects of roads remain largely untested in snakes. In order to fill these gaps and better inform conservation, I propose an integration of radio telemetry and accelerometry to quantify the effects of proximity to roads and road interaction frequency on mate searching movements and mate location success in C. horridus from the Georgia Piedmont
The Effect of Word Game Play on Spelling
No full textSpecial education students have learning gaps that need to be addressed, and one of these is spelling. While spelling is a valuable skill, many middle schools do not explicitly teach spelling. Games can be an efficient teaching strategy as they improve student engagement and attitudes toward learning. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of daily word game play on the spelling of sixth grade students served in an interrelated program. For the purpose of this study, the researcher recorded student errors on short vowel sounds, beginning and ending digraphs and blends, long vowel sounds, and unaccented final syllables. Following baseline data collection, the participants engaged in daily game play where they had six chances to guess a five-letter word. The purpose of this intervention is to answer the question: Will the implementation of playing a word game improve spelling skills in sixth grade special education students with a reading and writing goal in their IEP
What Do Struggling Readers Think?
Get PDFResearch Question How do struggling readers identify their experiences with reading, both inside and outside of school?
Purpose In an era of high stakes testing and pressure for students to demonstrate academic achievement, particularly in reading, the state of Georgia has emphasized additional rigor over the past ten years. Data demonstrates that 36% of Georgia’s children read below grade level at the end of third grade (GADOE, 2022). A range of efforts to improve reading levels include the establishment of the Deal Center, Senate Dyslexia Bill (SB 48), and a state reading task force addressing teacher preparation for teaching reading. Despite all these endeavors, the voices missing from the conversation are those of individuals who struggle with reading.
Research Design To explore this perspective, including potential intervention strategies, we engaged in a qualitative study examining “What Struggling Readers Think”. We interviewed students, who had already been identified as struggling readers, to gather insights into their reading experiences. In addition, we interviewed adults who identify as struggling readers. These developmental perspectives revealed specific points of difficulty in connection with what we understand from literacy research and Critical Disability Studies (CDS).
Findings & Implications Across ages, struggling readers expressed resistance to and avoidance of reading. Participants perceived significant critique of others regarding their challenges in reading, in ways that shaped their feelings about themselves as learners. Participants described clear desire for help with reading, specifically teacher read alouds, spelling, decoding, and complex comprehension. Teens and adults, who received effective interventions, described finding an appreciation for reading in their daily lives and an awareness of tools needed to support their ongoing progress. This presentation will elucidate how the experiences of struggling readers can inform educators in designing more effective interventions and increase reading levels in Georgia
Determining Ankle Stability in Collegiate Athletes Using the Biodex Balance System
Get PDFContext: An ankle injury is the most common lower extremity injury in sports because of the amount of force that goes through the ankle. Understanding the athlete’s ankle stability can better inform a medical team on the probability of an ankle injury occurring and help to mitigate the risk. Objective: The Biodex Balance System (BBS) was used to investigate potential fluctuations in ankle stability over an athlete’s season. Design: Experimental study Patients/Participants: A total of 30 Division II college athletes (25 female, 5 male; ages 18-22) volunteered as subjects. Methods: Athlete single leg test and the Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction and Balance test were analyzed using the BBS. Stability factors examined with the BBS included: overall stability index, anterior/posterior stability index, medial/lateral stability index, eyes open/closed on a firm surface, and eyes open/closed on a foam surface. The BBS used degrees from level to determine ankle stability (higher degrees meant less stability). Baseline measures were established during the pre-season. Mid-season and post-season assessments were completed by repeating the test again at later time points (5 and 10 weeks, respectively). Data were analyzed with SPSS (general linear models, one-way ANOVAs, and Repeated ANOVAs). Results: Overall stability of the right leg increased by 1 degree at mid-season, with the left leg increasing by .6 degrees at mid-season. No significant difference was found on any of the following trials: eyes open firm surface: F(3,26)=.338, p=.798; eyes closed firm surface: F(3,26)=.352, p=.788; eyes open foam surface: F(3,26)=1.895, p=.155; eyes closed foam surface: F(3,26)=1.901, p=.154. Conclusion: There was an increase in bilateral ankle stability by mid-season, regardless of sport or sex. Discussion: Further investigation is needed to determine the cause of increased ankle stability over time
Christian Allegories and Social Change in Southern Literature: A Comparative Study of Mason Tarwater and Atticus Finch in Flannery O\u27Connor\u27s The Violent Bear It Away and Harper Lee\u27s To Kill a Mockingbird
Get PDFThis thesis compares Mason Tarwater of Flannery O’Connor’s The Violent Bear It Away and Atticus Finch of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird to better understand how each author comments on Christian allegories and social change within their novels. This thesis argues that To Kill a Mockingbird promotes social change through the Christian values of good Samaritanism, nonviolence, and inclusion, while The Violent Bear It Away promotes a problematic Christian message. This thesis identifies how both novels utilize religious allegory. In O’Connor’s novel, the paradoxical and violent prophet figure, Mason Tarwater, uses violence and division to evoke change, while in Lee’s novel, Atticus Finch uses nonviolence and inclusion to impact others in his society. I argue that the comparison of these two protagonists suggests that nonviolence and inclusion are more successful in evoking meaningful social change, as opposed to using tactics of violence and division
Gardening Lessons
Get PDFA poetry collection centered on the poet\u27s childhood trauma and reclamation of body and gender identity through transition
Perspectives of a female band director- with Dr. Myra Rhoden
No full texthttps://kb.gcsu.edu/cme_profdev/1021/thumbnail.jp
Liberating Shakespeare: Adaptation and Empowerment for Young Adult Audiences
No full textThe collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital shaming. Violence against women. Sexual bullying. Racial slurs and injustice. These are just some of the problems faced by today’s young adults. Liberating Shakespeare explores how adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays can be used to empower young audiences by addressing issues of oppression, trauma and resistance. Showcasing a wide variety of approaches to understanding, adapting and teaching Shakespeare, this collection examines the significant number of Shakespeare adaptations targeting adolescent audiences in the past 25 years. It examines a wide variety of creative works made for and by young people that harness the power of Shakespeare to address some of the most pressing questions in contemporary culture - exploring themes of violence, race relations and intersectionality. The contributors to this volume consider whether the representations of characters and situations in YA Shakespeare can function as empowering models for students and how these works might be employed within educational settings. This collection argues that YA Shakespeare represents the diverse concerns of today’s youth and should be taken seriously as art that speaks to the complexities of a broken world, offering moments of hope for an uncertain future