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E-Government and Transparency in Georgia: An Analysis of County Websites as Citizen Portals to Democracy
No full textThe Founding Fathers of the United States, concerned with protecting individual rights and responsibilities, provided checks and balances to ensure wise governance. As the nation matured, laws reinforcing the rights of citizens were passed to mandate that government functions be conducted in an open manner. As technology evolved, the legislative mandates did as well and today, the internet is considered an integral part of government, both utilitarian in its functions but also with respect to openness and transparency. The internet is also an integral part of direct government-to-citizen contact and interaction. Given that counties function as government entities, imbued with powers mandated by the state that exceed those granted to cities, and serving as the closest level of governance to all citizens in Georgia, 36 county websites are studied: three in each of the 12 Regional Commission districts, based on population size: small, median, and large. Each website is studied and graded according to a unique checklist developed specifically for this purpose, utilizing established guidelines for open governance and transparency. The results vary between the counties and regions, with factors such as size, location, education and affluence potentially affecting the outcomes. As no other transparency project of this scale has yet been conducted at the county-level in Georgia, this dissertation will fill gaps in knowledge for local, state and national governments and organizations seeking this knowledge.Merwin, GeraldBennett, JohnKellner, RobD.P.A.Political Scienc
A Basic Interpretive Study of Professional Experiences of African-American Women Who Achieve Career Advancement in Institutions of Higher Education
No full textIn this basic interpretive study, I investigated the career trajectories and professional roles of five African-American women serving as directors at predominantly white, four-year universities. The research explored their understanding of departmental leadership, the strategies they employed to advance within their institutions, and the specific social challenges they encountered. This study contributes to the limited academic literature on African-American female directors by focusing on how their experiences influence their approaches to leadership and professional advancement. Four key themes emerged from the data: domestication of the professional space; influence of family and racial beliefs on leadership; marginalization; and navigating the work environment. The findings suggest that African-American female directors bring valuable leadership attributes that benefit their departments and may facilitate the transition of new African-American students into predominantly white institutions. The study demonstrates how these directors' perspectives on race and gender roles shape their career trajectories and professional practices, and outlines potential directions for further research in the field of higher education leadership.Tsemunhu, RudoGreen, RobertNobles, KathyTruby, WilliamEd.D.Curriculum, Leadership & Technolog
Old Berrien Newsletters Vol 7. No.1.
No full textThis item contains 1 PDF with 4 pages in addition to 4 JP2 filesThis document meticulously chronicles the spectacular Leonid meteor shower of November 13, 1833. This rare astronomical display, caused by Earth crossing the orbit of the Tempel-Tuttle comet, saw hundreds of thousands of meteors cascade across the sky from midnight to dawn, most visibly in the Deep South. While newspapers in larger Georgia cities like Milledgeville, Macon, and Savannah reported the "splendid phenomena", its impact on the sparsely populated Berrien County was felt deeply inspiring awe, fear, and widespread spiritual interpretations, with some believing it signaled the end of the world. This event prompted scientists like Yale professor Denison Olmsted to research its cause and leading to the eventual discovery of the Tempel-Tuttle comet in 1865-1866, establishing the link between comets and meteor showers. Though subsequent returns of the comet in 1899 and 1932 did not produce similar storms, scientists anticipate another potentially remarkable display around 2031-2033, exactly two centuries after the original "night the stars fell"
A Study of the Efficacy of Out-of-Field Teachers
No full textThe purpose of this study was to determine if teacher certification type impacted student achievement. The researcher hypothesized that students taught by teachers with out-of-field certification will have lower achievement-level scores on Georgia Milestone Assessments than students who are taught by teachers with in-field certification. The null hypothesis held that there is no association between teacher certification type and student achievement levels on Georgia Milestone Assessments.
For the purposes of this research, teachers were classified based on certification type—that is, in-field or out-of-field—and students were classified based on the certification type of their teacher and their achievement-level score on Georgia Milestone Assessments. The researcher obtained data from a Georgia school district for school years 2017, 2018, and 2019. The data included in-field and out-of-field teacher lists, teacher schedule files, student schedule files, and Georgia Milestone Assessment results by student. The data were organized and divided into various datasets.
The researcher applied the chi-square test to determine the statistical significance of the different datasets. In total, 42 datasets were reviewed and tested using the chi-square test; of these, 35 rejected the null hypothesis, thus showing significant evidence of an association between teacher certification type and student achievement level. Based on the data analyzed in this study, the results suggest that teacher certification type has an impact on student achievement. Limitations of the study include sample size and the inability to encompass other factors that could affect the learning levels. Future research needed includes incorporating the experience level of the teacher and the learning loss related to the COVID pandemic.Robbins, JosephSapp, TerryWhittaker, LaurenD.P.A.Political Scienc
Diffusion of Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Innovations in Career Centers: Perceptions of Acceptability, Appropriateness, and Expected Feasibility of Implementation
No full textThis dissertation explores career center leaders' perceptions of integrating virtual reality(VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for job and internship interview training. Grounded in Rogers' (2003) Diffusion of Innovations theory, the study examines how higher education institutions can adopt these innovations to address challenges of providing scalable, “high-touch” experiences in career services. The study uses quantitative and qualitative analyses to investigate the acceptability, appropriateness, and expected feasibility of VR and AI implementation in career centers. The research team collected data from nine career center leaders representing diverse higher education institutions. The analysis examines the influence of institutional characteristics, such as public versus private institutions and centralized versus decentralized career center models, on perceptions of technology adoption through univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses. Although the small sample size limits statistical significance, the findings provide valuable qualitative insights into the nuanced perceptions of career center leaders. The results show that career center leaders generally perceive VR and AI as acceptable and appropriate for enhancing interview skills through immersive training simulations. However, participants expressed concerns about feasibility, including resource constraints and staff training needs, which present barriers to adoption. The study identifies strategies such as public-private partnerships and pilot programs as potential solutions. These findings, aligned with trends in public administration emphasizing innovation in service delivery, highlight the importance of transferability over generalizability. The implications extend beyond higher education, suggesting that VR and AI could enhance workforce development programs and contribute to economic development by preparing students for modern job market demands.Wright, JohnSmith, MatthewLee, KeithD.P.A.Political Scienc
VSU Writing Tutoring: Exploring the Evolution of Sociocultural Settings and Strategies
No full textThis thesis examines the effects of sociocultural changes on the writing tutoring practices and environments of Valdosta State University’s three writing tutoring iterations: The Writing Center, Student Success Center, and Academic Support Center. Through an interview series involving past and current peer writing tutors and writing tutoring staff, this thesis evaluates the similarities and differences in collaborative learning, scaffolding, and dialogic interactions that have influenced the sociocultural writing tutoring environment. After collecting interview data from each writing tutoring generation, this study explores how the writing center’s physical environment, community values and goals, and sociocultural-based tutoring training practices have shaped tutees’ writing development. Additionally, tutor and staff interviews help acknowledge how sociocultural tutoring strategies, based on Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development, Bruffee’s collaborative learning, and Bakhtin’s dialogic theory, have effectively taught students how to write over time. This study further clarifies which tutoring methods should be maintained and which aspects could improve. Overall, this thesis describes Valdosta State University’s writing tutoring impact over the years, emphasizing the relationship between sociocultural writing-based practices and collaborative environments in providing students with effective writing support.Paine, DeborahPeguesse, ChereSewell, DonnaM.S.Englis
An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study of Work-Related Burnout in Southeastern Academic Librarians
No full textThis explanatory sequential mixed-methods study examined the prevalence of work-related burnout among academic librarians in the southeastern United States, focusing on its relationship with demographics, perceived leadership practices, and turnover intention. The study also aimed to understand how leadership practices influence work-related burnout in this population. Data were collected in two phases from a sample of 512 academic librarians. Phase I (quantitative) utilized the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory’s work-related subscale and the Leadership Practices Inventory: Observer, while Phase II (qualitative) included two open-ended questions from an online survey and 17 semi-structured interviews. Quantitative results revealed significant differences in work-related burnout based on age, years in position, and turnover intentions, with no effects for sex or race. A significant relationship was found between leadership practices and burnout, with leadership practices explaining approximately 15% of the variance as indicated by an R2 value of 0.151. Qualitative findings highlighted two leadership practices, Enable Others to Act and Model the Way, as having the most impact on work-related burnout, although external factors (e.g., work overload, staffing) were also identified as significant. Nearly half of the academic librarians were considering leaving their positions due to work-related burnout. This study offers valuable insights for academic library leadership, professional organizations, and institutional administration by providing evidence-based intervention strategies. It uniquely contributes to the professional literature by using instruments not widely used in the academic library context. The findings offer important implications for further research and practical applications in the academic library context. To reduce work-related burnout, leaders should serve as role models and focus on empowering academic librarians to reduce work-related burnout, cultivate a supportive work environment, and improve librarian retention.Kim, DaesangHill, D.Nobles, KathyLairsey, JohnEd.D.Curriculum, Leadership & Technolog
Exploring the Process of Becoming an Interscholastic Female Athletic Director: A Reflective Narrative Inquiry Approach
No full textIn my qualitative study, a modified reflective narrative inquiry approach was used to gather data about the experiences, interactions, and values that influenced female interscholastic athletic directors (ADs) along their professional pathways. Maxwell (2013) and Ravitch and Riggan (2017) guided my conceptual framework. Personal experiences, relevant literature, and theory contributed to my conceptual framework. By asking collaborators to reconstruct their professional journeys and reflect on the meaning of the experiences and interactions they had along the way, I was able to provide increased understanding of how six female interscholastic ADs navigated their professional pathway. The literature did not do enough to address the role, value, and trajectory of women as interscholastic ADs. My research adds reflective narratives of current female ADs to address the lack of depth and strengthen the literature that shows value in having women represented in the field. Clandinin and Connelly (2000) guided my narrative inquiry research design. Using Seidman’s (2013) three-interview series, I worked to gather stories from six women currently serving as athletic directors at the high school level in Georgia. I transcribed and coded using MAXQDA. I mined the data to discover patterns in it, which helped me construct four themes across collaborators that related to leadership opportunities early in their careers, mentorship and opportunity, reshaping leadership, and work life balance. Through connecting analysis, I was able to craft reflective narratives to share how the meaning they took away from various life experiences influenced later experiences along the pathway to becoming an AD.Schmertzing, RichardSanderson, SonyaSchmertzing, LorraineEd.D.Curriculum, Leadership & Technolog
Snakes on the Plain: Biogeographic Patterns in Banded Watersnakes (Nerodia fasciata) across the Southeastern Coastal Plain
No full textBarriers to dispersal often cause evolutionary divergence. In the present, identification of geographic boundaries between lineages can indicate the historic presence of biogeographic barriers. In eastern North America, these patterns often arose during periods when changes in climate accompanied the origin of topographic features that hinder gene flow through expansion of river systems, changes in sea level, and restriction of organisms to refugia. However, organisms’ responses to changing landscapes is often complex. Not all taxa, even those with similar ecologies, exhibit effects on gene flow from the same changes in geographic features and climate; there is often nuance in these evolutionary shifts. In this study, I use the banded water snake, Nerodia fasciata, as a model to test for phylogeographic structure associated with potential biogeographic barriers. While this species is found throughout the U.S. southeastern coastal plain region, previous phylogeographic research has been limited to Florida, a deficiency I address here. I sequenced the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b (cytb) and the nuclear gene prolactin receptor (PRLR) for phylogenetic analysis across the range of N. fasciata. Additionally, biogeographic modeling was used to investigate the historic distributions of this group. Results indicate that this species first diversified during the late Miocene and early Pliocene and may have historically been isolated to a glacial refugium in the western part of its range and to the Florida peninsula by high sea levels. These findings are consistent with patterns observed in certain other snake species distributed throughout the American southeast. Phylogeographic breaks were not found at major river systems, while ranges of the subspecies of this group better fit the distributions of its major mitochondrial lineages. This research contributes new information on the systematics of N. fasciata and helps to explore how organisms respond to changing geography across continental land masses, providing a model for testing southeastern biogeography in other taxa.Lokdarshi, AnsulPhillips, JohnSafer, AdamM.S.Biolog
"How Do I Comfort Them on Zoom?" Academic Advisors of Exploratory Students and the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textThis study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic advisors who supported college students without an academic major. These students are often classified as undecided or undeclared. However, some colleges and universities have adopted the term “exploring” to refer to this diverse group of students and have established Exploratory Studies units to assist them. In these specialized units, academic advisors engage with students in one-on-one sessions to assess their skills, interests, and values, helping them determine which major best fits their goals. Additionally, the academic advisors of exploratory students (AAES) facilitate introductory or survey classes for these students. Consequently, the number of academic touchpoints that advisors have with their advisees often exceeds those of advisors in academic units such as business, computer science, and education. Through virtual interviews, AAES participants from across the country described how they continued to support their advisees while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. They initially had reservations about their ability to effectively advise and teach remotely; nevertheless, they committed to learning new technologies, utilizing video conferencing platforms, and developing a more holistic advising approach to continue helping students. Some advisors questioned why their institutions were not adequately informed and prepared for the pandemic; however, most believed their institutions managed the situation as well as possible. According to the AAES, due to changes brought about by the pandemic, their advising approaches were reassessed and strengthened, student services were expanded, and the advisors achieved a more balanced work-life.Ruttencutter, GwendolynSmith, MatthewWaugh, ChristopherWorkman, JamieEd.D.Curriculum, Leadership & Technolog