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Vtext is Valdosta State University's institutional repository, providing open access to the scholarly, creative, and administrative works of the University community. It also houses digitized materials from the VSU Archives and Special Collections.
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Item Exploring the Relationship between Undergraduate Student Employees’ Workplace Experiences and Leadership Capacity(2026-06-01)This study investigated the relationship between undergraduate student employee workplaceexperiences and the development of socially responsible leadership capacity using a quantitative, cross-sectional design. Grounded in the Social Change Model of Leadership, a sample of 81 student employees were surveyed at three public universities to examine how the frequency of 19 distinct workplace experiences influenced scores on the Socially Responsible Leadership Scale (SRLS-R2). Data analysis involved a sequential approach, using bootstrapped regressions and Kruskal-Wallis H tests to explore relationships between experience frequency and leadership outcomes. The findings identified a standardized workplace environment within this specific sample, as variables such as collaboration, problem-solving, and task repetition were omitted from the final analysis due to a lack of variance among respondents. While informal supervisor interactions and feedback were associated with higher scores in Commitment, Congruence, and Change, and idea experimentation emerged as a factor for Consciousness of Self and Controversy with Civility, the small sample size limits the generalizability and interpretability of these results beyond the research sites. These findings offer localized evidence that intentional supervision and opportunities for innovation may serve as potential drivers of student employees’ leadership development, though further research with larger populations is necessary to confirm these relationships.Item Elementary Teachers’ Experiences with Applications of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy(2026-05-31)Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) has been widely promoted as an equity-centeredinstructional framework; however, limited research has examined how elementary teachers understand, enact, and sustain CRP within contemporary classroom contexts marked by sociopolitical constraint. This narrative inquiry explored the lived experiences of eight fourth- and fifth-grade teachers working in Title I and non—Title I schools to examine how culturally relevant pedagogy was learned, interpreted, and implemented in practice. Guided by Ladson-Billings’s framework of academic success, cultural competence, and critical consciousness, the study centered teachers’ narratives to illuminate how CRP functioned as a lived and meaning-making practice rather than a prescribed set of strategies. Findings revealed that while collaborators expressed strong moral commitment to equity and student success, preparation related to CRP within teacher education and professional development was inconsistent and often minimal. As a result, culturally relevant pedagogy was often enacted through fragmented, surface-level practices rather than as a comprehensive pedagogical framework. Teachers’ meaning making processes were shaped by identity, belief systems, and political context, with many describing fear, hesitation, and professional isolation when engaging issues of race, culture, and equity. Five cross-case themes emerged, highlighting representation as literacy empowerment, community integration, critical dialogue as civic engagement, belief in students’ unlimited potential, and the role of teacher identity and spiritual commitment in sustaining CRP. The findings highlight the need for systemic support, collaborative professional learning, and intentional leadership to sustain culturally relevant pedagogy as a shared instructional responsibilityItem “The Professor Actually Really Cares, and They Want You to Know Why You’re Doing It”: Exploring Traditionally Underserved Students’ Experiences With Transparent Assignment Design(2026-05-31)The purpose of this study was to explore how first-year college students from traditionally underserved populations describe their sense of belonging as a function of being in a freshman seminar course that implemented transparent assignment design (TAD). Degree attainment has been associated with many individual and societal benefits (Davis et al., 2025; Phillips et al., 2020; Wilson, 2023). However, traditionally underserved students are less likely to attain a degree (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2024a), a phenomenon that has been described as the equity gap. This gap is due in part to noncognitive factors such as sense of belonging and self-efficacy (Tinto, 2017a). To address this gap, a variety of high-impact practices have been implemented in higher education to support students at risk of attrition (Kuh, 2008). Transparent assignment design is one such practice that has been shown to improve self-reported academic success indicators such as sense of belonging and self-efficacy, especially among traditionally underserved students (Winkelmes et al., 2016, 2019). I used narrative inquiry to explore the experiences of six first-year students from traditionally underserved backgrounds in freshman seminar courses that implemented TAD at California State University, Northridge in Fall 2024. Major findings suggest that despite some negative student experiences with TAD, the framework addresses the equity gap by supporting students in overcoming the hidden curriculum. TAD clarifies assignment expectations to students from traditionally underserved communities, especially for complicated or novel tasks. Results may inform faculty and administrative decisions in higher education, with broader societal implications.Item Evaluating the Influence of Animal-Assisted Intervention on Task Persistence During Literacy Activities in Early Readers(2026-05-30)This study investigated how animal-assisted intervention (AAI) affects persistent behaviors in children when reading familiar and unfamiliar texts. While traditional literacy interventions emphasize fluency, accuracy, and comprehension, limited research has explored behavioral persistence, particularly in the presence of a therapy dog. This study addressed this gap by examining how a therapy dog influences children’s task persistence and motivation when reading familiar and unfamiliar texts. A within-subjects, mixed-methods design was conducted with eight children ages 6 to 12. Participants completed structured reading sessions with a certified therapy dog, reading one familiar and two unfamiliar books. Quantitative data included pre- and post-reading surveys addressing motivation towards reading and rubric-based persistence scores, while qualitative data were collected through behavioral observations. Results indicated a statistically significant increase in reading motivation following the intervention, t(7) = -2.5, p = 0.04. All participants demonstrated equal or increased motivation post-session, with notable gains in comfort reading aloud. Behavioral findings showed consistent persistence, as all participants engaged with unfamiliar texts and elected to continue reading when offered more unfamiliar material. Qualitative data supported these findings, with most participants describing reading positively after the session. These findings suggest that the presence of a therapy dog may positively impact motivational and behavioral components of reading persistence. This study contributes to literacy and speech-language pathology by highlighting persistence as a critical yet underexplored factor in reading development and supports AAI as a promising, low-risk strategy to improve engagement, confidence, and perseverance in young readers.Item Effect of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Advisor Mentorship on Student Success(2026-05-28)Student success, as seen by graduation and transfer rates for community colleges, has long been a topic of discussion. Although the graduation and transfer success of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTKHS) members is evident, little research has been done identifying the relationship between the success rates of the members and the support mechanisms of chapter advisor mentorship levels at community colleges. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect that advisor mentorship had on the success rates through graduation and transfer of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society students. Guided by Nora and Crisp’s mentoring framework and using Crisp’s College Student Mentoring Scale (CSMS) of four mentoring dimensions: psychological and emotional support, degree and career support, academic subject knowledge support, and the existence of a role model, the quantitative study explored how advisor mentoring contributed to graduation and transfer success of PTKHS members. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses revealed consistently strong alumni perceptions of advisor mentorship across all measured constructs. Although no statistically significant differences were identified among completion groups, the results were consistent with literature indicating that advisor mentorship positively contributes to student persistence and academic engagement. The results were consistent with literature supporting the value of structured mentorship within PTKHS and highlighted the importance of the use of mentorship activities and advisor professional development in mentorship strategies.