Alisa Leckie
Honors students present research
Each year, the Georgia Southern University Honors College hosts a research symposium on both the Statesboro and Armstrong Campuses to feature the thesis presentations of graduating seniors as well as poster presentations from juniors, sophomores and freshmen.
Thesis presentations are a required component to graduate as an honors scholar. The spring 2022 thesis presentations on the Statesboro Campus included:
- Tamaya Varnedoe, Middle Grades Education
Mentor: Elizabeth Barrow, Ed.D.
“Student Well-Being in Middle Schools: The Impact of Mental Health on Young Adolescents”
Adolescence is a crucial period for emotional and physical development. It is important to acknowledge the connection between these changes to one’s mental state. This study will identify the role mental health plays in the lives of adolescents and gauge best practices among teachers and counselors to support their well-being. - NelSilva Wolf, Secondary Education (Mathematics)
Mentor: Elizabeth Barrow, Ed.D.
“Preparing for Multiculturalism: An Analysis of the Perceived Preparedness of Pre-service Teachers for Teaching in Diverse Classrooms”
This research examines the levels of preparedness of current pre-service teachers for teaching in the emerging culturally diverse classroom setting. Surveys and interviews will give more insight into how teachers are being prepared and areas of multicultural education that need more attention. This research can also give pre-service teachers the opportunity to reflect on their current understanding and experiences of multiculturalism to develop skills needed for culturally relevant teaching.
Thesis presentations on the Armstrong Campus included:
- Emily Ray, Elementary Education
Mentor: Abraham Flanigan, Ph.D.
“Teacher Strategies to Maintain Rapport in Elementary Classrooms”
Students learn best when they feel connected with their teachers, which is indicative of good rapport between the student and the teacher. However, good rapport requires maintenance as well. This study identifies strategies that help develop and maintain strong rapport between teachers and their students. - Alexandria Sledge-Tollerson, Elementary Education
Mentor: Alisa Leckie, Ph.D.
“Boys of Color and Literacy in the Elementary Classroom”
It is widely known among educators that by the third grade, Boys of Color and their literacy scores begin to lag behind compared to their white counterparts. This thesis explores how elementary literacy teachers communicate, create, and implement strategies to reduce this gap in score among Boys of Color.
A poster presentation was also made on the Statesboro Campus by Katie Jones, secondary education (English) student. She presented on “Teaching Creativity in a Standardized Classroom,” and is mentored by Nancy Remler, Ph.D.
Georgia Southern awarded more than $500k to train literacy tutors for Chatham and Bulloch Counties
Georgia Southern University has been awarded $517,575 to train elementary education literacy tutors who will work in select schools in Chatham and Bulloch Counties.
The University piloted summer tutoring last year with the support of University President Kyle Marrero and the Regional Education Collaborative (REC), made up of local higher education institutions and K-12 schools. Previously funded with CARES Act funding, the pilot provided the framework for the most recent grant, prepared by several members of the College of Education (COE).
“Last summer, we responded quickly to the need for support that our schools communicated during summer instruction, due to the learning loss experienced during COVID,” said Alisa Leckie, Ph.D., COE assistant dean for partnerships and outreach. “We saw a positive impact and response from that summer tutoring experience. We decided that as COVID continues to impact students across all levels, we would focus and refine our tutoring efforts and apply for funding to support a robust literacy tutoring support program for our partners in Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools and Bulloch County Schools.”
The grant, titled “Mitigating Pandemic Literacy Loss in K-5 Students: Utilizing a Responsive Approach with College Students as Tutors,” received funding from Gov. Brian Kemp’s second installment of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER II), and is being implemented this semester at Georgia Southern.
“We are developing both virtual and in-person training opportunities to start this semester,” said Leckie. “For students in teacher preparation programs at Georgia Southern, we will now implement a tutoring component within their pre-professional block, which are the three College of Education courses they take together when entering their teaching programs. These students will complete tutoring sessions throughout the semester with the same student or small group of students. We have also crafted virtual training with resources for literacy tutoring to be completed by any student interested in participating in the program.”
This summer, 60 tutors will be hired to supplement literacy instruction and one-on-one engagement within 10 elementary schools in Savannah-Chatham and Bulloch Counties. Tutors will be solicited from the University as well as members of the REC, including East Georgia State College, Ogeechee Technical College, Savannah State University and Savannah Technical College. Tutors will provide instructional assistance with phonics, vocabulary and reading comprehension.
“Learning to read by the end of the third grade impacts the life trajectories of students,” said Sally Brown, Ph.D., professor of literacy education and principal investigator of the grant. “By helping young readers become proficient readers, we ensure success in their academic futures and ultimately their workforce capabilities. The GEER grant works toward this goal.”
The tutoring services provided by college students offer a win-win scenario for all involved.
“Providing individual and small-group support during the summer will help more K-5 students get the intense academic support needed to master specified skills,” said Elizabeth Williams, Ed.S., program coordinator for undergraduate elementary education program. “Additionally, our education students will gain the critical skills needed to effectively differentiate instruction and help students with academic gaps as well as give our students an additional perspective on teaching.”
The project team includes: Brown; Leckie; Williams; Mete Akcaoglu, Ph.D., associate professor of instructional technology; Selçuk Doğan, Ph.D., assistant professor of elementary and special education; and Marlynn Griffin, Ph.D., professor of educational psychology and coordinator of the COE’s pre-professional block.
Application for student tutors will open late March.