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2015 Fall Florida International University Fiu 50 Commencement, Florida International University

FIU Commencement Programs

Program for the 2015 Fall Florida International University Commencement.

Exploring Children's Perceptions Of African American English, Tamika L. Lewis

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The differences in attitudes toward African American English (AAE) and Mainstream American English (MAE) were investigated among elementary students (N=34) and middle school students (N=40) using the Speech Evaluation Instrument (SEI). Participants listened to audio recordings of speakers of AAE and MAE and then completed the SEI.

Both elementary and middle school students perceived MAE positively (p =.005), as hypothesized. However, for both hypotheses related to AAE, the researcher hypothesized that both groups would perceive the language negatively; however, in both cases, the researcher failed to reject the null hypothesis. Comparing how each group perceived …

Reading Between The Lines Of Teaching And Learning, Maria Isabel Avonce

South Florida Education Research Conference

Some students lack reading skills due to biological or environmental factors. Accordingly, in my role as an educator, I would like to know if Dialogic Reading Strategies can help Spanish speaking caregivers to facilitate an interactive reading routine at home with their child.

Repeated Reading Strategy For Students With Intellectual Disabilities, David T. Spell

South Florida Education Research Conference

Repeated Reading Strategy used with Intellectually Disabled Students in order to increase reading fluency and comprehension.

The Beacon, November 23, 2015, Florida International University

PantherNOW - Student Newspaper

Vol. 27, Issue 43, 8 pages

Transitioning From Military Medics To Registered Nurses, Mohamed D. Keita, Valerie J. Diaz, Audrey P. Miller, Maria Olenick, Sharon R. Simon

Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences

The nursing shortage in the USA is expected to reach 260,000 registered nurses (RNs) by 2025. The most profound shortages are expected in California and Florida, translating into 109,779 and 128,364 RN jobs, respectively. Despite a foreseen growth in nursing career opportunities nationwide, the supply of nurses will be insufficient to meet the corresponding demand. Capitalizing on prior education, experience, and skills of military clinical personnel to fill these jobs could significantly reduce the projected nursing shortage. Florida International University’s Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences is circumventing barriers to recruit, retain, and graduate transitioning veteran medics and …

The Beacon, November 19, 2015, Florida International University

PantherNOW - Student Newspaper

Vol. 27, Issue 42, 8 pages

Speech-Language Pathology Interns’ Perceptions Of What Supervisors Value Most During Clinical Practicum, Karin Cardozo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to analyze interns’ perceptions of what supervisors considered important supervisory behaviors and to compare those perceptions with what the supervisors considered important. Participants consisted of 33 interns and 23 supervisors. Results of two surveys collected in previous studies were compared and analyzed. Tihen’s (1983) “Tihen’s Student Expectations of their Clinical Supervisor(s) Scale” was used for the intern group. A modified version of the same scale was used for the supervisor group. The scale rated five domains: passive, evaluative, active, cooperative, and affective.

Results revealed that interns ranked perceptions of what supervisors considered important supervisory …

The Linguistic Market Of Codeswitching In U.S. Latino Literature, Marilyn Zeledon

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a multidisciplinary study that brings together the fields of literature, sociolinguistics, and cultural studies in order to understand the motivation and meaning of English-Spanish codeswitching or language alternation in Latino literature produced in the United States. Codeswitching was first introduced in Latino literature around the time of the Chicano Movement in the 1970s and has been used as a distinctive feature of Latino literary works to this day. By doing a close linguistic analysis of narratives by four different authors belonging to the largest Latino communities in the country (Chicano, Puerto Ricans, Dominican Americans, and Cuban Americans), …

Gis-Integrated Mathematical Modeling Of Social Phenomena At Macro- And Micro- Levels—A Multivariate Geographically-Weighted Regression Model For Identifying Locations Vulnerable To Hosting Terrorist Safe-Houses: France As Case Study, Elyktra Eisman

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adaptability and invisibility are hallmarks of modern terrorism, and keeping pace with its dynamic nature presents a serious challenge for societies throughout the world. Innovations in computer science have incorporated applied mathematics to develop a wide array of predictive models to support the variety of approaches to counterterrorism. Predictive models are usually designed to forecast the location of attacks. Although this may protect individual structures or locations, it does not reduce the threat—it merely changes the target. While predictive models dedicated to events or social relationships receive much attention where the mathematical and social science communities intersect, models dedicated to …

Zora Neale Hurston And The Narrative Aesthetics Of Dance Performance, Jennifer M. Sittig

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Zora Neale Hurston’s literature involves dance and performance. What makes this a viable topic of inquiry is her texts often exhibit the performative, whether portraying culture or using dance and associated folk rituals to create complex meaning. Hurston’s use of black vernacular and storytelling evokes lyrical expression in "Their Eyes Were Watching God." African and Caribbean Diasporas in Hurston’s literature reflects primitive dance performances and folklore. This novel requires lyrical analysis. The storytelling feature of performance arts and reclamations of the body are present in Hurston’s text. In recent academic settings, the body has come to occupy a crucial place …

Data Verifications For Online Social Networks, Mahmudur Rahman

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social networks are popular platforms that simplify user interaction and encourage collaboration. They collect large amounts of media from their users, often reported from mobile devices. The value and impact of social media makes it however an attractive attack target. In this thesis, we focus on the following social media vulnerabilities. First, review centered social networks such as Yelp and Google Play have been shown to be the targets of significant search rank and malware proliferation attacks. Detecting fraudulent behaviors is thus paramount to prevent not only public opinion bias, but also to curb the distribution of malware. Second, the …

The Patristic Reception Of The Speakers In John 3, Jeremy S. Paulovkin

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The identification of the speakers in John 3:13-21 and 3:31-36 has remained a longstanding question in biblical studies, confirmed by the difference of opinion in commentaries and the lack of agreement over the placement of quotation marks in contemporary versions of the Bible. The scholarly debate has centered on whether these passages ought to be interpreted as continuations of the words of Jesus and the Baptist, or as authorial commentary appended to their respective discourses. The purpose of this study was to remedy this interpretive difficulty by approaching the question from a wholly different angle: that of tracing the reception …

An Exploration Of The Reasons And Purposes Of Non-Japanese Undergraduate Students For Taking A Beginners’ Japanese Language Course, Asuka H. Mashav

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study took place at Florida International University (FIU), a large public research university in Miami, Florida and one of largest Hispanic serving institutions in the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore the motivations of non-Japanese undergraduate students for taking a beginners’ Japanese language course. In-depth one-hour semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants before the fall semester of 2014 (Phase I) and 10 after the semester (Phase II). Two major themes emerged from the inductive analysis of the data: attraction to Japanese culture and utility of using the Japanese language. Sub-themes for attraction to Japanese …

Transiciones: Pathways Of Latinas And Latinos Writing In High School And College, Brad Jacobson

Community Literacy Journal

No abstract provided.

Undergraduate Course Catalog (Florida International University). [2015-2016], Florida International University

FIU Course Catalogs

This catalog contains a description of the various policies, undergraduate programs, degree requirements, and course offerings at Florida International University during the 2015-2016 academic year.

Graduate Course Catalog (Florida International University). [2015-2016], Florida International University

FIU Course Catalogs

This catalog contains a description of the various policies, graduate programs, degree requirements, and course offerings at Florida International University during the 2015-2016 academic year.

The Beacon, September 21, 2015, Florida International University

PantherNOW - Student Newspaper

Vol. 27, Issue 18, 8 pages

Working In A Mexican Classroom: An Autoethnographic Study, Hemaghini Das, Hemaghini Das

South Florida Education Research Conference

This autoethnographical study seeks to develop a deeper understanding of the challenges that are faced by the researcher in adapting to a new cultural and linguistic setting as well as describing the teaching practices that the researcher encounters in a Mexican classroom; data will be collected through the process of reflective journaling as well as the collection of pictures and artifacts.

Proceedings Of The 14th Annual South Florida Education Research Conference, College Of Education, Florida International University

South Florida Education Research Conference

Full proceedings of the 14th Annual South Florida Education Research Conference held on June 6, 2015.

Editor is Chief:

Sarah M. Nielsen, Ed.D.

Associate Professor, English, DeVry University

On The Current Mismatch Of English Education In China And Its Possible Improvement In Pedagogy For Chinese College Non-English Majors, Yu Zhang

South Florida Education Research Conference

By reviewing the current mismatch of English education in China,the paper argues the content of English curriculum and instruction in China need guide students to learn the difference between Chinese and English,examine Chinese learners’ English that are incorporated with typical Chinese language characteristics.

Novel Methodology To Examine Cognitive And Experiential Factors In Language Development: Combining Eye-Tracking And Lena Technology, Rosalie Oden, Alina Nazareth, Shannon M. Pruden

Department of Psychology

Developmental systems theory posits that development cannot be segmented by influences acting in isolation, but should be studied through a scientific lens that highlights the complex interactions between these forces over time (Overton, 2013a). This poses a unique challenge for developmental psychologists studying complex processes like language development. In this paper, we advocate for the combining of highly sophisticated data collection technologies in an effort to move toward a more systemic approach to studying language development. We investigate the efficiency and appropriateness of combining eye-tracking technology and the LENA (Language Environment Analysis) system, an automated language analysis tool, in an …

2015 Summer Florida International University Fiu 50 Commencement, Florida International University

FIU Commencement Programs

Program for the 2015 Summer Florida International University Commencement.

Vertical Handoff Target Selection In A Heterogeneous Wireless Network Using Fuzzy Electre, Mukesh Ramalingam

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Global connectivity is on the verge of becoming a reality to provide high-speed, high-quality, and reliable communication channels for mobile devices at anytime, anywhere in the world. In a heterogeneous wireless environment, one of the key ingredients to provide efficient and ubiquitous computing with guaranteed quality and continuity of service is the design of intelligent handoff algorithms. Traditional single-metric handoff decision algorithms, such as Received Signal Strength (RSS), are not efficient and intelligent enough to minimize the number of unnecessary handoffs, decision delays, call-dropping and blocking probabilities.

This research presents a novel approach for of a Multi Attribute Decision Making …

Investigation Of Bilingualism Knowledge Of Speech-Language Pathologists And Speech-Language Pathology Students, Michelle Leon

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to administer a survey to obtain information on practicing Speech-Language Pathologists’ (SLPs) knowledge of bilingual issues, while also considering whether any academic background on bilingualism guides SLP’s diagnostic and treatment options. This was done by comparing survey results of practicing SLPs with different academic backgrounds on bilingualism with current Master’s students registered at the Communication Sciences and Disorders Masters’ program at Florida International University (FIU). The survey consisted of 26 questions that examined participant’s history, and bilingual knowledge.

Data was collected from 89 surveys. Data analyses showed that students and SLPs with a strong …

Parent-Child Interactions In The Presence Of Risk For Adhd With And Without Language Impairment, Sisan Walker Angel

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to analyze how parent-child interactions differ in discourse structure, communicative function and linguistic behaviors between children who are at high-risk for developing a behavioral disorder such as ADHD, and those who are at high-risk for developing a behavioral disorder with a co-occurring language impairment. Participants consisted of 20 children ages three to five years old and their parents. A five-minute parent-child interaction was video recorded and analyzed using an adapted version of the “Coding parent/child interaction as a clinical outcome: a research note” designed by Law, Barnett, and Kot (1999).

Results revealed slight differences …

Higher Education In And For Rural Bolivia: Key Stakeholders' Perceptions Of The Educational Experiences Of Students Who Have Attended Unidad Académica Campesina Carmen Pampa., Claudio R. Merisio

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unidad Académica Campesina-Carmen Pampa (UAC-CP) is an institution of higher education located in the rural community of Carmen Pampa, in the Nor Yungas region of Bolivia. As articulated in its mission, the goal of UAC-CP is to prepare young Bolivians to serve their community as professionals with a commitment to bettering the lot of the poorest among them. This research attempted to answer a main question: What are the perceptions of key UAC-CP stakeholders of how the college prepares seniors and alumni to serve their communities as professionals? The sub-question was: What professional endeavors have seniors and alumni pursued upon …

L'Italiano A Miami: An Investigation Of The Current Status Of The Teaching And Learning Of The Italian Language In Miami And Of Students' Motivational Factors, Antonella La Tegola

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the current status of the study of Italian in Miami and particularly to identify the motivational factors behind student enrollment in local Italian programs. A qualitative study was carried out based on interviews with the local director of “Società Dante Alighieri” and four students studying Italian in two different settings. Gardner and Lambert’s (1959) concepts of instrumental and integrative motivation and the motivation components identified by Csizér and Dörnyei (2005) provided the conceptual framework for this study.

According to the information obtained from the five participants the study of Italian in Miami …

A Proposed Neurological Interpretation Of Language Evolution, Alfredo Ardilla

Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Since the very beginning of the aphasia history it has been well established that there are twomajor aphasic syndromes (Wernicke’stype and Broca’s-type aphasia); each one of them is related to the disturbance at a specific linguistic level (lexical/semantic and grammatical) and associated with a particular brain damage localization (temporal and frontal-subcortical). It is proposed that three stages in language evolution could be distinguished: (a) primitive communication systems similar to those observed in other animals, including nonhuman primates; (b) initial communication systems using sound combinations (lexicon) but without relationships among the elements (grammar); and (c) advanced communication systems including word-combinations (grammar). …

The Beacon, April 22, 2015, Florida International University

PantherNOW - Student Newspaper

Vol. 26, Issue 88, 8 pages