Digital Commons Network^™

Hearing Loss And Cognitive Decline In The Aging Population: Emerging Perspectives In Audiology, Naveen K. Nagaraj

Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education Faculty Publications

In this perspective article, the author explores the connections between hearing loss, central auditory processing, and cognitive decline, offering insights into the complex dynamics at play. Drawing upon a range of studies, the relationship between age-related central auditory processing disorders and Alzheimer’s disease is discussed, with the aim of enhancing our understanding of these interconnected conditions. Highlighting the evolving significance of audiologists in the dual management of cognitive health and hearing impairments, the author focuses on their role in identifying early signs of cognitive impairment and evaluates various cognitive screening tools used in this context. The discussion extends to adaptations …

The Domestication Of Machismo In Brazil: Motivations, Reflexivity, And Consonance Of Religious Male Gender Roles, H. J. François Dengah Ii, William W. Dressler, Ana Falcão

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The relationship between culture and the individual is a central focus of social scientific research. This paper examines motivations that mediate between shared culture norms and individual actions. Inspired by the works of Leon Festinger and Melford Spiro, we posit that social network conformation (the perceived adherence of one’s social network with norms) and internalization of cultural norms (incorporation of cultural models with the self-schema) will differentially shape behavior (cultural consonance) depending on the domain and individual characteristics. For the domain of gender roles among Brazilian men, religious affiliation results in different configurations of the individual and culture. Our findings …

Educational Policies Committee Agenda February 1, 2024, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee (Chad Simon)
• Academic Standards Subcommittee Report (Renee Galliher)
• General Education Subcommittee Report (Matt Sanders)

Circuit Training Improves The Levels Of Β-Amyloid And Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Related To Cognitive Impairment Risk Factors In Obese Elderly Korean Women, Duwang Kang, Suhan Koh, Taekyu Kim, Eadric Bressel, Doyeon Kim

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of circuit training on β-amyloid, BDNF, and cognitive function in untrained obese elderly Korean women. Methods: The subjects for the study were aged 65–70 years and were each assigned to a circuit training group (EG, n = 12) or a control group (CG, n = 11). The 60 min combined exercise was performed 3 times per week for 16 weeks. The exercise intensity was progressively increased from a 40% heart rate reserve to a 70% heart rate reserve. The test data were analyzed using a paired t-test, an …

Who Are We?: Exploring American Identities, Nolan Weil

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

Framed as a question—Who Are We?—the book focuses on telling the stories of a handful of ethnic/national/racial groups that contributed significantly to the formation of the United States. In particular, the book revolves around the social, economic, legal, and historical contradictions that have confronted and continue to confront the American attempt to construct a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-racial democracy, including a consideration of the forces arrayed against the American experiment. While the book does not tackle head-on the immediate cultural and political rifts currently on display in the United States today, it does take a hard look at many …

Exploring The Transformative Impact Of Language Teachers' Autoethnographies In A Teacher Education Course, Ekaterina Arshavskaya, Nefi Reyes De La Paz

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

Benefits of teachers' autoethnographies are well-documented in current research. This study adds to the research literature by directly analyzing how the insights gained through writing autoethnographic essays may impact second language (L2) teachers' classrooms. To collect the data, the study incorporated autoethnographic essays into a graduate course for language teachers and asked the participating teachers to design lessons that reflected the insights they gained about themselves through this project. Adopting the transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 1978, 1997) that scaffolds teachers' self-reflection, this paper explores the transformative potential of teachers' autoethnographies through tracking qualitative changes in the teachers' narratives and practice …

Understanding Computational Thinking In The Gameplay Of The African Songo Board Game, Rebecca Y. Bayeck

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Computational thinking is a necessary skill for the 21st century. While previously examined in computer-rich settings, researchers are increasingly studying computational thinking in unplugged environments such as board games. Focusing on the African board game Songo, this study shows that computational thinking practices are embedded in Songo board gameplay and interact with the cultural context. The study also reveals a computing practice peculiar to Songo gameplay, songoputation. This paper suggests that researchers can benefit from exploring computational thinking and computing practices beyond board games in western contexts.

When Is An Owl More Than An Owl? An Interaction Analysis Of A Computer Science Co-Design Conversation On Cultural Relevance, Stephanie M. Robillard, Victor R. Lee, Jody Clarke-Midura, Jessica F. Shumway

Publications

The learning sciences community is currently exploring new ways to enact productive and equitable co-design research-practice partnerships that are sensitive to all the concerns and needs of stakeholders. The paper contributes to that still-growing literature through an interaction analysis of a co-design discussion involving school district partners that unfolded about cultural relevance and sensitivity in relation to the use of a specific image in an elementary school coding lesson. The episode involved looking moment-by-moment at how district educators recognized and acknowledged that a specific design decision could be harmful for a minoritized population of students enrolled in the district. However, …

Níksókowaawák As Axiom: The Indispensability Of Comprehensive Relational Animacy In Blackfoot Ways Of Knowing, Being, And Doing, Sandra Bartlett Atwood, Ninna Piiksii (Chief Bird) Mike Bruised Head, Mark W. Brunson, Aahsaopi (State Of Being) Laverne First Rider, Tim Frandy, James Maffie, Aakaomo'tsstaki (Many Victories) Michelle Provost, Miiniipokaa (Berry Child) Peter Weasel Moccasin, Itsiipootsikimskai

Environment and Society Student Research

This paper outlines a proposal, based on Blackfoot worldview, for a collective method to stand alongside Western qualitative and quantitative methods and highlights the value of collective methods in collaborative social-ecological research. Neither qualitative nor quantitative methods are adequate to disclose a world where all things are alive, where “objects” are subjects—agentive beings in their own right. Most Indigenous cultures understand and experience the world as a network of living beings, a collective, with whom they are interrelated/connected and therefore, any efforts to collaborate with Indigenous peoples must acknowledge comprehensive relational animacy. Applying coproduction principles in concert with Blackfoot ways …

Addressing Barriers To Proactive Restoration Of At-Risk Sagebrush Communities: A Causal Layered Analysis, Carmen Calzado-Martinez, Mark W. Brunson, Sofia Koutzoukis, Jacobo Baggio, Kari E. Veblen

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Restoration success in degraded rangelands often depends on a site's resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasive plants. Because it is more difficult to restore plant communities after they are dominated by invasive species, a potential approach is proactive restoration in sites at risk of crossing degradation thresholds (e.g. initiating restoration prior to invasive grass dominance). When developing a new restoration approach, it is important to consider operational feasibility, including social, budgetary, and environmental factors. Accordingly, we studied influences within land management agencies on the adoption of a specific proactive restoration approach: out-planting native grass and forb seedlings into sagebrush …

Second Language Acquiescence Of Multilingual Students In Tanzania, Ann E. Roemer

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

This research, conducted at a major university in Tanzania, investigated the personal experiences of multilingual students vis-à-vis the government's language policy requiring Swahili as the language of instruction (LoI) at the primary level and English at the secondary level. The participants, who spoke 25 different languages as their L1, were placed into 49 different language groups and asked to write what they remembered about the language policy where they attended school. The data show that Gramsci's cultural hegemony is occurring in Tanzania. The 'common sense' is that people truly believe English is symbolic of prestige and power–even though few people …

Chapter 15- Leap And The Net Will Appear: Risk-Taking And Creative Flexibility In The Face Of The Unknown, Raymond Veon

Habits of Mind

Risk-taking is a leap into a space that has not been mapped. Who knows where or how you will land? Consider the following:

• A student completes a portrait drawing, then cuts it into strips and weaves it into another drawing. The result is an intricate yet beautiful image that addresses the complexity of identity that viewers can reassemble in multiple ways, beyond the control of the artist. The art student had never attempted such a work before.
• A wall of torn-out book pages that are pinned and collaged together. Most of the words on the pages are redacted by marker, …

Chapter 4- With Sustainability In Mind: Twelve Habits Of Mind For A Successful Learning Experience In The Second-Language Classroom And Beyond, Doris Mcgonagill

Habits of Mind

When Art Costa and Bena Kallick first developed their Habits of Mind framework, they conceived of their approach as a contribution to sustainable and ethical learning. The dedication opening in all four volumes of Habits of Mind: A Developmental Series is explicit about this trajectory: “Native peoples teach that the ultimate norm for morality is the impact our choices have on persons living seven generations from now. If the results appear good for them, then our choices are moral ones; if not, they are immoral. We therefore dedicate Habits of Mind: A Developmental Series to our children, our grandchildren, and …

Habits Of Mind: Designing Courses For Student Success, Julia M. Gossard, Chris Babits, Jennifer Grewe, Cree Taylor, Doris Mcgonagill, Missy Kofoed, Leonard Henderson, Travis Thurston, Mehmet Soyer, Gonca Soyer, Josie Tollefson, Nichelle Frank, Matthew D. Laplante, Jessie Koltz, Jenifer Evers, Kimberly Hiatt, Kelsey Bushman, Heather Lyman, Sarah Gosney, Melanie Chambers, Sharon Lyman, Antje R. H. Graul, Ayse Sapci, Raymond Veon, Jason Twede, Rachel Robison-Greene, Sarah Tulane, Joyce Kinkead, John Draeger, Jill K. Singer, Ekaterina Arshavskaya, Rachel Turner, Karin Dejonge-Kannan

Habits of Mind

Although content knowledge remains at the heart of college teaching and learning, forward-thinking instructors recognize that we must also provide 21st-century college students with transferable skills (sometimes called portable intellectual abilities) to prepare them for their futures (Vazquez, 2020; Ritchhart, 2015; Venezia & Jaeger, 2013; Hazard, 2012). To “grow their capacity as efficacious thinkers to navigate and thrive in the face of unprecedented change” (Costa et al., 2023), students must learn and improve important study skills and academic dispositions throughout their educational careers. If we do not focus on skills-building in college courses, students will not be prepared for the …

Chapter 9- "I'M Just Not Good At History": Fostering A Growth Mindset With Habits Of Mind, Julia M. Gossard

Habits of Mind

One of the most common frustrations I hear from students in my large-enrollment history survey, HIST 1110: European History from 1500, is that they have “never been good at history.” Having taken numerous history courses during their K–12 education, many of which have focused on the rote memorization of dates, names, and facts about the past, students can arrive to HIST 1110 with an apathetic—or even a negative—disposition toward history as an academic discipline. They were not able to remember historical details in past learning environments, so would a college history course be any different?

Dos And Don'ts For Teaching Communicatively, María Luisa Spicer-Escalante

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

The short guide for language instructors offers practical advice on what steps instructors can take to facilitate learning, what behaviors should be avoided, as well as a lesson plan checklist to help instructors put this advice into action.

Imperial Anxieties And Urbane Transgressions: The Indianos Of Benito Pérez Galdós’S Lo Prohibido, Stacy L. Davis

Decimonónica

Chapter eleven of Lo prohibido (1884-5), “Los jueves de Eloísa,” presents a detailed description of a lavish Restoration era dinner party. As narrator-protagonist José María Bueno de Guzmán outlines the sumptuous dishes, elegant décor, and coy intrigues taking place among the elite society members present, Eloísa’s husband, Pepe Carrillo, lies dying in an adjacent room; his cries of agony cause the distinguished guests to drop their forks and run to his aid; that is, all but one. Colonial entrepreneur Don Alejandro Sánchez Botín remains seated and, as the obese man continues to eat, the sounds of his chewing loudly …

Chapter 20- Service-Learning And Community-Engaged Projects For International And Domestic Students, Ekaterina Arshavskaya

Habits of Mind

It’s a good idea to help the local community by sharing something from our cultures and support each other as well. It really makes a big difference for all.

An anonymous student comment, spring 2020

Reflecting on my years of teaching, one of my most gratifying and powerful memories as an educator deals with developing a sense of community and belonging in my students. More generally, higher education instructors have come to understand the value of community building and creating a sense of belonging in various areas of our lives and for different populations in diverse teaching contexts (Hoffman et …

Introduction And References, Julia M. Gossard, Chris Babits

Habits of Mind

Although content knowledge remains at the heart of college teaching and learning, forward-thinking instructors recognize that we must also provide 21st-century college students with transferable skills (sometimes called portable intellectual abilities) to prepare them for their futures (Vazquez, 2020; Ritchhart, 2015; Venezia & Jaeger, 2013; Hazard, 2012). To “grow their capacity as efficacious thinkers to navigate and thrive in the face of unprecedented change” (Costa et al., 2023), students must learn and improve important study skills and academic dispositions throughout their educational careers. If we do not focus on skills-building in college courses, students will not be prepared for the …

Chapter 19- "I See Research Questions Everywhere": Developing Metacognitive Skills In An English-Major Research Methods Course, Joyce Kinkead, John Draeger, Jill K. Singer

Habits of Mind

How many ways can sticky notes—branded as Post-it Notes and introduced in 1980 by 3M—be used by college students? According to the undergraduate who investigated this topic, 31. In the report she produced as a result of a study conducted in English 3470: Approaches to Research in English Studies, the researcher found that “many stationery products have died with advancements in technology, but the Post-it Note has thrived and continues to play a role in productivity in the workplace, continuing at the top of the supply list” (Eralie, 2019). To come to this magic number of 31, Megan conducted a …

Pausing While Programming: Insights From Keystroke Analysis, Raj Shrestha, Juho Leinonen, Albina Zavgorodniaia, Arto Hellas, John M. Edwards

Computer Science Student Research

Pauses in typing are generally considered to indicate cognitive processing and so are of interest in educational contexts. While much prior work has looked at typing behavior of Computer Science students, this paper presents results of a study specifically on the pausing behavior of students in Introductory Computer Programming. We investigate the frequency of pauses of different lengths, what last actions students take before pausing, and whether there is a correlation between pause length and performance in the course. We find evidence that frequency of pauses of all lengths is negatively correlated with performance, and that, while some keystrokes initiate …

Toward Deeper Understanding And Wide-Scale Implementation Of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions, Sophia D'Agostino, Ana D. Dueñas, Alice Bravo, Kelsie Tyson, Diondra Straiton, Giovanna L. Salvatore, Cressida Pacia, Melanie Pellecchia

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

Naturalistic Developmental Behavior Interventions (NDBIs) have a strong and growing evidence base. Yet, NDBIs are not implemented on a wide scale within early intervention programs for children on the autism spectrum. Potential reasons for the slow adoption of NDBIs likely stem from the differing theoretical orientations of behavioral and developmental sciences from which NDBI are derived, and a lack of training, knowledge, and support for implementing NDBIs within the behavior analytic community. In support of efforts to promote wide-scale implementation of NDBIs, we clarify their common features, discuss possible misconceptions, offer reasons why NDBIs should be widely implemented, and provide …

Using A Minoritized Graduate Instructor Identity To Cultivate An Inclusive And Diverse Learning Space, Faqryza Ab Latif

Exploring How We Teach

• How to humanize the classroom climate and establish an authentic presence that can challenge the conventional Westernized classroom structure.
• How graduate instructors can use their malleable identity to their advantage in cultivating an inclusive community of diverse learners. There are experiences that are unique to graduate instructors, especially for those of us who come from underrepresented cultural backgrounds. These experiences can be utilized to construct a more inclusive and diverse learning environment, which could then encourage students to do the same.

Transferring Knowledge And Opening Pathways: The Unconventional Doctoral Student-Adjunct Instructor, Samantha Prado

Exploring How We Teach

• Doctoral student/adjunct instructor is a unique and important positionality that can provide perspective on the range of graduate student instructor experiences that exist.
• Positionality can be used to break down educational barriers and increase equity in the classroom.
• Transferring knowledge between contexts can be a form of advocating for social justice.
• There are both advantages and challenges to being a doctoral student/adjunct instructor.

Positionality: The Interplay Of Space, Context And Identity, Rebecca Y. Bayeck

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This article considers the way in which positionality shifts and is formed during a cross-cultural study to reveal the complexity of the insider-outsider status. As a researcher in a male-dominated game setting, I reflect on the research process and my interactions with participants to show the interplay of space, context, and identity in shaping a researcher’s status. I discuss the process of gaining access to the research site and participants, and data collection in relation to space, context, and identity. The interaction of my identities with space, and context informed my status at various moments. This interplay constructs a complex …

Indexer++: Workload-Aware Online Index Tuning With Transformers And Reinforcement Learning, Vishal Sharma, Curtis Dyreson

Computer Science Student Research

With the increasing workload complexity in modern databases, the manual process of index selection is a challenging task. There is a growing need for a database with an ability to learn and adapt to evolving workloads. This paper proposes Indexer++, an autonomous, workload-aware, online index tuner. Unlike existing approaches, Indexer++ imposes low overhead on the DBMS, is responsive to changes in query workloads and swiftly selects indexes. Our approach uses a combination of text analytic techniques and reinforcement learning. Indexer++ consist of two phases: Phase (i) learns workload trends using a novel trend detection technique based on a pre-trained …

Moderators And Predictors In A Parent Hearing Aid Management Ehealth Program, Guadalupe G. San Miguel, Karen F. Muñoz, Tyson Barrett, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Objective: Consistent hearing-aid use is essential for spoken language development of children who are hard of hearing. A recent randomized controlled trial of an eHealth hearing aid management education program found the intervention increased knowledge, perceptions, confidence, and device monitoring among parents of young children. Yet, it is not known which variables can be a point of emphasis to improve treatment outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate potential moderators and predictors in the eHealth program.

Design: Randomized controlled trial

Study Sample: Parents (N=78) of children (42 months or younger) were randomized to the intervention or treatment-as-usual (TAU) …

Community Based Engineering Design Challenges For Adolescent English Learners, Amy Wilson-Lopez

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

The “Polémica De La Lengua” Of 1842: A “Liberal” Philology?, Pablo Martínez Gramuglia

Decimonónica

In April of 1842, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento was a relatively well-known journalist who had arrived in Santiago de Chile less than two years before, by the end of 1840; he wrote for different periodicals, but his most frequent participation was in El Mercurio. Published in Valparaíso, this was the only permanent daily newspaper in Chile, which granted a wide readership that gradually started to notice him, up to the point that he would become its first stable writer and the editor-in-chief (Martínez Gramuglia et al. 266-70). Even though he did not sign most of his contributions, by 1842 El …

Lecturas Contra Un Mundo Corrupto: La Buena Lectura (1879-1882), Andrea Castro

Decimonónica

En el poema “La estrella y la tempestad,” firmado por C. y V, acudimos a un diálogo entre una niña y su madre en un paisaje que—si bien invita a una lectura alegórica—la madre y la niña experimentan en sus cuerpos.¹ La tempestad despierta en ellas sentimientos de confusión, miedo, misterio y estremecimiento. Así, la fuerza de la naturaleza evoca el sentimiento de lo sublime, sentimiento que hacia el final del poema será contenido por el espacio de la casa, construido a través de ruidos y sentimientos familiares.²