Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Memory Through Literary Features, Sarah Naylor

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Literary devices used by a writer can influence and impact the manner in which readers respond and interact with a text. Both the perspectives readers are expected to take while reading and the amount of foregrounding in a text cognitively and affectively influence a reader’s experience. However, little research has explored what effects these factors have on verbatim memory. For this research, participants were instructed to read a short literary story either by identifying with the protagonist or as a spectator. After reading and completing a range of other tasks, participants were asked to select sentences they saw in the …

Learning Opportunities 2024/2025, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

Course Catalogs

The graduation requirements of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy are established by the IMSA Board of Trustees. Each semester students must take a minimum of five academic courses (2.5 credits) for a letter grade (not Pass/Fail) not including Fine Arts, Wellness, SIR, Internship, and Independent Study. Students may enroll in a maximum of eight courses each semester including academic courses, Fine Arts, Wellness, SIR, Internship, and Independent Study. The College and Academic Counselor approves enrollment for students in all courses and experiences. Only courses taken for a letter grade will count toward graduation credit.

“Intimacy In The End Means Trouble”: Interracial Relationships In Britain From Interwar To Windrush, Stephanie Makowski

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The interwar period, World War II, and the Windrush era present three major turning points in the evolution of what has become known as the making of a “multiracial” Britain. During these years, British public discourse became increasingly preoccupied with relationships between Black men and white women. This discourse became global in scope and Black activists across the Anglophone world took part in shaping the narratives and meanings projected onto these relationships. By charting the shifting boundaries of racial acceptance and gendered mores, this project demonstrates the predominantly performative and extremely conditional nature of Britain’s “acceptance” of men of color. …

Reclaiming Healing Spaces: A Phenomenological Study On The Transformative Power Of Outdoor Therapy From The Lived Experiences Of Black Clinicians Working With Black Clients, Lynn Murphy

Dissertations

This phenomenological study involved assessing the experiences of Black therapists who engaged Black clients in outdoor therapeutic contexts. The study was founded on the existing literature that shows the quality of the therapeutic relationship is pivotal for client retention and the Western standards that have historically favored treatment within indoor environments. To contextualize this research, a comprehensive literature review was commenced, covering topics such as the decolonization of therapy, the historical and present-day relationship between Blacks and the outdoors in the United States, sedentary lifestyles, the psychological benefits of time spent in nature, various types of outdoor therapy, and the …

Granular3d: Delving Into Multi-Granularity 3d Scene Graph Prediction, Kaixiang Huang, Jingru Yang, Jin Wang, Shengfeng He, Zhan Wang, Haiyan He, Qifeng Zhang, Guodong Lu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper addresses the significant challenges in 3D Semantic Scene Graph (3DSSG) prediction, essential for understanding complex 3D environments. Traditional approaches, primarily using PointNet and Graph Convolutional Networks, struggle with effectively extracting multi-grained features from intricate 3D scenes, largely due to a focus on global scene processing and single-scale feature extraction. To overcome these limitations, we introduce Granular3D, a novel approach that shifts the focus towards multi-granularity analysis by predicting relation triplets from specific sub-scenes. One key is the Adaptive Instance Enveloping Method (AIEM), which establishes an approximate envelope structure around irregular instances, providing shape-adaptive local point cloud sampling, thereby …

Exploring Early Childhood Teachers’ Experiences In Teaching Multilingual Children In Public Mainstream Schools In Tennessee, Maria Dias

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study, grounded in a phenomenological perspective, delves into the lived experiences of early childhood teachers who teach multilingual children in mainstream classrooms in Tennessee. Amidst the rising number of multilingual learners in mainstream educational settings and the dearth of adequate teacher training to address their needs, this research illuminates the experiences of these teachers. Furthermore, it seeks to advocate for the integration of translanguaging pedagogy into teacher training programs and state policies. This study employed a qualitative study using the three-in-depth-interview series from a phenomenological perspective (Seidman, 2019). The first interview focused on participants’ overall teaching experiences and …

Data Collector Selection Ranking-Based Method For Collaborative Multi-Tasks In Ubiquitous Environments, Belal Z. Hassan, Ahmed. A. A. Gad-Elrab, Mohamed S. Farag, S. E. Abu-Youssef

Al-Azhar Bulletin of Science

In Ubiquitous Computing and the Internet of Things, the sensing and control of objects involve numerous devices collecting and transmitting data. However, connecting these devices without fostering collaboration leads to suboptimal system performance. As the number of connected sensing devices in Internet of Things increases, efficient task accomplishment through collaboration becomes imperative. This paper proposes a Data Collector Selection Method for Collaborative Multi-Tasks to address this challenge, considering task preferences and uncertainty in data collectors' contributions. The proposed method incorporates three key aspects: (1) Using Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process to determine optimal weights for task preferences; (2) Ranking data collectors …

Inference And Interpretation: Problems For Narrative As Testimony, Victoria Isett

Philosophy Theses

In this thesis, I argue that when an agent uses a narrative (i.e., a story) to communicate something to her hearer, she cannot be said to be giving testimony as it is traditionally understood in the literature in epistemology. Instead, many of the beliefs the hearer takes up on the basis of the speaker’s story will be derived by inferences and interpretations she must make on her own. If the authorship of the relevant beliefs does not belong to the speaker, then those beliefs are not ones transmitted via testimony. Thus, narratives are not forms of genuine testimony. However, I …

From Identity To Rights: Grounding Trans Right Through Sincere Self-Identity, Payden Alder

Philosophy Theses

Katharine Jenkins argues that Talia Bettcher’s Sincere Self-Identity or Existential account of gender identity cannot ground trans rights. Jenkins argues that Bettcher’s account reduces to the mere act of claiming a gender identity. Thus, Bettcher’s account fails to ground trans rights for two reasons: (1) it cannot show why gender identity ought to be respected, and (2) it cannot explain why a trans person would have a need for access to transition-related healthcare. I argue that Bettcher’s account is not reducible to the mere act of claiming a gender identity. Bettcher develops an account of gender identity that captures a …

Basil Bunting And The Challenges Of Literary Translation From Persian Into English: A Case Of Rūdhakī, Emadeddin Naghipour

Languages and Cultures Publications

The purpose of this study is to analyze Basil Bunting's literary translation. It turns to the theories of translation by Steiner, Benjamin, and Eco, among others, to study Bunting’s translation of Rūdhakī’s ‘Dandaniyyeh’ poem, a 10th century qaṣīdah replete with mesmerizing musicality and with a form galvanized in its originating language, time, and locale. A deep contrastive analysis of its translation into English by the poet, Bunting, shows the difficulties that can arise from literal translations of classical Persian poetry.

Meta-Narrative Review Of Gender Portrayal In Disney Movies For Young Children And Its Pedagogical Implications, Xuan Jiang, Linlin Zhang, Diana Rivero, Brittany Torres

Journal of Global Education and Research

Many of Disney movies have been criticized for perpetuating traditional gender stereotypes which constrain opportunities for children at large. Its recent characters have also incurred heated discussions on gender portrayal. Moreover, stereotypes of gender roles, developed early on, can exert an immediate impact on individuals’ behaviors and utterances and a long-term impact on individuals’ perceived options academically, professionally, personally, and socially. Recognizing the significance of this matter, this paper employed a meta-narrative review to collect and conceptually and empirically synthesize previous literature on the impact of Disney movies on young children’s gender awareness. Through an academic database search, 49 articles …

I’M Not A Writer, I’M An Alpaca: Preferences And Perspectives Of Emergent Writers, Shaya Helbig

Waldo Library Student Exhibits

This case study explored preschool children’s perspectives and preferences in writing. While the voices of children are valued in research, often it is the voice of the adult researcher that emerges through their interpretations of the children’s perspectives (Harcourt & Sargent, 2011). In addition, research focusing on children’s interest in writing is limited (Rowe & Neitzel, 2010). The focal study held three focus group sessions, framed by Write, Draw, Show, and Tell (Noonan et al., 2016) with four preschool-aged children in order to better understand their preferences in writing materials, and their perceptions and understanding of writing. Data sources included …

Kazakh, Christopher Straughn

Library Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Perceived Barriers And Enablers To Utilising The Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme For Adults With An Intellectual Disability And Their Families: A Scoping Review, Alice Zubrinich, Gideon De Jong, Nasim Salehi, Richard Lakeman

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: The introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Australia in 2013 promised significant improvements in the lives of adults with intellectual disabilities. Although the scheme enables support, there are challenges associated with establishing eligibility and administering funds. This scoping review explored perceived barriers and enablers to effectively utilising the NDIS for adults with intellectual disabilities and their families. Method: A scoping review of the empirical literature on the NDIS and intellectual disabilities included nine studies in this review. These papers were subjected to thematic analysis and the findings were presented as a narrative synthesis. Results: The key …

How Does This End?: The Ukraine War And The Future Of Russia, Jonathan M. Acuff, Hannah N. Clegg

Journal of Strategic Security

We analyze a range of future scenarios for Russia related to the Ukraine War. Although regime change is a publicly-stated objective for several leaders of NATO countries, we find very little prospect for it. The Russian economy has largely evaded the effects of the sanctions. Despite enormous casualties and incompetence in the management of the war, both Putin and the war remain popular with the Russian public. Contrary to most analysis to date, the Wagner Group mutiny of June 2023 is not an indication of Putin’s weakness, but his strength. The coercive mechanisms of the Russian state remain intact. Indeed, …

Video Games And Radical Movements: "Ein Prozent" And "Heimat Defender", Göksel Türker, Ali Gök

Journal of Strategic Security

The far-right, which poses a threat of escalating into terrorism or inciting violence, employs a variety of tactics to spread its ideologies among the general public. In this context, "Heimat Defender: Rebellion," a two-dimensional video game supported by the far-right Ein Prozent operating in Germany, draws attention. In the study, the game in question was examined on the far-right and especially Ein Prozent ideology and subjected to discourse analysis. The analysis revealed that the game plot was shaped according to the friend-enemy perception of Ein Prozent and the far-right. Accordingly, in the game in question, opposition to multiculturalism, immigration, globalism, …

Beyond The Number: Tone Analysis In Annual Reports, Ani Wilujeng Suryani, Dinda Tustika Apta Fauz

Jurnal Akuntansi dan Keuangan Indonesia

In making decisions, stakeholders utilize not only quantitative information but also qualitative information, such as annual reports. However, annual reports in narrative form are often used to exaggerate company performance data. One aspect that influences stakeholders’ decision is tone. This study aims to examine the impact of positive tone disclosure in management analysis reports and discussions on company value. This study was conducted on 166 financial and property companies listed on the IDX. Management analysis and discussion reports were categorized according to their tone. Using linguistic inquiry and word count software (LIWC-22), the procedure yielded more precise and consistent analysis. …

Flattening Morrison's Beloved: The Limits Of Psychoanalysis In Literary Criticism: A Literature Review, Isaac C. Vanhook

University Honors Theses

Toni Morrison’s Beloved was first published in 1987 and has amassed a wide range of scholarship throughout the years; with some literary scholars using psychoanalysis to suggest a reading of Beloved. Because of the volume of scholarship and Beloved’s plot—dealing with a mother who represses the memory of killing her daughter, Beloved—I found it to be perfect for the scope of this project. This literature review focuses on the sometimes reductive qualities of psychoanalyzing Beloved (such as the Freudian universal psychoanalytic subject, and the ‘drawbacks’ of object relations theory), while also discussing some revelatory qualities via the same …

Vladimir Putin’S Leadership Traits Over 11 Years: A Longitudinal Study Of Putin’S Third Term In Office Using Leadership Trait Analysis, Payton J. Casteel

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

While an abundance of literature has studied the actions and behaviors of Vladimir Putin, the most extensive area involves leadership analysis (Semenova and Winter 2020). Various methods within political psychology have used analyses to study Putin throughout his time in office. However, no published research has studied Putin using leadership trait analysis, nor have any published works studied his changes in leadership leading up to the invasion of Ukraine. Using a mixed methods longitudinal study design on Vladimir Putin from 2012 to 2023, five periods in his third term were identified, with speeches taken and coded using the seven LTA …

Equipmentality As A Pharmakon, Sherif Khalil

Theses and Dissertations

One must lose the world to know himself, if in his attempt to know the world he lost himself.

In this thesis, I argue that equipment is a pharmakon in that its harm lies in the service it is supposed to provide. Through equipment one gets to have a practical sense of the world. But, the world in this sense is a world for everyone and for no one in particular, that is, it is made to the measure of the average person who has no aspirations to realize his authenticity. That is how equipment helps us practically make sense …

Examining Undergraduate Students’ Learning Transfer From English For General Academic Purposes (Egap) Courses To Discipline-Specific Courses, Sara Abdelkader

Theses and Dissertations

The principal aim of this study is to explore university students’ learning transfer from two English for General Academic Purposes (EGAP) courses into a variety of non-EGAP courses. The current study examines near and far transfer based on three dimensions of Barnett and Ceci’s (2002) transfer taxonomy. It investigates (a) the writing samples of undergraduate students from different majors, with a special focus on the transfer of five learning outcomes (LOs) namely: Sentence Structure, Essay Structure, Cohesion, Coherence, and Language Errors, (b) the impact of their majors on transfer, (c) their perceived transfer, and (d) their perceptions of the …

مستوى الفاقد التعليمي لدى طلبة المرحلة الأساسية وأثره على دافعية التعلم من وجهة نظر المعلمين, Duaa Sufian Abd Alfatah

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education (مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية (للبحوث في التعليم العالي

هدف المقال التعرف على مستوى الفاقد التعليمي لدى طلبة المرحلة الأساسية وأثره على دافعية التعلم من وجهة نظر المعلمين، تكونت عينة الدراسة من (218) معلما ومعلمة في مدارس المرحلة الأساسية التابعة لمديرية التربية والتعليم في لواء قصبة عمان، وتم اختيارهم بالطريقة العشوائية، تم اتباع المنهج الوصفي الارتباطي، واستخدمت الاستبانة كأداة لجمع البيانات، توصلت الدراسة إلى أن مستوى الفاقد التعليمي لدى طلبة المرحلة الأساسية من وجهة نظر المعلمين جاء بدرجة متوسطة، ووجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية في استجابات أفراد عينة الدراسة ل مستوى الفاقد التعليمي لدى طلبة المرحلة الأساسية تعزى لأثر متغير الجنس لصالح الإناث، وعدم وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية …

نسبة توافر مهارات التفكير البصري في أنشطة دروس المهارات اللغوية وأنماطها في كتب "أُحبُّ لغتي" لصفوف الحلقة الأولى (4-1) من التعليم الأساسي بسلطنة عُمان, Aziz Salim Albusaidy, Fatima Muhammad Al-Kaf

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education (مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية (للبحوث في التعليم العالي

هدف المقال إلى تحديد نسبة توافر مهارات التفكير البصري في أنشطة دروس المهارات اللغوية وأنماطها في كتب "أُحِبُّ لُغَتِي" لصفوف الحلقة الأولى (4-1) من التعليم الأساسي بسلطنة عُمان. استخدم الباحثان بطاقة تحليل محتوى مكونة من (22) مهارة، وقد تكون مجتمع الدراسة من أنشطة دروس مهارات اللغة العربية في كتب" أُحِبُّ لُغَتِي" لصفوف الحلقة الأولى (4-1) من التعليم الأساسي بسلطنة عُمان والبالغ عددها (527) نشاطا. وتوصلت الدراسة إلى النتائج الآتية: مهارة التعرّف على الشكل ووصفه أكثر مهارات التفكير البصري توافرا في أنشطة دروس المهارات اللغوية وأنماطها في كتب "أُحِبُّ لُغَتِي" لصفوف الحلقة الأولى (4-1) من التعليم الأساسي بسلطنة عُمان؛ حيث بلغت …

النثر في الأدب العربي وانعكاساته الفنية والاجتماعية، الرواية نموذجًا, Haya Faize Y. Al-Dalabih

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education (مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية (للبحوث في التعليم العالي

هدف المقال إلى تسليط الضوء على الرواية العربية بوصفها نوعاً أدبياً نثرياً، والتعرف إلى أهم عناصرها الداخلية، ومحتوياتها الفكرية وأثرها الكبير في التعبير عن الواقع المعاش ومحاولة إصلاحه من خلال بصمتها الخاصّة والفريدة. كما اعتمد البحث المنهج الاستقرائيّ، الوصفيّ، التحليليّ. ومن أبرز نتائج الدراسة اختلاف النقّاد حول نشأة فنّ الرواية عند العرب في العصر الحديث؛ فمنهم من ذهب إلى أنّ الرواية فنٌّ مستحدث وفد إلينا من الآداب الأوروبيَّة، ومنهم من اعتبرها فنّ عربي النشأة وله جذور في الأدب العربي القديم، ولكنَّها لم تكن بنفس الصورة الفنيَّة المعروفة الآن. كما توصل البحث إلى أن الرواية العربية أظهرت من خلال كتّابها معاناة …

تحليل الخطاب السياسي للمملكة الأردنية الهاشمية تجاه القضية الفلسطينية (1999-2022), Mohammad Khaer Faisal Ahmad Al-Dhmour, Amin Awwad Muhanna Almashqbeh

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education (مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية (للبحوث في التعليم العالي

هدف المقال محاولة الكشف عن مضامين الخطاب السياسي للمملكة الأردنية الهاشمية تجاه القضية الفلسطينية في الفترة الزمنية الواقعة (1999-2022) وأهم المضامين التي يحتويها فيما يتعلق بالقضية الفلسطينية، حيث اعتمد البحث على المنهج الوصفي التحليلي، وقد توصل الباحث إلى عدد من النتائج أبرزها أن الوقوف على الخطابات السياسية الأردنية وموقفها من القضية الفلسطينية ومدى تأثر الأردن فيها والدور الذي يقوم به الهاشميون في حل القضية من أولويات المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية، كما إن للخطاب السياسي الأردني الدور الكبير والأساسي في التأثير على المجتمع التي تدعم القضية الفلسطينية، ونجد من خلال خطابات جلالة الملك التركيز على الحل السلمي لأزمة القدس وذلك من خلال …

Language And Power: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Egypt’S Housing Narratives, Maram Gamal

Theses and Dissertations

The issue of housing in Egypt is an evolving historical phenomenon intricately tied to the Egyptian identity, and deeply embedded in the social and political fabric. Common language shapes actual realities and it forms an integral part of the cultural parameters. This research is a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of the housing narrative across four consecutive ruling regimes with distinct political orientations. It deploys a two-stage CDA approach. The first stage involves ideological codification of the narrative to chronologically organize them into their ideological orientations and categories. The second stage historicizes data via a dual approach, namely integrating Norman Fairclough's …

Towards An Inclusive Media Policy Framework Targeting Adolescents In Egypt, Saja Elgredly

Theses and Dissertations

For years, adolescents have been lost between adulthood and childhood. This is even reflected in the policies that directly affect their lives and well-being. In Egypt, there has hardly been a clear political line on how the media should deal with adolescents. As this age group belongs to childhood, most of the laws and regulations are hardly dedicated to address them despite their different characteristics. Within the Egyptian context, there are children's laws concerned with basic children's rights and other laws that relate to the media. However, we notice a gap in adolescent-friendly laws, policies and regulations, especially in the …

Reducing The Gap: A Phenomenological Study Of Student-Faculty Interaction Experiences Of International Students In Korea, Natalie Thibault

The Qualitative Report

This phenomenological study explored lived experiences of student-faculty interactions of undergraduate international students in Korea, in a higher education context where direct contacts between professors and students are infrequent. Guided by Astin’s theory of student involvement, the study investigated students’ experiences of direct interaction with faculty members, inside and outside the classroom. Seventeen foreign students participated in semi-structured interviews, during which they shared experiences, recollections, and perceptions of direct interactions with professors. Participants explained how certain factors, such as professor demographics, language proficiency or means of instruction, influenced the quality and frequency of interactions. They also expressed a clear desire …

Understanding The Relationship Between Perceived Childhood Experiences And Relationship With God, Remaz Bahaa

Theses and Dissertations

The present study explores the relationship between perceived childhood experiences and one’s current relationship with God in an Egyptian Muslim sample. While such relationship has been researched in Western contexts, there is a notable gap in understanding these dynamics within Muslim Middle Eastern cultures. In this study, 180 participants, brought up in Muslim households, were given the following questionnaires: both versions of the Parental Acceptance Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ) referring to the father and mother, Attachment to God Inventory (AGI), and Images of God (LAMBI Scale). The results presented the internal consistency of both the AGI and LAMBI scales with the …

Crafting Lives: Experiences Of Ethiopian Refugees In Cairo, Nayrose S. Abd El-Megid

Theses and Dissertations

There has been an ongoing influx of refugees for years driven by political instability, famine, and prolonged conflicts in the region, leading many individuals to seek sanctuary in other countries. Egypt has become a host country for many years, whether for settlement or transit, for various populations from different nationalities hoping to find refuge. However, amidst this influx, Ethiopian refugees often find themselves overlooked or usually associated on the sidelines with other African nationalities; their stories and struggles are marginalized in broader narratives of displacement. The experience of Ethiopians is heterogeneous and multidimensional in terms of their intersectional identities of …