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Disintegration, Adynata>/I>, And The Failures Of Memory In Petrarch’S Rerum Vulgarium Fragmenta, Alani Hicks-Bartlett

Quidditas

In Francesco Petrarch’s Canzoniere, or Rerum vulgarium fragmenta, the first sonnet, the canzone “I’vo pensando,” and the collection’s last canzone constitute a triptych that investigates the importance and potential of memory and commemoration. In the three poems, one of Petrarch’s primary concerns is not just commemorating his beloved, as critics often understand, but that he may not be properly remembered after his death. Yet, rather than looking towards his contemporaries or the future, as his desire for commemoration would suggest, Petrarch curiously focuses his gaze on the past, ardently seeking approval and validation from the classical authors he values greatly. …

Joseph Smith’S Universe Vs. Some Wonders Of Chinese Science Fiction, Jeff Lindsay

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Chinese science fiction works recently have received increasing attention and acclaim, most notably Liu Cixin’s The Three Body Problem. Liu’s epic trilogy, available in Chinese and English, has received international honors and recognition for its vision, its daring application of advanced physics in a novel, and its highly original ideas about our life in the cosmos. Another Chinese physicist and science fiction author, Jiang Bo, also explores related issues but in a much more distant and wide-ranging trilogy, The Heart of the Milky Way series. Both works have interesting treatments of concepts relevant to Gospel perspectives, particularly the cosmic implications …

Full Issue

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Case Of The Missing Commentary, Brian C. Hales

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The first published commentary on Doctrine and Covenants Section 132 is a lengthy volume with much material that deals directly with the revelation as well as extended discussions that go well beyond Joseph Smith’s dictated text. Much of the included material has been previously published, although several new historical items are presented, including a detailed examination of the provenance of the revelation. An apparent weakness of the book involves key themes mentioned in the revelation but minimized or otherwise ignored in this extended commentary. Examples include the possible meanings of the “law” (v. 6), importance of sealing authority (vv. 7‒20), …

Is Faith Compatible With Reason?, Daniel C. Peterson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

In this article I argue that faith is not only rationally justifiable but also inescapable simply because our decisions regarding ultimate questions must necessarily be made under conditions of objective uncertainty. I review remarks by several prominent thinkers on the subject — both avowed atheists and several writers who have addressed the challenge implicit in issues related to faith and reason. I end my discussion by citing William James, who articulated clearly the choices we must make in addressing these “ultimate questions.”

“By Small Means”: Rethinking The Liahona, Timothy Gervais, John L. Joyce

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The Liahona’s faith-based functionality and miraculous appearance have often been viewed as incongruous with natural law. This paper attempts to reconcile the Liahona to scientific law by displaying similarities between its apparent mechanisms and ancient navigation instruments called astrolabes. It further suggests the Liahona may have been a wedding dowry Ishmael provided to Lehi’s family. The paper displays the integral connection Nephi had to the Liahona’s functionality and how this connection more clearly explains the lack of faith displayed by Nephi’s band during the journey than traditional conceptions of its faith-based functionality.

Women Vs. Men—Who Makes Better Use Of Financial Aid?, Colton Keddington, Nichole Keddington

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

No abstract provided.

To Be Learned Is Good, If One Stays On The Rails, Paul C. Peterson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

This review essay looks at certain problematical issues in the recently published collection of essays honoring Latter-day Saint historian Richard Lyman Bushman. Problems emerge from the title itself, “To Be Learned is Good,” as a result of the failure to note that the Book of Mormon passage “To be learned is good” is a conditional statement. In addition, since these essays are billed as “Essays on Faith and Scholarship,” it is odd most of them do not touch on this subject at all. I examine four essays in depth, including Adam Miller’s “Christo-Fiction, Mormon Philosophy, and the Virtual Body of …

A Comparison Of Traditional And Adaptive Comparative Judgment Assessment Techniques For Freshmen Engineering Design Projects, Scott R. Bartholomew, Greg J. Strimel, Andrew Jackson

Faculty Publications

This article examines the use of an alternative form of assessment for engineering design projects called adaptive comparative judgment (ACJ). The researchers employed an ACJ tool to evaluate undergraduate engineering student design projects in an effort to examine its’ reliability, validity, and utility in comparison with traditional assessment techniques. The ACJ process employed multiple judges to compare the design artifacts of 16 first-year engineering majors. The authors conducted an analysis of the reliability and validity of the ACJ method compared to the traditional rubric used to evaluate the project and the performance data of each student’s design prototype. For these …

Future Directions In Assessment: Influences Of Standards And Implications For Language Learning, Troy L. Cox, Margaret E. Malone, Paula Winke

Faculty Publications

As Foreign Language Annals concludes its 50th anniversary, it is fitting to review the past and peer into the future of standards-based education and assessment. Standards are a common yardstick used by educators and researchers as a powerful framework for conceptualizing teaching and measuring learner success. The impact of standards on language assessment, teaching, curricula, course design, and educational policy is indisputable, but can they even be more impactful, more beneficial? In this article, we reflect upon the role of language learning standards on world language practices and assessments and discuss standards’ design, implementation, and appropriation issues that will challenge …

Comparing L1 And L2 Texts And Writers In First-Year Composition, Grant Eckstein, Dana Ferris

Faculty Publications

Scholars have at various points discussed the needs of second language (L2) writers enrolled in “mainstream” composition courses where they are mixed with native (L1) English speakers. Other researchers have investigated the experiences of L2 writers in mainstream classes and the perceptions of their instructors about their abilities and needs. Little research, however, has directly compared L1 and L2 students (mostly Generation 1.5) taking composition classes together. For this article, the researchers collected writing samples from 56 L1 and 74 L2 students enrolled in a university (mainstream) first-year composition course. Using a mixed-methods design, they analyzed the texts for language …

Connections Between Teacher And Student Attitudes Regarding Script Choice In First-Year Japanese Language Classrooms, Dan Dewey, Vashti Lee, Hannah Trimble, R. Kirk Belnap

Faculty Publications

Mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII) is a self-regulatory strategy for accomplishing one’s future goals (Oettingen & Reininger, 2016). It is often re-labelled WOOP, which stands for making a goal or wish (W), envisioning and elaborating on the outcomes (O) of achieving that wish, identifying obstacles (O) that might prevent achievement, and making a plan (P) to cope with those obstacles.

Examining Engineering Design Cognition With Respect To Student Experience And Performance, Greg J. Strimel, Eunhye Kim, Scott R. Bartholomew, Diana V. Cantu

Faculty Publications

This study investigated the design cognition and performance results of secondary and post-secondary engineering students while engaged in an engineering design task. Relationships between prototype performance and design cognition were highlighted to investigate potential links between cognitive processes and success on engineering design problems. Concurrent think-aloud protocols were collected from eight secondary and 12 post-secondary engineering students working individually to design, make, and evaluate a solution prototype to an engineering design task. The collected protocols were segmented and coded using a pre-established coding scheme. The results were then analyzed to compare the two participant groups and determine the relationships between …

Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Of Flexible Solar-Regenerative High-Altitude Long-Endurance Aircraft, Taylor Mcdonnell, Judd Mehr, Andrew Ning

Faculty Publications

Solar-Regenerative High-Altitude Long-Endurance (SR-HALE) aircraft are designed to sustain year-round flight at high altitudes indefinitely. No SR-HALE aircraft has yet accomplished this task due to the complex network of environmental, solar, structural, and aerodynamic trade-offs, among which aircraft flexibility plays a key role. A comprehensive SR-HALE aircraft multidisciplinary design optimization framework is developed in which the flexible aircraft analysis tool ASWING is incorporated in order to constrain nonlinear aeroelasticity. Energy, battery, ply thickness, material failure, local buckling, aerodynamic stall, longitudinal stability, and general stability (including flutter) constraints are applied in order to reasonably constrain the optimized SR-HALE aircraft design. An …

Effects Of Parent-Implemented Interventions On Outcomes Of Children With Developmental Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis., Tina Dyches, Timothy B. Smith, Barbara Mandleco, Byran Korth

Faculty Publications

Background: A large body of literature exists related to parent-implemented interventions for children with disabilities, so it is helpful to synthesize the results of outcome-based interventions for children with developmental disabilities. Specifically, what are the effects of parent-implemented interventions intended to improve children’s (1) social behaviors, (2) life skills/adaptive behavior, and (3) communication skills?

Method: Using meta-analytic aggregation of effect sizes across 30 studies with a total of 1,356 participants, this review examined the association between parent-implemented interventions and intended outcomes of young children with developmental disabilities.

Results: Across all 30 studies comparing children’s outcomes to control groups, the random …

Comparing Book Of Mormon Names With Those Found In J.R.R. Tolkien’S Works: An Exploratory Study, Brad Wilcox, Wendy Baker-Smemoe, Bruce L. Brown, Sharon Black

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The works of Tolkien and the Book of Mormon have been compared in a variety of ways by multiple authors and researchers, but none have looked specifically at the unusual names found within both. Wordprint studies are one tool used in author attribution research, but do authors use specific sounds more than others — consciously or subconsciously — when selecting or inventing names? Some research suggests they may and that their patterns could create a “sound print” or phonoprint. This constitutes a fresh and unusual path of research that deserves more attention. The purpose of this exploratory study was to …

Who Is My Neighbor? Identifying Epistemic Peers Among Polarized Communities, Alex Hoagland

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

No abstract provided.

Dating The Departure Of Lehi From Jerusalem, Jeffrey R. Chadwick

BYU Studies

Most Latter-day Saints would agree that the prophet Lehi and his family left their home in Jerusalem and departed into the wilderness in the year 600 BC. This is largely due to the presence of an asterisk in 1 Nephi 2:4, present in every official edition of the Book of Mormon from 1920 to 2012, which alerts readers to a “600 BC” chronological notation at the bottom of the page. However, a number of studies over the last forty years have suggested that 600 BC cannot have been the correct date of Lehi’s departure, preferring later dates anywhere from 597 …

Full Issue

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Parent-Implemented Interventions On Outcomes For Children With Developmental Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis, Tina Taylor, Timothy B. Smith, Byran B. Korth, Barbara Mandleco

Faculty Publications

A large body of literature exists related to parent-implemented interventions for children with disabilities, so it is helpful to synthesize the results of outcome-based interventions for children with developmental disabilities. Specifically, what are the effects of parent-implemented interventions intended to improve children’s (1) social behaviors, (2) life skills/adaptive behavior, and (3) communication skills? Using meta-analytic aggregation of effect sizes across 30 studies with a total of 1,356 participants, this review examined the association between parent-implemented interventions and intended outcomes for young children with developmental disabilities. Across all 30 studies comparing children’s outcomes to control groups, the random-effects-weighted average effect size …

Project Sweat (Summer Weight And Environmental Assessment Trial): Study Protocol Of An Observational Study Using A Multistate, Prospective Design That Examines The Weight Gain Trajectory Among A Racially And Ethnically Diverse Convenience Sample Of Economically Disadvantaged School-Age Children, Laura C. Hopkins, Christine Penicka, Carly Evich, Blake Jones, Carolyn Gunther

Faculty Publications

Introduction Racial/ethnic minority school-age children are at risk for unhealthy weight gain during the summer, and there is a dearth of information regarding the underlying behavioural and environmental factors. The study objective is to provide an in-depth examination of dietary and physical activity behaviours and food, physical activity, and social environments of African American and Hispanic school-age children during the summer.

Methods and analysis An observational study will be conducted using a multistate (Ohio and Indiana, USA) prospective design examining the weight gain trajectory among a racially/ethnically diverse convenience sample of economically disadvantaged school-age children. In addition, a subset of …

Elementary Art Education, Innovation, And Darwin's Paradox, Mark Graham, Stephen Moore

Faculty Publications

Innovation and learning come together in a vibrant manner during dynamic arts education classes led by teachers who understand the importance of collaboration and student improvisation.

Anxiety: Stress, Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety, And Enjoyment During Study Abroad In Amman, Jordan, Dan Dewey, R. Kirk Belnap, Patrick Steffen

Faculty Publications

Anxiety is among the most frequently studied emotions in second language acquisition (SLA). Study abroad (SA) researchers have examined its effects on SLA in that setting in a number of studies. The current study goes beyond previous SA research by examining how anxiety develops and connects with language proficiency development over SA. Specifically, it uses anxiety-related measures of foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA), foreign language enjoyment (FLE), and a physiological manifestation of anxiety (hair cortisol). As far as the classroom is concerned, learners grew more comfortable, experiencing less anxiety and more enjoyment over the period of SA. However, learners showed …

Citation-Based Benchmarks And Individual Accounting Faculty Research Rankings By Topical Area And Methodology, Garrison Nuttall, Neal Snow, Scott L. Summers, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

This paper provides citation rankings and benchmarking data for individual accounting researchers disaggregated by topic and methodological area and studies which factors increase citation totals. Based on Google Scholar data from 7,113 articles published in respected accounting journals, we find that citation totals differ significantly based on accounting topic area (accounting information systems, audit, financial, managerial, tax, other) and methodology (analytical, archival, experimental, other), suggesting the need to separately benchmark authors who publish in these groups. We also find that authors who have a broad collaboration network, graduated from a school that started a journal, are topic specialists, or publish …

Examining The Impact And Influence Of The Leisure Science Literature, Mat D. Duerden, Michael B. Edwards, Michael C. Goates, Justin Dyer

Faculty Publications

This study explored the impact and influence of the leisure sciences literature through an analysis of highly cited articles. Discriminant function analysis identified whether articles had more exclusive impact inside or outside the field. Research themes and methodologies were examined based on these classifications. Results indicate articles with the greatest impact within the leisure literature tended to be quantitative studies drawing upon survey data and non-experimental designs focused on general leisure and outdoor/forest recreation. Articles with the greatest impact outside the leisure literature were more recent and focused on place attachment, psychological motivation, or community parks and recreation and used …

Blended Learning: The New Normal And Emerging Technologies, Charles Dziuban, Charles R. Graham, Patsy D. Moskal, Anders Norberg, Nicole Sicilia

Faculty Publications

This study addressed several outcomes, implications, and possible future directions for blended learning (BL) in higher education in a world where information communication technologies (ICTs) increasingly communicate with each other. In considering effectiveness, the authors contend that BL coalesces around access, success, and students’ perception of their learning environments. Success and withdrawal rates for face-to-face and online courses are compared to those for BL as they interact with minority status. Investigation of student perception about course excellence revealed the existence of robust if-then decision rules for determining how students evaluate their educational experiences. Those rules were independent of course modality, …

Education, Cognitive Performance, And Investment Fees, John Beshears, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian, William L. Skimmyhorn, Stephen P. Zeldes

Faculty Publications

We study the association between human capital and rollovers into Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), using administrative records from the defined contribution savings plan for U.S. government employees: the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Employees who separate from government employment have the option to leave balances in the TSP, where fees are currently under 4 basis points. However, we estimate that more than a third of the TSP balances end up being rolled over into IRA accounts, which are very likely to have much higher fees. We find that educational attainment has a very small positive association with the propensity to roll …