Digital Commons Network^™

Full Issue

Journal of Response to Writing

No abstract provided.

Metaphorical Response And Student Revisions, Terese Thonus

Journal of Response to Writing

Writing instructors and writing tutors are often interested in discovering whether their responses to student writing facilitate student revision at a deep level. This teaching article illustrates how written metaphorical response can prompt student revision beyond surface features. It includes a description of tutor training in metaphorical response; tutors’ responses offered to first-year composition students’ first drafts of an assignment; students’ second-draft revisions; and remarks from interviews with tutors, students, and course instructors. In particular, I examine the specific metaphorical strategies used by tutors to convey revision advice. Generalizing from these findings, I show how tutors and teachers can use …

English As An Additional Language Doctoral Students’ Ongoing Socialization Into Scholarly Writing: How Do Writing Feedback Groups Contribute?, Tracy Griffin Spies, Yunying Xu, Fatmana Kara Deniz, Gloria A. Carcoba-Falomir, Suheyla Sarisahin

Journal of Response to Writing

Although international/English as an Additional Language (EAL) doctoral students bring unique academic, professional, cultural, and linguistic strengths to the university setting, for many students, requirements to produce scholarly writing in English is a source of stress. This case study examined how a writing feedback group supported the language socialization of four international/EAL doctoral students into scholarly writing through a qualitative research design framed in participatory action research. Three primary themes emerged from the data: (a) the writing feedback group became a social, collegial, and supportive space contributing to international/EAL doctoral students’ evolving development and persistence as doctoral students and scholarly …

Written Corrective Feedback In Efl: Combining Error Codes And Metalinguistic Explanation, Yoshimasa Ogawa

Journal of Response to Writing

The present study evaluated the effects of a combined form of written corrective feedback (WCF) on English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ writing accuracy. The combined WCF consisted of unfocused error-code WCF and focused metalinguistic explanation. Different forms of WCF were administered to two groups of Japanese EFL students in two consecutive years, and the effects of the feedback were compared based on the number of grammatical errors that the students made before and after receiving feedback. The original version (single combined WCF) provided metalinguistic explanation only once for each of eight target grammatical forms, whereas the intensive version …

Formative Automated Writing Evaluation: A Standpoint Theory Of Action, Lynette Hazelton, Jessica Nastal, Norbert Elliot, Jill Burstein, Daniel F. Mccaffrey

Journal of Response to Writing

In writing studies research, automated writing evaluation technology is typically examined for a specific, often narrow purpose: to evaluate a particular writing improvement measure, to mine data for changes in writing performance, or to demonstrate the effectiveness of a single technology and accompanying validity arguments. This article adopts a broader perspective and offers a standpoint theory of action for formative automated writing evaluation (fAWE). Following presentation of the features of our standpoint theory of action, we describe our two study sites, and each instructor documents her experiences using the fAWE application (app), Writing Mentor® (WM). One instructor analyzes experiences using …

A Comparison Analysis Of Five Instructors’ Commenting Patterns Of Audio And Written Feedback On Students’ Writing Assignments, Andrew J. Cavanaugh, Liyan Song

Journal of Response to Writing

Instructors often use text-based methods when giving feedback to students on their papers. With the development of audio recording technologies, audio feedback has become an increasingly popular alternative to written feedback. This study analyzed five instructors’ commenting patterns of both written and audio feedback. The five instructors, who taught sections of the same undergraduate composition class, provided written feedback to students on one writing assignment and audio feedback on another writing assignment. A mixed-methods research methodology was employed for the study. Data were collected through surveys, students’ writing assignments, digital audio files (for audio feedback), and interviews. The findings indicated …

Editorial Introduction, Betsy Gilliland, Katherine Daily O'Meara

Journal of Response to Writing

No abstract provided.

Sensory Sensitivity And Intolerance Of Uncertainty Influence Anxiety In Autistic Adults, Karys M. Normansell-Mossa

Theses and Dissertations

Several models of anxiety in autistic adults have focused on the role of intolerance of uncertainty which has biological and evolutionary bases, as a cognitive explanation for the high prevalence of anxiety in autism. This framework suggests that all people are born with a healthy level of intolerance of uncertainty, and as we develop, this intolerance is lessened as we learn when situations are safe and begin to understand and manage the uncertainty. This process of learning about managing uncertainty does not happen in the same way in those who are high in autistic traits, which could be the reason …

Turtle: A Fault Injection Platform For Sram-Based Fpgas, Corbin Alma Thurlow

Theses and Dissertations

SRAM-Based FPGAs provide valuable computation resources and reconfigurability; however, FPGA designs can fail during operation due to ionizing radiation. As an SRAM-based device, these FPGAs store operation-critical information in configuration RAM, or CRAM. Testing, through radiation tests, can be performed to prove the effectiveness of SEU mitigation techniques by comparing the SEU sensitivity of an FPGA design with and without the mitigation techniques applied. However, radiation testing is expensive and time-consuming. Another method for SEU sensitivity testing is through fault injection. This work describes a low-cost fault injection platform for evaluating the SEU sensitivity of an SRAM-based FPGA design by …

Parental Incarceration And Juvenile Delinquency: The Role Of Gender, Kirstie S. Weyland

Theses and Dissertations

Parental incarceration is connected to many negative outcomes for children including negative externalizing behaviors. Most studies are not conclusive in determining whether maternal incarceration or paternal incarceration has a more detrimental impact on children. This study looks at a sample of 2,458 youth from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study (FFCWS) and their parents and compares the gender of the incarcerated parent and that of the child to determine if there are differences in the risk of delinquent behavior among adolescent children. Results found that parental incarceration overall increased the risk of juvenile delinquency and that female children are …

Teacher Perspectives On Students With Special Educational Needs Enrolled In Secondary-Level World Language Classes In The State Of Utah, María Fernanda Zamora Sánchez

Theses and Dissertations

Research was conducted on students with special educational needs (SEN) taking world language (WL) classes at the secondary level in the state of Utah. Ninety-two WL teachers shared their outlooks and experiences on working with this population of students. Data analyses show that there is not a significant increase in the number of students with SEN enrolled in WL classes. Analyses suggest that WL teachers have an average of two students with SEN per class, learning disability being the most common SEN identified. This study also shares teachers' successful and challenging experiences, finding that time and individual attention are examples …

The Relationship Of Alliance, Cohesion, And Group Climate With Outcome, Rachel Anne Arnold

Theses and Dissertations

Therapeutic alliance, cohesion, and group climate are all important relationship components of group therapy which have been shown to predict client outcome. Yet, due to discrepancies in how these are defined and measured in the literature, how these three constructs differentially predict outcome is not yet fully understood. For instance, most studies only assess a single construct and often do so with outcome assessed from a pre-post perspective rather than continuously. The present study is an archival analysis on Group Questionnaire (GQ) positive bond and Outcome Questionnaire-45 (OQ-45) data that aims to elucidate the predictive relationship of therapeutic alliance, group …

Byu-Online Update For Exsci 410 Stress Management, Kayla Hunter

Instructional Psychology and Technology Graduate Student Projects

The purpose of this project was to update BYU-Online course material for Stress Management (EXSC 410). This course teaches the basic physiology of stress, its impact on the body, and several methods of coping with stress to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Using Merril's first principles of instruction, the course was reformatted to align with the action-based learning outcomes for the course. Application activities were created and students reported that they used the stress management skills they were taught in the course.

Pegylation Stabilizes The Conformation Of Proteins And The Noncovalent Interactions Within Them, Steven R. E. Draper

Theses and Dissertations

PEGylation has been used for decades to enhance the pharmacokinetic properties of protein therapeutics. This method has been effective at increasing the serum half-life of these drugs, but the mechanism of how it does this is unclear. Chapter 1 is an introduction to the methods of PEGylation. In chapter 2 we show that the effect of PEGylation on the conformational stability of the WW domain differs based on amino acid linker and conjugation site. We show that all positions in the WW domain that were tested can be stabilized by at least one amino acid linker. The rate of proteolysis …

Software Defined Radio Short Range Radar, Nicholas Everett Kohls

Theses and Dissertations

High cost is a current problem with modern radar systems. Software-defined radios (SDRs) offer a possible solution for low-cost customizable radar systems. An SDR is a radio communi- cation system where, instead of the traditional radio components implemented in hardware, many of the components are implemented in software on a computer or embedded system. Although SDRs were originally designed for wireless communication systems, the firmware of an SDR can be configured into a radar system. With new companies entering the market, various types of low- cost SDRs have emerged. This thesis explores the use of a LimeSDR-Mini in a short-range …

Reinforcement Learning With Auxiliary Memory, Sterling Suggs

Theses and Dissertations

Deep reinforcement learning algorithms typically require vast amounts of data to train to a useful level of performance. Each time new data is encountered, the network must inefficiently update all of its parameters. Auxiliary memory units can help deep neural networks train more efficiently by separating computation from storage, and providing a means to rapidly store and retrieve precise information. We present four deep reinforcement learning models augmented with external memory, and benchmark their performance on ten tasks from the Arcade Learning Environment. Our discussion and insights will be helpful for future RL researchers developing their own memory agents.

Hydroviewer: A Web Application To Localize Global Hydrologic Forecasts, Kyler R. Ashby, Riley Chad Hales, Jim Nelson, Daniel P. Ames, Gustavious P. Williams

Open Water Journal

Earth observation data are increasingly ubiquitous, easily accessible, often freely available, and more usable due to improvements in software, data standards, network infrastructure, and national policies. As a result, greater opportunities arise for using these data in emerging fields such as decision support for local and regional environmental and water resources management. In parts of the world where in situ data are less readily available, global Earth observation data, used in decision support tools, can be a boon to government and other water management agencies. The Group on Earth Observations Global Water Sustainability Initiative (GEOGloWS) works to bring global water …

Connecting Space To Village By Predicting Algae Contamination In Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, Alma Meyer, Jorge Luis Sánchez Lozano, Jim Nelson, Africa Flores

Open Water Journal

Environmental authorities in Guatemala have become increasingly concerned in the last decade due to the deteriorating condition of the Lake Atitlán watershed. The lake has experienced algae blooms that first appeared in 2009 and now occur almost yearly. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) SERVIR Science Coordination Team and scientists at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) have been working on an algorithm that predicts algae blooms using satellite data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. However, to make the algorithm work consistently, they were lacking data for one important variable: daily volume of runoff into the lake. Using …

Tendu To Tango Across The Lifespan: An Argument For Prioritizing Fixed Ballet Instruction As A Contemplative Practice For The Adolescent Mind And Social Dance Instruction For Healthy Aging In The Elderly Population, Jenica Barker

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Why dance? This thesis investigates and provides arguments for prioritizing different dance training methods and styles across a person’s lifespan for maximum neurological and mental benefit. Beyond the interpersonal, motivational, and creative skills it delivers, dance training provides significant neural benefits for the developing adolescent brain (ages 10-24). Additionally, there are significant implications for dance’s aid in the prevention or delay of symptoms of healthy aging, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.

According to the synthesis of research provided in this thesis, fixed ballet training is an optimal form of ballet training for adolescents because of its features consistent with …

Lexical Aspect In-Sha Verb Chains In Pastaza Kichwa, Azya Dawn Ladd

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a corpus and narrative-based description of how the lexical aspect of predicates with the switch reference same subject (SS) suffix -ʃa affects the meaning of utterances in Pastaza Kichwa (PK), a Quechuan dialect spoken in Amazonian Ecuador. The main purpose of this thesis is to describe how verb chains that use -ʃa are affected by lexical aspect. The secondary purpose is to compare these uses with current grammars, and determine whether there are more uses than are currently proposed in the most recent grammar of PK. The most recent grammar of PK lists the functions of the …

Regional Water Quality Data Viewer Tool: An Open-Source To Support Research Data Access, Danisa Dolder

Theses and Dissertations

Water quality data collection, storage, and access is a difficult task and significant work has gone into methods to store and disseminate these data. We present a tool to disseminate research in a simple method that does not replace but extends and leverages these tools. In the United States, the federal government maintains two systems to fill that role for hydrological data: the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Information System (NWIS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Storage and Retrieval System (STORET), since superseded by the Water Quality Portal (WQP). The Consortium of the Universities for the Advancement …

San Bernardino Flying Squirrel Use Of Residential Areas: A Citizen Science Approach, Kevin Clark, Scott Tremor, Brian Gibson, Kimberly Ferree, Clark Winchell

Western North American Naturalist

The San Bernardino flying squirrel (Glaucomys oregonensis californicus) is a California Species of Special Concern restricted to montane forests of southern California. We confirmed the distribution of this species in residential areas of the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains with the assistance of citizen scientist volunteers. Project participants placed motion sensor camera traps near bird feeders on their property and uploaded their results to a project webpage and associated iNaturalist project. Flying squirrels were documented at all sites monitored in the San Bernardino Mountains but were not detected in the San Jacinto Mountains, consistent with survey results …

Predictability Of Invasive Argentine Ant Distribution Across Mediterranean Ecoregions Of Southern California, Jonathan Q. Richmond, Tritia Matsuda, Cheryl S. Brehme, Emily E. Perkins, Robert N. Fisher

Western North American Naturalist

The invasiveness of nonnative taxa can vary across a landscape due to environmental gradients, suggesting that location-dependent management strategies may be more effective at reducing spread compared to a “one size fits all” approach across the entire introduced range. Using bait stations placed along linear transects within habitat preserves, we tested for effects of ecoregion, vegetation, soil moisture, habitat edge type (i.e., moisture source), and distance from edges on the presence of the invasive Argentine ant Linepithema humile in San Diego County, California, a region with high indigenous biodiversity and numerous rare and protected species. Our results showed an inverse …

Population Dynamics Of Mule Deer (Odocoileus Hemionus): Maternal Effects And De Novo Genome, Sydney Lamb

Theses and Dissertations

Population dynamics of large ungulates are complex and vary with fluctuations in factors such as predation, resource availability, human disturbance, and weather (Gaillard et al. 1998, Forrester and Wittmer 2013). These regulating factors exhibit similar effects on ungulate populations by changing vital rates such as birthrate, death rate, emigration or immigration (Gaillard et al. 2000). To better understand the mechanisms influencing population change, it is useful to involve tools from multiple disciplines (Krausman et al. 2013). Here we explore population dynamics of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) through the lenses of two distinct fields: population ecology and genomics. In the first …

Remote Sensing And Spatial Variability Of Leaf Area Index Of Irrigated Wheat Fields, Austin Paul Hopkins

Theses and Dissertations

Leaf area index (LAI) is a versatile indicator of crop growth that is used to estimate evapotranspiration (ET), monitor nitrogen status, and estimate crop yield. Traditional methods for measuring LAI can be improved using high resolution remote sensing. The aim of this study was to compare approaches for estimating LAI from UAV-derived visible vegetation indices. Coincident ground-based and remotely sensed data were obtained from two irrigated wheat fields and were sampled at a total of 5 events in 2019 and 2020. Ground-based LAI was measured with a ceptometer and remotely sensed images were collected using a consumer-grade UAV. Mosaiced orthophotos …

Full Issue

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

No abstract provided.

The Etiology Of Mdd In Sexual Minority Youth And Its Implications For Treatment, Keith Burns

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Greater tolerance and understanding of homosexuality, transgenderism, and other forms of gender nonconformity have sparked an increased effort to reach out to and help sexual minorities (i.e., groups whose sexual identity, orientation, or practices differ from cisgender heterosexuality), especially those who experience mental health challenges. Despite immense progress in society, deeply rooted social stigma, prejudice, and discrimination have often left sexual minorities feeling bullied, ostracized, and isolated, which tends to reinforce a host of negative mental health outcomes, such as increased risk of major depressive disorder (MDD) and suicidality (Hatchel et al., 2018). While mental health clinicians have become increasingly …

Experiences Of Nonbinary And Gender Nonconforming Individuals Within The Healthcare System, Chloe B. Lacey

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Though nonbinary and gender nonconforming people are becoming increasingly recognized in North America, specialized healthcare—specifically gender-affirming procedures—are not becoming available to them. Researchers have examined the subjective experiences of these individuals as they have navigated the healthcare system in order to further understand possible limitations for nonbinary and gender nonconforming populations. Methods include assessing the procedures available to participants and their interpersonal experiences with healthcare professionals and family members. Scientific resources on this topic are limited, and the results are overwhelmingly represented by self-report. Furthermore, the content of the results is majorly negative toward the participants’ experiences. Participants report verbal …

The Unintentional Cost Of A Free Public Sex Offender Registry, Rebekah E. Leavitt

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

This literature review analyzes the efficacy of modern legislation guiding public access to sex offender registries and draws on research utilizing surveys, interviews, and statistical observations of convicted sex offenders to determine sources of ineffective practices at the legislative level. By utilizing Braithwaite’s reintegrative shaming theory (1989), in which stigmatizing shame is significantly less efficient in criminal contexts, current legislation and its impact on common issues experienced by sex offenders (including sexually addictive behaviors and childhood sexual abuse) are examined. The discerned prevalence of stigmatizing shame in modern legislation, which focuses on the individual rather than the undesirable behavior, indicates …

The Events Of Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure, Mia R. Urmston

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a worldwide issue leading to problems shortly following abuse and well into the victims’ lives. Specific barriers have been found to delay one’s disclosure of CSA. Common reasons for delayed CSA disclosure among recently abused children and adult survivors of CSA are the fear of not being believed and not having a trusted adult with whom they can disclose their CSA experience. Feelings of shame brought on by comments from the perpetrator were also common among those who delayed CSA disclosure. Action is needed to transition CSA disclosure from being an event into more of …